Cedar Roofing Service In Long Island, NY
Cedar should give you forty years on Long Island. A great deal of it here gives twenty, and almost never because the wood was bad. Cedar fails from the fasteners, from the lack of air underneath it, and from being installed the same way an asphalt roof is. Bluemaster Roofing installs and repairs natural cedar and synthetic shake across Nassau County, Suffolk County and Queens. Before we quote a tear-off we work out whether your cedar is actually finished, because a good deal of what gets condemned still has years in it.
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Request A Free Cedar Roof Assessment
Is Your Cedar Roof Actually Finished?
Weathered gray cedar is not failed cedar. Cedar silvers within a few years of installation and that color change is cosmetic. What tells you a cedar roof is finished is cupping, splitting through the full thickness, fasteners that have corroded through, and shakes that have gone soft or spongy when pressed.
- Cupping and curling shakes.
- Rust streaks running down from the nails.
- Splitting through the full thickness.
- Soft or spongy wood.
- Moss and heavy organic growth on shaded slopes.
Why Cedar Fails Early
Cedar doesn't rot. It suffocates.
Cedar shakes get wet and dry out again, and that cycle is normal. Problems start when the shake cannot dry from underneath. Laid straight onto solid underlayment with no air gap, the moisture has nowhere to go, and cedar that stays damp cups, splits and decays years before it should.
The common mistake
Laid straight on the underlayment
The shakes stay damp between rains. They cup at the edges, split along the grain, and decay from the back face where nobody ever looks until shakes start coming off.
Realistic life
15 to 20 years
How we install it
Over a ventilated underlayment
Every shake dries from both faces between rains. It stays dimensionally stable, holds its shape, and weathers to grey instead of breaking down.
Realistic life
35 to 40 years
1
No air gap underneath
Shakes laid flat on solid underlayment. The most common failure on Long Island, and the most expensive, because you cannot add ventilation later without taking the roof off.
2
The wrong fasteners
Cedar’s natural tannins corrode galvanized nails. We use stainless throughout, because cedar routinely outlives the nails holding it, and a roof that falls off because of its fixings had nothing wrong with the wood.
3
No air gap underneath
Cedar swells when wet and shrinks as it dries. Laid too tight, shakes push against each other, cup at the edges and split. The gap is not sloppy work. It is the design.
The layer that doubles the life of the roof
Ventilated underlayment is a small part of what a cedar roof costs and the single biggest thing separating a roof that lasts twenty years from one that lasts forty. If a cedar quote does not mention it, ask why not.
Before You Replace It
Is your cedar roof finished, or just neglected?
A great many cedar roofs get replaced while they still have years left. Grey colour, moss and a few missing shakes are maintenance, not failure. Widespread cupping, splitting, failed fasteners or soft decking are different. Work through the list below and you will know which one you are looking at.
Grey is not damage. It is just weathering.
Cedar starts warm and amber, and UV turns it silver-grey within a few years. That colour change is entirely cosmetic and tells you nothing about the structural condition of the shake. Plenty of perfectly sound cedar roofs get torn off every year on Long Island because they stopped looking new.
Year 1
Year 5
Year 15+
Walk around the house and tick what you see
- Signs it can be saved
It has gone grey or silver
Weathering, not decay. Look at the shape of the shakes rather than the colour.
Moss or debris on the north slope
Common on shaded Suffolk and north shore roofs. Cleanable.
A handful of shakes missing or cracked
Individual shakes can be replaced without touching the rest of the roof.
Leaks trace to flashing, not the field
Chimney, valley or skylight. The cedar itself may be fine.
One slope is much worse than the others
Usually the north or the most exposed face. Often a section job rather than a whole roof.
- Signs it can be saved
Widespread cupping and curling
If roughly a third of the shakes have lifted at the edges, the roof never dried properly.
Splitting across many shakes
Long cracks running with the grain, on every slope rather than one.
Shakes sliding or coming loose
The fasteners have corroded. Once they go across the roof, refastening is not economical.
Shakes break apart in your hand
Pick up a fallen one. If it crumbles, the rest are the same age.
Soft or spongy decking underneath
Felt from inside the attic. This one settles it on its own.
Three or more ticks on the right and you are replacing. Mostly on the left and you are looking at a restoration, which costs a fraction of a new roof and buys real years.
Never let anyone pressure wash a cedar roof
It strips the surface fibres, forces water deep into the shake and takes years off the roof in an afternoon. If a contractor offers to power wash your cedar, that is the clearest sign they should not be on it. Cedar gets cleaned gently, with low pressure and the right solution, or not at all.
