Durability

A properly installed cedar roof can last 40-50 years, and they are also very easy to repair. Cedar is a natural product so it is not as affected by freeze thaw cycles as man made products.
Cedar naturally resists insects and U.V. damage the latter being a real problem with rubber products which tend to fade and sometimes deteriorate or chalk over time from the sun, especially in Southern climates.
Cedar shakes also perform very well against hail, while frequently composite shingles can be damaged to the point of needing replacement from hail.
Some composite shingle manufacturers offer a 50-year warranty but the fact is that most if not all of these composite shingles have not even been manufactured for 50 years.
Until composite shingles prove their worth in the area of sun exposure over a long period of time, homeowners in hot or high-altitude areas should seek out hard evidence of success before investing in composites. In most cases, a “lifetime” warranty is worth little more than the paper it’s written on. They cover materials (most times at a pro-rated rate) and not labor.

“The sweet taste of a low price fades long before the bitter taste of poor quality”

Sustainability

Asphalt shingles, synthetic cedar shakes and other petroleum-based products are only recently beginning to be recycled and there are literally millions of cubic yards of these products in landfills around the world and these products are non renewable. Excessive amounts of petroleum are used in manufacturing asphalt and rubber roofing materials.
Cedar on the other hand is a natural product and will simply rot when disposed of without impacting the environment or can be shredded into mulch. Cedar shakes and shingles are also sustainable meaning that most producers of these shakes and shingles plant the trees to be harvested so product is renewable and there is also a natural abundance of cedar trees in North America and around the world.
Wood is one of the very few completely renewable building materials. So even if a composite or man-made product can be made to last as long as natural cedar keep in mind the man-made material will be going to a landfill or if recycled will still be leaving a larger carbon footprint than cedar. The energy it takes to produce a renewable cedar roof is significantly lower than for a petroleum-based composition shingle period.

Efficiency

Energy Efficient:
Cedar is also a natural insulator; the wood is filled with cells which fill with air, an ideal insulation material. This high insulation value will reduce the amount of energy you need to heat and cool your home throughout the year.
A wood roof generally vents itself especially a shake roof because of the natural deflections in the wood. This coupled with the use of a cedar breather matte and a semi-permeable underlayment will benefit the roof itself as well as the structure.
Some homeowners will find that when switching from cedar to asphalt product hotter temperatures in the attic and decreased energy efficiency.

Wood Types

The Century Slate offers a full range of shake and shingle wood roofs. Please inquire for more information.

Some of the wood species we offer are: Cedar, Cyprus, Fir, Epe and Redwood.