Roof tiles come in many varied materials, including blocks of hooked thatch tiles to enable an easy DIY thatching job to an outdoor area. Working as a roof tiler for a profession, however, requires training.
Roof tiling courses are available and cover the following types of tiling (and more):
o Shingle
o Slate
o Spanish
o Roman
o Interlocking
o Plain
o Pantiles
o Double pantiles
Roof tiles are all basically laid in rows called courses from the eaves up to the ridge of the roof, each course overlapping the one beneath it. Vertical joins between the tiles are staggered in adjacent rows so that any one tile partly covers two in the row below it.
Three sizes of tile are used:
o A standard tile for the main covering
o A tile called a tile-and-a-half (which is half as wide again as the standard size at the end of alternate rows up to the roof)
o Short version of the tile-and-a-half (for the course along the eaves and along the ridge of the roof)
On some roofs, there are narrower tiles called creasing tiles at the gable end of each course. They are laid underneath the end to tilt the edge of the roof upwards to ensure that rainwater can not run down the gable wall.
Some tiles are nailed to battens on the roof. Others have small projections called nibs which fit over the battens. It is always necessary to nail tiles without nibs.
All these necessary things you would learn in a Roof Tiling Course, which would include extras such as damp-proofing and structure of roofs, but proper thatching would not fall under a Roof Tiling Course, as it is an art of itself requiring specialised lightning conductors , etc.
At a Roof Tiling Course, you would also learn about safety recommendations and possibly, scaffolding requirements, dependent on the height of the roof.
The ridge of a tiled roof is covered with semi-circular of right-angled ridge tiles, the edges formed by two sloping surfaces called hips which have semi-circular or bonnet shaped tiles.
The eaves course on a plain tiled roof rest on the top of the fascia board with curved tiles filled with mortar at the outside edge. On some roofs, a valley junction may be tiled.
o Pantile eaves are small pieces of tile inserted into the mortar to help reinforce the eaves course.
o Creasing tiles are narrow tiles inserted under the main covering to tilt up the edge of the roof.
o Valley junctions are specially shaped tiles that interlock with each other and are available for tiled gutters.
All such terminology is amongst the essentials you will learn in a Roof Tiling Course.
A good course will also offer damp proofing and roof tile repairs.
Consider becoming a Roof Tiler if you are agile, do not suffer from back problems and are not obese. You could expect to earn a good living wage as a roof tiler – always needed regardless of the state of the economy.