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Wood Siding Corner details (C) Daniel Friedman Paul Galow Guide to Wood Shingle Siding Installation

How to install wood shingles on building walls

  • POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about how wood shingle or wood shake siding should be selected, installed, and maintained or repaired.

This article discusses best construction practices for wood shingle wall siding installation, including wood shingle types, grades, nailing requirements, application patterns, coatings & stains.

Our wood shingled home photographs at page top and just below demonstrate red cedar shingles exposed in two different exposure lengths, an aesthetic choice made by our associate Paul Galow.

This article series discusses best practices construction details for building exteriors, including water and air barriers, building flashing products & installation, wood siding material choices & installation, vinyl siding, stucco exteriors, building trim, exterior caulks and sealants, exterior building adhesives, and choices and application of exterior finishes on buildings: paints, stains.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?

Wood Siding Shingles and Shakes: Grades, Installation Details

Wood shingle house, (C) Daniel Friedman, Paul Galow

Adapted/paraphrased with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction (Steve Bliss, J Wiley & Sons) . Steven Bliss. [Click to enlarge any image]

This article series discussion includes Wood shingle siding underlayment requirements. Wood shingle siding nailing details. Wood Shingle Single-Coursing Installation Details for Walls. Wood Wall Shingle Double-Coursing Installation Details.

Wood Wall Shingle Clearance at Flashings. Wood Wall Shingle Installation. Details for wood shingled Building Corners. Panelized Wood Wall Shingle Installation.

Wood Shingle Stains & Finishes, Effects of xterior Finishes on Wood shingle siding: moisture, surface prep, paint choices, solid color stains, paint & stain application details, discoloration, semitransparent penetrating stains, clear & light-tint finishes, bleaching oils

Cedar Shingles & Wood Shakes

Cedar shingles and shakes are a popular choice for sidewall applications in coastal regions. Eastern white cedar shingles are often left unpainted in New England coastal areas.

Red cedar shakes are often left unpainted on the West Coast. Red cedar shingles are sometimes left natural, but more often are painted or stained.

Sidewall installation is similar for shakes and shingles with some variation in exposure (see Table 1-5).

Table of Maximum Exposures for Sidewall Shakes & Shingles

Table 1-5: Exposures for wood shakes and shingles on walls (C) Wiley and Sons - S Bliss

Grades of Wood Shingles Used on Building Walls

Red cedar shingles come in four grades, but most sidewalls use grades No. 1 or No. 2. No. 1 is all heartwood and all edge-grain wood.

Red cedar shingles are available rebutted and rejointed (R&R) where a uniform appearance is desired and machine grooved for a textured surface. Red cedar shakes come either taper-split or untapered and are usually installed in Premium or No. 1 grade (see Table 1-6).

Table 1-6: Western Cedar Shingle and Shake Grades (C) Wiley and Sons - S Bliss

Eastern white cedar shingles

 are available in four grades.

Most sidewall work on building exteriors uses Grade A (Extra), which is all clear heartwood, or Grade B (Clear), which has no knots on the exposed face (see Table 1-7).

Table 1-7: White Cedar Shingle Grades (C) Wiley and Sons - S Bliss

Installation Details for Wood Shingles on Walls

The simplest and most common pattern for sidewall shingles and shakes is single coursing. F

or wider exposures and deeper shadow lines, shingles and shakes can also be installed in double courses. A rustic staggered pattern is also possible.

Underlayment Requirements for Wood Shingles

The Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau recommends installation over Type 30 asphalt felt underlayment for red cedar shingles and shakes. Install the felt paper with minimum 6-inch overlaps on vertical joints, 2 inches on horizontal laps, and 4 inches wrapped each way at inside and outside corners. Creasing the felt at corners will help achieve a tight fitting corner.

For optimal performance, manufacturers of Eastern white cedar shingles now recommend installation over horizontal furring spaced equal to the shingle exposure or over a ventilating layer such as Benjamin Obdyke’s Home Slicker®.

They acknowledge that most sidewall installations still go directly over the wall sheathing covered with felt paper or plastic housewrap.

