Roofing battens or battening also called roofing lath are used to provide the fixing point for roofing materials such as shingles or tiles.
Tile roof battens spacing.
Battens should be fixed to rafters set at centres not more than 600 mm apart and should span at least 3 rafters.
The supplier of the tiles should recommend the spacing up the roof between the battens known as the gauge this usually varies according to the size of the tiles the pitch of the roof and the degree of exposure.
Because battens support the tiles the spacing is determined by the size of the tiles and the length of the roof to be covered.
Roofing battens or laths are strips of timber which are nailed into lines along the roof trusses of a house from which the roof tiles are hung.
According to bs 5534 the appropriate batten size will depend on the span of the rafters and the roof covering.
Take two sections of roof batten.
Place these on the roof one above the other.
Spacing the battens the next thing to do is to work out the spacing for the battens up the roof.
The gauge is in fact the same as the margin which is the length of the tile exposed.
The slate or tile manufacturer or supplier will specify the spacing of the battens up the roof for the particular type of covering this spacing is referred to as the gauge the gauge may depend upon the pitch of the roof and the amount of exposure.
Not more than one in four battens should be joined over one truss for gauges over 200mm.
For example 25x50mm battens should be used for single lap modern roof tiles when laid on rafters with a 600mm span.
Here are some guidelines to bear in mind.
Battens are not always used in a roofing system.
It is also important aesthetically so that the tiles on the finished roof are equally spaced.
Shingles and tiles are affixed using the battens as spacing.
To ensure this the battens should be at least 1 2m long.
Step 1 rest a sample tile on the roof so the bottom edge overhangs the fascia and guttering by the distance recommended by the tile manufacturer taking into account any local ordinances that apply to your building.