Cedar shake roofs have many positive qualities. When installed properly, they are extremely resistant to wind and hail and can provide up to twice the insulating value of standard asphalt shingles. Cedar Shakes are very attractive and offer a high level of prestige as a roofing material, enhancing the value of your home. This may explain why much of the manufactured roofing products simulate "real cedar shakes".

However, cedar shake requires a certain amount of maintenance, to maximize its useful life.
When cared for properly, the cedar shake can provide many years of useful, attractive service.

The primary enemies of cedar shakes are water and sunlight. Exposure to the elements of sunlight and moisture, effects change to the surface of the wood. This change, both physical and chemical, is called "weathering".

Cedar contains high amounts of natural chemicals or extractives, which help preserve the wood. Rainfall can leach these natural chemicals from the cedar shakes in less than 10 years. Ultraviolet light (UV) from the sun will actually cause surface cells of the cedar shakes to break down. This microscopic refuse is washed away with each rainfall. UV rays also cause water to drive deeper into the shakes, contributing to further deteration and accelerating the process of dissolving the extractive chemicals.

As your roof "weathers" it gradually takes on a silver gray color. However, if it starts turning dark gray or black, this is an indication that fungus is growing on the roof. As exposure to the elements continue, the surface and edges of the shingles slowly erode. Debris from nearby trees can accumulate in the valleys and between the shakes. After a rain, these areas retain the moisture allowing other plants to grow such as lichens and moss. This debris also increases wood rot, as the shingles are not allowed to dry properly. The roof deterioration is accelerated. The presence of the moss and fungus also retards the water flow off the roof, aiding to wood rot, leaks and aids in the growth of additional organisms.

By keeping the roof free from these organisms, and by allowing it to dry, your roof will not deteriorate prematurely, preventing earlier than necessary replacement -- replacement that could cost $10,000 to $15,000 or more, depending on your particular roof.

Clean Roofs promote faster & better Drying.
The key to maintaining a cedar shake roof is to keep it dry. Meaning that after a rainfall, the cedar shake roof needs to be allowed to dry, as rapidly as possible. Keeping the shakes free of moss, fungus, debris (twigs, pine needles, leaves, etc.) or other things that can trap and hold moisture are essential. Also, removing overhanging tree branches at a sufficient high to provide air circulation above the roof, are all important steps toward helping with this drying process. If this type of general maintenance is properly performed, your roof can last even longer than expected.

Cleaning
Until recently, the most common method of maintaining a cedar shake roof was to pressure wash it with 2500 to 3000 PSI, and then treating it with some type of oil based wood preservative. This method returned the roof to the raw orange color it was when it was first installed, giving it that so called "new " look.

However, as cedar shakes increased in demand, the old growth heavy shake used years ago was replaced with a much thinner shake from new growth cedar. These shakes are not as durable as the older heavier shakes and will not last as long, making them more susceptible to damage and aging.

Pressure washing tears away the outer layer of wood cells, making the shake thinner by as much a 1/8" or more, exposing the raw wood to the elements, leaving the roof even more vulnerable to deteration. The thinner shakes, combined with pressure of water being sprayed on the roof, increases the likelihood of leaks and additional roof repair.

Air Cleaning
If pressure washing is harmful, and a debris free roof helps drying, what choices are available? It has been found that one of the safest methods for removing the debris, moss, fungus and lichen from a cedar roof involves a two-step "process". This process, sometimes referred to as an "air tune and treat", involves applying a steady stream of gentle air pressure to the roof. This step removes the loose debris along with much of the moss. After the air clean and all necessary repairs to the roof are made, an application of a treatment called Roof Guard is put on the shakes using a low - pressure sprayer. The treatment penetrates the shakes, and working in partnership with the elements, in time removes the remaining moss and fungi from the roof and aids in preventing future growth.

How Roof Guard Works
Roof Guard is a water-based, water soluble, biodegradable solution. It contains no solvents or toxic metals. It was developed from a technology that's been available since the late 1800's. This technology was abandoned by modern industry and replaced by roof treatments that have since proved too toxic for the environment. Roof Guard will clean and protect your roof, while at the same time it is environmentally responsible.

