Watch out for moss and lichen growing on your roof

Published date25 May 2023
Publication titleGuardian, The
Just as the grass grows and must be mown, so too will your roof accumulate moss and lichen that must be treated

Left to run rampant, moss and lichen will create problems that both detract from the value of your house and can also lead to significant damage.

Roof Maintenance director Neville Brown has 35 years’ experience fitting new and maintaining old roofs. It’s given him a sharp eye for the sort of things they can face over time.

“Moss and lichen will get progressively worse each year,” he says. “It can cause leaks with clay and concrete tiles and permanent damage to the surfaces of others.

“Pre-painted tiles, chip-surfaces tiles and pre-painted corrugated iron are particularly vulnerable.”

Neville’s moss and lichen treatment business can take care of any build-up of unwanted flora on your roof.

“We repoint the mortar on a large number of concrete and clay tile roofs with a coloured acrylic flexible compound after they have been sprayed for lichen and moss. By undertaking this work, the roof life may be extended for at least a further 20 years,” he says.

Some roofs with a heavy coating of lichen can take up to a...

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