Flashing repair
Step flashing along walls and flashing around skylights and vents is resealed or replaced without relying on a tube of caulk.
Cedar Shake Roofing
Cedar Shake Roof Repair Elmwood Park, NJ
A Elmwood Park roofer who knows wood roofs can fix split shakes, rotted butts, moss damage and leaking valleys on a cedar roof, and tell you honestly how many good years the roof has left. One call to (551) 367-0165 reaches a nearby cedar roof repair pro.
Cedar shakes wear out one piece at a time, which is exactly why they can be repaired. Sun dries the top of each shake while the underside stays damp, so the wood cups, curls and eventually splits along the grain. Where trees overhang, moss and debris trap moisture in the keyways and soften the lower edge of each shake.
A weathered silver color is normal for cedar and says nothing about whether the roof still works. A roofer checks shake thickness at the butts, how many shakes crumble or snap when pressed, whether the nails are rusting through and how the sheathing feels from the attic. If most of the field is still thick and holds a nail, repair is usually the smart call.
Please do not go up to check it yourself. Walking on weathered cedar is dangerous and breaks the very shakes you are trying to save. Jot down which side of the house the leak is on and whether it only appears in long, steady rain.
Many cedar shake roof repair calls in Elmwood Park also turn up a need for cedar shake roof replacement or roof moss removal.
Need cedar shake roof repair in Elmwood Park? Call (551) 367-0165 and describe the problem to a roofer who works in Elmwood Park.
Call nowThe process
How cedar shake roof repair works
Here is how a roofer usually approaches a cedar shake repair.
Start with an inspection
The inspection covers the field of the roof, the valleys, the ridge and the flashings, plus the underside of the roof boards from the attic. The goal is to decide whether the roof is a repair or is near the end of its life.
Clear the surface
The roof is cleaned gently so the crew can see every crack and so water can run off freely.
Shake replacement
A slate ripper slides under the course above to cut the hidden nails, the broken shake comes out and a new one is trimmed to fit and slid into place. The new shake keeps a gap of about three eighths to five eighths of an inch at the sides so it can swell when wet.
Valley work
Valley metal is checked for rust, holes and shakes cut too close to the center, and it is cleaned out or replaced. Valleys move more water than anywhere else on the roof, so they get extra attention.
Reset ridge caps
Split or loose ridge and hip caps are replaced with new cap pieces nailed with longer fasteners into solid wood. If the ridge is vented, the vent material is checked for gaps or crushing.
Finish the repair
A breathable wood treatment can be applied to help the shakes resist rot and weathering. Clear gutters keep water off the lowest course.
What is included
Repairs a cedar roofer can handle
Shake replacement
Damaged pieces are swapped for matching shakes with the side gaps cedar needs to swell and dry.
Valley metal
Worn valley flashing is renewed before the leak reaches the roof boards.
Hip cap repair
Cracked, loose or missing caps are replaced along the ridge and hips matching the alternating pattern of the originals.
Roof cleaning
Moss, lichen and packed debris are cleared by hand and soft wash instead of with a pressure washer that strips the wood.
Related service
Cedar Shake Roof Maintenance Elmwood Park, NJ
Regular care on a wood roof comes down to drainage, airflow and catching small splits early. The routine is simple: clean the keyways, clear the valleys and gutters, cut back branches and deal with moss while it is still thin. Every couple of years is a sensible interval for most homes, more often under heavy trees.
Pressure washers do more harm to a wood roof than almost anything else. High pressure tears the soft spring wood out of each shake, leaving it thin and fuzzy so it soaks up water and wears out faster. A soft wash with a cleaner made for wood, a gentle rinse and a breathable preservative is the safer approach in Elmwood Park.
Related service
Wood Shake Roof Repair Elmwood Park, NJ
Wood shake roof repair covers more than cedar, since some older homes have redwood or pine shakes, though cedar is by far the most common. Because shakes are split, they vary in thickness, so the roofer picks replacements that line up with the shakes on each side. A new shake starts out light tan and weathers to the same gray as the rest of the roof within a season or two.
On many shake roofs, strips of felt woven between courses act as a second barrier, and that felt is checked whenever shakes come out. If the felt is gone across large areas, that is a sign the roof is closer to replacement than repair. Ask the Elmwood Park roofer about the layers below.
Local help
Cedar Shake Roof Repair Near Me
Cedar shake repair calls in Elmwood Park usually come from homes whose wood roof has weathered for years, and most of the damage comes from shade, trapped moisture and seasons of sun and storms. Across Elmwood Park and nearby places including Garfield, Fair Lawn, Paterson and Lodi, a cedar roof that is checked every couple of years rarely reaches the point of a full tear-off before its time, and small repairs keep it that way.
Need cedar shake roof repair around Elmwood Park? Call (551) 367-0165 for an Elmwood Park roofer who serves the towns around it too.
What the local climate does to a roof
Cold winters bring snow, ice and a long stretch of freezing nights. Heat escaping from the attic melts snow on the upper roof, and the water refreezes at the colder eaves, building ice dams that push water up under the shingles. Coastal storms and heavy spring rain drive water sideways into flashing, valleys and old chimneys. Most homeowners in Elmwood Park, NJ have the roof checked in the fall and again after the snow melts.
Why call
Why act early
Less damage
Small roof problems caught early usually stay small repairs.
Local knowledge
Roofers in Elmwood Park know the roof types and weather wear common in local homes.
Know what happens next
Ask the roofer about the cause, the options and the estimate before work starts.
Cedar Shake Roof Repair questions
When should a cedar roof be replaced instead of repaired?
The answer comes from how much sound wood is left. If a large share of the shakes are split, curled or rotted, or the roof leaks in many places, replacement is usually the better use of money. A roof with mostly solid shakes and a few bad areas is usually worth repairing.
Does moss damage a cedar shake roof?
Moss holds water against the wood like a sponge. Wet wood under moss decays faster and the roots can lift shake edges. Removing moss and adding zinc or copper strips near the ridge helps keep it from coming back.
How long does a cedar shake roof last?
A well kept cedar shake roof commonly lasts 25 to 35 years, and thick heavy shakes can go longer. Roofs under trees or in damp shade wear out faster, and roofs that are cleaned and repaired last longer. Timely repairs to split shakes and valleys keep small problems from rotting the sheathing.
Should I pressure wash my cedar shake roof?
Pressure washing does real harm to wood shakes. The blast erodes the wood and forces water into places it should not go. A soft wash with a wood-safe cleaner and a gentle rinse removes moss and grime without that damage.
Can a few cedar shakes be replaced without redoing the roof?
Single shakes come out and go back in without any tear-off. A ripper slides under the course above to cut the nails, the old shake comes out and the new one is trimmed and fastened. The fresh cedar will stand out until it weathers to the same silver color.
More questions? Call (551) 367-0165
Other services that may help
Cedar Shake Roof Replacement
Full replacement of worn-out wood roofs, from tear-off and sheathing to the new ridge, when the old shakes are too thin to repair.
Learn moreRoof Moss Removal
Clearing thick moss off a roof and checking the shingles it lifted, so water drains the way the roof was built for.
Learn moreRoof Cleaning
Roof cleaning by soft wash for algae, lichen and grime, so the roof looks clean without being damaged.
Learn moreCedar Shake Roof Installation
Installing cedar shakes or shingles with proper exposure, valleys, ridge caps and ventilation, laid to the slope and climate of the house.
Learn more
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