Field experience suggests that an air space or drainage/ventilation layer is critical for longevity on roofs, but on sidewalls, good quality white cedar shingles perform adequately without these extra steps.

Wood Shingle Single-Coursing Installation Details for Walls

Figure 1-14 Sidewall Shake Shingle Installation (C) Wiley and Sons - S Bliss


The first course of shakes or shingles is doubled, with the outer course dropped 1/2 inch lower to create a drip edge (see Figure 1-14, at left).

Tack up a length of 1x3 furring as a guide for the next course, moving up the wall with each successive course.

To create a weather-tight exterior, do not exceed the exposures shown in Table 1-5 above.

Red Cedar Wall Shingles: Space No. 1 red cedar shingles 1/8 to 1/4 inch apart to prevent possible buckling.

A 1/4-inch space is recommended for No. 2 R R& R red cedar shingles.


Figure 1-15: Offsetting Shingle Courses (C) Wiley and Sons - S Bliss

White cedar shingles should be spaced from  1/16to inch apart depending on conditions — a 1/16 -inch gap would be appropriate for green shingles, which are prone to shrinkage, and a 1/4-inch gap for kiln-dried shingles installed in a moist environment.

Also, offset joints in successive shake or shingle courses by at least 1 1/2 inches as shown in Figure 1-15.

Treat knots and other defects like an edge and offset adjacent courses at least 1 1/2 inches.

With white cedar shingles, also make sure that two joints do not align if separated by only one course.

Wood Wall Shingle Double-Coursing Installation Details

Figure 16: Double coursing shakes or shingles (C) Wiley and Sons - S Bliss


For increased exposures and deeper shadow lines with red cedar shingles or shakes, apply in double courses, as shown (Figure 1-16).

Despite the greater exposures, considerably more material and labor are required.

Installation of wood shingles on a building wall starts at the bottom with a triple layer and succeeding layers are doubled as shown.

Fastening Details for Wood Shingles

Use corrosion-resistant box or casing nails of either stainless steel, hot-dipped galvanized, brass, or aluminum. For concealed nails, hot-dipped galvanized are adequate. For exposed nails at corners and under eaves and windows, stainless steel, brass, or aluminum are less likely to stain the wood.

For red cedar shingles and shakes, nail 2 inches above the butt line and 3/4 inch in from each end. C

edar shingles wider than 10 inches need two additional nails driven 1 inch apart near the center of the shingle. Nails should fully penetrate the sheathing (see Table 1-8below). Aluminum or stainless-steel staples with 7/16-inch to 3/4 -inch crowns are also an option for red cedar shingles if accepted by local codes.

Table 1-8: Fasteners for Red Cedar Shingles and Sidewalls (C) Wiley and Sons - S Bliss

Nailing Schedule for Wood Shingles

White cedar shingles are nailed 1-1/2 inch above the butt line and 3/4 inch in from each end. Manufacturers recommend a 1-1/4 inch (3d) box or shingle nail for new construction and a 1-3/4 inch (5d) nail when going over another siding material. Drive nails flush with the surface. Do not overdrive and set the nails or leave them projecting from the surface.

Most sources including those we list below specify two nails per wood shingle.

Here is what the USDA says about wood shingle nailing - notice that the spacing from each end is handled differently:

Nail placement for cedar shingles up to 10 in. (254 mm) wide requires two corrosion-resistant nails driven 3/4 in. (19 mm) from each edge and 1 in. (25 mm) above the exposure line. For shingles wider than 10 in. (254 mm), drive two additional nails approximately 1 in. (25 mm) apart near the center.

To decrease the chance of splitting the shake/ shingle, fasteners should be blunted siding nails and should be ring-or twist-shank to improve holding. A ring-shank nail will have adequate holding power if it penetrates ¾ in. (19 mm) into the wood. Corrosion-resistant nails are needed to avoid iron stains caused by extractives in the wood and corrosion by acid rain, salt air, etc.   - USDA cited below.

USDA as well as typical manufacturer installation instructions for wood shingles specify two nails per shingle.

