Temple Roof Tiles in Laos: ຫຼັງຄາວັດ PVC | Santiago

Mr Quyen - Santiago. Posted 03/11/2026

Curved two-tier pagoda-style roof covered with red tile sheets, Vietnam

Why re-roof a wat, sala or village hall with tile sheets?

Many temple buildings and village halls in Laos still have a roof of small clay tiles on a timber frame, or a metal-sheet roof that was put on later over the old frame. Small tiles slip and crack, and in the rainy season each broken tile is a leak. Metal sheet rusts, and under heavy rain it is so loud that a ceremony, a meeting or a class has to stop. Tile sheets keep the tile look that a temple community is used to, and they cover each slope in long pieces 1.05 m wide, cut to the length of that slope, so there are far fewer joints than with small tiles.

In Santiago's tests, rain noise under ASA/PVC is about 80% lower than under metal sheet and the space below is about 6 – 8 °C cooler than under bare metal. For a hall where people sit on the floor for hours, both differences are easy to notice. The sheet contains no metal, so it does not rust.

Is an old timber roof frame strong enough for tile sheets?

A 2.5 mm Santiago tile sheet weighs about 5.4 kg per m² of roof, much lighter than clay or concrete tiles. That light weight is the main reason committees choose tile sheets when the frame is old. Lighter does not mean the frame check can be skipped. Before ordering, have a carpenter go over the rafters and purlins for rot, termite damage and sagging, and replace weak timber first. If the committee wants the new load compared with the old roof covering, a local engineer can work it out from the 5.4 kg per m² figure.

Where do the purlins go on a tiered temple roof?

Each roof plane needs its own purlins under the tile sheets, less than 700 mm apart. For the tile sheet the spacing is 440 mm or 660 mm, so that every purlin sits under the foot of a tile step (the tile step is 219 mm). Battens laid for small clay tiles rarely line up with that step, so plan new purlin lines on each tier. The top purlin goes 15 – 18 cm below the ridge.

Santiago's installation guide covers roof slopes of 20 – 45%. Traditional Lao temple roofs are often steeper than that, especially the upper tier. Measure the rise and the run of each tier. If a tier is steeper than 45%, or if the roof sweeps upward at the eaves, send the drawing and photos to Santiago before ordering, so you know which parts the sheets can cover.

Which accessories does a temple or sala roof need?

All pieces come in the same colours as the sheets; red and orange are standard colours, as are dark grey, blue and chocolate. Santiago does not make carved ridge finials, naga boards or other temple ornaments. Plan with the temple's craftsmen how each ornament will be fixed back to the timber frame rather than to the plastic sheet.

Temple pavilion with a red tile roof and a decorated ridge, Khanh Hoa, Vietnam

Worked example: how many sheets for a two-tier village sala?

Take a village sala with a gable upper roof and a lower tier along both long sides. The figures below are an example; use your own measurements.

1. Upper tier: 10 m long, each slope 3.25 m from ridge to eave. 10 m ÷ 0.96 m cover = 10.4, so 11 sheets per side and 22 sheets in all, each 15 tile steps long (3.285 m).
2. Lower tier: 14 m long on each long side, slope 2.1 m. 14 m ÷ 0.96 m = 14.6, so 15 sheets per side and 30 in all, each 10 tile steps long (2.19 m).
3. Roof area: about 66 m² on the upper tier and 61 m² on the lower tier, about 127 m² in total.
4. Weight of the sheets at 2.5 mm: 127 m² × 5.4 kg, about 690 kg.
5. Screw sets with ASA caps: 4 – 5 per m², about 510 – 640.
6. Accessories: ridge cap along the 10 m ridge, a ridge terminal at each end, eave sealing tile along the eaves and vertical wall flashing where the lower tier meets the wall under the upper tier.

The whole sala takes about 138 m of tile sheet. Santiago checks the list against your drawing and quotes per order in writing.

How does a temple committee in Laos order tile sheets?

Santiago exports by the container. One 40 ft container holds about 5,000 m of sheet and is produced in about 5 days, and colours, profiles and accessories can be mixed in it. A single sala uses only a small part of that, so a temple usually orders through a Lao dealer or a builder who imports, or several projects are grouped into one container. Shipments to Laos travel with a Form D certificate of origin under the ASEAN agreement; the importer's customs broker confirms the duty rate for HS code 3925.90.00.

Free samples help a committee agree on the colour; the buyer pays the courier. Santiago works under ISO 9001:2015 (certificate ICI-23087.D) and sends a quality certificate (CQ) with every lot. It supplies the sheets and accessories and sends installation videos, but does not install. The roofer pre-drills 6 mm holes, uses 70 mm screws through the top of the wave over a purlin, laps one wave sideways and never screws in the valley.

What does a PVC tile roof look like during installation?

Mr Quyen shows a green ASA/PVC sheet in the Santiago factory, then climbs onto a grey tile-profile roof that installers are still screwing down. Near the end he and a colleague walk along a finished grey tile roof next to the gutter.

Santiago uPVC tile roofs on site (Santiago video on YouTube).

Short videos for buyers in Laos

The clips below come from Santiago's own YouTube channel and were filmed at the factory in Vietnam or on Santiago roofs.

Frequently asked questions

Can PVC tile sheets be used on a temple roof in Laos?

Yes, on roof planes with a slope of 20 – 45%. Santiago ASA/PVC tile sheets weigh about 5.4 kg per m² and come with ridge cap, hip ridge, ridge terminal, three-way and four-way pieces in the same colour.

Are PVC roof tiles light enough for an old timber frame?

A 2.5 mm Santiago tile sheet weighs about 5.4 kg per m² of roof, much lighter than clay tiles. Rotten or termite-damaged timber should still be replaced before re-roofing.

What piece closes the top of a square sala roof?

The four-way piece, where the four hip lines meet. The hip lines themselves are covered with the diagonal (hip) ridge.

What if a temple roof tier is steeper than 45%?

Send the drawing and photos to Santiago before ordering. Its installation guide covers slopes of 20 – 45%.

Which certificate of origin is used for Laos?

Form D, under the ASEAN agreement. The importer's customs broker confirms the duty rate for HS code 3925.90.00.

Read more

• Spanish-style plastic roof tiles for houses and resorts in Laos
• Pyramid roofs and gazebos: which tile accessories to order
• How roofing from Vietnam reaches Laos
• ASA/PVC roofing tile

Updated 03/11/2026. Santiago Import Export Co., Ltd, Vietnam. WhatsApp +84 935 391 495 (Mr. Quyen), hotline +84 965 437 316 (Mrs. Ly), email salessantiagoroofing@gmail.com.