Cedar shake roof replacement, New England

Why cedar roofs wear out in New England

Cedar takes on water. Through a New England winter that water freezes and thaws in the wood again and again, and with humid summers, shade and salt air on the coast, the shakes split, cup, curl, grow moss and rot, and need cleaning and re-treating to last. Aluminum absorbs nothing and cannot rot, so there is nothing in the panel for freeze–thaw to work on, and it does not rust in salt air.

A cedar roof always comes off before an Interlock® roof goes on. That tear-off is in the written price from the start.

Keep the look: Shake and Cedar Shingle profiles

Interlock's Shake profile has deep, hand-split shadow lines; the Cedar Shingle profile has the flatter look of a sawn cedar roof, the look many Capes and coastal cottages were built with. Both are aluminum, lock on all four sides with the fasteners concealed, and weigh roughly 0.4 to 0.7 lb per square foot depending on profile.

94 of the roofs in our job book in New England are Shake or Cedar Shingle profiles.

If the house is in a historic district, check your local historic district commission's rules before you choose; we bring samples and product documents for that review.

Fire and cedar

Class A Fire Rated Available, as a complete assembly: two layers of GAF VersaShield® over 15/32-inch plywood, per ASTM E108 / UL 790. The rating belongs to the assembly, not to the panel alone, and aluminum itself does not ignite. Untreated cedar shakes are commonly unrated.