The roof of a home is incredibly important for many reasons. A roof protects a house from the elements, provides insulation, and generally keeps its inhabitants safe from the outside world. There are many different roofing styles and materials available on the market, each offering its own benefits and aesthetics. Where you live can significantly determine the style of roof you choose and the materials used to make it.
Shake roofing is becoming an increasingly popular choice all across the country. However, the traditional wood material is not necessarily the best option for all areas, such as California. Here is what you should know about shake shingles for California roofs.
What Are Cedar Shake Roofs?
Cedar shake roofing is one of the oldest styles of roofing in America. This style of roof uses real wood shingles that are made from split logs of cedar or California redwood. What makes cedar shake roofing especially unique is the fact that no two wood shakes are precisely the same. Since they are split from logs, each one will vary in terms of the length and thickness.
Why Are Cedar Shake Roofs Popular?
Shake roofs are a popular style of roofing these days for many different reasons. For one, it is because of the traditional look that shake roofs offer. But, it is also vastly different from the roofs commonly seen across the country that use asphalt shingles. Shake shingles help to make a person’s home stand out from the rest.
Cedar Shake Shingles on California Roofs
The growing trend of cedar shake roofs has moved from coast-to-coast, from the east all the way to the west. But, while states like California may desire wood shake roofing, there are stringent guidelines regarding wood shakes and shingles.
The guidelines were first suggested and created in response to the 1992 fires in the East Bay hills area of Oakland, California, which were incredibly destructive. After the devastating event, Assemblyman Tom Bates sought to ban all wood roofs, whether they were treated with fire retardant chemicals or not. But instead settled for a ban on untreated wood roofs for the time being. The ban focused on areas most prone to wildfires in an attempt to minimize the number of fire hazards surrounding the various areas.
Now, the California State Building Code states that no wood roofing materials are to be sold in the state on or after January 1, 2001, unless the product has passed at least 5 of the 10-year natural weathering tests. In addition, under Title 24, wood shake roofing would have to be treated with fire-retardant chemicals, among many other requirements.
Due to the hazards that are posed by cedar shake shingles in California, the state had strictly enforced these codes, requiring all wooden California roofs to be replaced with fire resistant roofing by August 2012.
A Synthetic Alternative to Real Wood Shakes
The ban on cedar shake shingles in California is an understandable safety precaution. With many areas prone to violent wildfires, it is critical to do everything possible to prevent them. While before, this meant giving up that beautiful, wood shake look, that is no longer the case.
CeDUR Roofing Shakes is a company that came about as a response to the lack of real wood-looking synthetic shakes. Their lightweight, polyurethane shakes are molded from natural cedar shakes and are much more durable than real wood shake shingles.
CeDUR’s product offers a Class 4 impact resistance and Class A fire resistance. They are also water resistant, unlike their real wood counterparts, which can quickly become damaged by excess water so they will not rot or decay due to heavy rains. They are also resistant to mold, mildew, and other water-harboring fungi that can also damage a wood shake roof. All of this helps to make them incredibly low-maintenance, with the ability to last for decades without extensive upkeep.
But, by far what makes them the best option for cedar shake shingles in California is that they meet the Class A fire resistance required by the California State Building Code.
The Perfect Cedar Shake Shingles for California
Cedar shake roofs were once the main style of roofing found in America and have now seen a resurgence in popularity across the nation. But, while this style of roof is beautiful, it comes with many problems: from the level of maintenance to the cost to its high flammability, which makes it unsafe in cities like San Diego. But, CeDUR has found the perfect middle ground. Their synthetic wood shakes offer the same beauty real wood shakes, but none of the same issues. Their high wind, water, and fire resistance attributes make them perfect for homes across the nation, including wildfire-prone states like California.
