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For
a dance of colour on your roof |
Sloped roofs with the cladding of terracotta tiles
are environment-friendly and look great. But if you haven't chosen
the right kind of tiles, the colour fades fast and they blacken.
If the proper slope is given and quality tiles are used, you retain
the charm even over a decade.
Many Bangaloreans with disposable incomes are no longer happy
only with the architectural elegance of terracotta tiles. They
are going for coloured cement tiles, being offered by the only
manufacturer, Lafarge Roofing Pvt. Ltd., which has a manufacturing
unit in Bommasandra. The tiles, which cost Rs. 27 to 40 a tile
(add about 13 per cent tax, transport cost and installation charges
too), are available in red, orange, gray, combinations of black
and gray, black and green, black and blue. And, of course, you
have these tiles in terracotta colour too.
The house of Shettis in J.P.Nagar 3rd Phase, for example, has
used the black-blue tile (also called antique blue) for all the
sloped roofs. "Our roofs are the cynosure of all eyes,"
proudly claims its owner, Seshagiri, a retired bank officer. There
are times when people even stand in front of the house and take
a deep look at the roofs, he says.
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Opinions
differ
Are the cement tiles warmer than
the terracotta tiles? Opinions of the inmates of the houses where
coloured tiles are used differ. Seema, who has used them directly
(over a steel substructure) points out that the house is a bit warmer
during summer, "though it is not a big problem."
But Mr. Seshagiri, whose villa has concrete roof with a cladding
of cement tiles, says his house does not get warm. "During
my younger days I have lived in a house with Mangalore tiles. This
house is not that warm."
He says that these tiles radiate less heat. The company executives
say heat insulation is possible where the tiles are laid directly
on a substructure by providing a radiant heat barrier between the
tiles and the substructure. The barrier is made of aluminium foil.
The tiles are put about 2 to 3 inches above the existing roofs and
this provides an air gap. This results in the roofs radiating less
heat and makes the life of those in the house a bit comfortable,
says an executive of the company. |
Advantages
The company supplies many accessories for
the tiles to ensure that the roof is foolproof.
You get universal barge tile which can be laid along the edges,
eliminating the need to lay a concrete strip; pressed round ridge
end to make the ridge ends more presentable; clips to hold the
tiles that are cut (for adjusting them where two slopes meet and
create a valley); two-way, three-way or four-way round ridges
to provide smooth deviation or ridges; vent tiles, transparent
tiles for using them as skylights; V-pipe tile to fix over toilets
to let the exhaust pipe; and the accessories that help seal the
leaks easily.
Unlike the regular Mangalore tiles or terracotta tiles, these
tiles come with a groove for binding the tiles to the substructure
using self-tapping screws.
When these screws are used, they cannot be unscrewed. They will
have to be cut open to remove the tiles. This eliminates the possibility
of tiles flying away when strong winds blow. Also, thieves cannot
break in.
The company also supplies the glazed and colourful clay tiles
sourcing them from its factory in Kozhikode. But these tiles are
not popular in Bangalore. Besides, transport cost is heavy.
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