Cedar Roof in Toronto Area

Cedar roof shingles and shakes are an eco-friendly material for those who want to have beautiful and durable roofing. Cedar roofs can be seen on both residential and commercial buildings in Toronto. It offers numerous of benefits to property owners; however, it’s expensive compared to other solutions.

Things to Know about Cedar Roof Products: Shakes, Shingles, Coatings in Toronto and Ontario

Cedar roof shakes and shingle coatings are famous decking and roofing products in Toronto. Cedar roof products due to their durability, treatment, and preservation ease have been used for centuries. These systems have proven their longevity in severe Toronto weather conditions. Cedar roofs are naturally weather-resistant, standing up to great variations in temperature and freeze-thaw cycles. They are also earthquake resilient.

Cedar Roofing in Toronto GTA This system, as a rule, can last for about 5-6 decades or even more if it is properly placed, cared for and refurbished. The warranty is usually given for 20-25 years.

An amazing feature of such system is that its usability can be prolonged by changing warped, worn, or cracked individual shingles and shakes. This is a really good way of saving money by avoiding roof replacement.

At the end of their life, discarded cedar shakes or shingles are recyclable as mulch.

Cedar shakes and shingles are naturally invulnerable to decay since they contain oils that make them.

They are not only durable but also stylish. Cedar roofs are naturally beautiful, in a wide range of subtly varied colors and textures. They will acquire a distinctive silvery gray patina as they weather, allowing them to blend into their natural surroundings and look lovely on traditional or modern style homes, country cottages, or beach houses. Depending on individual taste, cedar may be cut in the form of either single, sawn on both sides, and shakes, which are hand split and resawn to result in a more rough-hewn, rugged texture.

Cedar shakes look like rectangular plates made from cedar wood. They have a wedge-shaped side view. The thickest part, being about 19mm. Depending on the sort, the face side is either split or sawn, the rear side is sawn. Throwing deep, penciled shadows, cedar shake roofs can provide interesting shades and light effects. Cedar shakes are used on outer walls of Toronto area and GTA residential buildings as a warmth insulation and decorative solution. Cedar shingles look like rectangular or fancy-shaped plates with a wedge-shaped (rarely even) side view. The thickest part, being about 11mm. Depending on the sort, the frontal side is sawn or grooved, the rear side is sawn. Due to the fact that shingles are thinner than shakes, the shades they create are less deep.

Royal Roofing Inc. is a company that installs cedar roof systems in Toronto area and all around Ontario. If you are thinking of getting a cedar roof give us a call and we will consult you and come up with the most cost-effective solution for your house.

Cedar Roof Shakes Pros and Cons in Mississauga

Cedar is the best roofing material for shingles and shakes. We have singled out a number of cedar roof shakes benefits and disadvantages. Find the cedar roof pros and cons in the list below:
● Wooden shingles are lightweight even compared to asphalt ones, metal and, concrete ones. This is why no need to reinforce the roof battens to install them.
● The low thermal conductivity of the wood allows it to keep the building warm in winter and cool in summer without special insulation. This is an important feature for the Toronto area and GTA building owners that allows cutting heating and cooling bills. Cedar roofing is not afraid of seasonal temperature swings. It can bear frosts to about -70ºC, heat up to about +40ºC with equal durability.
● They have perfect sound insulating features. When thunderstorms occur outside, the wood will absorb the sound of raindrops and hail, providing an atmosphere of coziness and protection.
● Cedarwood has natural biological protection against pests, fungi, mold, etc. It contains natural active agents that either repel or kill insects and dangerous microorganisms. Another reason to leave the surface of the wood untouched is its unique look. With time, cedarwood gains a handsome silvery hue that creates a unique light and shade effects in combination with its natural texture.
● It’s durable, safe to walk on wood while performing maintenance without causing damage to the surface. If something managed to cause damage to your roofing, call us to get professional cedar roof repair services.
● We can call two drawbacks of this type of roofing, which are the higher price and necessity of regular maintenance to clean places affected by moss, mildew, or mold. This issue can be solved by applying treatment during the installation process. Some property owners prolong the cedar roof lifespan of their cedar roofs by using preservatives that are applied regularly and keep shingle appearance or shake roof like new for about 50 years.

