Material selection
The style, grade and treatment are chosen with you before any wood is ordered.
Cedar Shake Roofing
Cedar Shake Roof Installation Cresskill, NJ
A Cresskill roofer who installs wood roofs can lay new cedar shakes or shingles over solid or spaced sheathing, with open metal valleys and vented ridge caps, and walk you through the choices before any wood is ordered. Call (551) 395-0321 to reach a local roofer.
How a cedar roof is put on matters more than the wood itself. The wood has to breathe, swell and shrink, so spacing, sheathing and ventilation are designed in from the start. Skip one of those details and the roof can start cupping, rotting or staining within a few seasons.
The first decisions are the wood and the style. Shakes are split, with a rough, textured face and thick butts, while cedar shingles are sawn smooth on both sides for a tighter, tailored look. The best grades are clear heartwood with edge grain, which stays flatter and resists splitting and decay better than flat grain.
Code and climate shape the rest. 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.
Cedar Shake Roof Installation is often paired with cedar shake roof replacement and cedar shake roof repair, depending on the cause.
Need cedar shake roof installation in Cresskill? Call (551) 395-0321 to reach a nearby roofing contractor.
Call nowThe process
What happens during a cedar roof installation
Each layer of a cedar roof has a job.
Prepare the deck
Shakes can go over spaced sheathing, boards with gaps that let air reach the back of the shakes, or over solid plywood with a breathable mat that creates the same airspace. In cold areas, the lower edge gets solid sheathing and an ice and water barrier.
Starter course
The starter course is laid double, projecting past the fascia so water drips clear of the trim. Edge metal along the eave and rakes protects the wood trim.
Lay the field
Each course of shakes gets a strip of 18 inch felt interlay laid above the butts, so the felt is hidden but blocks rain blown through the gaps. The crew keeps the keyways open, staggers every joint and measures exposure to the slope and shake length.
Fasten correctly
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. Walls, skylights and vent pipes get their own flashing woven into the courses.
Finish the ridge
Hips and ridges are covered with cedar caps that alternate their overlap, nailed with longer fasteners into solid wood. Pairing a ridge vent with soffit intake keeps the attic dry and helps the shakes last.
What is included
Parts of a new cedar roof
Ridge caps
Cedar caps finish the hips and ridge, often over a ridge vent for balanced attic airflow.
Underlayment
Felt strips are woven between every course of shakes hidden from view but doing real work.
Wall flashing
Open metal valleys and step flashing are installed as the roof goes up for a watertight finish.
Deck layer
Spaced boards or solid sheathing with a breathable mat go down first to give nails a solid hold.
Related service
Cedar Shingle Roof Installation Cresskill, NJ
Cedar shingles are sawn on both faces, so they are thinner, smoother and installed a little differently than shakes. Shingles come in 16, 18 and 24 inch lengths and are laid with shorter exposures, often around 5 to 7 and a half inches depending on length and slope. The keyways between shingles are kept narrow but never closed.
Felt interlay is a shake detail, while shingles rely on overlap for protection. They can go over spaced sheathing or over solid sheathing with a breathable mat, and they work on slightly lower pitches than shakes. In Cresskill, ask the roofer to explain which product suits your slope and style.
Local help
Cedar Shake Roof Installation Near Me
Homeowners in Cresskill who choose cedar usually want a natural look that newer materials only imitate. Across Cresskill and nearby towns like Demarest, Tenafly, Dumont and Closter, 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.
Need cedar shake roof installation around Cresskill? Call (551) 395-0321 for a Cresskill roofer who serves the towns around it too.
How the weather here affects roofs around Cresskill
Cold winters bring snow, ice and a long stretch of freezing nights. When warm attic air melts the snow, the meltwater runs down and freezes again at the 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 Cresskill, NJ have the roof checked in the fall and again after the snow melts.
Why call
Why fix it now
Smaller repairs
A roof problem fixed early rarely spreads to the decking, the insulation or the ceilings.
Familiar with local homes
Local roofers see the same roofs and storm damage across Cresskill and nearby towns.
Clear next steps
Ask the roofer about the cause, the options and the estimate before work starts.
Common questions about cedar shake roof installation
Can cedar shakes be fire rated?
Cedar can be made far more fire resistant with pressure-impregnated treatment. With treatment and the right underlayment, a cedar roof can reach a higher fire classification. Your roofer should confirm what your local code requires before you choose.
Do cedar shakes need a preservative treatment?
Whether to treat depends on moisture, shade and fire rules. In damp, shaded areas, preservative-treated shakes resist moss and decay better, and in fire-prone areas, fire-retardant treatment may be required. Your roofer can explain which options fit your Cresskill home.
How steep does a roof have to be for cedar shakes?
Most codes call for at least 4 in 12 for cedar shakes. Shingles can work on slightly lower slopes with reduced exposure. Lower slopes need a different roofing system.
Are cedar shakes and cedar shingles the same thing?
They are related but not the same product. Shakes have at least one rough, split face and thicker butts, giving a rustic, textured roof, while shingles are sawn smooth on both faces for a neater look. Shakes get felt between courses, shingles rely on overlap.
What goes under a cedar shake roof?
Underneath cedar, the deck must allow airflow. 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.
More questions? Call (551) 395-0321
Related services
Cedar Shake Roof Replacement
Tearing off worn cedar shakes, repairing the deck and putting on a new cedar or look-alike roof, with the deck brought up to what the new roof needs.
Learn moreCedar Shake Roof Repair
Repairs for split shakes, rot at the butts, moss buildup and leaking valleys on wood roofs, so a sound cedar roof keeps shedding water.
Learn moreRoof Installation
Installing a new roof layer by layer, from drip edge and underlayment to flashing, vents and the finished roofing, with ventilation and flashing planned in from the start.
Learn moreRoof Ventilation
Fixing hot, damp or poorly vented attics with the right mix of intake and exhaust, based on what the attic actually needs.
Learn more
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