When it comes to appearances, it’s hard to beat the rustic beauty of a newly installed cedar shingle or cedar shake roof. And as long as you’re willing to invest your time or money in routine maintenance, your cedar roof should maintain its beauty for many years.

 

When wood is exposed to the effects of sunlight and precipitation, its surface begins to change. This change is partly physical and partly chemical, and it’s cumulatively referred to as weathering.

The first noticeable change is the color. The initial red-brown color tends to fade, and a graying process begins. This change to a silvery gray is the result of ultraviolet radiation from the sun stripping the surface layer.

 

This first change in color is rather rapid, occurring within the first year of exposure (under more severe conditions, within several months). Gradually, the silver gray will change to a darker, more graphite gray, indicating the colonization of the surface by microfungi that complete the initial phase of the weathering process. 

 

By nature, wood rapidly attracts water to its surface. When this happens, the wood swells. As it dries and the moisture content decreases, it shrinks. This repeated wet-dry cycling causes the development of compression and