Tile Roof Ridge Waterproofing: A Waterkloof Case Study
Roof ridge waterproofing and tile roof maintenance — installed as a complete SealPro system by BloemGuard.
When a roof starts to leak, the source is rarely where you'd expect it. On tile roofs, one of the most common culprits is the ridge line — the row of capping tiles that runs along the peak of the roof. Ridge tiles are bedded on mortar, and that mortar hardens, shrinks and eventually cracks with age. Once it fails, wind-driven rain finds its way underneath the caps and straight into the roof structure. This case study walks through a typical ridge waterproofing project handled by an approved SealPro applicator, showing the problem, the repair process, and the result homeowners in Waterkloof, Bloemfontein can expect from the same system.
The problem: cracked, hollow and missing ridge cement
On this tile roof, the signs of ridge failure were textbook. Long stretches of bedding cement had gone hollow and loose underneath the caps, hairline cracks ran the length of several ridge lines, and in one section a ridge tile had come away completely, leaving the cavity beneath fully exposed to the weather. Left unaddressed, gaps like this channel water directly into the roof timbers and ceilings below, turning a cosmetic issue into a structural one. A small section of roof slab elsewhere on the property showed similar wear and was addressed in the same visit.
The solution: a full SealPro ridge system
Working as an approved SealPro applicator, the contractor repaired and waterproofed every ridge on the roof using the flexible SealPro ridge system — a build designed to move with the roof's natural expansion and contraction instead of cracking again over time.
- Rake out and refill. All loose, hollow bedding cement was raked out and the ridge line refilled with a fibre-reinforced cement, re-seating any tiles that had lifted or shifted.
- Prep and prime. Each ridge was cleaned and primed with Penetrar, giving the waterproofing layer a sound, well-bonded surface to grip.
- Waterproof with StretchSeal. A reinforced StretchSeal membrane was applied over every ridge, bridging the joints in a flexible, seamless layer that absorbs the roof's ongoing movement without splitting.
- HydroSeal top coat. The system was finished with a HydroSeal HF top coat for long-term UV resistance and weather protection.
- Colour match. The ridges were colour coded to blend cleanly with the existing roof tiles, so the repair reads as part of the original roof rather than a patch.
- Slab section. The separate roof slab area was primed and waterproofed with the SealPro ArmTec system to match the rest of the work.
The result: a sealed, uniform, weather-ready roofline
Every ridge on the roof came out sealed, reinforced and colour matched, with no open joints or crumbling cement left behind. Viewed from the ground or from above, the ridge lines read as one continuous, weather-tight finish rather than a series of repairs. It's the kind of result a flexible, purpose-built system delivers: not a temporary patch, but a ridge line built to handle the next decade of expansion, contraction and rain.
If your tile roof in Waterkloof is showing the same warning signs — hollow-sounding ridges, visible cracks, or a tile that has shifted out of place — it's worth having it inspected before the next heavy rain finds the gap for you.
BloemGuard is an approved SealPro applicator serving Waterkloof and the greater Bloemfontein area.
Contact BloemGuard for a free inspection and quote: 072 933 0162 · bloemguard.co.za
The work, step by step
