Cedar is wood, so it gives you a grain and a colour variation that no manufactured product copies perfectly. Composite is a moulded synthetic that gets close to that look and asks for almost none of the upkeep.
If you want the material itself, choose cedar. If you want the look without the maintenance calendar, choose composite. Everything below is the detail behind that.
What is the difference in plain terms?
Cedar shake is split or sawn western red cedar. Every piece is a bit different, and it weathers from warm brown toward silver grey. It needs cleaning and treatment on a schedule to reach its full life.
Composite shake, like the DaVinci product we install, is a moulded polymer coloured all the way through. It is cast from cedar so the grain reads correctly, and you choose the colour up front instead of waiting for weathering.
How do they compare on the things that count?
| Cedar shake | Composite shake | |
|---|---|---|
| Look | The wood itself, and it changes over time | Close, and the colour you pick does not weather away |
| Upkeep | Cleaning and treatment on a schedule | Wash it when it needs washing |
| Hail | A hard hit can split a shake | Class 4 impact rated products are available |
| Fire | Treated products are available, untreated cedar is not fire rated | Class A fire rated products are available |
| Weight | Light to moderate | Light, and usually fine on an existing structure |
| Warranty | Shorter, and it depends on maintenance | Longer terms from the manufacturer |
| Cost | Both are premium materials against asphalt | Both are premium materials against asphalt |
We have left the cost row vague on purpose. A roof price depends on your pitch, your square footage, the number of valleys and what is under the old roof. We put a number on your roof after we have looked at it.
Which one lasts better here?
Both work in this climate when they are installed properly. The install decides more than the material does.
Cedar needs to breathe. It wants the right underlayment and spacing so moisture can leave from underneath, and a cedar roof installed like an asphalt roof will not last. Composite is more forgiving of the details, which is part of what people pay for.
On hail, composite has the edge if you choose an impact rated product. On fire, treated cedar and Class A composite both get you there. Check what a specific product is rated for instead of assuming the category.
What does cedar ask of me?
Cleaning, and treatment. Cedar collects debris and grows moss on shaded slopes. Once a shake is damp for long enough it starts to go.
That means clearing leaf litter off the roof and debris out of the gutters. It means trimming branches that shade a slope all day, and re treating on a schedule.
Cedar rewards that attention with a look nothing else has. It punishes neglect faster than asphalt does.
If reading that paragraph made you tired, that is a useful answer. Composite exists for people who want the appearance and not the calendar.
Can I replace cedar with composite?
Usually yes, and it is one of the more common conversations we have.
A house designed around a shake roof looks wrong with a flat three tab asphalt on it. The shadow lines the architecture expects are gone. Composite puts those shadow lines back without the maintenance.
It also weighs less than the cedar it replaces in most cases, so the structure is rarely a problem.
Some homeowners’ associations have a say in what goes back on. Check your covenants before you choose, because that conversation is easier before the order than after it.
Why we get asked this so often around here
The northwest suburbs have a lot of homes built with shake roofs. Those roofs are now reaching the age where a decision has to be made.
Barrington Hills, Inverness, Long Grove, Kildeer and North Barrington have the highest concentration of them in our service area. When one comes up for replacement, the owner chooses between putting cedar back and moving to composite. The neighbours watch to see which.
There is no single right answer on that street. There is a right answer for your house, your tolerance for maintenance, and how long you plan to be in it.
How to decide
- Do you want wood, or the look of wood? That question settles it more often than any spec sheet.
- Will you follow a maintenance schedule? Be straight with yourself. Cedar needs one.
- How long will you be in the house? A longer answer pushes toward the longer warranty.
- Has hail hit you before? If yes, weight the impact rating heavily.
- Check your covenants before you order anything.
Getting a straight recommendation
We install both, which means we have no reason to steer you. We will look at the roof, the architecture and what is underneath, and tell you what we would put on it.
Here is what is involved in cedar shake roofing, and here is the composite roofing alternative if you want the look with less upkeep.
Call or text (224) 518-0278 and we will come look at what you have.
