Wood Shingle Roofing

Wood Roofing Shingles and Shakes offer Tradition and Natural Beauty to Many Classic Home Styles

By Mark J. Donovan




A roof shingled with wood shingles or shakes provides a natural beauty to a home that is unmatched by any other roofing material. A wood shingled roof is a very traditional type of roof style. Wood shingle roofing blends in well with surrounding landscapes due to the fact that wood shingles and shakes are made from natural materials. Cedar shingles or shakes are commonly used in the United States for wood shingle roofing projects. In other parts of the world that build wood shingled roofs, pine is commonly used.

The difference between a wood roofing shake and shingle is that roof shakes are made from split logs where as shingles are sawn from logs. A properly installed and maintained wood shingled roof can last for several decades.

Wood shingles are available in a variety of styles, including straight-cut, V-cut, cove, and fish-scale patterns.

Wood Shingle Roof Installation

Wood shingle roofs typically costs more to install than other types of roofing solutions. In addition, an experienced wood shingle roofing contractor is required to ensure a quality job. A poorly installed wood shingled roof can be prone to leaks and/or a significantly shortened lifespan.

Open sheathing is required when installing a wood shingled roof to allow adequate airflow. Open sheathing uses 1-by-lumber versus plywood sheathing for covering the roof rafters. The 1-by-lumber is spaced so that there are air spaces between the boards.

Using the 1-by-lumber open sheathing approach allows the necessary airflow around the wood shingles or shakes to quickly eliminate moisture and mitigate the growth of moss and mildew on the wood shingles. It is also important to use stainless steel nails for fastening the wooden roof shingles.

Installing wood roof shingles, and in this case cedar wood shingles.

Non stainless steel nails will rust and decay. Besides potentially causing streaking stains on your roof, the wood shingles could eventually become unsecured and either blow off or begin to leak as the non stainless steel nails rust away.

Wood Shingle Roof Maintenance

Wood shingle roofs require a significant amount of maintenance. Moss and mildew can easily form on wood shingles and shakes.

Consequently they need to be washed down and re-oiled periodically to keep them looking good and to extend their lifespan.

Before deciding on using wood roof shingles or shakes check with your local building inspector. In some municipalities where fire is a common concern they may not be allowed. In other cases, municipalities may require you to treat the wood shingles or shakes with a fire retardant.

Asphalt Shingle Roofing Bid Sheet

For more help on Shingling Your Home’s Roof, see HomeAdditionPlus.com’s Asphalt Shingle Roofing Bid Sheet. The Asphalt Shingle Roofing Bid Sheet will help to ensure that your roof won’t end up with a blue tarp over it and a dumpster sitting in your yard for weeks as you wait for the roofing contractor to come back and finish roofing your home.

Asphalt Shingle Roofing Cost Estimator


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