Cedar Preservation Options

We typically recommend completing minor cedar shake repairs and a preservation treatment every 5 to 7 years, depending on the age and condition of the existing roof. Creating a regular maintenance schedule for your roof will increase the overall life of your roofing system. Cedar roofs that have been preserved 3 or 4 times during their life, should last 30 to 40 years. However, roofs that have never been preserved, will rapidly deteriorate and their useful life expectancy will not exceed 22 to 25 years.

Cedar roofs require maintenance to maximize the life of the roof. Cedar is raw wood that is exposed to the outdoor elements. Because of this, the cedar will age and start to deteriorate and become damaged over time. Extensive Sun exposure and areas of the roof with a lot of tree coverage, will accelerate the aging and deterioration process of cedar shakes. Using an environmentally safe preservation product to specifically protect cedar will prolong the life of the roof. 

Typically, the preservation process takes one day to complete for most roofs, however larger homes can take up to two days to preserve your roof. If additional cedar shake repairs are completed and or soft washing of heavy moss areas are necessary, this will extend the time it takes to complete all necessary repairs. This may add an additional half day of work to your project. 

Over time, as your roof ages, your cedar shakes will start to deteriorate, crack and become brittle, which makes them susceptible to heavy winds, hailstorms and long cold winters. Repairing these damaged or missing shakes will ensure that no open areas of your roof are exposed, which could lead to further deterioration and potential roof leaks. After your roof is repaired, we highly recommend a preservation treatment to improve the longevity of your cedar roof. 

Shake Guys can perform roof repairs, soft wash cleaning and preservation treatments to keep your cedar roof free of moss and the damaging rays of the Sun. We recommend scheduling inspections of your roof every 5 years to keep your cedar roofing system in top condition.

Cedar shake roofs require regular maintenance every 5 to 7 years, to help prevent wood rot and premature cupping of cedar shakes. Our team ensures we use high grade cedar shakes and #1 rated preservation treatments that help protect your roof against the ultraviolet rays of the sun and harsh midwest winters.

Yes, we need the roof to be dry for safety reasons and to be certain the application of the product will adhere correctly to the cedar. Some moisture content in the cedar is normal, however if it rained the night before and we are scheduled to complete a preservation the next day, your project most likely will have to be reschedule for your preservation treatment. It is extremely important to create a safe environment for our team members.

We typically use Sta-Brite R, specifically formulated to penetrate the wood fibers of cedar, this product is designed so that it will not crack, peel or blister. This is an environmentally safe water-based, low VOC (volatile organic compound) product specifically designed as a UV (ultraviolet) protectant. It also reduces moisture transmission that can lead to mold, decay or other fungal problems to cedar roofs. Sta-Brite R is available in four colors, (Medium Gray, Brown, Cedar and Charcoal). 

We only wash cedar roofs when necessary. Heavy pressure washing is not recommended for cedar roofs. If cleaning is required, we complete a soft washing process, where we use mild cleaning agents with a low PSI with special pressure washing tips, to minimize any damaged that could occur during the cleaning of your roof. 

Soft washing requires pressurized water which can cause additional damage to older roofs.  We only recommend this if there is a heavy accumulation of moss or lichen on the roof or if there is a green fungal tinge throughout an entire roofing slope. If you have some minor moss or fungal growth, we can usually hand scrape or apply a mildewcide to remove moss/lichen and eliminate the green tinge prior to preservation. 

Since we use water from your home when preserving, you may have hard water and because of this, you could get hard water spots on your windows. If you are planning to have your windows professionally cleaned, please do so after we have finished our process.

When preserving your roof, we ask that any cars be removed from the driveway and moved a significant distance away from the house or placed in the garage.

When working on your roof, we use leaf blowers to blow any loose leaves and debris out of your gutters. If your gutters have not been cleaned for years and require full gutter cleaning, please speak to your sales representative, additional costs may apply. 

Preservation jobs will take a one to two days to completed, depending on the size of your roof, please be aware that our crew will be on site most of the day.  

Be aware that the generators and equipment we use can be a little noisy and could be an issue for noise sensitive animals in your home. 

When starting a preservation project, our Shake Guys repair team will walk around your property and access areas of the home that will need to be protected during the process (i.e., outdoor furniture, exterior light fixtures, landscaping, certain decks and patios also may need to be protected). We will request that your vehicles be removed from the driveway and parked in the street, so that we can avoid any potential preservation products getting onto your vehicles. 

They will then cover everything necessary with tarps or plastic to make sure these items don’t receive any overspray from the preservation product. If certain exterior items of you home do have a light overspray of product on them, do not worry, this is normal. Sta-Brite R is a water-based product which can be cleaned off exterior items will a mild cleaner. 

We will then begin the preservation of your roof. We use an airless paint sprayer to apply the preservative. One crew member will be on the roof applying the product, while the other crew member will be on the ground making sure exterior items stay wet with water while keeping enough product going so that the applicator doesn’t run out.  Keeping exterior items on your home wet dilutes any overspray that may occur during the spraying process, this helps protect your home and minimizes the clean up process. We do hook up to outside spigots of your home and will require access to water. 

After the product has been applied, the repair team will inspect the exterior of your home making sure everything is clean from any overspray residue hat may have occurred. This includes windows and gutters as well as skylights and anything surrounding the house that may have received a light overspray of the product. 

Once all repairs and the preservation process are complete, the repair team will perform a final inspection of your home and inspect the work that was completed. We will then pack up and put away any equipment as your project is finished. The preservation product will take some time to cure (usually within a 12 to 24-hour period).

When completing spot repairs to cedar roofs, we will use quality wood that is sourced directly from the mills that created it. Since the wood is newly cut, it will have an orange color, just as you would expect from natural cedar. This color will stand out when next to the older weathered gray cedar shakes that are currently on your roof. Over time, the newly installed cedar will naturally age, weather and eventually blend in with your existing roof. This weathering process usually takes 8 months to one year to complete.  

We will typically use a specific soft-washing procedure to complete a roof wash. This is essentially a light cleaning agent that we apply to the cedar shakes to clean off any moss/ lichen or green tinge from specific roofing slopes, we rarely wash the entire roof. We use this process as opposed to power washing as it is the least damaging way to complete a wash. 

First, an approved cleaning agent is applied to break down the fungal growth accumulation on the roof.  It is given some time to do its job and is then rinsed thoroughly with water to remove the moss, lichen or green fungal tinge. 

We will then clean up any debris around the house caused by this process.  When washing, even if the area needed is smaller, we will usually need to wash the entire roof slope to create a uniformed appearance on that section of the roof, especially if we are preserving the roof after completing a soft-wash.