Walking On Wood Shake Roof

And they can get even more slippery if the wood shakes are wet damaged or if they have any moisture moss debris or mildew on them.

Walking on wood shake roof.

Wood shake roofs are excessively slippery by default. This shake gives a naturally tailored look of a shingle accented by the sharper shadow line of a shake due to the thickness of the butt. It s the most popular type of wood roof. For this reason and because wet wood roofs are slippery and dangerous to walk they should be inspected when they re dry.

So can you walk on a cedar shake roof. And it is certainly not advised. Wood shingle or shake roofs such as shown in our photograph are fragile and will be damaged by any foot traffic. Splits are more difficult to see when wood is wet because as wood absorbs moisture it swells which tends to close splits.

If your shakes were installed correctly and are still in decent shape they should not have a major issue supporting the weight of an average human. All shakes and shingles will eventually split. We ve walked on new good condition wood shingle roofs but they are easily damaged by foot traffic which can cause splits in the shingles. Individual damaged loose missing cupped or curled shingles and shakes can be quickly replaced by anexperienced roofing contractor.

Maintain wood shakes and shingles with care. Available thicknesses are 1 2 and 5 8. Demonstration of how to walk on a wood shake roof. Can you walk on cedar shake roof.

It is important to avoid pressure washing your wood roof. On both sides like a wood shingle only thicker. Pressure washing can cause wood shakes and shingles to lift or can trap water underneath them causing leaks. Advice for walking on inspecting wood shingle roofs.

In our guide on how to walk on cedar roofs we recommend stablicers as the best overshoes for wood roofing. Improper roof cleaning practices can easily damage wood shakes and shingles. But you must be very careful. It produces a roof with a very textured appearance.

The short answer is. The possibility of slipping and falling makes working on any roof dangerous but it s especially so if the roof rises more than 4 feet for every 12 feet of horizontal span.