Do you know your shingles from your shakes?

Do you know your shingles from your shakes?
Roof Shingles and Shakes have been widely used on a range of structures from simple garden gazebos and summer houses to intricate and aesthetically appealing properties within major theme parks. They are a renewable and sustainable roofing and cladding material with one of the lowest carbon footprints within the building industry. Both shingles and shakes perform the same function and offer high levels of natural thermal and sound insulation. 

Feeling confused whether to buy a Cedar Shingle or Shake, Western Red or Eastern White, a blue, red or black label!!  Bertie answers these simple but relevant questions.

Firstly let us start with a Shingle or a Shake
Shingles are produced by sawing a block of wood on both sides, creating a relatively smooth face and back. Cedar Shingles can be fixed to pitches as low as 14 degrees.
A Shake is hand split from a block of cedar along the grain of the wood and re-sawn to produce one smooth surface.

Western Red or Eastern White?
Eastern White Cedar is a slow-growing conifer, native to the North East of North America.  It has remarkable natural resistance to insects or decay and is a stable wood which is finely textured and long lasting. The sapwood is a creamy vanilla colour and the heartwood is straw yellow and may contain small knots.

Western Red Cedar is the other arborvitae species native to North America, it also has natural resistance to moisture, decay and insect damage making it the ideal choice for a surface which is to be exposed to sun, rain, heat and cold all year round. It’s smooth to touch, exceptionally durable and astonishingly light. It’s warm palette of rich amber tones and interesting grain patterns along with its unique aroma, make it a discerning choice on properties created for distinction.

Blue, Red or Black Label Cedar Shingles?
Cedar shingles and shakes are graded for quality whether they are Eastern White or Western Red when they are produced in member mills of the Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau (CSSB). These grades are recognised by the International Coding Council as Blue, Red and Black.

Blue Label Shingles (Grade 1) are produced from 100% Heartwood, with 100% Edgegrain and are 100% clear from knots. They are a premium grade shingle suitable for high-end roofing and cladding applications.

Sapwood is permitted in Red Label Shingles (Grade 2) along one edge up to 25mm wide, this increases the risk of instability and decay within the product. The defects within the shingle needs to be not less than 280mm in 455mm. This grade is suitable for general applications such as summer houses, porches and pagodas.

The Black Label Shingles (Grade 3) are an economy grade shingle where not less than 150mm clear on 455mm shingles is acceptable. They can be made from an un-limited amount of sapwood making them highly susceptible to decay. These are not available from Burton Roofing Merchants Ltd.

Certigrade™ Western Red Cedar Shingles are produced by cutting blocks of cedar to the desired length, the shingles are then taper sawn to size. This produces architecturally uniformed cedar shingles which offer both a natural and tailored appearance on both modern and traditional residential and non-residential structures. Certi-Label™ products are manufactured by CSSB members and assure the end user of the highest of qualities.
For more information contact your local depot or email enquiries@burtonroofing.co.uk