Best Wood Shakes & Shingles: How to buy for Roofing Project

One of the most important parts in building a house is your roof – well everybody needs a roof.

So you setup a roofing project but don’t know where to start? Let’s start with the materials.

Most wood shingle roofs were made from western red cedar for its durability and best fight to harmful insects; other options are made from preservative-treated pine or similar species.

Shakes & shingles come from different lengths (depending on your needs) with the usual sizes ranges from 16, 18 and 24 inches and different widths.

Wood shingles are usually smooth and Shakes are deeply grooved, rough-hewn shingles in a common rustic appearance.

Real cedar shingles and shakes are the usual preferred for roofing project since they are natural, rustic appearance.

Shingles, thinner than shakes, have smooth, sawn surfaces.

Shakes may be either sawn or hand-split for a more rugged appearance.

Shingles are expected to last 15 to 25 years and shakes up to 50 years.

In fire-prone areas, wood shingles and shakes may require pressure treatment with fire retardant or may be forbidden entirely.
For the moistly climates like New Orleans, Jacksonville, Houston, Orlando, Tampa, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, Miami, Portland, Rochester and New York where fungus and mold might be a problem, wood roofs must be treated with a fungicide after the first year (you can also purchase types pretreated with preservatives).

Wood shingles are offered in a selection of shapes such as fish- scale, cove, and V-cut patterns. These are used mainly for detailing of the siding.
Wood shakes with deeply grooved textures that allow for air circulation may be applied over solid sheathing with interlays of 30-pound roofing felt. Some shakes may be applied over open sheathing.

Wood shingles require open sheathing consisting of 1 by 6 board that is spaced apart. The spaces allow air to circulate around the shingles to prevent moisture buildup underneath the wood.