Cedar roofing

Cedar roofs are beautiful, and historical with a look that asphalt and metal roofing material manufacturers try to mimic.

They are durable, resist insects, UV damage, and also withstand hail and heavy storms. The shakes remain flat, with minimal shrinkage and splitting over their lifetime. Cedar shake / shingle roof life expectancy is 30 to 50 years.

Cedar is an excellent insulating material, and can help lower heating and cooling costs more efficiently than metal or asphalt roofs. Roof cedar is resistant to high winds, and does not add excessive weight to the structure of the home.
Cedar shingles and shakes have been used for hundreds of years and have proven their durability in all kinds of climates. Their rich, warm colour and texture blend beautifully in any natural environment. The natural effects of aging and weathering give shingles and shakes, in time, an attractive silvery gray colour.

Shingles vs Shakes

There are two types of roofing cedar; cedar shingles and cedar shake roof. The difference between the two wooden shingles is in their manufacturing.

Cedar Shingles

Cedar ShinglesCedar roof shingles are tapered and smooth, having been sawn on both sides to give a uniform appearance. Cedar shingles work well on more modern homes, as well transitional style homes, such as wood cabins and vacation homes.

There are two styles of cedar shingles: sawn and sanded cedar shingles. The sawn cedar shingles have the strength and general visual properties of cedar shakes, but with a more tailored appearance. The sanded cedar shingle is smoother on both sides and offers an even more refined look.

Cedar shingles are either pale brown (untreated) or green (treated), although after installation both versions will weather to a silver gray. Treated cedar wood shingle roof has much longer life span of 50-60 years (sometimes up to 80!) whereas untreated shingles can be expected to last 25-30 years.

For cedar shingles prices get in touch with Pro Roofing today.

Cedar Shakes

ShakesCedar shake roofs are more rustic in appearance, with shakes having been split to reveal the natural grain of the wood. Shakes are typically thicker than shingles, and may be uneven in width and length, producing a textured and more varied roof. Cedar shakes are made by carefully cutting down and splitting pieces of cedar.

Within the cedar shake shingles category, hand-split and taper-sawn cedar shakes are the two options. The hand-split shake has a rough outside and creates a more rustic effect. The taper-sawn cedar shake is sawn on both sides and retains the thickness and strength of a shake while remaining closer to the texture and tailored appearance of a shingle. Taper-sawing means the shake is cut so it's slightly thicker at one end, creating its taper.

If you're interested in getting cedar shakes price estimate, get in touch with us.

Cedar Roof Installation

Cedar shingles installation and cedar shakes installation:

  • Underlayment is installed
  • Drip edge is nailed along the eaves
  • Ice/water shield is placed on the lower portion of the roof overlapping the drip edge
  • The roof above ice and water shield is covered with 15-pound felt, with the bottom edge of the felt overlapping the ice and water shield.
  • The shakes are installed in straight, single courses at a 9-inch exposure. The “starter course” is a row of 12-inch wide shakes. The butt (thick) end of the starter course must project ?-inch beyond the fascia/drip edge.
  • The second course of shakes is applied directly over the starter course so the butt of the starter course is even with the butt of the second course.
  • The joint between two shakes in one course should never be closer than 1 ? inches to a joint below or above it.
  • Shakes should overlap so no joint is open to the weather and each nail is covered as more shakes are installed.
  • The last row of shakes is glued on with roofing caulk, in order to cover all nail heads and avoid creating new ones.

Cedar roof installationStainless steel, hot dipped galvanized or electro-galvanized roofing nails are used. All shakes are secured with 2-inch nails, no matter how wide they are.

Shakes are cut in order to fit properly around vents, along the rake, in valleys, and beside flashing. Shakes are cut with a circular saw for straight lines or with a saber saw for curves.

Valleys are flashed with galvanized valley flashing. Pipes or vent penetrations are flashed with a rubber fitting boot and caulk under the boot.

The ridge and a ridge vent is flashed with galvanized ridge flashing. Caulk is applied over any exposed nails during cedar shake roofing installation.

For quality, long lasting cedar roof get in touch with Pro Roofing by phone
647-521-7883
or by email. As a cedar roofing company we offer cedar roof repair, cedar roof maintenance, and cedar roof installation.

For quality, long lasting cedar roof get in touch with Pro Roofing by phone
647-521-7883
or by email. As a cedar roofing company we offer cedar roof repair, cedar roof maintenance, and cedar roof installation.

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Testimonial

The job was to take off 3 layers of shingles off the house and put on a completely new roof. I got bids from a few companies, and Pro Roofing pricing was one the lower side, but not the cheapest (which is probably good). I got a really good feeling from Vladimir's ability to communicate and address the details of the project, so it seemed like a right choice – and I was right. It's easy for contractors to waive their hands and say they will do everything, but from my experience I know that the devil is in the details, and someone who addresses them clearly and knows his stuff is worth a lot, usually paying more for the job, but doing it once, and right the first time. My project was challenging, because of the position the house is positioned in relation to my neighbors', and because it was leaking for years from many different places. The experience with Pro Roofing was excellent. Vladimir was fantastic about working things out with the neighbors, and was really on the ball about creatively customizing the job to resolve my roof challenges. The crew itself was communicative and pleasant. They spent a lot time and attention on details, and cleaned up the work site beautifully. We had one mishap, when someone was walking on the scaffolding accidentally broke a window pane. To their credit they called a window guy and instantly repaired it, at no extra cost. And last but not least, when their rain pours, my house does not leak :).
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