Cedar shake keyway offset — stagger the joints so water can’t track in
Keyways must offset ≥ 1½″ from the course below, and no joints may line up within three courses. The staggering forces off-cuts — the reason the calculator carries a waste factor.
What this diagram shows
Two cedar sidewall elevations side by side. In the wrong one the keyways, the gaps between shakes, stack directly over one another course after course, giving water a straight path to the wall. In the right one each course offsets its keyways at least one and a half inches from the course below and no keyways line up within three courses. Meeting that staggering rule forces off-cuts, which is the waste the calculator adds on top of net wall area.
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Cedar Shake Siding Calculator
Free cedar shake & shingle siding calculator — bundles and squares by weather exposure, single or double course, with corners, coursing and fasteners.
