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Roof ridge waterproofing - Fixing cracked ridge capping

Ultimate Ridge Capping Waterproofing System


The only system built specifically to waterproof tile roof ridges long term. The RidgeSeal Waterproofing System combines pre-cut RidgeSeal Strips with HydroSeal HF rubberised waterproofing to fill, reinforce, seal and protect tile roof ridges — and it can be painted to match the roof.

MOVEMENT-TOLERANT, REINFORCEMENT WATERPROOFING SYSTEM

COMPOSITION OF THE RIDGESEAL WATERPROOFING SYSTEM

The system starts at the ridge tile substrate and works up. Every gap is filled. Every filled section is strengthened with Penetrar. The RidgeSeal Strips are embedded in HydroSeal HF and overcoated to create a seamless rubberised membrane over the full ridge. The finished ridge can then be painted to match the roof tiles below.

RidgeSeal Waterproofing System

Application Steps

Prepare of Existing Ridge Tile Substrate

The surface must be clean and free from dust, grease, loose material and any debris. On concrete and cement substrates, apply Penetrar as a primer before anything else. On clean, rust-free metal surfaces, no primer is needed. The surface just needs to be clean.

1/ Posi Screed + Penetrar

FILL ALL GAPS - Posi Screed is mixed to a plaster consistency and used to fill every gap in the ridge system. The overlapping sections between adjacent ridge tiles are filled. The open base sections where ridge tiles sit over the top row of roof tiles are filled. Every cavity, crack and open joint is packed until a completely solid, filled surface runs the length of the ridge. The goal is no gaps, no voids, no open sections — just a smooth, solid continuous surface for the waterproofing to follow.

STRENGTHEN AND SMOOTH - Penetrar is applied with a brush over all filled sections while still workable — or once cured if applying to hardened Posi Screed. Penetrar binds the filled surface, prevents dusting and creates the smooth, flat base the RidgeSeal Strip needs to lie flat against. It also promotes adhesion of the HydroSeal HF base coat above it.

2/ HydroSeal HF

BASE COAT — WET BED - Applied over the Penetrar-treated filled sections. This is the wet bed the RidgeSeal Strip is pressed into. Work section by section and don't let it skin before the strip goes on. HydroSeal HF is adhesion promoted — no primer needed on the prepared ridge surface.

3/ RidgeSeal Strip

EMBED STRIP - The pre-cut RidgeSeal Strip is laid into the wet HydroSeal HF and pressed firmly along its full length to embed it completely. It's sized specifically for tile roof ridges. Press from centre outward to remove air pockets. Full contact across the whole strip. Overlap adjacent strips by at least 5cm.

4/ HydroSeal HF — Second Coat + Final Coat

OVERCOAT - ENCAPSULATE - Applied over the embedded RidgeSeal Strip to fully encapsulate it within the HydroSeal HF membrane. Allow to dry completely before the final topcoat goes on. The strip is now locked inside the rubberised waterproof coating.

TOPCOAT - A final coat of HydroSeal HF applied over the full ridge system once the overcoat is completely dry. This completes the seamless rubberised waterproof membrane from end to end of the ridge. Allow to cure fully before overcoating with roof paint.

5/ Roof Ridge Coating

FINISHING TOP COAT - Once the HydroSeal HF system is fully cured, the ridges can be overcoated with a matching roof paint to blend with the tiles. The whole roof can also be painted at this stage for a uniform finish. HydroSeal HF is compatible with most acrylic roof paints.

HOW IT WORKS

ROOF RIDGE MAINTENANCE. FILL EVERY GAP. SEAL EVERY SECTION. PAINT TO MATCH.

Every ridge waterproofing failure has the same root cause — gaps. Gaps between ridge tiles. Gaps at the base where the ridge sits over the top row of roof tiles. Gaps where old cement has cracked out. Coatings applied over those gaps bridge them under tension and crack at exactly the same points. The fix isn't more coating. It's filling the gaps first, then waterproofing over a solid surface.

That's what the RidgeSeal system does. Posi Screed fills every gap until the ridge is a solid continuous surface. Penetrar strengthens and smooths the filled sections. HydroSeal HF goes on as the wet bed, the RidgeSeal Strip embeds into it, a second coat encapsulates the strip and a final coat seals the full ridge. The result is a rubberised membrane that accommodates movement, keeps the cement in place and can be painted over to look like a new roof.

Tile Roof RidgeSeal waterproofing system

No additional primer on the ridge surface

HydroSeal HF is adhesion promoted and bonds directly to the Penetrar-treated ridge surface. No additional primer is required before the HF base coat. Penetrar applied in Step 3 is the preparation — that's all this surface needs.

