Wooden roofs

Different types of wood are used as raw materials for roof chips. The first choice should be non-knot and easy-to-process wood. Aspen is the most preferred wood today but spruce that has fine sharp knots, is also widespread. Pine chips are less common because of the large knots. The aspen has the advantage of quite knot-free wood but aspen tends to “play” in the sun more than coniferous wood.

In most cases, chips are built in three layers, which is optimal for wood roofing materials. Thicker roofs may not dry out after heavy rainfall and can therefore rot. We recommend that you build double layered roofs only on less important buildings, as double roof will inevitably have much less resistance. Generally, 10 years per layer are considered to be the lifespan of wooden roofing. The southern roof sides will usually destroy more quickly as the UV rays from the sun are devastating. An untreated roof can be covered by lichen, twig and leaf remains that absorb water. The life of a wet roof is shorter than of a maintained roof. A roof should be inspected at least once (or twice) a year. The dirt must be removed and if necessary, some tar or tar oil must be applied to the roof. The durability of a wooden roof requires the drying of the material. This is ensured either by a higher roof slope or by protecting the wood from moisture and water (impregnation) – and definitely regular cleaning.

We make both aspen and spruce roof chips with the length of 510–520 mm; a triple layer will be fitted at 165 mm interval and chips will be secured with a long thin nail. This is important to know for setting the roof boarding (50 x 50 mm sawn timber) to be sure that the chips will match later. Classic chip roofs have ridges covered with roof boarding. We choose the widest possible board, usually 180 or 200 mm. Gables will be finished with 150 mm gable board and an additional 100 mm board to cover the roof edges.

Anyone capable of yielding a hammer can build a chip roof, using some tips and recommendations. However, as anyone should do the job that they are most competent, we are also ready to help. 

Shakes are basically wedge-shaped boards which are either sawn or split from the selected wood. Shakes with the following dimensions are available: width 100 mm, lower edge 14−15 mm, upper edge 2−3 mm. Upon requests, customised dimensions are also available. Shakes have lots of uses: both as roofing and facade cover, usually being made of coniferous wood. It is also used indoors, as a lining inside saunas where aspen or alder is used. Coniferous wood is not suitable for sauna rooms.