Old Wood Shake Roof

Wood shakes are thicker than wood shingles.

Old wood shake roof.

Cedar roofing comes in two varieties shingles or shakes. Boards that allow air to circulate under the shingles and dry them. Effective wood roof shake or shingle preservative treatments include copper naphthenate with a 3 to 4 metal content and copper octoate with a 1 to 2 metal content. Semitransparent oil based preservative stains on wood roofs.

A shakeis split to reveal the uneven natural grain of the wood on the face and isusually much thicker than a shingle. A shingleis tapered and smooth sawn on both surfaces for a uniform appearance. Typically it s composed of 1 6 deck boards spaced about 4 5 inches apart. 1 handsplit and resawn and 2 tapersawn.

In harsh weather where freeze thaw cycles are common or in wet weather climates they may not last as long. These can be brushed on or dipped before installation or professionally applied with spray equipment. Handsplit and resawn shakes have the split face exposed with a naturally rustic appearance and are sawn on the back. Climate can affect its life expectancy.

There are two main types. If an old roof was once covered with wood shingles or shakes they were likely nailed to skip sheathing which consists of widely spaced 1 in. Life expectancy of a shake roof a wood or composite shake roof can last around 30 years except pine which lasts around 20. These days most roofers cover skip sheathing with plywood because it stiffens the roof and is safer to walk on.

This was possible because wood shakes are stiff planks of wood and would overlay these gaps without posing any sort of issue.