Drive through Southlake’s estate neighborhoods and you’ll see plenty of Mediterranean, Spanish and Tuscan-style homes. On many of them, the roof is the first thing you notice: barrel or S tile in red, terracotta, or a blend of browns. More owners now ask the same question: should the new roof be real clay, and whose clay?
I’m Blake Snow. I’ve been roofing for 30 years, and tile work is some of the most careful work we do. Three clay tile makers come up again and again when Southlake owners and their architects shop: Santafé Tile, Verea and MCA. Here’s how they compare, based on what each company publishes.
The three makers at a glance
| Santafé Tile | Verea | MCA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who they are | Miami-based U.S. subsidiary of Colombia’s Ladrillera Santafé; now offering tile from La Escandella (Spain) | Spain’s Cerámica Verea (since 1967), with a U.S. office and warehouse in Miami | U.S. maker (est. 1985); catalog says made in USA |
| Grade | Santafé says all products carry Miami-Dade and Florida Building Code approvals | ASTM C1167 Grade 1 on all products | ASTM C1167 Grade 1 |
| Main profiles | Spanish S, Mixed Large S, Mission Barrel, Curved, Venice, Selectum, Planum, handmade Artisan Blend | Spanish S, True Barrel (two-piece), interlocking Flat, lightweight Caribbean S | One Piece S, Classic S, Corona and Classic Tapered Mission, 8-inch Straight Barrel, Roman Pan, Interlocking Flat, Historical replicas |
| Published weight | Varies by profile | Flat: about 800 lbs per square | One Piece S and Classic S: 788 lbs per square |
| Warranty | 100-year product warranty (per Santafé) | Limited lifetime; register within 30 days | 50-year limited material warranty |
| Stand-out | Wide color range and pre-blends; handmade option | Color guarantee; hail and freeze-thaw testing | Custom colors and reproductions of old or discontinued tile |
Sources: Santafé Tile home, Santafé history, Santafé FAQ, Verea Clay Roof Tile, Verea products, Verea warranty, MCA About, MCA One Piece S, MCA Classic S, MCA warranty request.
Santafé Tile
Santafé Tile Corporation is the Miami-based U.S. branch of Ladrillera Santafé, a Colombian clay brick and tile maker with more than 60 years of history. Santafé says it started exporting roof tile to the U.S., Central America and the Caribbean in 1990. After more than 25 years of supplying tile from its Colombian parent, it now offers tile from La Escandella in Spain, under Santafé’s own guarantee.
What helps on a Southlake project:
- Lots of colors in the Spanish S. Santafé lists Red, Red Fumé, Cocoa, Coffee, Coffee Fumé, Peach, Galeras, Charcoal, Pewter and River Rock, plus pre-blends.
- Handmade Artisan Blend tile for an older, hand-formed look. Santafé notes this line has more natural color variation.
- Clear ordering rules. Tile stocked in Miami can be ready for pickup within about a week. Tile from the plant in Spain takes about 10 to 12 weeks. A custom color carries a one-time, non-refundable $1,000 development fee. Made-to-order tile can’t be cancelled once it’s made.
- The number stamped on the back of a Santafé tile is the manufacturing date and shift, not the color. That matters when you’re trying to match an old roof.
Verea
Verea is made by Cerámica Verea in Galicia, Spain, which has been making roof tile since 1967. Its U.S. operation in Miami sells through authorized distributors. Verea says every product meets ASTM C1167 Grade 1 and that every profile carries a Miami-Dade NOA.
What stands out:
- Profiles: Spanish S (one-piece), True Barrel (two-piece cap and pan), a 16-inch interlocking Flat at about 800 lbs per square, and the lightweight Caribbean S (6.6 lbs per piece, Miami-Dade NOA 20-0902.01).
- Hail testing: Verea’s Spanish parent reports its tile passed the FM 4473 hail impact test at Class 3 at Intertek, using a 44.45 mm (about 1.75-inch) ice ball at 112 km/h. Source: Tejas Verea hail test.
