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10 Easy Steps to Tiling

Roof Terminology

All specifications detailed are for a single storey domestic building - consult your nearest outlet for other applications.

1. Tools required

  • Saw
  • Chalkline
  • Tape measure
  • Pointing trowel
  • Hammer
  • Brush
  • Nail bag

2. Truss centres

  • Maximum 760mm 38mm x 38mm Batten.
  • Maximum 900mm 38mm x 50mm Batten on edge.
  • Elite tile 760mm 38mm x 50mm Batten on edge.

Always consult your timber merchant for truss design and timber sizes.

  • Truss centres must be equal and correct distances apart.
  • Apex - Truss heights must be level!

3. Roof underlays

  1. Coastal areas - mandatory at all pitches.
  2. Other areas - 17° - 25° - mandatory 26° - 45° - optional (recommended).
  3. Lay undertile membrane on top of trusses & under battens.
  4. Elite profile - undertile membrane mandatory at all pitches.

4. Eaves Apex

  1. The tilting fillet must always be ±12mm thicker than the tile battens.
  2. From the outside of the tilting fillet/fascia to the top of the first batten 350mm.
  3. The top of the apex batten must be 25mm from the top of the truss.

5. Batten centres

  • Roof Pitches
  • 17° - 25° 320mm maximum
  • 26° - 45° 345mm maximum
  • Centres should never be below 300mm.
  1. Obtain measurement Y and divide either by 320mm or 345mm dependent on pitch.
  2. The figure obtained is rounded e.g. measurement Y = 4.325m ÷ 320mm = 13.51 (rounded = 14)
  3. The rounded figure (14) is then divided into measurement Y, this will then give exact batten centre e.g. 4.325m ÷ 14 = 309mm centres.
  4. Now batten roof at 309mm centres. Always join battens on alternating trusses i.e. not all joints must be on the same truss.

6. Marking your roof out

  1. Always mark your roof out.
  2. Gable overhang not to exceed more than 1 tile.
  3. Lay a course out at the eaves, shuffle this to get desired overhang (each tile has 1.5mm shuffle.)
  4. Ensure tiles are seated properly, corner break can occur if this is not done.
  5. Run one row of tiles up right hand gable, keeping square to bottom row.
  6. Run a course of tiles along apex of roof. Tiles must be laid loose and not tight against each other to allow for thermal movement.
  7. Mark outside edge of underlock of every fourth tile and shoot chalkline to corresponding tiles top and bottom.

 7. Loading of roof

The roof can now be loaded; commence by stacking in bundles of seven tiles working from apex of roof down towards eaves. The bundles of seven tiles must be stacked on top of the rafters on alternate battens. Both sides of the roof to be equally loaded.

8. Laying of tiles

  1. Proceed to lay tiles from right to left keeping to chalk lines, lay three rows at a time.
  2. When walking on tiles always step on the bottom middle of the tile.

9. Fixing exposed areas of tiles

Coastal - aluminum alloy serrated clouthead nails of the correct length to suit the profile. Inland - electroplated serrated clouthead nails.

  1. Coastal regions - all tiles to be mechanically fixed. Eaves to be closed.
  2. Unexposed areas - all exposed eaves to be nailed/clipped, all tiles in ridge course to be nailed/clipped, thereafter every third tile in every row to be nailed/clipped.
  3. Always ensure at least one row in from exposed areas is nailed/clipped.

Contact your nearest outlet for details, regarding mechanically fixing requirements.

10. Bedding of ridges

  1. Mix to a fairly dry workable consistency 3 parts coarse graded sand, one part portland cement and colorant (plus-minus 1kg pigment per 50kgs cement.)
  2. Run a 225mm strip of DPC along the ridge line. Exception: CT- Run a 150mm strip of Malthoid along the ridge line.
  3. Exception: CT - Run a 150mm strip of Malthoid along the ridge line.
  4. Soak ridge in water to provide wet joint with mortar
  5. Bed at each end of the roof one ridge in a bed of mortar - 50mm wide and 75mm high. Press ridges into mortar.
  6. Run a gut line between the two bedded ridges.
  7. Proceed to lay ridges keeping to line.
  8. Only butt joints of ridges to be solid bedded, remainder of ridges to be edge bedded.
  9. All pointing to be neatly struck off.
  10. Roof to be brushed and cleaned off.
  11. Any damaged tiles within the roof to be replaced.
  12. In some coastal areas the ridge tiles are solid bedded.

Coverland recommends replacing the Mortar ridge with the Dry Ridge system for a cleaner, method to sealing ridges. It is the only ventilating ridge system that prevents leaks and is maintenance-free.