Cedar or Slate Roofing? Specialty Roofing

What Is Specialty Roofing?

Specialty roofing’s meaning is right in the name: roofing systems that are much less frequent or common than any other system. These roofing systems are very demanding. The materials are heavy, natural, and unique. You need a professionally trained and experienced roofing contractor to properly install specialty roofing. Specialty roofing can also be defined as luxury roofing.

What Are Some Examples Of Specialty Roofing?

Slate roofing, cedar shake roofing, and metal roofing are all specialty roofing systems. The contractor you choose to install these systems need years of knowledge and experience to do the job right. Both slate and cedar are natural materials, and we’ll be talking about these two. In today’s world, metal roofing is becoming much more common, but there are still special metal roofing systems. Both zinc and copper metal roofs are very special, and will beautifully accent your home.

Cedar Shake and Shingle Roofing

Cedar shake and shingle roofing is one of the first systems that comes to mind when we hear luxury roofing. Shakes and shingles are hand cut pieces of wood (cedar) for structural use. They are gorgeous, unique and absolutely historic. Our ancestors have been using cedar in America, and especially here in the Northeast, for centuries.

Slate Roofing

Slate roofing is even older than cedar roofing. The Europeans have been using slate for millennia. However, some of the best and most durable slates come right from the USA, and quarries in Vermont in particular. The slates for slate roofing are made from metamorphic rocks, which are composed mostly of clay and volcanic ash.

Where Is Slate and Cedar Roofing Installed?

Both slate and cedar roofing are installed on high-end homes or historic properties. However, here’s where the differences start. Cedar is used more residentially, whereas slate is used on historic building, like churches and historic universities. Let’s discuss the benefits, disadvantages, and similarities between cedar and slate roofing.

Benefits Of Cedar Shake and Shingle Roofing

Besides the head-turning appeal of adorning the largest part of your exterior with real hand-crafted wood, there are functional benefits to cedar shake roofing. Cedar shake and shingle roofing will last about 40-50 years, but can last much longer with the proper maintenance. Cedar roofing shakes are the most wind-resistant roofing material, and can resist up to 245mph of winds! The cedar shingles as well have an incredible amount of resistance. They will resist up to 173mph winds, still crowning them as the most wind resistant roofing material. Cedar is incredibly eco-friendly because it is 100% naturally made from real cedar wood.

Disadvantages To Cedar Roofing

The disadvantages to cedar are the costs to install, maintenance, fire resistance, and aging. Cedar shakes are expensive to install, especially in comparison to asphalt architectural shingles. They are also 100% natural, meaning that in order to retain its original look, you’ll need them treated and inspected every few year. We recommend an annual inspection. How, the number one downside to cedar shake roofing is the fire-resistance. It scares and worries homeowners to know they don’t have a fire resistant roof. However, our solution to this is to have all cedar shakes and shingles factory-coated with a fire-retardant.

Benefits To Slate Roofing

Slate roofing is also 100% natural, and made from metamorphic rocks. Our slates are fireproof, waterproof, wind-resistant and durable. Since they are hand-made from rocks, no one slate is the same an another. Your slate roof will always be completely unique. Slate roofing is the longest lasting roofing system, and lasts a minimum of 100 years with the proper installation. It’s actually more often we see that they’ve lasted even longer than 100 years. Slate roofing can be repaired and restored. This means that your historic building can have a slate roofing system for hundreds of years, making it a fantastic investment.

Disadvantages To Slate Roofing

There are three main disadvantages to slate roofing. The first disadvantage is the cost. Due to how heavy slate is, the labor, skill and time required to install it, and manufacturing time and costs, slate roofing is the most expensive roofing you can install. Also, due to its incredibly heavy weight, not every building can support a slate roof. The third disadvantage is that you can’t walk on it, making maintenance incredibly challenging. If you walk on slate, the tiles will break from the weight.

Similarities Of Cedar and Slate Roofing

Both cedar and slate roofing are naturally made products. They both age gracefully, and are eco-friendly. Cedar shakes and shingles can be maintained, restored and repaired. Both systems will last 50+ years. Slate and cedar roofs are some of the most beautiful roofing systems you can install, and this is the main reason anyone today would install these systems. There is no competition to these materials in terms of beauty and aesthetics.

Conclusion

Both cedar shakes and slate roofing are an incredible investment for your property. Whichever system you choose is up to your preference and what type of building you have. Here at Keenridge, we feel blessed to be from Long Island and have had the opportunity to learn our craft. We’re proud to be one of the few specialty roofing craftsmen on Long Island. If you’re looking for a historic roofing installation, repair, or replacement, give our experts a call. We’re proud to show up first when you search for “slate roof repair near me” or “professional cedar shake roofing installers Long Island”.