Cedar Shakes vs. Cedar Shingles

What’s the Best Fit for Your Home?

Choosing the right roofing material for your Fairfield County home isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about long-term value, protection, and making a choice that fits your home’s character. Cedar roofing offers a timeless look with excellent performance, but homeowners often get stuck trying to decide between cedar shakes and cedar shingles.

Both options bring the natural beauty of real wood, but they have important differences that affect appearance, cost, maintenance, and installation. In this guide, we’ll break down those differences clearly, so you can confidently choose the best fit for your home and budget, whether you’re in the heart of Fairfield, along the shoreline in Southport, or nestled in the wooded neighborhoods of Redding or Ridgefield.

Cedar Shakes: Rugged, Handcrafted, and Built to Last

Cedar shakes are thick, hand-split pieces of cedar wood that create a rustic, textured appearance on your roof. These wood shakes are typically cut from premium cedar logs using traditional splitting techniques that preserve the wood’s natural grain patterns. The hand-splitting process creates irregular surfaces and varying thicknesses, giving each shake a unique character.

Most cedar shakes measure between 18 to 24 inches in length and can be up to 1.25 inches thick at the butt end. This substantial thickness contributes to their exceptional durability and insulation properties; making them a popular choice for older estates in Greenwich, historic homes in Cos Cob, and custom builds in New Canaan.

Cedar Shingles: Clean, Classic, and Consistent

Cedar shingles are precision-cut pieces of cedar wood that offer a more uniform and refined appearance. Unlike shakes, these wood shingles are machine-cut from cedar blocks, resulting in smooth surfaces and consistent dimensions. The manufacturing process creates clean lines and predictable patterns that appeal to homeowners seeking a more polished look.

Cedar shingles typically measure 16 to 18 inches in length and maintain a uniform thickness of approximately 0.4 inches throughout. This consistency makes them easier to install and creates cleaner sight lines on your roof. Perfect for coastal properties in Darien, waterfront residences in Southport, or modern homes in Westport that demand sleek curb appeal.

How They Look on Your Home

The visual distinction between cedar shakes and cedar shingles is immediately apparent. Cedar shakes showcase a bold, rustic aesthetic with their irregular surfaces and varying thicknesses. The hand-split texture creates deep shadow lines that add dramatic dimension to your roofline. This natural variation means no two shakes look exactly alike, giving your home a distinctive, artisanal appearance.

Cedar shingles present a more refined and uniform look. Their smooth, machine-cut surfaces create clean lines and consistent patterns across your roof. The regular dimensions and smooth texture reflect light more evenly, producing a sophisticated appearance that complements both traditional and contemporary architectural styles.

Both options develop an attractive silver-gray patina over time as the cedar weathers naturally, though shakes tend to weather more dramatically due to their textured surfaces.

Durability and Longevity

Cedar shakes typically last 30 to 50 years with proper maintenance, making them an excellent long-term investment for your home. Their substantial thickness provides superior resistance to wind damage and thermal expansion. The hand-split grain structure also allows for better water drainage and natural expansion, reducing the risk of cracking.

Cedar shingles generally last 25 to 40 years, depending on climate conditions and maintenance practices. While slightly less durable than shakes due to their thinner profile, high-quality cedar shingles still offer impressive longevity. Their uniform thickness provides consistent performance across the entire roof surface.

Both materials naturally resist insects, decay, and moisture when properly installed and maintained. The natural oils in cedar wood provide built-in protection against common roofing problems.

Cost and Installation: What to Expect

Cost

Cedar shakes typically command higher prices due to their labor-intensive hand-splitting process and premium appearance. The manufacturing process requires skilled craftsmen and more time, which translates to increased material costs. However, their exceptional durability and distinctive appearance often justify the investment for many homeowners.

Cedar shingles offer a more budget-friendly option while still providing the natural beauty of cedar roofing. The machine-cutting process allows for more efficient production, resulting in lower material costs. This makes cedar shingles an attractive choice for homeowners who want cedar’s benefits without the premium price tag.

Installation

Installation costs can vary between the two materials, with shakes often requiring more specialized expertise due to their irregular dimensions and installation requirements.

