Choosing the wood
You pick between hand-split, resawn, taper-sawn and sawn options so the look and lifespan match your goals.
Cedar Shake Roofing
Cedar Shake Roof Installation Rahway, NJ
A roofer in Rahway can install a cedar shake roof by choosing the right grade and thickness, laying felt interlay between courses and fastening each shake with stainless or galvanized nails, which is what lets cedar last for decades instead of years. Call (908) 562-6861 to reach a local roofer.
A cedar roof lasts as long as the installation lets it dry. Shakes need air on both faces, gaps at the sides to swell, felt between each course to stop wind-driven rain and fasteners that will not rust before the wood wears out. Get them wrong and even premium cedar can rot early.
Choosing the material comes first, and the choices are wider than most owners expect. Split shakes look rustic and heavy, sawn shingles look trim and even, and taper-sawn shakes sit in between. Top grades use edge-grain heartwood with no knots, the most stable wood for a roof.
Several outside factors decide how the system is built. Wood roofs need enough pitch to shed water quickly, generally 4 in 12 for shakes. Your roofer should check the permit requirements, any fire rating rules and any neighborhood guidelines before ordering.
Depending on what the roofer finds, cedar shake roof installation in Rahway, NJ can go hand in hand with cedar shake roof replacement and cedar shake roof repair.
Need cedar shake roof installation in Rahway? Call (908) 562-6861 to reach a nearby roofing contractor.
Call nowThe process
What happens during a cedar roof installation
Here is how a roofer typically builds a new cedar roof.
Set up the sheathing
The roofer installs either spaced 1x boards or solid sheathing covered with a ventilated underlayment mat. Where ice can build up, the eaves get a waterproof membrane over solid decking.
Starter course
A strip of felt goes along the eave, then a doubled or tripled starter course of shakes or shingles overhangs the fascia by about an inch and a half. Drip edge metal is usually installed here as well.
Install the shakes
Shakes go on in courses with felt interlay woven between them, positioned so it never shows below the next course. Side gaps are kept even, joints are staggered from course to course and the exposure follows the length and the slope.
Fastening
Each shake gets two stainless steel or hot-dipped galvanized nails, about an inch in from each side and placed so the next course covers them. Stainless is common near salt air and with treated shakes.
Build the valleys
A wide open metal valley is installed, with shakes cut to a clean line on each side. Every penetration and wall line is flashed as the shakes go up.
Ridge caps
Pre-formed or site-cut caps run along the hips and ridge, lapping in alternating directions. A ridge vent can go under the caps, paired with soffit vents for balanced attic airflow.
What is included
What goes into a cedar roof
Deck layer
Sheathing is installed or repaired to suit a wood roof so the cedar can dry from both sides.
Valley flashing
Open metal valleys and step flashing are installed as the roof goes up so the busiest water paths are protected.
Ridge caps
Hip and ridge caps go on last with longer nails for wind resistance.
Underlayment
An interlay of felt sits under each course as a second line of defense.
Related service
Cedar Shingle Roof Installation Rahway, NJ
Cedar shingle roof installation follows the same principles as shakes, with a few important differences. Because shingles are thinner, they use shorter exposures, so more layers overlap at any point on the roof. Side gaps are tighter too, about a quarter to three eighths of an inch.
Shingles are usually laid without interlay felt, since the overlap itself provides the coverage. Shingles can be installed on spaced boards or on solid decking with a ventilated layer beneath. A Rahway roofer can lay out samples of each so you can compare.
Local help
Cedar Shake Roof Installation Near Me
Homeowners in Rahway who choose cedar usually want a natural look that newer materials only imitate. Across Rahway and nearby towns like Avenel, Colonia, Linden and Iselin, the key questions are the pitch of the roof, how much shade it gets and whether local rules call for fire-treated wood, so a site visit comes before any material order.
Searching for cedar shake roof installation near me from Rahway or Avenel, Colonia, Linden and Iselin? Call (908) 562-6861 to talk to a roofer who works in your part of town.
What the local climate does to a roof
Cold winters bring snow, ice and a long stretch of freezing nights. Heat escaping from the attic melts snow on the upper roof, and the water refreezes at the colder eaves, building ice dams that push water up under the shingles. Coastal storms and heavy spring rain drive water sideways into flashing, valleys and old chimneys. Most homeowners in Rahway, NJ have the roof checked in the fall and again after the snow melts.
Why call
Why not wait
Drier ceilings
Small roof problems caught early usually stay small repairs.
Local knowledge
Roofers in Rahway know the roof types and weather wear common in local homes.
Straight answers
Ask the roofer about the cause, the options and the estimate before work starts.
Common questions about cedar shake roof installation
Should new cedar shakes be treated?
Whether to treat depends on moisture, shade and fire rules. Treated shakes last longer in humid or shady spots, and fire-treated ones may be mandatory in wildfire zones. Your roofer can explain which options fit your Rahway home.
Are cedar shake roofs a fire risk?
Cedar can be made far more fire resistant with pressure-impregnated treatment. Treated shakes over a rated underlayment can meet stricter local codes. Local codes decide what is allowed, so ask before ordering.
How steep does a roof have to be for cedar shakes?
Cedar shakes need a slope of about 4 in 12 or more. Cedar shingles can go on roofs as low as 3 in 12 with a shorter exposure. Below those slopes, another material is the better choice.
What kind of underlayment does a cedar roof need?
A cedar roof is built over either spaced boards or solid sheathing with a breathable mat. On top of the deck, felt is woven between the courses of shakes, and the eaves get an ice and water membrane where ice is a risk. The goal is a roof that sheds water but still lets the wood dry.
What is the difference between cedar shakes and cedar shingles?
They are related but not the same product. Shakes are rugged and heavy with deep shadow lines, and shingles are trim and even. They also install differently: shakes use felt interlay between courses and longer exposures, and shingles do not.
More questions? Call (908) 562-6861
Related services
Cedar Shake Roof Replacement
Full replacement of worn-out wood roofs, from tear-off and sheathing to the new ridge, when the old shakes are too thin to repair.
Learn moreCedar Shake Roof Repair
Cedar roof repairs from single cracked shakes up to worn ridge caps and open valleys, without tearing off the shakes that still have years left.
Learn moreRoof Installation
Putting on a new roof the way the material maker intends, whether it is asphalt shingles, metal or another material.
Learn moreRoof Ventilation
Fixing hot, damp or poorly vented attics with the right mix of intake and exhaust, without mixing vent types that work against each other.
Learn more
Looking for something else?
See all roofing servicesGet cedar shake roof installation help in Rahway
Call (908) 562-6861 for a local roofer in Rahway and nearby towns.