DIY ridge rebedding
Can you rebed ridge tiles yourself?
The short answer
You physically can, but it is rarely a good DIY job. It means working at the very top of the roof, handling heavy tiles and wet mortar, and fixing each tile mechanically as BS 5534 now expects rather than only bedding it. A fall is the real risk. Smaller faults can be checked from the ground and then handed to a roofer with photographs.
What rebedding a ridge really involves, why many DIY attempts come back, and what you can usefully do yourself without climbing.
What rebedding really involves
Rebedding means taking the ridge apart and building it again. Each capping tile is lifted and set aside in order, the old mortar is chipped out of the joint and off the neighbouring roof tiles, and the surfaces are cleaned so a new bed will bond. Fresh mortar is then laid along the whole run, each tile is pressed into it and levelled by eye, and the joints are finished.
The last step is the one most easily missed. Under the 2014 revision of BS 5534, mortar is not left to hold the capping unaided, so each tile is also fixed with a screw, clip or similar. The end tiles at the gable take the most load and need the most care.
That is a sequence of skilled tasks done in the right order, on a surface that slopes away on both sides. It is a tradesperson's job for good reasons, and our guide to how ridge tiles are fixed shows each stage.
Why the ridge is a poor place to practise
No part of the house is higher or more exposed than the ridge. A ladder leaves nowhere safe to put anything down, and a trowel and a heavy tile both need two hands. Wet mortar drops onto the slope below, tiles are slippery after rain, and a loose capping can slide away under your weight.
Most professional ridge work is done from scaffold with edge protection, because a platform is what makes the job safe. A homeowner on a ladder or a roof ladder has none of that. If something goes wrong, the drop is a long one, and no roof repair is worth that risk.
The cost of access puts people off, so some try to avoid it. We would much rather you phone us for a survey than climb up. If the ridge is low, we can tell you whether a tower or ladder will be enough, which is cheaper than people expect. The access question is a big part of the cost, and we explain it at the survey.
The fixing that DIY rebeds tend to miss
A ridge that is only bedded in mortar can look excellent on the day and fail in the next gale. Mortar is strong in compression and weak when something tries to pull it apart, which is what wind suction does. Marley's view is that mortar's tensile strength can no longer carry ridge and hip tiles alone, and it wants a mechanical fixing on every bedded tile and fitting.
Marley adds that BS 5534 compliance is not demanded by law. It is good practice, and a well-run repair follows it because the fixings are what keep tiles on in bad weather. If you hire someone for the work, ask how each tile will be held, and ask them to show you the fixings before the capping goes on.
Our overview of ridge tiles and BS 5534 goes into what the standard covers and where it stops.
What you can sensibly do yourself
There is plenty of useful work from the ground. Stand back from the house and look along the ridge for tiles out of line, gaps where mortar has fallen, or pieces missing altogether. Use binoculars or a phone set to zoom in, take dated photographs, and look at the same view again after every storm.
Shine a torch around the apex of the loft and look for daylight or damp timber near the ridge board, and look at the path and borders for fragments of mortar or tile. Keep any fallen pieces, because a roofer can match a profile from them. Do not go onto the roof, and keep ladders off gutters you have not checked.
Bats and nesting birds are both protected, and roof work can disturb them, which is another reason to leave it to someone who knows what to look for. Send your photographs across and we will say whether it needs a repoint, a rebed or something smaller.
What a roofer's repair costs against a failed DIY
Checkatrade's roof repair guide, updated in October 2026, gives ridge tile repairs at £50 to £70 per metre, exclusive of VAT, as a typical UK range. A short run costs far less than a full roof, and a ridge that is rebedded and mechanically fixed once is cheaper than one patched, lost to a gale and then done again properly.
Our written quote follows the survey as a single total. Whoever you ask, find out whether the price already carries VAT and scaffold, and whether every tile will have its own fixing. A cheap-looking number that leaves those out, or skips the fixings, tends to cost more once the work is underway.
If you want to read first, our page on what ridge repairs cost will help. For the whole service, see ridge tile repairs.
Related questions
DIY ridge questions
Can I rebed just one loose ridge tile?
Sometimes a roofer can refix a single tile if the bed under its neighbours is sound. But a ridge is a continuous line, and one loose tile often means the bed has failed along a longer stretch. It is worth having the whole run looked at before deciding.
Which mortar should a ridge be bedded in?
That depends on the roof. Many modern roofs use a sand and cement mix, while older and period roofs often suit lime. Either way, the tiles also need a mechanical fixing. Our lime mortar guide explains the choice for an older roof, and we advise on it at the survey.