When discussing with a home owner what their roof will require we often use the term flexible pointing. Some people look quite horrified at the idea of something “flexible” being used on their roof. A roof should be rigid and stable to ensure it is watertight. That seems logical. So an explanation is needed.
On a tiled roof to prepare it properly for restoration the ridge-caps may need to be re-bedded. This means the ridge cap is removed and the old decayed mortar is removed. Then the ridge cap is cleaned and re-cemented into position.This is called re-bedding. Then the ridge-cap needs to be pointed. This used to be done with cement mortar with an oxide added for colour for appearance. Today pointing is done with an acrylic sealing compound called ridge point. This mixture is premixed and purchased from building supplies companies in 10l buckets. The colour is added by the manufacturer and flexipoints are available in wide range of colours so there is no problem finding a colour suitable for your property. Flexible pointing has two main advantages-
- It’s Stronger
It is much stronger than old fashioned mortar. Because it is acrylic based it is much stronger and will hold the ridgecaps down in much more severe storm conditions than cement mortar. - It’s flexible
Buildings are never completely static and always have some movement. This means the roof frame will move and the tiles and ridgecaps will move. On an old mortar roof the cement will develop cracks eventually breaking down allowing water to get in. On the other hand flexible pointing will flex and not crack with minor movements. This means the roof will be secure and dry for much longer.
Hope this is of some help clearing this up and if you have any problems with your roof we please contact Perthgutters on 0450 553 367