Best of all, Roof Guard does the cleaning without harsh pressure washing. After removing the debris from your roof with low-pressure compressed air, Roof Guard is applied to the roof. It immediately goes to work - acting as a cleaning agent for cedar shakes and shingles, cleaning off moss, algae, mildew, lichen and fungus. This solution is carried into the shakes by water. Roof Guard removes those materials which cause premature roofing failure and does it without damage to the roof caused by pressure cleaning. After the water evaporates, the Roof Guard solution remains.

Moss, lichen and fungus grow best in an acid environment. Roof Guard helps change the PH factor of the cedar roof from an acid to an alkaline environment, preventing moss, lichen and fungus growth. Rain and sun, cold and warm weather, activate the Roof Guard solution causing it to cycle between a liquid and a crystal. This process dislodges debris from the surface and with each rain, cleans the roof, gradually and harmlessly, rinsing it away into the gutters. Although results may vary, the length of time required for this to happen can very, depending on the age of the roof, level of deterioration, the pitch, quality of shakes and the weather. The full cleaning effect is attained in a 3 to 6 month period. The moss and other debris are no longer harming your roof.

Roof Guard reduces moisture penetration into the cedar, but still allows your shakes and shingles to breathe. This reduces dry rotting, cupping and warping.

Roof Guard strengthens shakes and shingles by forming crystal around the fibers of the wood. Areas that were soft to the touch will be much firmer.

Roughly, six months after the application of Roof Guard, the cedar shakes will return to their natural light silvery gray appearance. The newer the roof, the lighter the appearance.

The original color of new cedar shakes is a reddish brown. This color is the raw, natural color of the inside of a cedar tree.

After the new cedar shakes have been exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun, this natural reddish color turns to a silver gray, driftwood color. (If you were to cut the shake in half, you would find the inside of the shake to be the reddish color.) This natural silver gray color acts as a reflector of the sun's rays and helps keep the house cooler while aiding to increase the life of the roof.

Staining
Staining your cedar roof to get that "natural" color look can actually be harmful to your roof. The stain can cause drying, increased flammability, absorb and retain more heat from the sun, resulting in premature ageing, splitting and dry rot.

Replacing the "natural oils" in shakes
The oil contained in cedar shakes amounts to less than 3% of the total mass. Replenishing oils have little value and oils like linseed act as a potential food source for mold, mildew and fungi. Petroleum based oils will break down with exposure to sun light and have a short-lived effect. Oils also can increase the flammability of the roof. The reason shakes dry out and become brittle is not from a lack of oil, but because on excessive growth in the shakes.

We recently received a telephone call from a homeowner who had purchased a home from one of our roof care customers. We had been taking care of this roof for over eight years, and it had never been pressure washed. We had replaced some shakes, treated the roof again just before the sale, and provided the seller with a 5 year roof certification. The roof was in excellent condition. The buyer decided that he wanted that "new look" and had the roof pressure washed, and then tinted. When he discovered leaks along with missing and broken shakes he contacted us, requesting that we honor our 5-year certification. He asked us to make the repairs, saying we must have missed some areas.

Our research discovered that after the new homeowner moved into the house, he had the roof pressured washed and tinted by another company. We also learned that the damage to the roof was caused by the other company as the pressure washing was being done, and the new homeowner was unable to get in contact with them to make the necessary repairs.

We were able to work with the new owner to make all necessary repairs. However, it is unfortunate that this additional work had to be done. Money was spent that was totally unnecessary had the roof been left alone.

Metal Based Treatments
The shakes under the flashing on your roof are usually found to be in better condition and without moss, than the shakes on the main part of the roof. The reason for this is that the zinc in the metal flashing leaches out and onto the shakes. However, this leaching often cause unsightly streaks on the roof and the zinc run-off can harm plants and animals around the house. But, it also ends up in the ground water,
streams, rivers and lakes, which is not good for the environment.

In essence:

• Five -Year Manufacturer's Warranty
• No Harsh Pressure Washing
• Not Harmful to animals
• Non-offensive order
• Biodegradable
• Environmentally Compatible
• Not harmful to lawn or shrubs
• Natural Color of Cedar

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