How to Repair and Replace Shake Shingles

Traditional cedar shake shingles protect your house and give it a rustic appearance.

Traditional cedar shake shingles are a rustic and durable building material. They are applied to the walls or roof of a house in overlapping rows, or courses, that create a water-resistant shell. The cycle of hot and cold can cause shakes to crack. Insects and birds can bore holes into them. Splits can be repaired by inserting a piece of metal flashing underneath the shingle. Badly damaged shingles should be removed and replaced with new material.

Things You'll Need

• Metal flashing
• Tin snips
• Pry bar
• Slater's ripper or hacksaw
• Replacement shake shingle
• Corrosion-resistant nails
• Hammer
• Wood block

Instructions

Repair a Shingle

1. Cut a piece of metal flashing to fit under the split cedar shake shingle. The corrosion-resistant piece of metal should measure about 2.5 inches wide and about 1 inch longer than the exposed portion of the shingle.

2. Bend the lower corners of the metal flashing down. Make your bends so that when the metal piece is inserted under the shingle, the bent corners will point toward the wall. These bent corners will keep the metal piece from sliding out of place.

3. Insert the metal piece underneath the shingle. Center the metal behind the split and push it all the way underneath the shake so that the end of the metal is flush with the end of the shingle.

Replace a Shingle

1. Pry up the damaged shake shingle with a pry bar. Lift the shake until the nail shafts are exposed.

2. Pull the nails with a slater's ripper, or cut them with a hacksaw.

3. Remove the damaged shake shingle.

4. Insert a new shingle in place, leaving the butt end about 1 inch below its final position. Nail the shingle in place with two corrosion-resistant nails. Drive the nails just below the butt end of the shake above the replacement shingle. Drive each nail 3/4 inch from the edges of the shake shingle, and drive the nails upward at a 45-degree angle.

5. Knock the shingle into place with a wood block and hammer. Drive the shingle upward until the butt end is flush with the other shingles in the course.

Tips & Warnings

• A slater's ripper is a specialized tool that can be slid underneath the shake shingle and used to grab and pull the nails.

• A hacksaw is a narrow-toothed saw blade that is mounted to a handle. It can be used to cut the nail shafts and free the damaged shingle.

References

• Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau: Cedar Roof Care and Maintenance
• Western Red Cedar Lumber Association: Installing Cedar Siding