This invention is concerned with improvements in or relating to tile mountings.

Conventionally, concrete and clay roof tiles have adequate provision for enabling the hanging of the tiles on a roof. For example, such tiles are provided with hanging nibs which, in use, are hung on the battens of the roof structure.

Some plain tiles as herein defined are not provided with conventional hanging nibs and are usually fastened to the battens using nails for which purpose one or more apertures are normally provided, i.e. pre-punched, in the headlap portion of the tiles. It will be readily appreciated that while the hanging nibs of conventional tiles enable the accurate positioning lengthwise of a roof of such tiles, uniformity in laying tiles without a hanging nib is a hit and miss affair.

The present invention seeks to overcome or at least mitigate the shortcomings met hitherto in hanging tiles without hanging nibs or equivalent provision. Thus, the present invention conveniently provides a mounting for a tile as hereinbefore defined comprising tile engaging abutments upstanding from tile battens or the like said abutments preferably being provided by spaced-apart pegs.

Conveniently, the spaced-apart pegs are provided on a support adapted for use with a conventional wooden tile batten wherein the support may conveniently be provided by a unitary moulding with the pegs formed integrally therewith.

Preferably the pegs of rounded cross-section or substantially so and the moulding is formed from a plastics material, preferably polyethylene.

In a modified arrangement the spaced-apart pegs may conveniently be provided on a tile batten of mouldable material.

Conveniently, in the modified arrangement the pegs are moulded integrally with the tile batten and preferably there are at least two such spaced-apart pegs of rounded cross-section or substantially so.

Conveniently the tile batten is formed from a plastics material, preferably polyethylene.

The present invention also conveniently provides a method of tiling a roof comprising the steps of: a) providing on or associated with the tile battens of a roof a series of tile engaging abutments provided by spaced- apart pegs, and, b) tiling the roof with tiles, as hereinbefore defined, by mounting said tiles on associated ones of the spaced-apart pegs, the arrangement being such that apertures provided in said tiles enable the mounting of the tiles onto said pegs in a force-fit relationship whereby the tiles are retained on the roof.

There now follows by way of example of the invention a detailed description of a tile mounting and a modified version thereof together with a novel method of tiling a roof which description is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first mounting; and

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of part of a modified mounting.

Difficulties met hitherto in attaching plain roof tiles without hanging nibs to roofs is overcome by the present invention which provides a novel tile mounting 2 by which tiles, not shown, may be secured to a roof.

The mounting 2 is a unitary moulding of polyethylene or the like plastics material and comprises a hook portion 4 adapted in use to latch over the hanging surface 6 of a batten 8, see Figure 1.

Apertured bosses 10 are provided in the mounting 2 to facilitate the fixing of the mounting 2 to the batten 8 using two nails 12 as shown in Figure 1.

The mounting 2 further comprises two tile engaging abutments provided by spaced-apart pegs 14 and 16 of rounded cross- section or substantially so, see Figure 1.

As with any typical plastics moulding, the mounting 2 is pro¬ vided with strengthening ribs 20, 22, 23 and 24 as shown in Figure 1.

In tiling a roof according to a method of the present invention using conventional wooden battens 8, mountings 2 are fixed by nails 12 to the battens 8 at spaced intervals therealong to provide a series of pairs of upstanding spaced-apart pegs 14 and 16.

Tiles are thereafter affixed to the roof by mounting successive tiles on associated ones of the pairs of pegs 14 and 16, the tiles each having complementary apertures which are a force-fit

over said pegs 14 and 16 whereby the tiles are positively affixed to the roof.

In a modified mounting provided by the invention, a pair of pegs 14a and 16a are integrally moulded together with a plastics batten 30, see Figure 2. In use, the modified battens 30 are utilised for tiling a roof by a method which is essentially the same as that hereinbefore described with reference to the batten and mountings of Figure 1.