ShareThisQ: We have a cedar-shake roof, and one side is heavily covered with moss. What can we do to take the moss off the roof? How can we treat the shakes to prevent the moss from coming back?Where can we buy a tool (and what is it called?) that we can use to go under the shake and remove the nails so we can replace damaged shakes?Our roof is 15 years old. How long do shakes usually last?For the original construction we put strips on of wood and then tar paper. We did not use plywood under the shakes.A: The tool used to cut the nails is a slate nail cutter. It is a thin, flat piece of iron or steel with a notched nail cutter at one end that you slide up and under the shake to snare the nail head. The opposite end of the nail cutter has a raised surface for hammer blows to force the nail out of the roof or to cut the nail heads off.The tool retails for $85 at www.stortz.com. You also may be able to find one at a local contractor rental store.The moss needs to be removed by hand or with a deck brush to prevent damage to the wood shakes. Moss is a plant with a very small root system that attaches itself to the shakes, and is generally found on damp, shady areas of the roof.After the moss has been removed, the area can be treated with a spray-on herbicide. Take care to prevent the herbicide from reaching the yard and garden plants below the roof line or at the gutter's drain.Attach zinc strips to the peak of the roof, which will leach out zinc oxide each time it rains. The oxide prevents new growth.For ongoing maintenance, you need to cut back any overhanging limbs that shade the infected area of the roof. Sunlight will dry out the shakes and help prevent new growth.I have read articles that recommend power washing the shakes and then treating the moss with zinc sulfate. But a power washer in the wrong hands can damage or destroy the wood shakes, and laboratory testing shows that zinc sulfate is a severe eye irritant to humans and can be toxic to fish if the runoff reaches a stream or river. Power washing and zinc sulfate should not be used by the do-it-yourselfer.(Dwight Barnett is a certified master inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors. Write to him with home improvement questions at C. Dwight Barnett, Evansville Courier & Press, P.O. Box 286, Evansville, Ind. 47702 or e-mail him at d.Barnett(at)insightbb.com.)
Use special tool to help fight moss damage on roof
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