Clean it gently
Low pressure and a treatment that kills moss and algae without tearing up the surface. The roof comes back a lot further than most people expect.
Replace what has failed
Refasten with stainless
We will tell you honestly which side of the line your roof is on. A cedar roof condemned early is usually a sales decision, and we would rather do a restoration now and the replacement in ten years than the other way round.
Why Cedar Fails Early
Cedar doesn't rot. It suffocates.
Cedar shakes get wet and dry out again, and that cycle is normal. Problems start when the shake cannot dry from underneath. Laid straight onto solid underlayment with no air gap, the moisture has nowhere to go, and cedar that stays damp cups, splits and decays years before it should.
Laid straight on the underlayment
Faster, cheaper, and the reason most failed cedar roofs failed
Over a ventilated underlayment
A breathable mesh layer that creates an air gap beneath every shake
-
1
No air gap underneath
Shakes laid flat on solid underlayment. The most common failure on Long Island, and the most expensive, because you cannot add ventilation later without taking the roof off.
-
2
The wrong fasteners
Cedar's natural tannins corrode galvanized nails. We use stainless throughout, because cedar routinely outlives the nails holding it, and a roof that falls off because of its fixings had nothing wrong with the wood.
-
3
Spacing that ignores movement
Cedar swells when wet and shrinks as it dries. Laid too tight, shakes push against each other, cup at the edges and split. The gap is not sloppy work. It is the design.
The layer that doubles the life of the roof
Ventilated underlayment is a small part of what a cedar roof costs and the single biggest thing separating a roof that lasts twenty years from one that lasts forty. If a cedar quote does not mention it, ask why not.
Before You Replace It
Is your cedar roof finished, or just neglected?
A great many cedar roofs get replaced while they still have years left. Grey colour, moss and a few missing shakes are maintenance, not failure. Widespread cupping, splitting, failed fasteners or soft decking are different. Work through the list below and you will know which one you are looking at.
Grey is not damage. It is just weathering.
Cedar starts warm and amber, and UV turns it silver-grey within a few years. That colour change is entirely cosmetic and tells you nothing about the structural condition of the shake. Plenty of perfectly sound cedar roofs get torn off every year on Long Island because they stopped looking new.
Walk around the house and tick what you see
From the ground with binoculars is fine. Do not climb on a cedar roof, it is slippery and the shakes break underfoot.
Signs it can be saved
- It has gone grey or silver Weathering, not decay. Look at the shape of the shakes rather than the colour.
- Moss or debris on the north slope Common on shaded Suffolk and north shore roofs. Cleanable.
- A handful of shakes missing or cracked Individual shakes can be replaced without touching the rest of the roof.
- Leaks trace to flashing, not the field Chimney, valley or skylight. The cedar itself may be fine.
- One slope is much worse than the others Usually the north or the most exposed face. Often a section job rather than a whole roof.
Signs it is finished
- Widespread cupping and curling If roughly a third of the shakes have lifted at the edges, the roof never dried properly.
- Splitting across many shakes Long cracks running with the grain, on every slope rather than one.
- Shakes sliding or coming loose The fasteners have corroded. Once they go across the roof, refastening is not economical.
- Shakes break apart in your hand Pick up a fallen one. If it crumbles, the rest are the same age.
- Soft or spongy decking underneath Felt from inside the attic. This one settles it on its own.
Three or more ticks on the right and you are replacing. Mostly on the left and you are looking at a restoration, which costs a fraction of a new roof and buys real years.
Never let anyone pressure wash a cedar roof
It strips the surface fibres, forces water deep into the shake and takes years off the roof in an afternoon. If a contractor offers to power wash your cedar, that is the clearest sign they should not be on it. Cedar gets cleaned gently, with low pressure and the right solution, or not at all.
We will tell you honestly which side of the line your roof is on. A cedar roof condemned early is usually a sales decision, and we would rather do a restoration now and the replacement in ten years than the other way round.
Get it assessed: 516-405-5590Natural Cedar Or Synthetic Shake?
Natural cedar is real western red cedar in shakes or shingles, which weathers to gray, needs periodic maintenance and can be repaired shake by shake. Synthetic shake is a molded composite product designed to look like cedar, which does not need treatment, carries a long manufacturer warranty and cannot be individually repaired the same way.
The Alternative
Natural cedar or synthetic shake?
Synthetic shake is a genuinely good product and it solves real problems. The catch on Long Island is that many historic districts will not approve it, and those are exactly the neighbourhoods where cedar is most common. If your house sits in one, natural cedar is usually the only option on the table.
