Cedar Shake Siding – Benefits of Shingle Siding, Prices & styles

If you’re considering investing into new siding for your home this article will go over the benefits of choosing cedar shake siding. This type of siding has less maintenance involved with maintaining a high quality appearance when you compare it to wood house sidings. Cedar shake siding is a very cost effective way to give your home a rustic appearance. Also cedar has strong resistances to insect damage, weathering, rot, and warping.

Appearance

This type of siding is just one of many types that are available to the buying public today. You can always distinguish this type of siding because it is made up of cut pieces of cedar. When you install the siding on your home, the shingles are laid down in an overlapping pattern giving a great rustic visual appeal. The one single drawback of this type of siding would be that it can be slightly labor intensive to install.

Benefits and Durability of Cedar Shingle Siding

Warping is one of the main enemies of any type of wood product, especially one in constant contact with the outdoor elements. However, cedar is renown for its ability to resist warping even when its used in severe weather climates. For this reason many homeowners in the Atlantic northeastern region of the United States of America choose to use cedar shake siding on their homes. Nearly all siding contractors are also aware of this, and they tend to promote this type of siding for its many benefits and protection against salt spray along the shorelines of Cape Cod, MA..

Shrinkage can also cause headaches to other types of wooden products, however cedar is also far more resistance to this issue than other types of wood. When other wooden siding shrinks it causes gaps to form in the siding of the home, which doesn’t look good visually. Also these gaps cause the exterior of your home to become exposed and this can lead to many headaches down the road. If you live in a wet climate, shrinkage can be a big issue, so this is just another reason to choose cedar shake siding.

Many different types of insects also like to feast on wood. However, the cedar tree naturally produces an oil that is infused into its wood. This oil acts a natural insect repellent and many wood eating bugs won’t even come near a home covered in cedar shake siding. This helps keep your home bug free, but also you won’t need to worry about termites or other nasty critters eating away at your home. The cedar oil present in the siding also keeps the wood lubricated and it resists wood rot a lot more than other types of siding do. Many homeowners also use cedarwood in places like spa’s which are constantly exposed to humid conditions because of this.

Quality

When you are in the market for cedar shake siding, you need to be aware of the different ways to identify great product. This way you can stay away from a lower quality cut that is going to give you problems. Most companies and suppliers use a grading system to identify the best products. Grade A cedar, or, #1 choice cedar is generally considered the best cut, but at the same time it can be quite expensive. Grade B cedar, or often called #2 cedar is often used in siding applications because of the balance between cost and performance. Anything lower than that usually is not used for siding.

In addition to grading, you also need to visually inspect the wood itself. Cedar has several key features that you should use to identify a good cut. The main two are the clarity and knots of the cedar shingle. Grade A cedar shake siding is usually smooth, and has a uniform visual appearance with little to no imperfections or knots. Grade B cedar will generally have more noticeable visual issues and a little knotting, but it will generally maintain a smooth feeling to the hand.

In conclusion, cedar shake siding can be a great addition to any home. It will increase the value of your home, keep wood eating bugs away, and give your home a visually appealing rustic look. While it may cost more and be more labor intensive to get it installed, if you want one of the best sidings available, you simply cannot go wrong with cedar.

reference www.mbmcarpentry.com

Share :