Installing cedar shakes requires experienced roofing contractors who understand the unique characteristics of hand-split wood. Each shake must be individually positioned to account for its irregular shape and thickness. Proper installation involves careful attention to overlap patterns, spacing for expansion, and ventilation requirements.

Cedar shingle installation tends to be more straightforward due to the uniform dimensions and predictable patterns. The consistent sizing allows for faster installation while still requiring skilled craftsmanship to ensure proper weather protection and aesthetic appeal.

Both materials require adequate roof ventilation, proper underlayment, and careful attention to flashing details around roof penetrations and edges.

Sustainability and Eco-Friendliness

Both cedar shakes and cedar shingles score well in terms of environmental sustainability. Cedar is a renewable resource that grows abundantly in North American forests. The harvesting process has minimal environmental impact when sourced from responsibly managed forests.

Cedar roofing materials are biodegradable and can be recycled or composted at the end of their useful life. The natural insulation properties of cedar also contribute to energy efficiency, potentially reducing heating and cooling costs.

The manufacturing processes differ slightly in their environmental footprint. Hand-splitting shakes requires less energy-intensive machinery, while machine-cutting shingles allows for more efficient use of raw materials with less waste.

Maintenance: What You Need to Know

Cedar shakes require regular inspection and maintenance to preserve their appearance and performance. The textured surfaces can collect debris more readily, requiring periodic cleaning. Annual inspections should focus on identifying damaged or loose shakes, clearing debris from valleys and gutters, and ensuring proper ventilation.

Cedar shingles generally require less maintenance due to their smooth surfaces and uniform installation. Regular inspections should still be performed to identify any damaged shingles, ensure proper drainage, and maintain the roof’s overall integrity.

Both materials benefit from professional cleaning every few years to remove moss, algae, and debris. Applying cedar-specific treatments can help preserve the wood and extend its lifespan, though many homeowners prefer the natural weathering process.

Overall Advantages and Disadvantages

Cedar Shakes

Advantages:

• Superior durability and longevity
• Distinctive rustic appearance
• Excellent insulation properties
• Natural resistance to insects and decay
• Unique character with no two pieces identical
• Superior wind resistance

Disadvantages:

• Higher material and installation costs
• More maintenance requirements
• Irregular surfaces can collect debris
• Requires experienced installation contractors
• Longer installation time

Cedar Shingles

Advantages:

• More affordable than shakes
• Uniform, refined appearance
• Easier and faster installation
• Lower maintenance requirements
• Consistent performance across roof surface
• Good insulation properties

Disadvantages:

• Less distinctive character than shakes
• Shorter lifespan than shakes
• Thinner profile may be less wind-resistant
• More susceptible to thermal expansion issues
• Less dramatic weathering patterns

Making the Right Choice for Your Connecticut County Home

Selecting between cedar shakes and cedar shingles depends on your priorities, budget, and aesthetic preferences. Cedar shakes excel when you want maximum durability, distinctive character, and don’t mind the higher investment and maintenance requirements. They’re ideal for homes with traditional, rustic, or craftsman-style architecture.

Cedar shingles work well when you prefer a refined appearance, have budget constraints, or want lower maintenance requirements. They complement both traditional and contemporary architectural styles while still providing cedar’s natural benefits.

Consider your local climate, home’s architectural style, long-term maintenance capabilities, and budget when making your decision. A qualified cedar roofing company can help assess your specific situation and recommend the best option for your needs.

How Bumble Roofing of Fairfield County Can Help

At Bumble Roofing of Fairfield County, we’ve helped homeowners from Greenwich to Wilton, Stamford to Southport, and everywhere in between choose the cedar roofing solution that best fits their homes. Our team has over 60 years of combined experience installing cedar shakes and shingles across Fairfield County.

We offer upfront pricing, honest recommendations, and expert craftsmanship on every project, whether it’s a New Canaan estate, a Redding Ridge farmhouse, or a coastal retreat in Cos Cob.

Contact Bumble Roofing today for a free consultation and estimate. Let us help you create a roof that not only protects your home but also enhances its character, making your property the buzz of the neighborhood.