CASE STUDIES

RIDGESEAL SYSTEM AT WORK

Three cement tile roof ridge repairs across residential, institutional and complex commercial projects — each one done properly, once.

Residential Cement Tile Ridge Repair

Residential Cement Tile Ridge Repair

A homeowner had been patching the same ridge sections for three years running. Every summer the cracks came back in the same places and water was getting through at the ridge base into the ceiling below. The RidgeSeal system was installed — all cracked cement raked out, every gap filled with Posi Screed, Penetrar applied, and RidgeSeal Strips embedded in HydroSeal HF across the full ridge. The ridges were finished with roof paint to match the existing tiles. That was two rainy seasons ago. The ceiling's been dry since.

Hospital Cement Roof Tile - Ridge Repair

Hospital Cement Tile Ridge Repair

A hospital facility had extensive ridge failure across several wings of a large cement tile roof. Water ingress through the ridges was causing ceiling damage in occupied areas. The RidgeSeal system was specified for all affected ridge runs. Each ridge was cleared, filled completely with Posi Screed and treated with Penetrar before RidgeSeal Strips were embedded in HydroSeal HF across the full length of every ridge. The work was completed wing by wing to minimise disruption to the facility. No water calls from the treated ridges have been recorded since.

Complex Hip Roof Ridge Repair

Complex Hip Roof Ridge Repair

A residential estate had multiple buildings with complex hip roof configurations — multiple ridge runs meeting at hips and valleys, all in various stages of cement failure. The variety of ridge angles and junction points made a standard coating approach impractical. The RidgeSeal system handled every section — Posi Screed filled all junctions and base sections, Penetrar treated the full ridge length and RidgeSeal Strips were embedded in HydroSeal HF across every run including all hip junctions. The full roofs were then painted with a matching roof paint. The estate maintenance manager reports zero ridge-related water calls across all buildings since the installation.

Step-by-step application guide

How to Apply the RidgeSeal System

Eight steps from substrate to finish. Follow them in sequence — each step is the foundation for the one that follows.

Substrate Preparation & Priming — Steps 1–4
1
Substrate prep

Rake out all loose and cracked cement

Everything that's going to fail gets removed now. Re-bed any loose ridge tiles. The substrate needs to be sound before filling starts.

2
Posi Screed

Fill every gap with Posi Screed

Mixed to plaster consistency. Fill all overlapping sections between ridge tiles, all base sections where the ridge sits over the roof tiles, and every crack and open joint. Don't stop until the whole ridge is a solid, continuous filled surface with no gaps remaining.

3
Penetrar

Brush Penetrar over all filled sections

Binds the Posi Screed surface, prevents dusting and creates the smooth flat base for the waterproofing. Promotes adhesion of the HydroSeal HF above it.

Allow to dry before proceeding.

4
HydroSeal HF — Base Coat

Apply HydroSeal HF as the base coat

Applied over the Penetrar-treated surface. This is the wet bed for the RidgeSeal Strip. Work in sections so it stays wet. HydroSeal HF is adhesion promoted — no additional primer needed on this surface.

Waterproofing Membrane & Finish — Steps 5–8
5
RidgeSeal Strip

Embed the RidgeSeal Strip

Pressed firmly into the wet HydroSeal HF — centre outward, full length, no air pockets. It needs to be in the HF, not sitting on top. Overlap adjacent strips by at least 5 cm.

6
HydroSeal HF — Overcoat

Overcoat with HydroSeal HF to encapsulate

Second coat covers the strip completely. The strip is now locked inside the waterproof membrane.

Allow to dry fully before the final coat.

7
HydroSeal HF — Final Topcoat

Apply final coat of HydroSeal HF

Seals the full ridge system end to end. Allow to cure fully before any roof paint is applied over it.

Waterproofing is complete at this step.

8
Roof Paint — Optional

Overcoat with roof paint to match

Once the system is fully cured, the ridges can be painted to match the roof tiles. The whole roof can be painted at the same time for a clean, uniform result. The waterproofing is complete whether or not roof paint is applied over it.

Key product
HydroSeal HF — 3 coats
Reinforcement layer
RidgeSeal Strip — embedded in coat 1
Waterproof from
Step 7 — step 8 is aesthetic only

WORK WITH US

Let our technical support team help you find the right solution for your application.

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CONTACT

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The success of any project depends on the type of product and the correct application of the solution. The SealPro technical support team has experience in all specialised coatings we supply and can help you to find the correct product & solution for your application.

+27 60 997 6364

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