Cedar Shake Roofing Shingles Offer Years of Service

When appearance matters, many homeowners look to cedar shake shingles for their roof and get the added benefit of durability. Typically using western red cedar in North America, there is often some confusion of the terms wood shingles and shake shingles. Shake shingles are essentially wood shingles made by splitting the log from which they are hewn and a wood shingle is cut and trimmed on all four edges.

There are also different levels of quality in the wood products with those of lesser quality used for wood shingle siding for homes while the higher quality logs are split to produce shake shingles. When installed properly, shake shingles can provide years of weather protection, although they do require more maintenance than other types of roofing materials.

Sunshine Contracting offers the following manufacturers of cedar shake roofing, (click below to read more):

Shake shingles are manufactured in varying lengths, usually 16, 18 and 24-inch length in the United States but are typically shorter in other countries. The shingle sizes in the Unites States are chosen to fit the standard construction methods used in the country. Logging operations typically leave behind dead trees or unwanted sections of felled trees from which shake shingles are split for roofing and cut for siding.

Inspect Shakes for Proper Cut

When selecting shake shingles or siding, shingles must be cut from the grain edge. Otherwise when the wood dries it will have a tendency to warp or split, therefore the producer, as well as the buyer needs to inspect the shingles to ensure the correct orientation of the grain for quality materials. These shingles are split from the heart of the wood; that is the center of the log that has been cut to the proper length.

The bark is removed and the initial cut is made at any imperfection in the log. From there, the log is split into the appropriate thickness for the shake shingle being produced. The shingles are made to the buyer’s specification, usually between 3/8th of an inch to 5/8th of an inch at the thickest edge and tapered to specifications.

Installing cedar shake roofing shingles is also different than asphalt shingles in that a solid underlayment is not usually used. Since wood shake shingles require air movement to keep them appropriately dry, the shingles are typically installed over lattice or wood stringers that run parallel to the roof crown. It requires specific knowledge and understanding by the installer to use this type of roof system, but the end result will be a roof that not only looks great but will last for many years.

After years of use, it is understood that cedar shake roofing shingles will fade from the weather. Most will fade to a light gray color while a few will take on an almost silver color. It is important to remember this when choosing cedar shake roofing shingles and planning trim colors for the accents of the home.