Sheathing
Sheathing is installed or repaired to suit a wood roof to give nails a solid hold.
Cedar Shake Roofing
Cedar Shake Roof Installation Weehawken, NJ
A roofer in Weehawken 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 (551) 373-3025 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. Ask about grain and heartwood, since edge-grain heartwood cups and splits less.
Code and climate shape the rest. Shakes need a slope of at least 4 in 12 under most codes, while shingles can go on slightly lower slopes with reduced exposure. 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.
Looking for Weehawken cedar shake roof installation? Call (551) 373-3025 to talk to a local roofer.
Call nowThe process
How cedar shake roof installation works
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. In cold areas, the lower edge gets solid sheathing and an ice and water barrier.
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. Shakes are spaced about three eighths to five eighths of an inch apart, side joints are offset at least an inch and a half from the course below and the exposure stays even, often 10 inches for 24 inch shakes.
Nail each shake
Two corrosion-resistant nails per shake are placed just above the line where the next course will lap, keeping them out of the weather. Low-grade fasteners can fail decades before the wood, so the nail choice matters.
Build the valleys
Valley metal goes down first, and shakes are trimmed back from the center so leaves and water can run freely. Every penetration and wall line is flashed as the shakes go up.
Finish the ridge
The ridge and hips get matched cedar caps laid in an alternating pattern. Pairing a ridge vent with soffit intake keeps the attic dry and helps the shakes last.
What is included
What a cedar installation covers
Ridge caps
Hip and ridge caps go on last with longer nails for wind resistance.
Wall flashing
Open metal valleys and step flashing are installed as the roof goes up for a watertight finish.
Material selection
The style, grade and treatment are chosen with you so the look and lifespan match your goals.
Felt interlay
Each course gets its own strip of felt to stop wind-driven rain.
Related service
Cedar Shingle Roof Installation Weehawken, 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. Spacing between shingles is narrower than between shakes.
Shingles are usually laid without interlay felt, since the overlap itself provides the coverage. They can go over spaced sheathing or over solid sheathing with a breathable mat, and they work on slightly lower pitches than shakes. For a Weehawken home, the right choice between shakes and shingles comes down to the look you want and the pitch you have.
Local help
Cedar Shake Roof Installation Near Me
In Weehawken, cedar installations are often chosen for craftsman, cottage and lodge style homes. Across Weehawken and nearby towns like Union City, West New York, Hoboken and Secaucus, 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 Weehawken? Call (551) 373-3025 for a Weehawken roofer who serves the towns around it too.
What the local climate does to a roof
Winters here are long and cold, with snow on the roof for weeks at a time and plenty of nights below freezing. 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. Strong coastal storms push rain into every weak spot at the flashing and valleys. That is why roof repair in Weehawken is busiest after a hard winter and before the next one.
Why call
Why not wait
Less damage
Small roof problems caught early usually stay small repairs.
Familiar with local homes
Roofers in Weehawken know the roof types and weather wear common in local homes.
Clear next steps
Ask the roofer about the cause, the options and the estimate before work starts.
Cedar Shake Roof Installation FAQ
What roof pitch do cedar shakes need?
Most codes call for at least 4 in 12 for cedar shakes. Sawn shingles allow a bit less pitch if the exposure is shortened. Flatter roofs drain too slowly for wood.
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. Check local rules first, since some areas restrict untreated wood roofs.
What is the difference between cedar shakes and cedar shingles?
They are related but not the same product. Split shakes are thicker and more irregular, and sawn shingles are thinner, smoother and more uniform. Installation differs as well, with interlay felt used under shakes and tighter exposures used for shingles.
Should new cedar shakes be treated?
Whether to treat depends on moisture, shade and fire rules. Preservative treatment helps in wet climates, and fire treatment may be required by local code. Ask about both kinds of treatment for your Weehawken roof.
What goes under a cedar shake roof?
A cedar roof is built over either spaced boards or solid sheathing with a breathable mat. Felt interlay between courses and an eave membrane in cold areas complete the system. The goal is a roof that sheds water but still lets the wood dry.
More questions? Call (551) 373-3025
Other services that may help
Cedar Shake Roof Replacement
Full replacement of worn-out wood roofs, from tear-off and sheathing to the new ridge, planned around the material you choose next.
Learn moreCedar Shake Roof Repair
Replacing split, cupped or missing shakes, clearing moss and fixing valleys and ridge caps, matched to what a close look at the roof actually finds.
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
Roof ventilation work that keeps the attic dry in winter and cooler in summer, without mixing vent types that work against each other.
Learn more
Looking for something else?
See all roofing servicesTalk to a Weehawken roofer about cedar shake roof installation
Call (551) 373-3025 to talk to a roofer serving Weehawken, NJ.