When talking about aesthetic appeal, there are several materials that can truly match the attractiveness and exquisiteness of wood shakes and shingles. Majority of wood shingles and shakes came from Western Red Cedar. Others get their shakes from pine of Eastern Cedar. If you look thoroughly, there is a great chance that you can find wood shingles that are made from oak, Cyprus and redwood. Throughout Indonesia Ulin ironwood is the most common shingle.

Shingles, with their plain finished but elegant style, are produced from big chunks of wood. They come in regular sizes.

Shakes have thick layers but some are cut from chucks of wood, majority are  manufactured manually or by machine into the sizes described above. Further, you have two distinct weight features when purchasing your roof shakes; medium weight or heavy weight. You also have several styles to select from like hand split, hand–split and cut with a smooth bottom, and taper-split. These classes of roofing shakes are the primary concepts in majority of United States Houses for roofing tiles.

Hand-split shakes basically are stronger and can last a significant amount of time as compared to machine-split shakes due to the wood fibers have not been cut which makes them prone to rot. Roof shingles and shakes of these classes normally have a life span ranging from fifteen (15) to twenty five (25) years.

The most sophisticated shakes available in the market are straight grained heartwood as this are made from the immortal and sap-free part of the tree. It is crucial if you live in a place where the climate is humid, it is a bit of a complex in dealing with your roofing shingles with the fungicide after a year. However, it is also an excellent idea to apply a clear wood fungicide and preservatives.

One of the main problems home owners have with roof tiles is the threat of heat and fire. A lot of the wood shingles available in the market at this point have been pressure-handled with the fire retardant chemical. These shingles possess a class “B” fire rating. The only way for you to acquire a class “A” fire rating is to apply retardant-treated shingles at the back of the gypsum board sheathing. Untreated shingles are easy to burn if there is a fire.

On the other hand, for decorative reasons, you can also obtain fancy-but shingles which may come in several sizes. These shingles varies in a lot of patterns and shapes. These classes of wood shingles are generally utilized on exterior walls of a home, but a many roofing companies are doing their might to mix them in to the roofing system.

It is best recommended to apply these wood shingles above open sheath which gives freedom for air to circulate to stay away from rotting. However, you can also apply it to closed sheathing but you will make sure the wood shingles or shakes are elevated off the decking for about an inch or two to allow appropriate ventilation with the help of wood spacers.