Roof Cleaning
Northern Beaches
Safe, low-pressure roof restoration.
Usually replies within the hour · Taking bookings this week
Lichen, moss and black algae shorten the life of your roof — they hold moisture against tiles, lift mortar bedding, and eat the coating off Colorbond. Our low-pressure treatment kills the biology and restores the surface without driving water under laps.
- Terracotta, cement tile, Colorbond and metal roofs
- Low-pressure soft-wash treatment — no blasted granules, no lifted laps
- Biocide kills the biology so it doesn't grow straight back
- Ridge capping and flashings visually inspected while we're up there
- Downpipes blocked off before chemistry is applied
- Fully insured, harnessed and trained for roof access
Why it matters on the Northern Beaches
The combination of salt air, afternoon humidity and gum-tree litter makes the Northern Beaches one of the worst microclimates in Sydney for roof organisms. Terracotta and cement tile roofs go from the original colour to mottled grey within ten years if they're shaded. Colorbond sheds salt-driven corrosion around screw heads and where leaf litter piles up behind solar rails. Once lichen roots into the surface it's not just ugly — it's actively holding water against the roofing, which shortens the service life and can void some coating warranties.
Our process
Roofs are soft washed. That's a controlled application of sodium hypochlorite and a surfactant, applied at low pressure from a specialist pump, left to dwell, then rinsed carefully. The chemistry kills the biology at the root so it doesn't grow straight back — a pressure-only clean looks great for six months and then the lichen is back worse than before. For Colorbond we use a formulation that's safe on the factory coating; for terracotta and cement tiles we check bedding and pointing on the ridge caps first and flag anything that should be re-bedded before we wet the roof. We harness up, tarp garden beds and pool surrounds, and block off downpipes that feed water tanks so no chemistry ends up where it shouldn't.
What can go wrong if it's done rough
High-pressure roof cleaning is the fastest way to damage a roof we know of. It blasts the granule coating off cement tiles, lifts the edges of Colorbond sheets, forces water under laps and into roof cavities, and on older tiled roofs it can shatter tiles outright. We see the aftermath every year — ceilings that started leaking within a month of a rushed roof wash. Soft washing takes longer and costs slightly more, but it's the method every major tile and metal manufacturer actually recommends.
When to book it in
If you can see lichen, moss or black streaking from the street, it's time. For most Northern Beaches homes that's every four to six years. We'll usually pair a roof clean with gutter cleaning on the same visit — it's more efficient, and the gutters will be full of organic residue after the roof wash anyway.
Need it done soon?
Call now or request a fast quote — usually replied to within the hour.
Taking bookings this week