See details at WOOD SHAKE / SHINGLE NAILING or STAPLING SPECIFCATIONS

Wood Wall Shingle Clearance at Flashings

Keep all shingle bottoms a minimum of 1/2 inch above the lower leg of any flashings to minimize the wicking of water, which can lead to staining and possible decay.

Wood Wall Shingle Installation Details for Building Inside Corners

Wood Siding Corner details (C) Daniel Friedman Paul Galow

Our wood shingle photos below show two methods of fitting inside wall corners, both installed by our friend Paul Galow.

Wood Siding Corner details (C) Daniel Friedman Paul Galow

...

Figure 1-17: Shingle corner details (C) Wiley and Sons - S Bliss

Wood Wall Shingle Installation Details for Building Outside Corners

As extra protection, it is a good idea to add a layer of flashing or No. 30 felt paper at inside and outside corners.

If felt is used, crease it at corners for a tighter fit.

A simple, attractive inside corner can be achieved by butting the shingles to a 5/4-inch square cedar strip nailed into the corner (Photo, right).

Below our photographs show two wood shingle details for constructing outside wall corners, also demonstrated in the sketch above.

Wood Siding Corner details (C) Daniel Friedman Paul Galow

For fast and simple outside corners, butt the shingles to corner boards made from 1x or 5/4 stock (see Figure 1-17 above and our photo just above).

Wood Siding Corner details (C) Daniel Friedman Paul Galow

Another more labor-intensive approach is to “weave” inside and outside corners by alternating two shingles on one side with two on the other (photo, above). On an outside corner shingled this way, the exposed edge alternates every course.

To keep outside corners tight, nail through the butts with a small hot-dipped galvanized finish nail. On woven inside corners, alternating courses keep the joints tight.

Panelized Wood Wall Shingle Installation

Figure 1-18: Prefab shingles sold in panels (C) Wiley and Sons - S Bliss

To simplify and speed up installation, several manufacturers offer sidewall shingles attached to panels with either staples or adhesive (see Figure 1-18).

The wood shingle panels range from one-course panels 32 inches wide to three-, four-, and five-course panels 2 feet wide by 8 feet long, including panels with decorative patterns.

Some wood siding shingle manufacturers also offer prefabricated inside and outside corners, radiused panels for curved walls, column wraps, and other types of labor-intensive details.

Guide to Finishing Wood Shingle Exterior Walls

Eastern white cedar shingles are often left unfinished and tend to weather to an attractive silver gray—particularly with exposure to sun and salt air in coastal climates.

However, splashback and other uneven weathering conditions can lead to dark streaks or splotches (photo, below left, Hudson Valley, NY).

Weathered Cedar Shingles (C) Daniel Friedman

Above our client is pointing to badly worn shingles at the top of a wall of a building in Dennytown, New York, where the combination of absence of gutters and absence of roof overhange has sent roof drainage right down the wall.

To accelerate the weathering process and to guarantee uniformity of color, a bleaching oil is recommended. For a pigmented finish, use an oil-based, semitransparent stain. Prefinished white cedar shingles are available with a stained finish or pretreated with bleaching oil.

Weathered Cedar Shingles (C) Daniel Friedman

If left unfinished, red cedar shingles will tend to weather to a dark reddish-brown color. (See our photo above right, Two Harbors MN) To guarantee uniformity of color, red cedar shingles should be finished with an oil-based clear finish, oil-based stain, or bleaching oil.

If a painted finish is desired, use an oil-based primer with a 100% acrylic top coat for best results. Factory finished shingles and shakes are available pre primed or pre stained, ready for a top coat after installation. See more under “Exterior Wood Finishes” (page 42 in Best Practices Guide cited below).

- - Adapted with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction (Steve Bliss, J Wiley & Sons) .

Wood Shingle & Shake Installation Guides, Manuals, Standards

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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

Should I Caulk Gaps opening between wood shingles on the weather-exposed side of my home

My 1957 house has typical cedar shake siding from that era. They were installed over some kind of backing board, but with no vertical gaps between the shakes.

On the south side of the house which gets weatherbeaten from the sun, small gaps of 1/16” to 1/8”, and in a few cases 3/16”, have opened up.

