- 1). Cover the exterior wall where you plan to install the cedar shakes with roofing felt. The felt roll will not be large enough to cover the entire wall in one pass. Start at the bottom and cover the wall in overlapping rows of felt. Roll the first section along the bottom, and staple it in place with a staple gun every 6 to 8 inches.
- 2). Trim the excess felt with a utility knife. Work your way up along the side of the house until you have reached the top. Use a ladder if necessary. Overlap each row of felt by approximately 6 inches.
- 3). Place one cedar shake along the bottom edge of the exterior wall at one end. Determine the height for the top edge of the shake. Mark the height with a pencil.
- 4). Pull a chalk line across the wall with the assistance of a friend. Hold one end at the pencil mark. Place a line level in the center of the chalk line. Have the friend hold the other end of the line at the opposite end of the wall so the line is level. Snap the chalk line to transfer a level line across the wall.
- 5). Position the top end of the cedar shake at the line. The cedar shake is installed with the narrow end facing up so that it tapers down to the wide end. Align the first shake in the bottom row along the corner trim board of the house. Nail the shake to the wall with a hammer approximately 2 inches down from the top edge. Use two evenly spaced stainless steel nails to fasten the shake in place.
- 6). Continue nailing the shakes along the bottom row in the same manner as described in Step 5. Butt each shingle up against the previous shingle until the row is complete.
- 7). Install the second row of shakes. Align the first shake of the second row against the corner trim board of the house. Measure from the bottom of the first shake in the first row to the bottom edge of the first shake in the second row. Determine the reveal of the shake that you want. A typical reveal is 4 to 6 inches. Align the shake at the desired measurement for the reveal. Drive two evenly spaced stainless steel nails through the shake approximately 2 inches down from the top edge.
- 8). Continue installing each row of cedar shakes in the same manner as described in Steps 4 through 7 until you reach the top.
SHARE
