Laying Spartan Tiles is straightforward. Generally, Spartan Tiles are laid on asphalt and built-up roofs, bonded with hot bitumen or – on upside down roofing systems – are loose-laid. Spartan Tiles are also used as paving on a sand and cement base.

Spartan Tiles recommends that its products are laid with a nominal gap of 3 mm (unpointed) between tiles to assist drainage of surface water and to help keep tile lines straight.

1. On asphalt: 25-50 mm thick tiles laid in hot bitumen grade 95/25, or 115/15 on falls over 10°. The asphalt to receive the tiles must be smooth and even as the bitumen is only used as an adhesive and cannot overcome surface undulations. The bitumen must adhere to the whole under-surface of the tile, otherwise fracturing of the tile will occur. It is not necessary to prime the tiles, as they are porous there is enough "key" on the back of the tiles for the bitumen to adhere.

For the best results pour enough bitumen to lay two tiles, spread with a scraper, place the tiles in the bitumen while ensuring full contact on the entire under-surface before repeating the procedure.

2. On built-up felt: 25-50 mm thick tiles laid in hot bitumen.

a) The felt should be laid to ensure a smooth surface finish to receive the tiles.

b) If it is necessary to have laps in the felt, then a special rebated tile can be used to bridge laps where these occur – avoiding any undulations in the finished tile surface. The width of the rebate is approximately twice the width of the standard lap.

If the felt is set out on 920 mm centres, then the laps will coincide with the centre of each tile.

3. On upside-down roofs: 38-50 mm thick tiles are loose-laid. In this type of construction, the tiles are used as ballast to hold down the insulation as well as providing a promenade surface.

The tiles are normally loose-laid on levelling pads. These can be 100 x 100 mm felt pieces or proprietary tile support pads. The pads provide a nominal air gap between the tiles and the insulation. The 38 mm tiles should only be used for lightly trafficked areas and have both centre and corner supports.

4. On proprietary roofing membranes: As with the three previous methods, but this time using a suitable adhesive – compatible with the membrane – in lieu of hot bitumen, or loose-laid with levelling pads as described.

5. Paving: The tiles are bedded in a sand and cement screed.

Cutting: Tiles are easily cut using a cutting tool with a carborundum or diamond-tipped blade. Tiles must be cut all the way through. They cannot be snapped as they will shatter. Normally the smallest cut piece is 75 mm. Curve cutting is difficult to achieve. However, a series of rake cuts can be made to closely follow a curved detail.

Protection: To avoid staining after installation, the tiles should be protected from the work of following trades. As the tiles are porous, it is difficult to remove paint, cement and other spills. Where spills occur the contaminant should be removed before it soaks into the tiles.

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