How to Troubleshoot Aging White Cedar Shingles
White cedar shingles are a traditional building material used widely in the northeastern United States and in many coastal regions. White cedar is a popular choice because of its attractive appearance and cost. Relative to red cedar shingles, white cedar is much less expensive. One of the drawbacks of using white cedar is that the wood is not as durable as red cedar. As a result, it will weather and deteriorate more rapidly if not properly maintained. In some cases, white cedar shingles can be cleaned and retreated; in other instances, badly damaged shingles need to be removed and replaced. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Wood cleaner
- 5-gallon bucket
- Nylon bristle brush
- Metal flashing
- Tin snips
- Wood block
- Hammer
- Pry bar
- Slater's ripper or hacksaw
- Replacement shingles
- Corrosion-resistant nails
Instructions
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Cleaning White Cedar Shingles
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Mix a solution of wood cleaner in a 5-gallon plastic bucket. Wood cleaner is typically sold in a concentrated formula. Refer to the manufacturer's instructions, and mix a solution suitable for a maintenance cleaning of wood siding.
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With a hose, wet a section of shingles. Apply the wood cleaning solution to the wet wood. You can use your nylon bristle brush to apply the cleaner. Let the cleaner sit on the wood for 15 to 30 minutes.
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Scrub the shingles vigorously with your nylon bristle bush, then hose it down thoroughly with water to remove any loosened grime and residual cleaner. If you are planning to apply a finish to the shingles, let them dry for at least 24 hours.
Fixing a Cracked Shingle
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Cut a piece of metal flashing to form a shim that will be inserted underneath a crack in an individual white cedar shingle. Use tin snips to cut the flashing. Make the shim about 2 1/2 inches wide, and about 1 inch longer than the exposed portion of the shingle.
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Bend the lower corners of the shim down at 45-degree angles. Bend the corners down so that when the shim is slid underneath the cracked shingles, the pointed corners will poke into the shingle beneath. This will help keep the shim from sliding out of position.
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Insert the shim underneath the cracked shingle and slide it up until the base of the shim is flush with the base of the shingle. Use a wood block and hammer to knock the shim into place if necessary.
Removing and Replacing a Badly Damaged Shingle
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Use a pry bar to carefully lift a damaged shingle. Lift the shingle enough that you can access the underlying nail shafts holding it in place.
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Remove the nails. Either pull the nails with a slater's ripper, or cut the shafts with a hacksaw. Pull the loosened shingle free from the house.
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Insert a new shingle into position. Leave the base of this new shingle about 1 inch below the base of the rest of the shingles in the course. Nail the replacement shingle with two corrosion-resistant nails driven 3/4 inch from each side of the shingle, and just below the butt end of the shingle the replacement piece will fit under. Drive the nails upward at a 45-degree angle.
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Once the nails are driven, use your wood block and hammer to knock the replacement shingle up into place, so the base of the new shingle is flush with the bases of the rest of the shingles in the course.
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Tips & Warnings
Applying a penetrating, oil-based, wood stain to the white cedar shingles can greatly increase the material's lifespan, and also give it a beautiful, highlighted appearance. These wood stains are available in a variety of colors and styles, ranging from a nearly clear product that enhances the natural color of the wood, to much darker and more opaque stains that give the cedar a lot of color. Keep in mind that the protection from ultraviolet (UV) rays the stain provides comes from the pigments in the products, so as a general rule of thumb, the more color, the more protection.
If you need to remove large areas of shingles that have been damaged or rotted, a pitchfork is an extremely handy tool. It can be slid underneath shingles and used to pull off many at a time. This can save you a lot of time and effort.
A slater's ripper is a hooked tool that can be slid underneath a shingle and used to grab and pull nails.
A hacksaw is a narrow-toothed blade that can be used to cut the nail shafts holding a shingle in place.
If you are working on a rooftop, always take great care, particularly when working with cleaning products. These products can make the shingles extremely slippery, so work a section at a time, and keep your feet on dry wood. Consider wearing a safety harness if you are working on a high, steeply pitched roof.
References
- Photo Credit Weathered Red shingle siding on the side of a barn image by Jim Mills from Fotolia.com
