Cedar shake roofs are a beautiful and traditional way to cover your home. They’re also very durable, so you’ll be able to enjoy them for many years after installation.
Cedar shakes can last up to 50 years or more with proper maintenance! This article will help you understand how long cedar shake roofs typically last and what steps you need to take in order to ensure their longevity.
How Long Do Cedar Shake Roofs Last?
You may expect your cedar shake roof to last for 30 years if it is properly built and maintained. If you invest in high-quality materials and live in a suitable location, you may get up to 50 years out of it.
It may come as a surprise to find that cedar shakes do not decompose on their own. While they may get weathered with time, they will not rot if properly and consistently maintained. Moisture is a major contributor to the degradation of cedar shakes. Moisture may have a significant impact on the life expectancy of a cedar shake roof, reducing it by a number of years.
Moss, algae, mold, mildew, lichen, and fungi can begin to form on the roof shakes if they are not thoroughly cleaned. These are organisms that hold moisture and allow it to permeate into the wood shingles.
Four Factors That Affect Your Cedar Shake Roof’s Lifespan
The Grade Of Your Cedar Shake Roofs
The common grade is the least expensive and most substandard of the three categories. They are cut at random and created from any section of the tree (basically the leftovers of other cuts). The first cedar shake shingles to crack and distort will be these.
Related: There are 3 Types of Cedar Shake Shingles Grades
Selects is the next grade of cedar shake shingle. These shingles will be a combination of the two other classes, with around 80% straight grain and 20% commons. Your roofing contractor should sort through the options to pick the highest quality cedar shingles to install on your roof.
Straight grain cedar shake shingles are the third and highest quality type of cedar shake shingles. Each of them has been hand-selected and is straight-grained. When the grain is straight, the shingles lay flat and are less likely to curl up.
Climate And Weather Conditions In Your Area
The climate in your location has a significant impact on your cedar shake roof. The life of your cedar shake shingles will be shortened if you live in a particularly wet or moist area.
Moisture or high heat damage will not have an immediate impact, but you will not get the most out of your investment. If you want a cedar shake roof, your climate should be somewhere in the middle.
Weather is another factor that might shorten the life of your cedar shake roof. Throughout its life, every roof experiences weather-related wear and tear. The amount of rain and harsh weather in your location will impact how quickly your cedar shake roof wears out.
If you live in a region prone to violent storms or tornadoes, your roof is constantly at risk of being destroyed. This means you’ll have to use your homeowner’s insurance to repair your storm-damaged roof.
A Reliable And Reputable Roofing Contractor
Hiring a trustworthy local roofing contractor is critical to the success of your roof investment. When your cedar shake roof is correctly built, it will have the longest potential lifespan.
This emphasizes the importance of selecting a roofing contractor with a proven track record of cedar shake installation. If they do not employ proper roofing procedures, your new roof’s life will be cut short, and you will need a roof replacement much sooner than expected.
Whether you require repairs or a complete roof replacement, choosing a contractor has a significant impact on the life of your cedar shake roof. When selecting a local roofing contractor, you should look for more than just a track record of excellent roof installation.
Regular Roof Maintenance
Regular roof care, whether done once or twice a year, ensures that your cedar shake roof lasts as long as possible. It will detect any issues with your wooden shingles and prevent future leaks from causing harm to your property.
It’s also a good time to clean out your gutters and roof. Wet debris on your cedar shake roof will reduce the longevity of your shingles. As a result, roof care is critical to keeping your roof functioning properly throughout its life.
Key Takeaways
A cedar shake roof is unmistakably beautiful. It takes a lot of maintenance to obtain the optimum wood shingle roof life expectancy. This may turn folks off from this lovely, traditional roofing design.
While there have been many synthetic shake roofing alternatives that assist alleviate shake shingle roof life expectancy problems, they also lose the most distinctive aspect of shake roofing: the wood appearance caused by the shingles.
Moisture soaking into the shakes will cause them to break down and create a stringy, spongy feel over time. They will get weaker, shrink, break, and perhaps collapse as a result of this.
Natural degradation, on the other hand, is always a possibility. While maintenance can assist avoid premature degradation, it cannot completely prevent it. Aging, insect infestations, and environmental factors such as wind, rain, cold, and heat can all reduce the life expectancy of a cedar shingle roof.
Trees are a renewable source of energy. Experts estimate that it might take anywhere from 200 to 400 years for a cedar tree to achieve the maturity level required for cedar shake roofing. As cedar becomes more scarce, the price of this form of the roofing will rise due to supply and demand.