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Note: you should remember that you will be able to enjoy the aforementioned benefits if it is properly installed. Feel free to contact us at Royal Roofing Inc. and our experienced contractors will install it for you to the best of their abilities.

Cedar Roof Installation, Restoration and Replacement

Before making decisions on cedar roof installation, restoration and replacement there are many factors that should be considered and taken into account.

Cedar roof installation is a difficult and serious process that needs to performed only by a professional roofer that knows everything about cedar roof underlayment, lining, the correct nails that need to be used, the distance between the shingles, and so on.  For shingling roofs, proper ventilation is necessary for the durability of the system as it reduces moisture and gives an energy-efficient structure. Spaced sheathing should be installed to nail the shingles to the sheathing to create proper ventilation. A 4 cm overhang beyond the eaves fascia and a 1.5cm overhang beyond the rake fascia should be allowed. The first course of shingles should be placed on top of the starter course.

To align starter course and the first course, at both ends of the eaves a string should be stretched and tied. To allow for expansion, space shingles 3mm to 6mm apart depending on the degree humidity. Rust-resistant nails should be used to nail down shingles. Nails should penetrate 1.2 in. into the lath. Good workmanship is crucial to the integrity of any roofing system.

As any other roof cedar roof needs to be refurbished or even replaced time after time. To know when to fix or replace a cedar roof you need to do a thorough examination of your roof and contact an experienced roofing company to determine how severely the roof is damaged. Since replacing the whole system is not cheap the best option if possible is to repair it.

The repair of cedar roof tiles is similar to that of a wooden shake roof:

  • Damaged shakes are fractured by using a hammer and a chisel, and the broken fragments are carefully pulled out.
  • Сedar roof tiles are more difficult to repair than shingles because their lack of flexibility makes it impossible to pry the nails out of them. A hacksaw needs to be used to cut the heads of the nails off. If this is impossible to do without inducing further damage to surrounding shakes, the roofer needs to work around the existing nails.
  • When the broken shake is removed, a new one is cut, the new piece must be 3/8 inch smaller than the original, to allow room for swelling which will occur after rainfall.
  • When the new shake is installed, it is secured with galvanized nails. If the original nail was successfully cut out of the broken shake, a new one is slid in its place and secured by two galvanized nails. If it proved impossible to remove the nails, the new shake will have to be carved using a coping saw, to fit exactly into the space around them.
  • Finally, caulking can be applied over the nail heads after all the new shakes are installed.

Cedar Roof Maintenance: Inspection, Cleaning and Washing

The longevity of your roof starts with the right choice of a cedar roof specialist but doesn’t stop there, since cedar roof needs maintenance and care inspection, washing and cleaning with a special cleaner and roof sealer.

If you install a cedar roof, be prepared to provide ongoing maintenance. Fallen leaves and other debris should be removed twice a year, in spring and fall. This is not just for esthetic reasons an excessive amount of debris will obstruct rain and melted snow from draining off your roof.

The inspection must be carried out by certified professionals using specialized equipment. This way, even minor issues invisible to the naked eye can be identified and fixed before they deteriorate. Our technician will need to climb onto the roof and inspect it section by section not to miss anything. Every element will be checked individually to ensure its strength and integrity. He will catalog the issues that need to be repaired and provide you with a detailed report.

Cedar roof cleaning entails removing debris and using professional-grade equipment, specialized solutions to remove mold, algae, and any other kind of contaminant. The supplies used during the procedure are designed for cedar roofs and will not damage the material itself. A yearly cleaning is a necessary part of cedar roof maintenance. It’s imperative to remove debris and dirt even when performing emergency repairs on small sections of the surface as the contaminants may hide cracks and other defects that can cause leaks.

Cedar shake roof maintenance and repair session must end with applying specialized treatments that increase weather-resistance and lifespan of the surface. A variety of these products are available and our technicians, who are experienced in repairing cedar roofs all over the Toronto area and Ontario, will be able to pick the best one for your particular roofing system.