To shingle a gazebo roof, you lay roofing felt over a sturdy plywood deck, set a starter course along the eaves, then work cedar shingles up the roof in straight rows with 5 inches of weather exposure per row. Offset the seams between rows by at least 1.5 inches, nail with corrosion-resistant fasteners, cap the ridge, and seal it. Done right, a cedar shingle roof on a gazebo lasts 20 to 30 years. This guide walks you through the materials, the prep, the install sequence, and the maintenance that gets you there.
One quick clarification before you buy anything: this is a guide for cedar shingles, which are sawn flat with a smooth, uniform face. They are not the same as cedar shakes, which are split by hand or machine and have a thicker, rougher, more rustic look. Both make good roofs, but they install differently and shakes need an extra felt interlay between courses. Stick with shingles here and the steps below apply cleanly.
TL;DR: Lay felt with 4 to 6 inch overlaps, set a starter course, then run cedar shingles at 5 inches of weather exposure per row with seams offset at least 1.5 inches. Use galvanized or stainless nails 1.5 to 2 inches long, cap the ridge, and let the cement cure 48 hours. Expect 20 to 30 years of service from a well-installed cedar shingle roof.
You need cedar shingles, roofing felt, corrosion-resistant nails, a chalk line, and roofing cement, plus a few hand tools. Buy enough shingles to cover the roof in a double layer, and pick fasteners rated for outdoor use: galvanized steel or stainless steel roofing nails, 1.5 to 2 inches long. Cheap fasteners are the first thing to fail on an outdoor roof.
Here is the full list:
If you are still shopping for the structure itself rather than re-roofing one you own, our wood gazebo collection shows which models ship with a shingle-ready roof deck versus an aluminum roof you would not re-shingle.
A shingle roof is only as good as the deck under it, so start with a clean, solid, dry surface. Strip any old roofing down to bare deck, repair or replace rotted boards, and confirm the deck is exterior-grade 5/8 inch plywood (or 1x4 boards spaced for a skip sheathing look). Then roll on roofing felt, overlapping each run by 4 to 6 inches so water always sheds over a seam, never into one.
If the gazebo already has shingles, asphalt, or another covering, pull it all off. Working over old material traps moisture and gives you an uneven base.
Look for soft, rotted, or delaminating boards and swap them out. The deck has to be solid enough to hold a nail without splitting and stiff enough not to flex underfoot. For a fresh deck, lay exterior-grade 5/8 inch plywood; cedar also breathes better over spaced 1x4 boards if your design uses skip sheathing.
Run metal drip edge flashing around the eaves and rakes before any felt or shingles go down. It overhangs the edge slightly and steers runoff away from the fascia and roof edge instead of letting it wick back under the first course.
Cover the whole deck with roofing felt, fastening it every few feet. Overlap horizontal seams by 4 to 6 inches and lap upper courses over lower ones. The felt is your backup moisture barrier if a shingle ever cracks or lifts.
With a clean deck, a drip edge, and felt down, you are ready to set shingles.
Work from the bottom edge up, one straight course at a time, keeping 5 inches of each shingle exposed to the weather and offsetting the vertical seams between rows by at least 1.5 inches. That offset is the single most important detail: it keeps a gap in one course from ever lining up with a gap in the course below, which is how wind-driven water and gusts get under a roof. Follow this sequence.
Measure the roof’s total square footage and figure the bundle count for a double-layer install. Order extra; running short mid-project on a matched cedar lot is a headache.
Snap straight horizontal lines across the deck to guide each course. Even spacing here is what keeps the finished roof looking clean from the ground.
The starter course is the first row, doubled up and overhanging the lower edge slightly. It backs the joints of the first visible course so water cannot slip through at the eave.
Align the bottom edge of the first course over the starter course. Leave a small gap, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, between adjacent shingles so the cedar can swell when wet without buckling.
Keep each row exposed 5 inches to the weather as you move up the roof. Consistent exposure gives you the double coverage that makes the roof watertight and keeps the courses visually even.
On every new course, shift the shingles so the joints land at least 1.5 inches off the joints in the course below. Carry that offset through both layers.
Drive two nails per shingle, just above the exposure line and about 3/4 inch in from each edge so the next course hides the heads. Set the heads flush, not buried into the wood, which would split the cedar.
Dab a little roofing cement under the top corners of each shingle once it is nailed. A little seals the edge against wind lift; too much traps moisture.
Use the utility knife and a straightedge to trim shingles where roof planes meet at hips or valleys and along the rake edges. Clean cuts here keep water moving toward the eave.
Finish at the peak with a continuous ridge cap, holding the same 5 inch exposure as the field shingles so the cap blends in and sheds water over the joints below.
A correctly built roof also has to shed water fast at every joint and edge; if yours has a low pitch or a canopy section that holds puddles, our guide on stopping water from pooling on a gazebo covers the pitch and drainage fixes that protect the shingles you just installed.
The last hour of work is what makes the roof actually weatherproof. Seal exposed nail heads and any small gaps with exterior-grade caulk, run roofing cement along the ridge cap to lock it down, sweep the roof clean of nails and offcuts, and then let the cement cure for a full 48 hours before the roof sees real weather. Skipping that cure window is the most common way a fresh roof leaks in its first storm.
Cedar shingles have earned their reputation: the Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau, the industry standards body that grades and certifies the product, publishes a cedar roof installation manual with the official coverage and exposure tables, fastening specs, and code-conformance guidance that professional roofers follow. If your gazebo roof has an unusual pitch or a complex hip-and-valley layout, those tables are worth checking against your shingle exposure before you commit. The 5 inch exposure used here is a standard field figure, but steeper or lower pitches can call for an adjustment.
Maintained well, a cedar shingle roof lasts 20 to 30 years, and the maintenance is light. Inspect it once a year and replace any shingle that has cracked, cupped, or split. Reapply a cedar-rated sealant every 2 to 3 years to slow moisture damage and graying. Keep leaves and debris swept off so the cedar can dry between rains, and check that the metal flashing at hips, valleys, and sidewalls is still seated tight, recaulking if it has lifted.
That short routine is the whole difference between a roof that lasts a decade and one that lasts three. Cedar’s natural oils resist decay, but only if the wood is allowed to dry and the seals stay intact. Trapped debris and a failed flashing seam are what actually kill a cedar roof, not age. If you are weighing cedar against other roof and structure options before you build, the gazebo buying guide breaks down how roof material affects lifespan, cost, and upkeep across the styles we carry.
Prefer the look of natural cedar from the frame up rather than re-roofing an existing structure? Western red cedar gazebo kits pair naturally with a cedar shingle roof and start you with a roof-ready deck.
Measure the roof’s total square footage, then buy enough bundles to cover it in a double layer at 5 inches of weather exposure per row. A typical bundle covers a set area at a given exposure, so confirm coverage on the label and order 10 to 15 percent extra for cuts at hips, valleys, and the ridge.
Yes. Install metal drip edge flashing along the eaves and rakes before the felt and shingles go down. It directs runoff away from the fascia and roof edge instead of letting water wick back under the starter course, which is a common leak point on small roofs.
A properly installed and maintained cedar shingle roof lasts 20 to 30 years or longer. Roof pitch, sun and weather exposure, and whether you reapply sealant every 2 to 3 years all affect where it lands in that range. Annual inspections and keeping the roof clear of debris add years.
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