When first choosing the roofing materials for covering your roof, you may ask yourself: what is a shake roof, and what differs from the standard shingles? Well, a shake roof is a shingles-like product, which is mainly produced from natural wood.
That said, the quality is considerably higher than the asphalt shingles, and it talks much about aesthetics, enhancing the curb appeal.
Therefore, it’s not weird to know this kind of wood roofing will be much pricier than standard shingles.
Synthetic Shake Roof
It seems that humans constantly evolve to resolve the problems occurring. There is a synthetic shake roof because natural shake-proof is prone to rot and flame. What’s unique about this roof cover option?
Also known as composite slates, synthetic shakes roof is a roofing system made by recycling natural materials (mainly spruce, treated pine, or cedar shingles) and is designed to look exactly like the original one.
Does it mean the synthetic wooden shake roof has less quality compared to the natural one? No, it doesn’t! It is said that the synthetic shake roof has better quality in terms of durability. Here are some of the reasons why:
- First, synthetic shake roofing will not show signs of tear and wear—pretty much the contrary to the ‘original’ product.
- The synthetic shake roof typically comes with a material warranty, which is atypical of the original material.
- You may also ask this, ‘How long does a cedar shake roof last?’. It is glad to know that synthetic cedar shake roofs and other kinds of synthetic shake roofs tend to last for longer years. If you invest in high-quality shake roofing, you can expect a long-lasting shake roof lifespan up to 40-50 years.
Although the price is similar to the cost of the original wooden roof, with such benefits to obtain, people are switching to a shake roof and think of it as a better investment.
Shake Roof Maintenance
There are several things to do to keep your shake roof of prime quality. The list will be shown as follows:
- Cut off overhanging branches, if any. This will ensure your shake roof gets dry faster—if there is a downpour. Having overhanging branches touching the shaky roof can be detrimental to the quality of your roof.
- Apply protective treatments. It is highly recommended that protective treatments be applied to the roof every two to three years.
- Eliminate debris regularly. Removing trash is another way to keep your shake roofing in its prime state. What kind of debris do you need to clean off? It can be anything from pine needles, sticks, or leaves. Garbage may retain moisture, leading to bad things to your shake roof—like moss or mold, for example.
- Power washing. This should be done at least once every few years. Hire a professional washer and let them remove the lichens, debris, moss, and weaker wood as much as possible. Such washing will help you retain the roof’s appearance and help to keep the quality of your roof excellent.
- Thorough cleaning and inspection. With regular maintenance, you will know what needs to be done to your shake roof.
Aside from the things to do to maintain your shake roof, it would help if you considered doing pest control to keep the quality of the shake roof. Hopefully, this explanation about how to maintain a shake roof will be helpful to you.
