Resources · Tiles & ridge
Re-bedding vs re-pointing: which does your roof need?
If a roofer has mentioned your ridge capping, you've probably heard both words used as if they mean the same thing. They don't. Knowing the difference helps you understand the quote — and spend your money where it actually counts.
The ridge capping is the row of rounded tiles running along the peak of your roof and down the angled hips. They cover the join where two roof planes meet — a join that would otherwise be wide open to the weather. Those caps are held in place and sealed with mortar, and that mortar is doing two separate jobs.
Two layers, two jobs
Underneath each cap sits the bedding — a base of mortar that the cap is seated into, holding it firmly in position. Over the top, finishing the visible edge, is the pointing — the strip you can see from the ground that seals the join and weatherproofs it. They're laid at different times, wear at different rates, and need different repairs.
What re-pointing fixes
Re-pointing renews that visible top layer. Over years of sun, frost and movement, old pointing cracks, crazes and flakes away, opening fine gaps for wind-driven rain. If the bedding underneath is still sound and the caps haven't moved, re-pointing is all that's needed — the caps are cleaned up and a fresh sealing layer is applied over the existing bed.
This is the lighter, more affordable repair, and on a roof that's been maintained it may be all you ever need.
What re-bedding fixes
Re-bedding is the bigger job. Here the caps are lifted off entirely, the old failed bedding is removed, and a fresh bed of mortar is laid so the caps are properly re-seated before being pointed again. You need re-bedding when the bedding itself has broken down — caps that rock, sit unevenly, or have come loose are the tell-tale signs.
Re-pointing seals the surface. Re-bedding rebuilds the foundation underneath it. Pointing over failed bedding just hides a problem that comes straight back.
How to tell which you need
- Pointing cracked, caps still firm: usually a re-point.
- Caps loose, rocking or sitting unevenly: the bedding has failed — re-bedding.
- Caps have slipped or fallen after wind: re-bedding, and check for related tile damage.
- Some sections fine, others crumbling: a mix, decided cap by cap on consultation.
From the ground it's genuinely hard to judge — pointing can look fine while the bedding beneath has quietly let go. A close consultation is what tells you which repair (or which mix of both) your ridge actually needs.
Why flexible pointing lasts longer here
Traditional sand-and-cement pointing is rigid, so as the roof expands in summer heat and contracts overnight it eventually cracks — which is why so many older Geelong roofs need re-pointing again and again. Modern repairs use a flexible pointing compound that bends with the roof's movement instead of fracturing. It costs a little more, but it's the difference between a repair that lasts and one you revisit in a few years.
Cracked tiles and a tired ridge often turn up together on the same roof — if you'd like the bigger picture, our guide to cracked tiles and ridge capping walks through both.
Wondering what your ridge needs?
We'll inspect the capping and tell you honestly whether it's a re-point, a re-bed, or just fine as it is.