Cedar Shake Roof Maintenance For Long Term Performance
Cedar Shake Roof Maintenance For Long Term Performance Cedar shake roofs occupy a peculiar niche in residential construction. They are simultaneously one of the most beautiful natural roofing materials available and one of the most demanding from a maintenance standpoint. A well-tended cedar shake roof can deliver 30 to 50 years of service , while a neglected one may fail in under 15. The gap between those outcomes is almost entirely a function of homeowner attention, climate, and a handful of routine practices that most owners never receive proper guidance on. The natural oils in western red cedar give the wood its rot resistance, but those oils deplete over time through ultraviolet exposure, biological colonization, and physical weathering. Once the protective chemistry is gone, the underlying wood is vulnerable to moisture, insects, and fungi. Smart maintenance is essentially a program for preserving and supplementing the wood's natural defenses while preventing the con...
