Maintaining Your Cedar Roofing

Cedar roofing is one of the country’s original roofing materials and has been used by homeowners for centuries. In the early days of home construction, the cedar shakes or shingles would be laid over specially spaced lathing strips that allowed the wood to naturally dry out. This gave these roofs a lifespan that withstood several generations.

However, in today’s home construction, a different type of installation utilizing an underlayment and extra insulation is used in roofing. While this has the benefit of increasing the air tightness of your home and preventing water from leaking into your indoor spaces, it has the negative impact of preventing the cedar shingles from properly drying. This leads to excess moisture that causes premature discoloration and roofing deterioration.

So while Malvern homeowners can expect their cedar roofing to have a natural lifespan of over 50 years, there are a few key maintenance steps you will have to take:

• Cedar roofing begins as a beautiful natural wood color, but through aging it will slowly transition to a soothing gray and silver. If you prefer the look of the original color, you will want to apply a semi-transparent stain over the cedar shingles. For best results, this stain should be applied within two weeks of the roof’s installation. Manual brushing of the stain is preferred over spraying in order to prevent any blotching.

• Check the shingles for any standing debris once or twice a month. Clearing organic-based debris, such as leaves and branches, will deter the growth of mold and mildew, two of your cedar roofing’s biggest foes. When left unchecked, mold and mildew will seep into the wood and impact its quality.

• Contact a professional to power wash your cedar roofing every one or two years. This will help clear off any sticking debris, mold, and mildew that has collected throughout the year. Be sure that a low pressure is used to prevent structural damage to the wood.

• Consider nailing zinc or copper strips to the roof’s ridge caps. These metals, when they react to rain, form a mild solution that is a natural deterrent to moss growth.

• Regularly inspect your attic and roof ventilation. This means keeping any areas with ridge vents, roof vents, louvers, and soffit vents clear from debris and opened up to air flow. Good ventilation will help prevent heat and moisture from building up in your attic and impacting the integrity of your cedar roofing.

If you are interested in having cedar shakes installed on your Malvern home, we would be glad to show you all that is available. Our roofers atCertitude are continually being educated on all the roofing choices we offer, so that you can be sure you will receive the highest quality roofing materials and installation.

The natural look of cedar shake shingles add such beauty to a house and can make it seem so warm and inviting. Contact Certitude Home Improvements for a free estimate to have cedar shakes installed on your roof.