QUESTION: Shold I be sealing these gaps with caulk? Thanks! - On 2020-10-09 by Charlie -

Reply by (mod) - Do not caulk the side joints of your cedar shake siding;

Charlie

Do not caulk the side joints of your cedar shake siding; not only will that create a horrible cosmetic fiasco, but it will prevent the shakes from draining and drying properly.

Those gaps are normal with age and weathering; as long as there are no splits or cracks in the shakes themselves such that there are leaks into the wall cavity you should be ok.


Which side of the wood shingles goes out: smooth or rough?

Are cedar shingles installed with the smooth side up on the Roughside - On 2020-09-04 by Lloyd

Reply - by (mod) -

Lloyd

Cedar shingles are installed with either the smooth or rough side out - it's an aesthetic choice.

I prefer the smooth side out because the smoother surface collects less dust and dirt, and because in my OPINION the smoother side will shed water a bit better, but as long as you're consistent you can go either way.


OK to use "cap nails" to secure housewrap under wood shingles?

If I use cap nails to secure the house wrap (Weathersmart Drainable) is that going to be a problem when I install the wood siding shingles - because of the un-even surface - On 2020-08-11 by Bruce

Reply - by (mod) -

Bruce: I don't know how high your cap washers or nails are sticking up above the wall surface. If it's say 1/8" or less you should be OK.

Post a photo and let me take a look and I can comment further - Daniel


How do I secure metal corner molding over T&G Cedar?

best way to install metal corner molding on exterior corners over tongue and groove cedar siding. Construction glue and screw? Caulk and screw? Just screw? - On 2020-05-14 by Tom -

Reply - by (mod) -

Tom

I would wrap with housewrap, then screw on the corner molding.

 

Can we Install Red Cedar Shingles on Furring Strips?

We would like to install our red cedar shingles on furring strips. How do I install them and what is the spacing? Where should they be placed in respect to the shingles? - On 2020-01-21 by Pamela -

On 2020-01-22 - by (mod) - Yes, space the furring same as the shingle exposure and use a drainage plane

Pamela from the page above I see

For optimal performance, manufacturers of Eastern white cedar shingles now recommend installation over horizontal furring spaced equal to the shingle exposure or over a ventilating layer such as Benjamin Obdyke’s Home Slicker®.

What's best practice way to put up the top or last row of wood shingles on a wall?

I'm looking for best practices for the top final row on a cedar shingle wall. Can you help? - On 2019-09-21 by Todd

Reply by (mod) - best practices for the top final row on a cedar shingle wall.

Todd,

I'll see what Steve Bliss might add, but in my practice I finish the wall top with a horizontal trim board pushed up tight under the eaves.

That will protect what's likely to be a short-cut but still fragile thinner upper end of the siding. If you've properly staggered the shingles in that final course I don't think added or special flashing is needed.

The EASTERN WHITE CEDAR SHINGLE INSTALLATION GUIDE [PDF], Bardobec - live link in the article above on this page - offers the following two ways to finish the top of wood shingles on a wall:

a. Install love to the wall and butt shingles to it, remembering that the final course meeds to have a mionimum 4" exposure. Leave a 1/2" gap between the love and the soffit for air flow.

b. Apply a fascia over the top of the shingle. Butt a 1" x wood strip next to the soffit for a spacer, then apply the fascia to the furring strip. Leave a 1" gap between the last shingle and the spacer for air flow.

The WASKA WOOD SHINGLE INSTALLATION GUIDE [PDF] (live link near the end of the article above on this page) offers a "Home Slicker" detail using insect screening to cover the home slicker's synthetic mesh ventilation screen installed in some siding jobs. There's a sketch in that document but I'm omitting it here since you're probably not using that product.


How long is the complete wood siding shake?

my house siding is 70 years old and the south exposure pieces are cupped. looks bad. the exposed vertical length is 12 3/8 inches. to replace these split siding shakes how long is the complete shake? as i need to shop for them. - On 2019-08-01 by cgb

Reply by (mod) - how long is the complete shake?

CGB

1. Take a look at the shingle exposure table in the article above. You'll see that your shingles are probably 24 in.

2. To be sure you know what you've got simply go down to a convenient place on the wall and pull one out do you have an actual shingle for comparison.

