A cedar roof will go through changes. When any wood, including cedar from British Columbia, is exposed to the elements like sunlight and precipitation, the surface of that wood begins to become affected. The changes are both physical and chemical, and together the process is called 'weathering'. Though our products are designed to withstand the harshest weathering around, and our treatments make them even more impervious to the elements, your cedar roof, no matter what you do, will go through some weathering.

The first thing you will likely notice in your cedar roof, especially if you install a non-Cedarex roof, is a change to the color of the shakes. The brownish red color that it sometimes has in the beginning will in time transition to a faded grayish color. The cause of this is your roofing material is being exposed to UV rays from the sun which, on cheaper shakes, will strip the surface of the wood of certain cell walls that allow the color to leave the cell. In the cheapest roofing materials, like some metal roofing and cheap woods, the color change will actually happen fairly rapidly during the first year after installation.

Untreated cedar roofs, like any natural substance, will tend to draw in surface water over several years. This collection causes the wood to swell up, and when the moisture moves out of the shingles in the summer heat, they then shrink in size. As the shingles expand and contract over and over again, tiny cracks in the wood may begin to form, which can compromise the integrity of the shingles. Again, Cedarex products are scientifically designed to not succumb to water effects, and treated Cedarex shakes will withstand such natural damage for not just years, but several decades.

As time goes by, cheaper cedar roofs will start to wear around the surface and sharp edges. This is caused by abrasive materials in the air, in surface water, and the effects of long term sunlight. In addition, if your shakes aren't treated, you will also possibly be faced with wood destroying organisms which can cause much damage to poor quality roofing.

Finally, your wear will be accelerated by any leaf litter and associated debris that is left to rot on your roof, allowing moisture to be held in. All of these factors create a real hazard for home owners - IF they have used poor roofing materials to finish their roof.

A cedar roof can be gorgeous. It is also highly functional for keeping hail and wind away, and keeping heat inside. On the other hand, if you cut corners with your roofing, like using poor quality untreated shingles, or materials that don't breath (like stainless steel and tar),you're always going to be paying for upkeep.

Cedarex recommends home owners in Vancouver and surrounding areas of BC plan for the long term, and use the high quality, surprisingly inexpensive shakes that we use as standard. We also suggest you should spend a little more money and receive our post-installation roof treatment, a year after your Cedarex cedar roof is installed, which increases the length of your warranty by a decade or more, and which ensures you won't need to replace our roof in your lifetime.