Battens & counterbattens | Tile Roofing USA

Name the proposed arrangement

Ask whether the proposal uses horizontal tile battens, a counterbatten arrangement or a manufactured raised batten. These approaches are not interchangeable merely because each lifts the tile. A useful drawing shows the order of the strips, the supporting deck and where the tile attaches. Request the approval or manufacturer detail that covers that exact arrangement.

Follow the drainage route

Horizontal supports must not form unplanned dams across the underlayment. Drainage may rely on specified breaks, spacing or a shaped product. Eagle’s arched batten, for example, incorporates openings below the wood. Have the contractor explain how water reaches the eave past supports, wall flashings and intersecting valleys without relying on a gap that another component later closes.

Review height at every transition

Lifting the field tile can change its relationship with eave supports, wall metal, ridge trim and rake closures. Eagle offers different Rake Seal heights for direct-deck and batten arrangements, illustrating why accessories need to match the assembly. Our planning recommendation is to resolve these changes together before ordering metalwork or mixing leftover components from an earlier roof.

Check the connection and the stock

Obtain a written description of batten material, condition and attachment. Reuse deserves its own review rather than an assumption based on appearance. Some shaped products have designated fastening targets, so a crew should not treat them as ordinary strips. Before tile covers the work, request photographs showing representative fastening, drainage openings and completed transitions at changes in roof direction.

Coordinate battens with attachment and drainage.

Name the proposed arrangement

Follow the drainage route

Review height at every transition

Check the connection and the stock

Related questions

Further reading & technical sources