Clay Tile "Boost" Weight 1

[ReverenceEng]

Hello all,

After scouring the internet for weeks, I figure I'd turn here for what will probably be an easy answer.

I'm working with a two-piece mission tile that weighs 10.7 psf, but the designer is calling out a 30% boost.

I know what "boost" is, but can't seem to find any resources that talk about the additional weight for a 10%, 20%, or 30% boost.

I would assume adding a 30% boost might add some significant weight.

Does anyone know of where I could find a table of weights including this information or at least have recommended values?

 

[BAretired]

I assume you are talking about roofing tiles. If 10.7 psf accounts for the area of each tile, the "boost" factor may account for the overlapping of tiles.

BA

 

[ReverenceEng]

I thought boost was something more universal, but I can understand how folks in most of the country NOT building these types of roofs might have no idea what I am talking about. Boost is where certain additional tiles (often literally called "booster tiles") are overlayed on the standard installation and then get a mortar "boost" underneath them so the become propped up with the mud. See attached picture which is apparently a "20% boost".

The 10.7 psf is the typical installed weight of the specific tile we are using including overlap, etc., but assumes no boost.


Any takers?

 

[Lomarandil]

Wow. No idea. Never seen it.

But why do they do this?

----
just call me Lo.

 

[BAretired]

Why indeed! The reason must be aesthetics. My aesthetic preference would be 0% boost.

BA

 

[BridgeSmith]

The best approach I can think of is to contact the designer and ask what the weight will be.

It looks from the picture that the "boosted" tiles have a layer of grout as thick as the tile and then another tile. If 30% of tiles will be like that, in lieu of actual weight information, I would at least double the weight given.

 

[fel3]

I've seen it a few times here in California. I just thought was poor construction technique. I'm with BAretired on this one.

==========
"Is it the only lesson of history that mankind is unteachable?"
--Winston S. Churchill

 

[EdStainless]

From a distance or looking down on them the boosted tiles create a lot of visual interest.
From the street they look like crap.
But style is called that for a reason, someone likes it.

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[ReverenceEng]

haha yes, I concur with the aesthetic preference of 0% and do not like any boost myself, but apparently, it's "authentic". Why was it ever done in the first place? Don't know...as previously stated, there's just about zero literature on it.

Thanks for everyone's responses. So NOW, dhengr, I will start calling some manufacturers now that I have exhausted the more readily available means to locate information.

 

[cvg]

its only with the two piece tile, which I have on part of my house. its usually on the ridges and eaves and sometimes in the field and might be 3 or 4 tiles thick in some cases. but i have not seen an entire roof boosted. I dont know how you would estimate the weight

 

[BAretired]

Why was it ever done in the first place?

Roofers left a few tiles lying about while they were working. Some architect saw it and liked what he saw...the rest is history.

OR: Roofers had a few tiles left over at the end of the job. Instead of removing them, they arranged them randomly around the roof...the rest is history.

BA

 

[IRstuff]

Well, since you know what that picture's "boost" is, one option is a brute force count of the total tiles and the boost. Just by eyeball, the 20% boost appears to be just applied to the concave-down tiles, so 10% added weight.

It looks stupid and looks like someone thought they could replicate the effect of aged cedar shakes warping out, but that's proven to be close to impossible IRL.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

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[btrueblood]

cvg,

The pictures you show make sense to me - it looks like extra tiles get overlaid (boosted?) when the variations between the individual (hand made?) tiles make them not properly overlap when running the course up the roof, or if the roof itself is not smooth and flat. Having a tile poking up unsupported is asking it to break off, so laying some grout under it makes sense too. The result is a cleaner look, with straighter looking lines of tiles, even when the roof and tiles are imperfect.

But the picture posted by RE shows machine made tiles on a newly constructed and apparently pretty flat roof. The boosted tiles are just randomly laid atop an existing tile, and not even apparently lapped under the next up course -- dunno, just looks weird and dorky, and actually break the smooth/even look of the surrounding tiles. It's like putting random patches of primer on a nice paintjob on your car "for effect".

 

[StrucDesignPE]

My understanding is that booster tiles are commonly done with clay tile roofs and is solely to give the roof a more 3-dimensional look. I think you are on the right track with trying to contact manufacturers. This one mentions booster tiles

https://eagleroofing.com/products/boosted-accessory-pieces/

 

[ReverenceEng]

StrucDesignEIT,

Funny you mention eagleroofing, because that's basically the one page on the ENTIRE internet where I found even a scrap of information and I have reached out to them haha.

Mabe there is more somewhere...dark web? Do we engineers know how to get there?

 

[cvg]

the photo by RE looks interesting, but in practice I have not seen that. I am living in an area where nearly all buildings have tile roofs, that is just not typically done around here.

 

[IRstuff]

That's hilarious; spend $60k on a roof, but it look like it cost $10k.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

faq731-376 forum1529 Entire Forum list

http://www.eng-tips.com/forumlist.cfm

 

[BridgeSmith]

"Authentic" typically means something done to replicate really poorly constructed stuff typical of an era or location where people didn't have the money or time to do it right. I suspect "boosted" tiles originated as a cheap and easy way to fix a roof with broken tiles. So, the uneven look of that type of roof, due to the 'repairs', became so common it became part of the style.

 

[ReverenceEng]

Wow that is actually very insightful - wonder if it has any validity.

 

[BridgeSmith]

Just speculation on my part...and my reason for avoiding "authentic" Mexican food.