What we install most
Natural cedar
Western red cedar shakes or shingles
Appearance
The real thing. Grain, variation and depth that no moulded product quite reproduces, and it weathers into the silver-grey people actually want.
Realistic lifespan
35 to 40 years over a ventilated underlayment with stainless fasteners. Considerably less without.
Maintenance
Needs cleaning every few years, especially on shaded north-facing slopes. Not difficult, but not nothing.
Historic districts
Approved everywhere. It is what the original roof was, so it never becomes a permitting problem.
The trade-off
The install has to be right. Cedar is unforgiving of shortcuts in a way that synthetic is not.
Right for
Where it is allowed
Synthetic shake
Appearance
Close, and getting closer. Good from the street. Up on the roof the repetition in the moulds is still noticeable.
Realistic lifespan
40 to 50 years, and it does not depend on the ventilation detail the way cedar does.
Maintenance
Very little. No moss problem, no cupping, no splitting. This is its strongest argument.
Historic districts
The trade-off
Right for
The Alternative
Natural cedar or synthetic shake?
Synthetic shake is a genuinely good product and it solves real problems. The catch on Long Island is that many historic districts will not approve it, and those are exactly the neighbourhoods where cedar is most common. If your house sits in one, natural cedar is usually the only option on the table.
Natural cedar
Western red cedar shakes or shingles
- AppearanceThe real thing. Grain, variation and depth that no moulded product quite reproduces, and it weathers into the silver-grey people actually want.
- Realistic lifespan35 to 40 years over a ventilated underlayment with stainless fasteners. Considerably less without.
- MaintenanceNeeds cleaning every few years, especially on shaded north-facing slopes. Not difficult, but not nothing.
- Historic districtsApproved everywhere. It is what the original roof was, so it never becomes a permitting problem.
- The trade-offThe install has to be right. Cedar is unforgiving of shortcuts in a way that synthetic is not.
Synthetic shake
Moulded composite or polymer
- AppearanceClose, and getting closer. Good from the street. Up on the roof the repetition in the moulds is still noticeable.
- Realistic lifespan40 to 50 years, and it does not depend on the ventilation detail the way cedar does.
- MaintenanceVery little. No moss problem, no cupping, no splitting. This is its strongest argument.
- Historic districtsFrequently not approved. Review boards generally want original materials, and this is where most synthetic plans stop.
- The trade-offCosts more than natural cedar up front, and it never develops the character that real cedar does with age.
Check the district before you choose the material
Several of the places where cedar is most common on Long Island sit inside historic districts or run architectural review, and those boards usually specify natural materials. Choosing synthetic first and finding out afterwards means starting the conversation again.
We check this before quoting anything, so nobody ends up with an approved design they cannot install.
Common where review applies: Sag Harbor, Cold Spring Harbor, Northport, Stony Brook, Southampton, East Hampton, and parts of the Nassau north shore.We install both, so we have no reason to push you either way. Tell us the address and we will tell you what is actually permitted on your street before you spend time choosing.
Ask about your addressHow A Cedar Roof Project Runs In Long Island, NY
Assessment And Sample Lift
We get on the roof, press and check the shakes, and lift material in sample areas to see the fasteners, the underlayment and the deck. This is what separates a repairable cedar roof from a finished one, and it cannot be done from the ground.
Specification And Written Estimate
Material and grade, ventilation method, fastener specification, flashing metal and exposure, all named line by line. If a historic district or architectural review board applies, that goes on the timeline before material is ordered.
Tear-Off And Ventilated Installation
Old roof off, deck checked and repaired at a per-sheet price agreed in advance, ventilation path built, then cedar or synthetic laid with stainless fasteners and new flashing throughout.
Cleanup, Walkthrough And Warranty
Debris hauled out, magnet sweep across the property, final walk with you, permit inspection closed and the manufacturer warranty registered.
Cedar Roofing For Long Island Homes & Businesses
Residential Roofing
Shingle-style homes, harbor village properties and North Shore estates. Natural cedar, synthetic shake, ventilated installation, copper flashing and seamless gutters.
Commercial Roofing
Inns, restaurants, clubhouses and historic commercial buildings where cedar is part of the character. Cedar work on the visible elevations alongside membrane systems on the flat sections behind.
Other Roofing Services We Provide Across Long Island
Every service below is available across Nassau, Suffolk and Queens, handled by the same in-house crew.
