I have several loose roof tiles. caused by coroded nails, I have tried to renail them but could break the tiles which are now obsolete. what is the diy aproach to refixing them.

Malc June 2008, June 2008

All you have to do is get yourself some good quality liquid nails. just apply the liquid nails to the tiles and hold them in place for a few minutes until the liquid nail sets up and you should have no problem. you can get the liquid nails at your local home center.

Mickey-G TN, July 2008

Form a lead tingle. A strip of lead ideally code 4, about 1" wide and twice the length of your tile. shape it so it hooks over the batton (ideally nail) and then position your tile on the roof. Wrap the lead up to support the lower edge of the tile so that it lays underneath teh tile. This method is usually used for slates and your tile may be too heavy but for a temporary solution then worth a try. If your nails are corroded, then likely to be across the whole roof so you should get someone professional to look at it as it might be more serious than a couple of slipped tiles.

j Williams, July 2008

The DIY approach - if you don't want to partially strip the roof - is to get some stiff copper wire or thin copper strip and bend a 90 deg hook about 20mm from one end. You hook this wire onto the slaters laths that the slates are nailed to. Its a bit awkward but it can be done by feel. The slipped slate is then pushed back into place and is retained there by bending the free end of the wire back over the bottom edge - if you see what I mean. If you can help things by using some silicone sealant as a glue on the top edge of the slate it will help too - just make sure the silicone can't channel water into the roof void itself.

John, June 2008