Ridge tiles are among the most durable of roofing materials, and older homes are often graced by their appearance. They are named for the special position that they occupy on the roof, and they may tend to be brittle and hard, which makes them a poor choice when placed directly under overhanging trees. However, they are not subject to deterioration by rotting, so in this respect they are hardier than shingles would be, if used in the same roof location.
The basic design of roof tile is to keep the elements away from the frame of the house and the house itself. In older homes, the ridge tile may loosen due to breakdown and crumbling of the old mortar. Crumbling or cracked mortar can be removed with the use of a chisel and hammer, to that you can replace the roof tiles and stop any leaking. Be sure to brush off loose dust, and set aside your tiles that will be repositioned. Clean the old tiles and clear the older mortar off them. Make sure there is no old mortar on your roof as well, and make up a new mixture for bedding.
When you are preparing to reposition your ridge roofing tiles, use one part cement to three parts sand for the mixture. Make it as stiff as you can, but with a consistency that will hold the sections together. If you mix it too loosely, it may run, and affect your roof in other areas. Soak each of your ridge tiles in water and fix it into position. Make a channel of mortar that the tiles will rest on. This is especially needed in warmer climates, in order to keep the mortar from drying out too fast, as this may result in cracking. Set every tile into the mortar mix and push them firmly into the position where you want them.
If any mortar squeezes out, remove it with a trowel, trying not to smear any on your tiles. The tiles should be set into position along the line of the roof. Check to be sure that there is plenty of mortar at the end of each row of tiles and where the tiles lay next to a wall, so that it can seal the open part of the
ridge. If you have extra broken pieces of your old ridge tile, these can be mixed into the mortar. Make sure that all the tiles line up evenly, with the same sized spacing between each tile, otherwise the overall effect will be uneven.
If your ridge tile is fixed firmly but you want to replace just cracked mortar, you can rake out all the gaps between the tiles where the mortar is cracked. Then inject a bead of mastic with an application gun, between each tile. Choose a color of mastic that matches the rest of the tiles. You can select from various mastic colors that will match any shade of ridge tiles you have on your roof.