Can you just repoint ridge tiles?

1What repointing a ridge actually does

On a mortared ridge, the tiles are seated in a mortar bed that runs the length of the apex, and the exposed edge of that bed is finished flush with each tile. That visible edge is the pointing. Repointing means raking out loose or cracked mortar along the edges and filling it again, which seals the joint against rain and stops the bedding beneath from soaking up water.

It is a surface repair. It does not hold a tile down, and it does not replace a bed that has crumbled out of sight. If the tiles are secure, repointing is a sensible low-cost job that closes the joints. If they are not, new pointing is a patch over a problem that is still there.

Cracked pointing is often a sign that tiles have started to move, so on a ridge survey the question we ask first is whether the mortar is the fault or only the symptom.

2Signs that repointing is enough

A few conditions point to repointing as the right size of job. The tiles do not move when pressed firmly, and none are cracked or chipped through. The mortar is crumbling at the edges but still solid in the bed behind. There is no gap at the ends of the run where the ridge meets a verge or a chimney. And the tiles are mechanically fixed in some way, with clips, straps or screws, so mortar is not the only thing holding them.

That last point matters. Since the 2014 revision of BS 5534, a ridge or hip tile should not depend on mortar alone: a clip, strap or screw is expected too. A ridge laid since then should have it, which makes a newer ridge a better candidate for repointing than an older one. Our page on BS 8612 explains the dry-fix alternative, and the whole range of this work sits under ridge tile repairs.

3Signs that it needs re-bedding instead

Re-bedding means lifting the ridge tiles, removing the old bed, laying a new one and fixing the tiles down again. It is the right job when tiles rock under hand pressure, when whole sections have slipped out of line, when bedding has dropped out and left a visible gap, or when daylight shows from the loft along the ridge. Older ridges often rely on mortar alone, and over those, fresh pointing does nothing for the grip of the tiles.

The same goes for cracked tiles: they need replacing, not filling. If a ridge has already lost tiles in a gale, that is a fixing failure and repointing is out of the question. When we re-bed a run we also look for the cause: a ridge that sags usually has timber below that has moved or rotted, and a fresh bed on a weak base will not last. For the method, see how ridge tiles are fixed.

4What each job costs

MyBuilder's guide, updated on 21 August 2026, gives typical UK ranges: £200 to £400 to repoint ridge or hip tiles, and £300 to £600 to re-bed or replace them. They come from one published guide and describe the country as a whole. A longer ridge, a hip, a roof high enough to need a tower or scaffold, and the state of the tiles all move the real price. We photograph the ridge before, during and after, so you can check the bed and the fixing against what was quoted.

The gap between the two jobs is smaller than many people expect, which is why a repair that fails within a year can cost more in the end than a re-bed that holds. We recommend the lightest job that genuinely cures the fault, and that can be either one. Photographs of your ridge show what we found, and a written quote follows. Length, access and tile condition are what move the final figure.

5Storm damage, wear and tear, and the next gale

If a storm has damaged a ridge, tell your insurer before permanent repairs begin. The Financial Ombudsman Service asks whether a storm took place on the date, whether the damage matches what storms usually do, and warns that gradual damage is often excluded. Mortar that has slowly crumbled is more likely to be seen as wear and tear. The detail is in ridge tile insurance.

On a coastal roof, a ridge that is only pointed is among the first things to go in a gale. Mechanical fixing is the sturdier answer, and a ridge deserves a look from the ground after any big blow, and the fixings are worth checking at the start of each autumn on an exposed roof.