If you have a cedar shake roof that is splitting, cupping, growing moss or simply costing more to maintain than it is worth, synthetic roofing is the usual answer. It reproduces the look of cedar shake or natural slate without the maintenance cycle.

Good Shepherd Roofing installs synthetic slate and shake across Gwinnett County and North Georgia. We are a licensed general contractor, licence number GCCO009698, based in Dacula and trading since 2016.

Call (833) 477-7663 or book a free inspection.

The maintenance stops. Real cedar needs cleaning and treating on a cycle of a few years, and individual shakes replaced as they fail. Synthetic needs none of that.

It does not split, cup or rot. Cedar is a natural material exposed to Georgia summers and humidity. It moves, it checks, and eventually it decays.

Moss and algae have nothing to feed on. On a shaded northern slope this is often the reason a cedar roof looks tired years before it has structurally failed.

Fire performance. Untreated wood shake is combustible, and treated shake loses that treatment over time. Synthetic products are tested as assemblies and are commonly available with a Class A fire rating.

Weight. Natural slate is heavy enough that a structure has to be designed or reinforced to carry it. Synthetic slate weighs a fraction of that, so in most cases it goes on conventional framing without structural work.

Real cedar is still the right answer for some homes, particularly where a historic requirement or an HOA specifies it. We install and repair that too: see cedar shake roofs.

Synthetic roofing tiles are moulded from engineered polymer compounds, commonly polypropylene or polyethylene, usually with mineral fillers added for stiffness and mass. Some products are composites combining a polymer binder with reinforcing fibres or recycled rubber.

Two details matter more than the chemistry. First, the tiles are moulded from real originals, which is why a good synthetic slate reproduces the cleft face of split stone and a synthetic shake reproduces the grain of a hand-split shingle rather than looking stamped.

Second, colour and ultraviolet stabilisers are incorporated through the full thickness of the material rather than applied to the surface. Abrasion or a scuff does not expose a different colour underneath.

Manufacturers also deliberately vary colour between tiles in a production run, because natural slate and cedar are never uniform and a perfectly consistent roof reads as artificial from the street.

Reproduces natural slate: the rectangular format, the cleft texture, the colour range from grey and black through green, purple and red.

The case for it over real slate is weight and cost. Natural slate is a superb roof with a service life measured in generations, but it requires a structure built for it and a trade that is increasingly hard to find locally. Synthetic slate installs with conventional roofing methods on conventional framing.

Reproduces hand-split cedar shake, including the thickness and the irregular butt line that gives a shake roof its shadow.

The case for it over real cedar is the maintenance cycle and the fire question. It will not split, cup, grow moss, or need treating, and it is available in Class A rated assemblies.

Impact. Roof coverings are classified for impact resistance under UL 2218, from Class 1 to Class 4, with Class 4 the highest tested resistance. Many synthetic products carry Class 4. It is worth asking your insurer whether an impact-resistant roof affects your premium, because some carriers recognise it, though we cannot promise a discount on their behalf.

Wind. Tested under the ASTM methods applicable to the product type. As with any roof, the rating applies to the tested assembly, meaning the product installed the specified way on a specified deck.

Fire. Determined by the tested assembly rather than by the tile alone, and Class A ratings are widely available in this category.

These are proprietary formulations rather than standardised commodities, so ratings must be read product by product. The evaluation report for a specific product is what actually describes its performance, and we will show you the one for whatever we propose.

DaVinci Roofscapes. Moulded polymer slate and shake profiles with through-body colour. See DaVinci synthetic roofing.

Brava Roof Tile. Composite slate, shake and barrel tile profiles. See Brava synthetic roofing.

Which suits your home depends on the profile you want, the colour range and the roof itself. We will bring samples rather than ask you to choose from a screen, because these products are judged on texture and colour variation and neither photographs well.

Synthetic tiles are laid in overlapping courses from the eave upward over underlayment on a solid deck, which is familiar. Three things are not.

Gapping for thermal movement. Polymers expand and contract with temperature considerably more than slate or clay, so manufacturers specify a gap between adjacent tiles. Butting them tight causes buckling in the first hot spell.

Fastening. Fastener type and placement are specified, and fasteners must not be overdriven, or the tile is pinned and cannot move.

Temperature limits on installation. Some products become more brittle in cold conditions and more flexible in heat, and manufacturers restrict installation accordingly.

Departing from the specification voids the warranty, which on a roof at this price point is the whole point of buying it. Fewer crews are experienced with any given product than with asphalt, and that is worth asking any contractor about before you sign.

Cost. Synthetic sits between asphalt shingles and natural slate or cedar. The case for it rests on appearance and on the maintenance and replacement you avoid over time, not on lowest initial price. If the budget is the deciding factor, an architectural asphalt shingle is the honest recommendation.

HOA and architectural approval. Many neighbourhoods in this area have covenants specifying roof appearance. Most approve synthetic readily because it matches the look they were written to protect, but check before ordering.

Service record. These products carry long manufacturer warranties, but a warranty is a commercial undertaking rather than observed service life. Natural slate has centuries of field record and synthetic has decades. That is a fair point against it and worth stating.

Good Shepherd Roofing holds Georgia general contractor licence GCCO009698, issued as a General Contractor Company licence. We have operated since 2016 and are based at 2505 2nd Ave, Dacula, GA 30019.

We install synthetic roofing across the north metro and Gwinnett County, including Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Suwanee, Roswell, Sugar Hill, Buford, Braselton and Dacula, and across North Georgia.

Can synthetic roofing replace a cedar shake roof?

Yes, and it is the most common reason people choose it. A synthetic shake reproduces the appearance of hand-split cedar without the treating, cleaning and replacement that real cedar needs, and without the fire question.

Does synthetic roofing look like real slate or cedar?

Close enough that most people cannot tell from the street. The tiles are moulded from natural originals, so they carry the cleft face of split stone or the grain of a split shake, and colour is deliberately varied between tiles so the roof does not read as uniform.

How long does a synthetic roof last?

Manufacturers publish long warranties on these products, with terms varying by line. Field service record is measured in decades rather than the centuries behind natural slate. We will show you the actual warranty for whatever we propose rather than quoting a general figure.

Is synthetic roofing more impact resistant than asphalt shingles?

Many synthetic products carry a UL 2218 Class 4 rating, which is the highest tested impact classification. Ratings are product-specific, so the evaluation report for the particular product is what describes its performance.

Does synthetic roofing cost more than asphalt shingles?

Yes. It sits between asphalt and natural slate or cedar. The argument for it is appearance plus the maintenance and replacement avoided over time. If initial price is the deciding factor, an architectural asphalt shingle is the more honest recommendation.

Will my HOA approve a synthetic roof?

Usually, because synthetic reproduces the appearance most covenants were written to protect. Approval is still the homeowner’s to obtain, so check with your association before materials are ordered.

Call (833) 477-7663 or book a free inspection. We will look at the roof you have and bring samples of what could replace it.