Roofing Systems We Install Install
Cedar suits particular houses on this island. Where it does not, one of these five will. We install and warranty all six.
What Determines The Cost Of A Cedar Roof
Cedar costs considerably more than asphalt because it is installed piece by piece, over a ventilation layer that has to be built, with stainless fasteners and formed metal flashing. Material grade, roof complexity and how much of the existing structure needs correcting drive the rest.
Material and grade
Number one grade edge grain heartwood costs more than a lower grade and lasts substantially longer. Shakes cost more than shingles. Synthetic sits in its own band depending on the product line.
Ventilation method.
Skip sheathing versus a ventilated mat over solid deck are different builds at different costs, and which one suits depends on what is already there.
Roof complexity.
Sweeping rooflines, deep overhangs, turrets, dormers and eyebrow details are exactly what cedar is used on and exactly what takes the hours. Cedar on a plain gable is a much simpler job than cedar on an East Hampton shingle-style house.
Decking condition.
Older cedar roofs frequently sit over skip sheathing with gaps, so converting to solid deck plus ventilation, or repairing the existing boards, is a real line item established once the roof is open.
What You Get On A Cedar Roof Job
Cedar is where shortcuts hide best, because the two things that decide its life are both buried under the first course.
We build the ventilation path, every time.
Skip sheathing or a ventilated mat. Cedar laid flat on solid underlayment is a twenty-year roof sold as a forty-year one.
Stainless fasteners throughout.
No galvanized, no electro-plated, no exceptions near salt air. The nails are a small fraction of the job and the whole life of the roof.
We lift shakes before we quote.
Fastener condition and deck condition decide whether you need a repair or a tear-off, and neither is visible from the driveway.
We quote the repair when it is a repair.
Sound wood on failed nails is a refastening job. That is a much smaller number than the one on this page and we will tell you when it applies.
Which Long Island Homes We Do Cedar Work On
Cedar is concentrated in specific parts of this island, and the reasons differ from one end to the other.
- Shingle-style and modern coastal homes in Southampton, East Hampton, Sag Harbor, Quogue and Montauk, where cedar is what the house was designed around
- Harbor village properties in Northport, Port Jefferson, Stony Brook and Huntington, where cedar sits on older, steeper rooflines
- North Shore estates in Great Neck, Manhasset, Port Washington, Roslyn and Glen Cove
- Homes inside historic districts and architectural review, where material choice is decided before the estimate
- Owners of failing cedar under twenty-five years old, who want to know whether the wood or the fasteners gave out
Cedar Roofing Questions Long Island Homeowners Ask
Lifespan, maintenance, repairs and synthetic alternatives. These five come up on nearly every cedar assessment.
How long does a cedar roof last on Long Island?
Thirty to forty years when it was installed over a ventilation path with stainless fasteners, and twenty or less when it was not. Shaded and coastal roofs sit at the lower end. The installation detail matters more than the wood grade, and both matter more than anything printed on a brochure.
My cedar roof is gray. Does that mean it is finished?
No. Cedar silvers within a few years of installation and that color change is purely cosmetic. What tells you a cedar roof is finished is cupping, splitting through the full thickness, soft spongy wood at the butt ends, and corroded fasteners. Plenty of gray cedar roofs on Long Island have fifteen years left in them.
Can a cedar roof be repaired instead of replaced?
Frequently, yes, and this is where cedar has a real advantage over asphalt. Individual shakes come out and go back in. If the wood is sound and the fasteners have failed, refastening and selective replacement costs a fraction of a tear-off. We lift shakes in sample areas to find out which situation you are in before quoting anything.
How much maintenance does a natural cedar roof need?
Cleaning and treatment on a cycle, more often on shaded north-facing slopes and under tree cover. Moss is the enemy because it holds moisture permanently against the wood. It is removed by hand and with low-pressure treatment, never pressure washed, since pressure strips the soft fiber and shortens the roof’s life.
Is synthetic shake worth it instead of real cedar?
It depends on what you want from the roof. Synthetic removes the maintenance cycle, the moss problem and the insects, and carries strong wind, impact and fire ratings. Real cedar looks better close up and can be repaired shake by shake. If a historic district or review board is involved, that decision may be made for you.
Find Out Whether Your Cedar Needs Replacing Or Refastening
We lift shakes, check the wood, the nails and the deck, and tell you which of the two you are actually looking at. Free assessment, photographs of every finding, and financing available up to 100% of project cost, subject to credit approval. Bluemaster Roofing serves Nassau County, Suffolk County and Queens from 141 Main Street, East Rockaway, NY.