Cedar is a natural insulator against the weather. Other products can’t come close to the thermal efficiency of wood. In fact, cedar has twice the thermal resistivity (R-Value) of asphalt, five times that of slate, eight times that of concrete and hundreds of times that of metal roofs.

Cedar roofs don’t decay, but they do weather. It has natural preservatives that resist moisture, decay and insect damage.

In warm, humid climates and on heavily shaded roofs; algae, moss, mold, mildew, lichen and fungi’s will grow. Because these organisms retain moisture, the cedar will decay in time if not maintained.

When new, the shakes and shingles display the natural honey and cinnamon tones and will later mature to a seasoned and distinguished-looking silvery gray when properly maintained.

If the shakes or shingles display a brown/dark brown to black tone, these are signs of harmful organism infestations and they need to be cleaned.

With a proper cedar roof maintenance program a cedar roof will last anywhere from 40 to 60 years.

We use a Non-pressure/Softwash cleaning process. We are an authorized applicator of the Sullivan Cedar Roof Cleaning Process, which uses a proprietary cleaning solution that was specially formulated for cleaning cedar shakes. This solution cannot be purchased in a retail store, and is only available to authorized applicators.

Cedar wood, like your teeth, is organic and need to be cleaned to stay healthy and last a lifetime. When properly maintained, cedar shakes will last anywhere from 40 to 60 years.

For less than 10% of a roof replacement, you can have your cedar roof cleaned which will extend the life span of your roof.

Over the last few years we have visited many locations throughout the tri-state area that have cedar shake roofs. Most of these roofs are a great candidate for cleaning with very minor maintenance repairs, and we would offer a free no obligation cleaning estimate so that you would have some idea of the cost. We also clean stucco, pavers, siding, decks etc.

Unfortunately there are roofs that will not be a good candidate for a cleaning due to the grade of cedar shakes used, the amount of shade or tree cover, and lack of proper maintenance. We will not clean a roof that is in need of major repair, however after cleaning you can bring in a cedar roof repair technician to replace any shingles or pipe boots if needed.

We also know that most cedar roofs today are about 18-22 years old, or what is considered half life. If maintained, your cedar roof has a potential life span of 40 to 60 years. They should be cleaned every 6 to 8 years, in addition to removing any build up of debris on a regular basis

The dark brown to black color is not the natural look, but is Brown Rot Fungi. Many have moss and some a green tint, which is wood mold. Some have white and yellow spots called lichen. All of these prematurely deteriorate your cedar roof.

Some companies will stain the cedar after cleaning. Staining offers no additional protection for the roof, and is only aesthetic. The stain will become blotchy as it ages, the same as when your deck is stained. These stains also can be damaged by cleaning solutions when cleaning other areas around the roof.

As a contractor trained by Bruce Sullivan, we use his methods which are explained in his video.

Cedar Roof before and after cleaning