Cedar Shake Roofing Seattle

Beware of common marketing ploys

There is no label that can be put on a cedar shake that will make it the best. It is a natural wood product and once it is cut and treated, no label will make it higher quality.

One very prominent label is from the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau. The label will say “certi-split” or “certi-sawn” for example. The Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau is not an accreditation, it is a marketing agency, and the “certi” label doesn’t necessarily mean the shake is a high standard.

Also, beware of undue emphasis on “ring count” or any other factor that makes one company’s shake the only good shake. There is no monopoly on quality shake. The bottom line is, the best shake comes from the most selective mills.

An environmental note

Cedar shakes come from a renewable resource, trees. Trees are never cut down solely to produce shakes; the shakes come from the leftover wood in the trees when they’re harvested for lumber. Best of all, cedar shake roofs are recyclable—we recycle the entire roof at replacement time.

Valentine Roofing, cedar shake specialists

Cedar shake roofs are not only beautiful, they add real value to your home. Yet fewer roofing companies install them these days because they require a roofing crew with a higher skill set. You will not find a roofing company with more specialized crews for installing cedar shake than Valentine Roofing. Cedar Shake Roofing Seattle is our specialty.

We use the best cedar shakes from the best mills

The best cedar shakes are CCA pressure treated and Premium grade, that is, the shake is 100% edge grain. It’s very important that they come from a quality shake mill, because each mill has its own version of a “premium grade” shake, and some mills are much more selective with their “premiums.”

There are a couple of good ways to know which mill produces the highest quality shakes--ask Stoneway Roofing Supply (they stock and sell shakes from different mills) or ask Valentine Roofing. Look at the roofs of the homes that Valentine Roofing has installed and you’ll see the difference.

Cedar shakes that last longer—with less maintenance

Contrary to popular belief, today’s cedar shakes last longer, on average, than the shakes used years ago. That’s because the treatment methods have greatly improved. The shake roofs we install are pressure treated, and won’t need to be treated again. It’s a far cry from the past, when most cedar shakes only had a topical treatment or weren’t treated at all.

Another big difference: We don’t use builder grade shakes, which is what you’ll see on new construction houses. Unfortunately, entire neighborhoods on the Eastside were built with builder grade shakes, and they didn’t last. Our premium shakes not only last much longer, they require little maintenance, beyond a light air cleaning every year or two if there is excessive debris. If you prefer the new look of cedar shake to the naturally weathered gray, a light pressure wash with a new treatment every few years will restore the new shake look.

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