How to Install Cedar Shake Siding

Cedar shakes turn gray as they weather.

Cedar siding adds a touch of rustic elegance to homes or vacation cabins. With its all-natural pieces of angled cedar in various sizes, the effect is attractive and goes well in most settings. Cedar siding is at the high end price-wise but if you want an authentic look on the exterior of your home, there is no substitute. As cedar siding ages, it loses its brown and gold tones and takes on a softened gray hue. With the correct tools, you can install this siding.

Things You'll Need

• Skill saw
• 18-inch Cedar shakes
• 10-inch #1 Wood shingles (for starter strip)
• Shake ridges (to match cedar shakes)
• Chalk box
• Measuring tape
• 6-D Galvanized nails
• Hammer

Instructions

1. Remove old siding if it is warped or has an uneven surface. While you can install shakes over existing siding if it is smooth, any variation in the contour will result in lumps on the finished wall.

2. Begin at the bottom of the wall and determine where you want the lowest portion of the shakes to reach. Pop a level chalk line along the desired bottom edge.

3. Install a starter row of #1 wood shingles along the bottom edge. Don’t worry that they will appear different from your shakes because they will not be visible when you’re done. The reason for choosing #1 wood shingles for the starter strip is because their grain is tighter and provides a more secure surface on which to nail.

4. Start installing the cedar shakes on top of the wood shingles. The first row of shakes will be directly on top of the shingles. Here you have a choice to make; if you want the shakes to run in even rows, keep the bottoms of the shakes flush with the shingles. If you want a staggered effect, drop the bottom of each shingle to a different level but don’t install the bottom edge of a shake higher than the wood shingle beneath.

5. Nail in two places on either side of the shake, approximately 10 inches up from the bottom. Keep the nails in a row even if you vary the bottom of the shakes. The top of a cedar shake becomes thinner as it extends upwards.

6. Repeat the process on each subsequent row as you work your way up the side of the house. Each time, pop a new chalk line on the wall to serve as a guide.

7. Cut cedar shakes with a skill saw to trim around doors, windows and venting. It will also be necessary to cut off the top of the uppermost row of shakes to install under the eaves.

Tips & Warnings

• Break wide cedar shakes in smaller widths and install the narrower ones. Shakes wider than eight inches are prone to buckling as they age.

• Stagger the shingle joints. This just means that the edges of shingles should not meet from one row to the next. Offset them slightly to keep the shakes from buckling.

• Follow all safety procedures when using power tools.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish