DIY guide
Cedar Shingle Installation Guide — Walls, Sheds & Exterior Projects
Two complete walkthroughs: structural exterior wall construction and a faster interior accent wall method. Use the tabs below.
- 1Gather materials
Cedar shingles, galvanized nails, chalk line, level, tape measure, hand saw or circular saw.
- 2Prepare the wall surface
Install sheathing if needed and apply a weather-resistant barrier across the entire wall.
- 3Snap your starting line
Use a chalk line to mark a level line for the first course at the base of the wall.
- 4Place the first course
Begin at the bottom — set first course shingles with the butt edge aligned to the chalk line.
- 5Nail the shingles
Drive each nail approximately 2 inches above the butt line and 3/4 inch from each edge. Use two nails per shingle. Shingles wider than 8 inches get two additional center nails.
- 6Leave expansion gaps
Maintain 1/8 inch spacing between adjacent shingles in a course to allow natural expansion.
- 7Overlap and stagger
Each successive course overlaps the one below. Offset joints by at least 1.5 inches from the course below.
- 8Work upward course by course
Continue snapping level lines and repeating courses until you reach the top of the wall.
Product spec sheet — plan your purchase
- Each shingle
- ⅜" – ⅝" thick × 18" long × random width 4" – 14"
- Coverage per bundle
- At 7.50" exposure = 15 sq ft of wall coverage with ⅛" gap
Double-course method note
#3/#4 undercourse shingles installed as the first (undercourse) layer beneath a higher-grade outer shingle create wider exposure, deeper shadow lines, and a more dramatic wall profile. Measure undercourse needs in linear feet, not square feet — approximately 32 running feet per bundle.
Have what you need? Pick up Item #3976.
Buy at Lowe's