I suspect that your shingles were left with more exposure than they should have had. You'll see that in the table above.


How many nails per shingle for 18 inch smooth fits?

How many nails per shingle for 18 inch smooth fits? - On 2017-05-13 by Stephen

Reply by (mod) -

Fair question Stephen

White cedar shingles are nailed 1-1/2 inch above the butt line and 3/4 inch in from each end.

I've noticed that every wood shingle nailing guide I've reviewed, including from manufacturers specifies those two nailing locations.

Wasaka specifically says "two" nails per shingle.


Can I remove and flip over wood shakes that are worn?

I have a new old cabin with old cedar shake siding. In the spring I'd like to do some wiring, see what sort of insulation and vapor barrier I've got under the shakes, make and necessary repairs or replacements, etc. - On 2016-12-05 by M

Can I expect to be able to remove the shakes carefully, flip them over and reuse them? Has anyone tried this?

Reply by (mod) - No

No, M. I wouldn't assume you can remove and re-use shakes with no damage, and I wouldn't assume that the back side looks like the front of the shake. Often the back is flat sawn while the front is split.

Look at one of your shakes to see this. If the front of a wooden shake is badly deteriorated, considering the time and cost and labor of removing and replacing them, it'd make sense to install new replacements.

I'm not sure what a new-old cabin is, but if it's recent construction the cabin is probably sheathed with plywood or another exterior structural sheathing. Removing the shakes won't give direct access to the wall interior to inspect or run wiring.


Question: installing 18-inch cedar shingles with a 4-inch exposure - courses getting too thick.

I'm after a 4-inch exposure with 18-inch cedar shingles. But in doing a dry run on a flat horizontal surface my successive double courses keep getting thicker and thicker. What am I doing wrong? The known factor here is that I am doing something wrong. - (Aug 18, 2011) Karl Garson

Reply:

Karl, I don't think you're doing anything wrong; a 4-inch exposure on an 18-inch single means that you'll have 4 1/2 shingles of exposure going up the roof (or up a wall) before your next shingle is past the head of the very first shingle. That gives a very thick surface indeed. When the whole wall is in place it'll be flat - thick - and probably durable.

Question: shingles over a brick gable end

I am considering doing shingles on a brick gable end wall would you need to panel it out in 8x4ft sheets ply first allowing you a fix to the wall? - (Feb 13, 2012) Alan Dawson

Reply:

I'd install furring and a housewrap.

Question: corner boards for woven siding corners

I'm looking for metal corner guards that fit over WOVEN outside corners with a 13in exposure. Any thoughts?- Nov 17, 2012) forrest S

Reply:

Woven outside corners, by design, don't use a corner board. If you want to nail top the woven corners you can do so but I'd hold a board up on the corner to look: you may not like how it appears nor the gaps that will show.

Question: which side of Certigrade 1 Blue Lable red cedar shingles faces out?

I am using Certigrade 1 Blue Lable red cedar shingles. Both sides of each shingle appear the same. Does it matter which side of the shingle is faces up? - (May 27, 2014) Les

Reply:

If these are sawn shingles (not shakes) it should not matter. Check the shingles: if one side shows rough saw kerf marks and the other does not, place the kerf marks facing in towards the building.

Question: plywood repair under cedar shake siding over lapboard

I'm doing a plywood repair under cedar shake siding ---which was put over lapboard--can I double up with exterior plywood to bring the siding out to flush or do I have to fir strip for backing ? - (July 19, 2014) Anonymous

Reply:

Anon:

You can attach plywood to the existing wall - find and nail or screw into the studs.

Question: What construction adhesive works with shingles?

What construction adhesive works with shingles - Ed.

Reply:

Ed,

We do not normally glue wood shingles to a building; they need to be able to breathe;

So I've thought about it and don't have an immediate suggestion that is perfect, but if there is a situation where you have to glue the shingles, your best bet is to use a quick-setting construction adhesive such as Liquid Nails polyurethane construction adhesive LN-950, or one of the Loctite construction adhesive products with a quick set time, that remains a bit flexible, and is rated for outdoor use.


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