It's the most common walk-in problem at both our counters: a few cracked or slipped tiles, a roofer who says the line was discontinued years ago, and a homeowner picturing a whole-roof replacement over six broken pieces. Take a breath. This is fixable, and it's one of our specialties.
Why your tile "doesn't exist"
Tile manufacturers retire colors and profiles constantly — blends get discontinued, factories close, brands get bought. The big-box stores only stock what's current. But Southern California has been laying tile for a century, and the tiles themselves outlive every product catalog.
How matching actually works
- Bring a sample or a sharp photo. An actual tile is best — toss a broken one in the truck. Our counter people can often name a profile and maker on sight.
- We check current equivalents first. Eagle, US Tile and others still make many classic profiles; sometimes a current blend is a dead-on match.
- Then the boneyard. We keep reclaimed and surplus tile precisely for this — customers regularly match 10-, 20-, even 30-year-old roofs from stock.
- The roofer's trick: for small repairs, a good installer steals matching weathered tiles from a hidden slope and puts the near-match where nobody looks. Sun does the rest.
What it costs
Usually a stack of tiles and a half-day of labor — three figures, not five. Which is why we tell people: don't let anyone turn six broken tiles into a re-roof conversation before someone's checked the match. Bring us the tile. Worst case, we'll tell you the truth.
Written by the counter crew at South Coast Shingle — supplying Southern California roofing & masonry since 1946. Questions? Long Beach (800) 540-7626 · Laguna Niguel (800) 580-7626.