4 Cedar Shake Roofing Features To Help Protect Your New Wood Roof When Replacing Asphalt Shingles

Posted on: 28 May 2020

When you are planning on replacing asphalt shingles, cedar shake roofing can be an excellent choice of material. It can also be vulnerable to problems with wear and damage that you are going to want to start preventing from the installation of the new roof. The following cedar shake roofing features will help ensure you do not have problems with the new wood roofing materials that are installed on your home.

Start With Slats Over Decking And Moisture Barrier To Allow The Shakes To Breathe

The first area where you are going to want to start with installation improvements is the decking beneath the shakes. You may want to leave the existing decking when removing the shingles, but before you install the new shakes, use slats. This is the traditional way of installing wood shakes and allows them to breathe to prevent wear and damage.

Correct And Reinforce Problems With Vulnerable Water Traps That Often Leak With Shake Roofing Materials

There are also vulnerable areas of the roof, which can wear due to excessive runoff and water traps. These problems can be worse with shake materials and cause serious damage to your home. Therefore, you will want to make sure to take care of these problems and reinforce these areas to ensure your new cedar shakes do not leak after installation.

Installing The New Cedar Shake Roofing With Moisture Barrier Strips At Every Run To Prevent Rot

The new cedar shakes may already have a moisture barrier, but this is not always enough and can sometimes lead to problems. Therefore, you will want to make sure that each run (or row) of shakes has a strip of moisture barrier, such as asphalt felt paper. This does two things; one, it will allow the shakes to breathe, and two, it will protect each row of shakes from moisture that can get trapped beneath them.

Curing, Sealing, And Caring For Your New Cedar Shake Roof Long After The Installation Has Been Completed

After the cedar shakes have been installed, you are going to want to seal them with a shake sealant product, but first, they need time to cure. Give them some months, and when the weather is dry, apply the sealant. After sealing the shakes, care for them by routinely cleaning your roof and inspecting the shakes for damage that needs to be repaired.

These features will help you prevent wear and damage to cedar shake roofing from the point of installation. If you are ready to install new roofing materials on your home, contact a home roofing service and talk to them about these solutions.

Share