How to Repair & Replace Cedar Shakes
Cedar shakes are a traditional siding material that have been used for hundreds of years in parts of the Eastern United States. Properly maintained, cedar shake siding can last for decades, but exposure to harsh weather can eventually cause your cedar shakes to split or deteriorate. With the right tools, individual cedar shakes can be either repaired, or removed and replaced. Repairing a split cedar shake involves sliding a protective piece of non-corrosive metal underneath the shingle in order to restore the moisture barrier. Replacing a badly damaged shake involves first prying up and pulling out the old shake before inserting a new shingle in its place. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Slater's ripper
- Hacksaw blade saw
- Pry bar
- Corrosion-resistant fasteners
- Corrosion-resistant metal shim
- Hammer
- Block of wood
- Cedar shingles
Instructions
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Repairing a Split Cedar Shingle
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1
Size the metal shim. A split shingle can be repaired by simply sliding a dark piece of corrosion-resistant metal underneath the split in order to re-establish the moisture barrier. The metal shim should be about two and a half inches wide, and a half inch longer than the exposed portion of the shingle.
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2
Bend the back corners of the shim down. This will give the metal shim some grip so that when it is inserted underneath the split shingle, it will grip into the underlying shingle and remain in place.
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3
Slide the metal shim underneath the split portion of the shingle. Use a block of wood and hammer to knock the shim into place without causing damage to the shingle.
Replacing a Damaged Shingle
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4
Use the pry bar to pry up the damaged shingle. You want to lift it so that you can gain access to the nail shafts.
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5
Pull out or cut off the nails. You can use the slater's ripper to pull the nails out, or the hacksaw blade saw to cut the nails off.
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6
Remove the old shingle.
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7
Insert the new shingle. Slide it into place until the end of the shingle is about a half inch lower than the base of the other shingles.
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8
Drive two corrosion-resistant nails into the shingle. Place them just before the end of the shingle above, and drive them at 45 degree angles. Drive them until they are flush with the face of the replacement shingle.
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9
Use the wood block and hammer to knock the shingle the remaining half inch until the base of the replacement shingle is even with the rest of the shingles in that row.
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