April showers bring May flowers, but is your portable storage shed prepared for the toll these might take? Today, we’ll cover some basic ins and outs when it comes to caring for your cedar garden shed or cedar roofing shingles. Regardless of the proportion of your unit that is cedar, you can stand to benefit from these helpful tips. Read on to be sure your shed roofing care is on point for the upcoming season as it quickly approaches.
Special Considerations to Care for Your Cedar Shed or Roofing Shingles
Although you might assume that cedar siding or roofing is a conservative selection, this is actually the only type of material that can be prolonged in terms of product life with the right care. To benefit from this reality, you should consider the following: inspection, maintenance and sanitation.
Three Easy Steps to Cedar Roof or Siding Care
1. Inspection
No one knows your shed the same way you do. This being said, you also know the layout of a backyard that might contribute to more or less moisture on one end of the structure than another. Make sure you check your roofing and siding for signs of damage, such as curling or moisture saturated areas. Check where sides and shingles connect in case there are cracks or holes (including those that might be due to insects or other pests).
2. Maintenance
You should invest the same care to ensure no falling branches or leaves from surrounding trees piles up on your cedar shed or roofing structure. In order to achieve this, invest in gutters that not only handle the capacity needed for your level of greenery and precipitation levels, but also feature added protection such as gutter shields. This can help to minimize the upkeep that will be needed to ensure you get the most out of your unit. Typically, you can expect to do a thorough inspection and care update for your shed once a year.
3. Sanitation
The fact a storage unit is much smaller than your regular dwelling does not mean structures such as roofs need different care. This being said, twigs and other debris that are commonly found in gutters or lodged in nooks and crannies can also pile up during the year on your portable structure. You should be aware if there are red flags indicating the presence of mold, mildew or fungus which can require chemical treatments and in some cases help from a professional.
Try the following handy solution for effective cedar cleaning:
- You can make a fun family activity (with adult supervision, of course!) if you put your team to work mixing cleaner made from wash safe cedar wash wood cleaner. You can mix bottles of this solution from the store with water, with one gallon usually being sufficient to cover up to 250 square feet.
- Plan on using half a cup of wood cleaner per gallon of water, and mix this consistently for fifteen minutes.
- This is where help from your kids can come in handy, as you can take turns shaking up the solution!
Resist the urge to use household or other forms of bleach-based products. This way, you can be sure a professional product will create non-abrasive bubbles, which wash away stains and harmful particles. When you compare this to the outcome when using bleach-based cleaners, you will be able to avoid the lightening effect that tends to happen as a result of using the latter product.
For structures that are weather worn to the extent where a more aggressive cleaning method is called for, you can consider pressure washing. You should not plan to use the standard issued nozzles, however, if you rent a pressure or power washing unit. Rather, ask or invest in a soft, open-mouthed tip that can automatically reduce the amount of pressure that comes out of the end of the nozzle.
Is It Time for a Brand New Storage Shed?
Truth be told, you can only maintain and repair your storage unit a finite amount of times. If you realize during regular checks that enough areas of your cedar shed are damaged or worn to the point that a new one is a possibility, let’s talk.
Email one of our friendly professionals, or request a free quote!