Tile Roof Soft Washing
Kensington

Recent Kensington condo listings show tile roofs on low-rise coach buildings built in 1999 and 2002, so many roofs are over 20 years old. Tile that age in Naples has usually seen several algae cycles, and black streaks are common where it hasn’t been soft washed recently.

Roofs facing the preserve and course water generally stay damp longer after dew. Those slopes usually streak first, so we treat every slope for an even finish.

Near the preserve, runoff control is part of the job. We pre-wet and rinse plants, direct runoff away from water and keep solution off preserve edges.

A small club with a big preserve. Kensington Golf & Country Club is a gated community of about 565 properties at 2700 Pine Ridge Road, between Airport-Pulling and Livingston. The private equity club opened in the early 1990s, and its course, by Robert Trent Jones Jr.’s firm RTJ II, was built around a 20-acre natural preserve, with a chain of wetland preserves and the fairways acting as a buffer to the homesites. That much standing water and canopy keeps the air humid, which is exactly the setting where roof algae thrives.

What the black streaks are. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association names Gloeocapsa magma as probably the most common of the algae species behind dark roof streaks, and says the problem is most widespread in the Gulf States. Owens Corning’s technical bulletin describes it as a cyanobacterium carried through the air that collects and grows on roofs. Those bulletins are written about shingles, but the same dark staining forms on concrete tile, along with green algae and lichen on shaded slopes.

Coach homes, villas and estates. The community is split into a dozen or so neighborhoods with names like Canterbury Greens, Hampton Row, Lancaster Square, Nottingham Cove, Sheffield Villas and Wellington Place. Coach homes sit in four neighborhoods with two units per building, each with a garage. Single-family homes and villas of about 2,100 to 5,000 square feet fill six more, and two neighborhoods hold estate homes. A coach building is quoted per building for the association; a single-family roof is quoted to the owner.

Two-story homes in Sheffield Villas. One Sheffield Villas home on Kensington High Street, built in 2001, is listed as a two-story block-and-stucco house with a tile roof, a balcony over a screened lanai and a heated pool under a screen enclosure. Roofs like that need a taller setup, and the lanai screen and pool below have to be protected from drip. We cover pool equipment, pre-wet the screen and rinse it again when we finish.

How tile makers want it cleaned. Eagle Roofing Products, a concrete tile manufacturer, recommends water only for routine cleaning, with pressure never above 1,200 psi, and says a cleaner should be used only in the most diluted, concrete-compatible form, since some products can affect the tile’s pH or etch it. Our soft wash stays at low pressure and relies on a mild solution and dwell time to lift growth, followed by a gentle rinse.

Lake and municipal irrigation. The same listing shows irrigation drawn from lake and municipal sources. Lake water sprayed on lower walls and roof edges can leave mineral and organic staining, and constant overspray keeps the eaves damp. We look at where heads hit the house and roof line and note them on your record.

Cleaning is temporary. ARMA is plain that cleaning algae off a roof is only a temporary fix and that discoloration may come back. On preserve-facing slopes it tends to come back sooner. We do not promise a set number of years; we treat the whole roof evenly so the color returns evenly, and suggest a check when the first shadows reappear on the shaded side.

Safe footing on wet tile. Eagle notes that walking a tile roof is difficult and that adding water makes it more dangerous, and recommends licensed, insured crews experienced with tile who use fall protection. Our crews plan their path before starting, step on the lower part of each tile where it is supported, and work from the ridge down so they are not walking on treated, slippery tile.

Ridges and mortar on 20-year roofs. Roofs built around 1999 to 2002 often have stained or cracked ridge mortar. Our tile roof and ridge cap treatment starts at $349 and gives those lines extra attention. Anything loose or cracked is photographed for you or the association’s roofer.

Coquina paths and leaf litter. A 2007 renovation swapped the course’s concrete cart paths for coquina. Course-side roofs collect leaves, palm debris and fine dust in valleys and behind ridge lines, and those piles hold moisture against the tile. We clear valleys by hand before treating, so the solution reaches the tile rather than soaking into a mat of debris.

Club days and access. With the clubhouse, heated pool, seven Har-Tru tennis courts, pickleball, bocce, fitness and spa, owners are often out. Kensington is gated; we confirm our gate pass with you or your manager, and send before and after photos with a written record.