Cedar Shake Roofing

Shake vs shingle. Cedar shakes are thicker (1/2" to 3/4" at the butt), have a rougher textured face, and create deeper shadow lines — the more rustic look common on Shingle-style and lakeside cottages. Cedar shingles are thinner (3/8" to 5/8"), sawn on both faces, and create a flatter, more refined appearance — typical on Colonials and Cape Cods.

Certi-Split (hand-split). The split face creates the most rustic, textured appearance — irregular surface, deep shadow lines. Right for Shingle-style homes, hunting lodges, and rustic aesthetics.

Certi-Sawn (taper-sawn). Sawn on both faces with a tapered profile. More uniform appearance than split, still has the warm cedar character. The most common spec for restoration on Colonials, Cape Cods, and traditional homes.

Certi-Last and Certi-Guard. Premium grades with kiln-drying and preservative treatments applied at the mill. Adds 5-10 years to baseline service life. Worth the modest premium on any cedar install we do.

Class A fire treatment (Certi-Last FR). Required by code in some NJ municipalities, particularly fire-prone wildland-urban interface zones. Pressure-treated for fire resistance, carrying Class A rating equal to asphalt or slate. Standard recommendation in any NJ jurisdiction that prohibits untreated cedar.

The single biggest variable in cedar-roof service life is ventilation behind the shake. Cedar needs to dry on both sides — top and bottom. If the bottom surface stays damp (trapped against impermeable underlayment, no airflow space), the shake rots from underneath within 12-15 years. If both sides can breathe, the same shake lasts 30+ years.

The Cedar Breather standard. We install Benjamin Obdyke Cedar Breather (a 1/4" three-dimensional matrix) over the underlayment, then nail the shakes through the Cedar Breather. This creates a continuous airspace behind every shake — the back of the shake dries after every rain.

Attic ventilation amplifies the effect. Ridge vent intake balanced with soffit exhaust pulls air through the attic and underneath the Cedar Breather. We verify net-free-area calculations per NRCA on every cedar install and upgrade the soffit and ridge ventilation if existing is undersized.

Common mistake: skipping Cedar Breather to save cost. The savings are small; the impact on service life is dramatic. We've replaced cedar roofs at year-12 that should have lasted year-30 — every one had no Cedar Breather and trapped moisture rot on the back of the shakes.

Stainless steel fasteners. Galvanized rusts in contact with cedar's natural tannins (the chemicals that make cedar naturally rot-resistant). We use stainless steel ring-shank nails on every cedar install.

Right for: historic-district homes (Madison, Princeton, Cape May, Lambertville) where HPC requires period-correct cedar, Shingle-style architecture, lakeside and shore cottages where weathered silver cedar is the regional signature, and any homeowner restoring a building that originally had cedar.

Not right for: heavily shaded yards (cedar needs sun to dry between rains), heavy-debris environments (under large oaks dropping leaves and acorns), low-slope roofs (below 4:12 pitch — cedar needs steep pitch to shed water), or any homeowner unwilling to commit to periodic maintenance (clearing debris, checking valleys, replacing individual failed shakes every 5-10 years).

Shore-county exposure. Cedar weathers fastest in salt air — silver-gray appearance accelerates, which most shore homeowners want. Service life is slightly shorter than inland but still 25+ years with proper ventilation. We use stainless fasteners on all coastal installs (we use stainless on every cedar install, but it matters most in salt air).

Northwest counties. Sussex, Warren, and Hunterdon's cedar roofs do well — colder, dryer winters slow microbial degradation of the wood. Ice & water shield extends 36" past interior wall plane (longer than zone 4) and snow accumulation in valleys needs periodic clearing to prevent ice damming.

Insurance considerations. Some NJ insurance carriers add surcharges for untreated cedar (higher fire risk) or won't insure at all. Class A fire-treated cedar (Certi-Last FR) typically gets standard rates. Worth a phone call to your agent before finalizing material.