Cedar shakes and shingles are durable natural roofing materials that give your home an elegant look. To keep them in their state of elegance, they require some level of maintenance. It involves performing more than the usual cedar roof maintenance routine.
Routine maintenance, treatments, and timely fixes will keep your investment secured for more than 30 years. However, if you fail to prioritize your cedar shake or shingle maintenance, your roof will lose its visual appeal. It’s longevity would also go with it. Although homeowners may choose to ignore the roof treatment, it makes a noticeable difference to your roof’s health and lifespan.
In this article, we will discuss how to maintain and treat your cedar roof to keep it in good condition for a long time.
Why You Need to Maintain Your Cedar Roofs
Cedar is a durable roofing material which can last as long as 50 years if well taken care of. Without proper maintenance, however, your cedar roof could suffer damage that may demand total replacement.
According to roofing experts, the following problems are the most common ones people deal with when they do not adequately maintain their cedar roofs:
Susceptibility to rot: When moisture is left to accumulate in a roof material such as wood, there is a chance that the wood will rot. Wood rot is not something you want for your roof. It is not only dangerous but can also lead to mildew, mold, and fungal growth. Above all, it can cause your cedar shingles or shakes to fall apart.
Mold, moss, and mildew growth: Mold, moss, and mildew thrive on cedar roofs. They especially grow in parts that have shade and collect a lot of moisture. As a homeowner with a cedar roof, you should constantly look out for brown or green growth around your cedar roof edges. Doing this will help you spot such growth quickly and prevent it from escalating. This usually leads to mildew and mold. It keeps more moisture in your roof, causing mold to spread rapidly across the roof.
Cracks in the material: Cedar shingles and shakes are natural materials. Over time, they tend to expand. In the case where the roofer does not install your cedar shingle or shake correctly, there will be no room for proper expansion and contraction. When this happens, it leaves your roof with spaces between the shingles or shakes, leaving them unprotected. Once the moisture barrier of your roof deteriorates, the damaging process to your cedar roof begins.
8 Things You Must Know About Cedar Roof Maintenance
Before you purchase and install a cedar shake or shingle roof on your property, here are some vital things you must know about cedar roof maintenance:
1. Applying Treatments for Protection
We recommend including treatments in your maintenance routine for protection yearly or tri-annually. Failure to give your cedar roofing material such protective treatment may lead to early degradation, including rotting. So, it would be best if you got professionals to apply fire repellents, algaecides, fungicides, and water to your shingles or shakes for preservation and protection of your roof.
2. Removing Debris
All sorts of materials, from leaves to tree branches and even rocks, find their way to your roof surface. Your job as a homeowner is to eliminate them to protect your investment. When you leave these materials on your roof for long, they absorb and retain moisture. They will eventually breed fungus that can affect your shingle’s integrity, shorten its lifespan, or cause you to spend money on repairs.
3. Cutting Off Overhanging Branches
It is important to get overhanging tree branches out of the way of your roof’s protection. It would be best if you did this to eliminate the chances of the branches falling on the roof and creating a blockage for water passage, leading to more damage. Removing overhanging branches also reduces the chances of mold growing on your roof, as it has more access to sunlight and air for proper drying of moisture.
4. Regular Roof Inspections
With proper maintenance and regular inspection, your cedar roof can be functional for a minimum of 30 years. To avoid early replacement, you should inspect it regularly. Twice a year is ideal: one during the spring and the other during the fall. Your roof inspection will help you detect any damage or potential ones early so you can fix them before they become more significant problems and cost you more money.
5. Gutter Cleaning
The purpose of a gutter on your roof is to direct water away from your roof to prevent water damage to your roof and its foundation. If you neglect your roof and leave debris packed on it, it will cause clogging and prevent the free flow of water away from the roof. If you do not resolve this early, it may lead to the rise of more problems like leaks, rotting, and mold growth.
6. Power Washing
Including power washing in your cedar roof maintenance routine is essential. Practicing it occasionally, with a professional’s help, will eliminate debris, mold, moss, and any other substance that has no business being on your roof. Additionally, it improves your curb appeal and leaves you with a highly functional roof.
7. Pest control
If your roof has a missing or broken shingle or shake, it might invite pests like rodents and squirrels to camp there. Once they gain entry, they are bound to cause chaos or damage in your home, including damage to electric wires, wood shingles, and eave troughs. They can even contaminate your properties and environment and cause diseases. So, to prevent the entry of pests into your property, ensure that you replace missing shingles as soon as you can.
8. Rotting Shingles
Cedar roofs are naturally resistant to water. However, when the moisture content of the wood is above 20%, wood rot may occur. This is why regular inspections for algae and fungus and treatment are crucial for your roof to stay functional and damage-free. Maintaining your cedar roof properly with the help of a roofing company will save you a lot of avoidable expenses.
Cedar Shake Roof Treatment Products
There are a couple of products you could use to treat your cedar roof for a longer lifespan. One of the most essential ones is preservatives for roofs. Roof preservatives help prevent decaying, curling, splitting, or cupping from occurring in the cedar roof.
Aside from the primary preservatives, there are more treatment options for extra protection for your roof. A good example is a fungicide, which destroys fungus and suppresses its re-growth. Additionally, you can use a UV guard treatment to protect your cedar roof from harmful sun rays that accelerate aging.
Conclusion
Put a cedar roof on any home and watch it transform into an attractive building. It is a roofing material with several benefits. However, you need to know the dos and don’ts of having one and having one requires some commitment.
Although cedar roof treatments and maintenance are not must-do actions, we advise that you consider them, especially if your roof’s longevity is paramount to you. Yes, it takes an intentional homeowner to have a long-lasting cedar roof. So, if you want your cedar shake or shingle to last, you have to put in the work. Good luck with keeping your roof in good shape.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does cedar shake roof maintenance cost?
The maintenance cost of a cedar shake roof varies depending on various factors, including location, quality of shake, and degree of damage. However, a roofing contractor could charge about $0.21 to $0.34 per square foot to clean your cedar roof and $750 to fix a problem. As expensive as it may seem, it is much cheaper than replacing your roof.
How long do cedar roof shakes last?
Cedar shakes usually last 40 to 50 years after installation. However, how long your cedar shake roof will last depends on how you manage it. Without the proper care and maintenance, your roof may not last that long. Hence, you should avoid problems like clogging, rotten roofs, and other damages that could arise from a lack of roof inspection and maintenance.
Do cedar shingles need to be cleaned?
Absolutely! You have to keep your cedar shingles free from debris. Cedar shingles need to be in contact with air and sunlight to dry up moisture content that may have been absorbed over time. Hence, you need to clean your roof and remove debris like leaves, branches, and other materials that may have accumulated. You should employ the services of a professional roof cleaning company to do the job.