Cedar Shake Siding Installation in Northern NJ
Real Cedar. Hand-Selected. Installed by People Who Respect It.
Western Red Cedar — nothing else has its character. But cedar is the most unforgiving siding there is: it demands a proper rainscreen, stainless fasteners, back-priming, and a crew that respects how it lives and moves. Hand it to the cheapest bid and it cups and splits. Install it right — and stand behind it in writing — and it’s stunning for decades.
Cedar rewards craftsmanship and punishes shortcuts. We install it to breathe and shed water correctly, with stainless fasteners — and we’ll give you the honest maintenance picture before you commit. Call (973) 713-1053 for a free, straight answer.
What We Install
Cedar comes in several grades and cut styles — but with cedar, the grade matters far less than the hands installing it. We’ll help you pick the look and grade that fit your home and budget, then install it the way cedar actually demands and back it in writing.
Hand-Split Cedar Shake
Thicker at the butt, tapered toward the top, with a rough split face that silvers to a natural gray or holds stain beautifully. The most traditional and distinctive cedar there is — and the least forgiving of a careless install. We set every course to breathe and shed water correctly. That’s the line between gorgeous and cupped, and it’s entirely on the crew.
Sawn Cedar Shingles
Smooth, uniform face with consistent thickness — cleaner and more refined than hand-split shake, perfect on Craftsman, Shingle Style, and Colonial homes. That refined look only holds with tight, consistent coursing, and it’s slower to do right. We don’t rush it, and we don’t hand it to whoever’s cheapest.
Fancy-Cut Shingles
Decorative profiles — diamond, fishscale, square, and arrow cuts — for accent bands, gable fills, and Victorian detailing. This is pure craftsmanship, where one sloppy course wrecks the entire effect. It’s exactly the kind of detail we live for — and the kind a rushed crew can never pull off.
Cedar Shake Panels
Factory-assembled shake panels on a backer board — the natural look of individual shakes with more dimensional stability and a faster install. Faster, yes, but the flashing and sealing still have to be perfect. We never let “faster” become “leaks,” and we put that promise in writing.
Preservative-Treated Cedar
Cedar pre-treated with borate or stain-impregnated finishes for a longer life, ideal for shaded, damp-prone walls. We’ll give you the honest maintenance picture before you commit — cedar is stunning, but only worth it if you walk in knowing exactly what it asks of you. We’d rather tell you the truth than sell you a regret.
Cedar Accent & Gable Work
Cedar shake as a premium accent — dormer faces, gable ends, bay window cheeks — paired with vinyl or fiber cement on the main body. The smart way to get cedar character without cedaring the whole house. Accent work lives or dies on clean transitions, and making those seams disappear is exactly what separates us from a crew that just tacks it on.
With Cedar, the Crew Matters More Than the Wood
Cedar is the most beautiful siding you can put on a home — and the most punishing of a crew that doesn’t respect it. It’s a living material that moves, so wrong spacing, a missing breathable housewrap, or unsealed end grain will have premium cedar checking, splitting, and rotting in 5–10 years. The wood is rarely what fails. The install is, every time — which is exactly why the crew you pick matters more than the cedar you buy.
We install cedar with the spacing, stagger, and back-ventilation it needs to breathe. Every course gets proper overlap, every penetration gets step flashing, and every end cut gets sealed before it goes up. Installed right and maintained, cedar lasts 25–40 years — and we back our work in writing so you’re not betting that on a handshake.
- Natural material — breathes and performs differently than manufactured products
- 25–40 year lifespan with proper installation and maintenance
- Natural character and depth no synthetic material replicates
- Accepts stain and paint — change the look over time
Our Cedar Installation Process
Cedar done right, from estimate to final walkthrough.
Free In-Home Estimate
We assess the home, discuss cedar grade and style options, and give you a written estimate with materials and labor broken out.
Grade & Style Selection
We walk you through shake grades, shingle profiles, and treatment options so you’re confident in what’s going on your home before we order.
Substrate Prep
Existing siding removed, sheathing inspected for damage, breathable housewrap installed, and all flashing set before the first shake goes up.
Installation & Sealing
Cedar installed with proper spacing and stagger. End cuts sealed. Penetrations step-flashed. Full cleanup and walkthrough at completion.
Cedar Is Beautiful — and Unforgiving of Shortcuts
Natural cedar is a premium, character-rich choice that needs real craftsmanship. Done casually, it cups, splits, and grays unevenly. Done right, nothing else looks like it.
Cedar moves as it takes on and sheds moisture. It has to be installed to breathe and shed water correctly.
We’ll tell you upfront what cedar actually needs — before you commit, not after.
If cedar isn’t right for your home, we’ll say so. We’d rather you love the result.
Why Homeowners Pick Nail Force for This
- ✓We install cedar with the care it demands and give you the honest maintenance picture before you commit.
- ✓We install cedar over a breathable housewrap with the back-ventilation it needs — cedar that can’t dry from behind is cedar that rots from behind.
- ✓We set the spacing, stagger, and end-grain sealing by the book — the difference between cedar that silvers beautifully and cedar that splits in five years.
- ✓Every job is backed by Nail Force in writing, on top of the manufacturer warranty.
- ✓We’ll tell you straight if a few failing shakes can be swapped instead of a full re-side — no upsell.
Considering cedar? Get a free inspection and a straight answer on whether it’s right for you.
Call (973) 713-1053 — Free Siding InspectionCedar Siding FAQ
What homeowners ask before choosing cedar shake.
Cedar is the highest-maintenance siding there is, and we’ll never pretend otherwise. It needs re-staining or repainting every 5–10 years, damp shaded spots can grow mold, and cracked shingles should be swapped promptly. Stay on top of it and you get 25–40 years; let it slide and problems start in 10–15. We’d rather you hear the real commitment from us upfront than learn it the hard way — that honesty is the same reason homeowners trust us to install it right.
Both work. Stain penetrates the wood and is easier to reapply — no peeling, just clean and recoat. Semi-transparent stain shows wood grain; solid-color stain is more like paint. Paint provides more color options and better UV protection but will eventually peel and require stripping before recoating. Many homeowners start with stain for easier maintenance.
LP SmartSide’s shake profile gets you close to the look with far less maintenance — no splitting, checking, or periodic staining. Real cedar still has a depth and natural variation engineered wood can’t fully match. We install both, so our advice isn’t pushing you toward whichever pads the bill — we’ll lay out authenticity versus upkeep honestly and let you choose.
Cedar shake works beautifully as a full siding material, but the maintenance commitment is real. Many homeowners compromise: fiber cement or vinyl on the main body, real cedar on dormers, gable ends, or bay windows. This gives you the character detail where it shows most without maintaining cedar on every square foot of the house.
Get a Free Cedar Siding Estimate
We come to you, discuss cedar grade and style options, and give you a written price with no obligation.
nailforcecontracting@gmail.com