Tiling a convex curved roof
The underlay must be laid vertically. The battens should be ‘scarfed’ at the back to enable them to be bent around the curvature of the roof. Refer to Special features techniques for more information on shaping of battens.
Each course is a different width and this will require the tiles to be tapered to maintain the bond, or side lap. For example, a typical conical roof of 70 degree pitch may require three sizes of tapered tile – the first of 150mm width at the tail, the second of 125mm and the third of 100mm.
To maintain an effective bond, or side lap, with the adjacent courses, the minimum possible width of tile is 81mm. It may be necessary to redrill appropriate nail holes on site for fixing. Depending on the radius of the curve it may not be possible to rely on the nibs for support therefore each tile should be twice nailed.
This photograph shows an example of a convex curved roof. Note the use of cut tiles and tile and a-half tiles to maintain bond. (Photograph courtesy of Marley Ltd)