S&S Roofing & Contracting

Let S&S Roofing & Contracting Handle All of Your Cedar Shake Needs.

Many wood shakes and shingles have been replaced by composition or asphalt shingles. Nevertheless, wood shakes and shingles are still widely used on both commercial structures and residential housing. There are basically three different types of wood roofing products which include hand-split shakes, taper-sawn shakes and wood shingles. Most of them are made from the western red cedar tree and occasionally southern pine.

Wood shake and shingles are enjoyed by many because they provide a warm and elegant look. In fact, aesthetic reasons are the main reason why people choose to go with a wooden roof on their home.

Each wood roof product is graded according to the cut and number of defects. Wood shingles are thinner than shakes and come in Grades 1, 2 and 3. Hand-split shakes have two grades which include premium and Grade 1. Keep in mind, up to 20% of wood shakes can be flat grain, which is more vulnerable to curling. Taper-sawn shakes are just as thick as hand-split shakes and are sawn smooth on both sides. They come in three grades which include premium and Grades 1 and 2.

Cedar shake roofs are not only beautiful, they add real value to your home. Yet fewer roofing companies install them these days because they require a roofing crew with a higher skill set. You will not find a roofing company with more specialized crews for installing cedar shake than S&S Roofing and Contracting. Cedar shake roofing is our specialty.

The best cedar shakes are CCA pressure treated and Premium grade, that is, the shake is 100% edge grain. It's very important that they come from a quality shake mill, because each mill has its own version of a "premium grade" shake, and some mills are much more selective with their "premiums."

Contrary to popular belief, today's cedar shakes last longer, on average, than the shakes used years ago. That's because the treatment methods have greatly improved. The shake roofs we install are pressure treated, and won't need to be treated again. We don't use builder grade shakes, which is what you'll see on new construction houses. Unfortunately, entire neighborhoods in the Atlanta Metro Area were built with builder grade shakes that haven't held up well against the elements. Our premium shakes not only last much longer, they require little maintenance, beyond a light air cleaning every year or two if there is excessive debris.