How to Lay Cedar Shingle Roofing

Cover the roof rafters with plywood sheets as the first layer of your cedar shingle roof. Nail them in place with stainless steel nails. Check with your local building officer to find out the building code for the thickness of plywood for roofing with cedar shingles.

Place a solid layer of sheathing starting at the roof edge and 24 inches up the roof. Nail each to the plywood. Beyond the 24 inches of the eaves, space the sheathing out to 2 inches between each. This will allow air to circulate under the cedar shingles and increase their life.

Install self-adhesive eave protection along the edge of the roof and in any other areas where ice has a tendency to build up. Keep the matting from extending beyond the edge of the roof. This rubberized asphalt product prevents water from pushing up under the cedar shingles during the freezing and thawing of winter.

Placethe first layer of shingles, laying the first shingle 1 inch over the side edge of the roof and 1 1/2-inches over the front edge. Nail each shingle twice and space the shingles between 1/8 inch to more than1 inch apart, depending on your local building codes. This allows for the expansion and contraction of the shingles. Place the nails at 3/4 inch from the side and 1 1/2 inches from the top of the exposure line.

Start the second row directly over the first row but with the seams of the shingles alternating. Snap a chalk line across the shingles about 5 inches from the exposed end to form a straight line for the next row.

Continue laying the cedar shingles, one layer at a time, working up the roof until you have covered the surface with cedar shingles. The seams should be alternating and not lining up. Trim any shingles along the inside edges where two roofs join with a saw.

Install metal flashing between transitions in the roof. Cap the hips where two roofs join, using longer stainless steel nails so they sink through the layers. Cap the ridge at the top of the roof using factory designed caps.