- Freeze-thaw: Verea says its tile has been certified to more than 500 freeze-thaw cycles. That matters in North Texas, where we do get hard freezes.
- Warranty, in plain English: limited lifetime coverage for as long as the original owner owns the home. You must register within 30 days of installation, it must be installed by a licensed contractor with a valid building permit, and it covers tile that fails ASTM C1167 strength or absorption standards, plus unreasonable color variation from the sample. Verea supplies replacement tile or refunds the defective tile’s price. It doesn’t cover labor or removal. We handle the registration paperwork so the 30-day window isn’t missed.
MCA
MCA lists its start as 1985, says it uses high-firing kilns, and its catalog says its main profiles are made in the USA to ASTM C1167 Grade 1. MCA offers a 50-year limited material warranty and lists its tile as Class A fire rated. Its One Piece S tile is listed as available in Texas.
What stands out:
- One Piece S Mission: 75 pieces per square, 788 lbs per square, 16” x 12” exposure. MCA says it saves labor compared to S tiles that need more pieces per square.
- Classic S Mission: a one-piece tile built to look like two-piece tile, especially with a two-piece eave line. Same 788 lbs per square, 90 pieces per square.
- Two-piece Mission: Corona Tapered, Classic Tapered and 8-inch Straight Barrel for a true cap-and-pan look.
- Matching old roofs: MCA says it can reproduce extruded clay tile from a sample piece with no minimum and no tooling charge, and it makes replicas of discontinued tile. That’s useful when a Southlake home was built with a tile nobody stocks anymore.
- Color data: MCA publishes solar reflectance for its colors. Natural Red (F40), for example, is listed at 0.45 solar reflectance.
One-piece S vs. two-piece barrel on an estate home
- One-piece S tile (Santafé Spanish S, Verea Spanish S, MCA One Piece S and Classic S) installs faster and uses fewer pieces. It’s the most common choice.
- Two-piece barrel (Verea True Barrel, Santafé Mission Barrel, MCA Tapered Mission) gives deeper shadow lines and a more hand-built look, but takes more labor and more tile. It’s what many architects draw for true Spanish revival homes.
We go deeper on profiles in our Ludowici Spanish vs. Mission tile post.
What decides whether a clay tile roof lasts
The tile itself can outlast the house. The roof fails when what’s under it fails. On every clay tile quote we cover:
- Framing check. At roughly 790 to 800 lbs per square, clay is heavy. We confirm the structure before anything else.
- Underlayment. This is the real waterproof layer under tile. See why tile roofs leak and how lift-and-relay works.
- Fastening and accessories. We follow the maker’s details for the profile, including eave closures, bird stops and hip and ridge pieces.
- Flashings. Copper or heavy-gauge metal at valleys, walls and chimneys. See copper flashing on slate and tile.
- HOA submittal. Profile, color name and a sample, not a phone photo.
- Warranty paperwork. Who registers it, and by when.
After hail
Clay doesn’t dent. It cracks or breaks. Individual tiles can usually be replaced if you can match them, and that’s where knowing the maker matters. Get the roof inspected and photographed before anyone walks on it, because walking on tile the wrong way breaks more of it. In Texas you generally have 1 year from the date of loss to file an insurance claim, but check your policy. See our storm damage page.
Related reading
- Clay vs. concrete tile for custom homes
- Ludowici clay tile repair and matching
- Westlake Royal (formerly Boral) US Tile clay and concrete
- Concrete tile for Southlake Mediterranean homes
Talk to us about clay tile in Southlake
We install and repair clay tile in Southlake, Westlake, Colleyville, Trophy Club and across DFW, installed to manufacturer specs by certified installers. We’re certified with GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning, Atlas, Johns Manville, Carlisle, Tropical Roofing Products, Mule-Hide and Enviroshake, and many other roof manufacturers. We’re BBB A+ rated, with 5.0 stars on Google at all three offices: Bridgeport, Decatur and Rhome. Every job gets a free digital photo report and a workmanship warranty from 10 years up to lifetime, depending on the job. Request a free inspection or call (817) 733-9228.
