9 Tips on How to Maintain a Cedar Shake Roof

Cedar Shakes are made up of organic material and there is a chance of the Cedar shingles rot and getting damaged if not maintained properly. So, proper maintenance will help you increase your Cedar roof’s lifespan. Proper maintenance is required to avoid moisture and moss on your roof as Cedar shakes are made up of natural wood that is prone to decay from organic matter and damage due to weather conditions. 

Here are 9 Cedar shake roof maintenance tips:

1) Remove Overhanging Branches Above the Cedar Shakes

Cedar Shake Roof maintenance requires proper cutting and removing of overhanging branches. Overhanging branches of trees need to be removed routinely, and properly to avoid moisture causing moss, mildew, and mold to grow.

Cutting and removing the tree branches helps you to avoid the likelihood of the tree branches falling on your Cedar shake roof. It helps you to avoid the damage that the braches may cause to your roof. Moreover, removing the overhanging branches helps the roof to dry faster and decreases the chance of mold and algae growing on your roof.

2) Remove Debris on a Regular Basis From the Shakes or Shingles

Cedar Wood Roof needs debris removal on regular basis for the shakes to breathe. Debris can trap moisture and therefore, should be removed. Debris can include fallen leaves, pine needles, twigs, and other organic materials. If not removed properly, it may cause wood rot and allow mold growth on Cedar shake roofs.

3) Protective Treatments From Roofing Contractors

Cedar shake roof owners should properly maintain and inspect Wood Shakes to avoid mildew growth, moss growth, rot, algae, moisture, mold, small cracks, wood damaging fungi, and other debris. Regular inspections and cleaning are important but counter to what many “experts” say, protective treatments are not actually necessary. They will make the roof look nice in the short term but in the long term, they will actually shorten the life of the roof.

4) Avoid Power Washing to Minimize Damage

Cedar Roof maintenance never allows you to use power washing on your Cedar Shake Roofs. Never use power washers or high-pressure water to clean the Cedar Shake roofs. Cedar Shake roof should not be cleaned with anything other than clean water. So, avoid using aggressive treatments and power washing. Avoid high-pressure washing as it can strip the protective oils from the Cedar. Only a mild solution and non-pressure garden hose are required to wash the Cedar Shake roofing. Use a soft brush to lightly remove dust particles to protect your roof from damage for general cleaning.

5) Gutter Maintenance

Cedar Shake roof maintenance requires you to clean and maintain the gutters of your house properly. Gutters are built to move the water away from your roof so that the water may not damage or harm the wooden shingles of your house. Regular cleaning of the gutters is required to avoid the water building up causing fungal growth and degrading your Cedar shingles. Cedar roof maintenance includes gutter cleaning to avoid moisture from getting into your roof and causing leakage and damage to your roof. So, protect your roof from moss and moisture and avoid expensive repair and treatment.

6) Avoid Bug Infestation

It’s necessary to carefully inspect and control wooden roof pests such as carpenter ants, termites, and beetles in Cedar roofs. Termites damage Cedar roofing shingles directly, whereas wood-boring beetles will attack Cedar crossties and plywood sheathing.

7) Cleaning and Careful Inspection by Professional Roofers

It is necessary to clean Cedar shakes roof in order to prevent Cedarwood damage. You should hire a professional Cedar shake roof cleaning service to clean the Cedar roofs rather than a generic roofing company. Before you hire professionals for Cedar shake roof cleaning, make sure that they use Cedar-friendly cleaning solutions otherwise, the Cedar shakes will be damaged. You can read more in our guide on how to choose a cedar roof cleaning professional.

8) Replace Rotting Shingles

Cedar roof maintenance requires you to replace the Cedar shakes that are rotten or damaged. This can be a daunting task but excessive moisture on your roof can cause mold, moss growth, debris, and algae growth which is undoubtedly worse for cedar roofing! It causes your wooden shakes and shingles to rot early. Homeowners need to inspect carefully the rotting and broken shingles on their roof to avoid roof replacement early than expected. Rotting shakes can be replaced to last for decades.

Cedar roof repair service providers can replace wood-damaged roof shingles for your roof. They use Cedar shake which has Cedarwood similar texture and Cedar crossties which have a similar texture as your Cedar roof. It helps to enhance your home’s curb appeal and extend the life of your Cedar shake roof.

9) Replace Cracking Shakes

Sun exposure, heat, rain, storm, and weather changes can cause the wooden shingles to contract and expand. Thus, the wooden shakes and shingles crack. Cracking shakes or shingles are a threat to your wooden roof and destroy the longevity and increasing lifespan of your roof. Homeowners need a careful inspection of their roof and replace the loose or broken shingles to protect the roof from getting further damage.

However, if Cedar roof shingles are made up of low-quality roofing material they get cracks, and then roof restoration experts’ suggestions and Cedar shake roof replacement is the only solution to avoid further damage.