Cedar Shake Gable Siding Replacement — Real Cedar, Vinyl Shake or LP
The lap siding is fine, but the cedar shakes up in the gables are gray, curled and dropping to the lawn after every wind.
Cedar shake gable siding replacement strips the weathered shakes out of the gable ends, wraps and flashes the wall, and re-covers it in new cedar shakes, vinyl shake panels or LP SmartSide shakes, with the rake trim and gable vent redone at the same time. JMB Builders does it on Twin Cities houses from staging, with or without the lap siding below. Licensed MN contractor BC809005, priced per project. Free in-home estimate.
- Gables stripped, wrapped and re-shaked from staging
- Real cedar, vinyl shake or LP SmartSide shakes
- Rake trim and gable vent done at the same time
- Free in-home estimate
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Send photos and hear back within one business day — or book a free in-home estimate.
A lot of Twin Cities houses from the sixties through the nineties have cedar shakes in the gables over lap siding on the walls. The gables take the most sun and the most weather and get the least maintenance because nobody wants to stain them off a ladder, so they fail first. Shakes curl, split, go gray and start letting go of their nails, and the first-row shakes where the gable meets the band board rot from the back. The lap siding below may have another twenty years in it.
Replacing gable shakes is a staging job on a small area. The old shakes come off along with the felt or whatever is under them, the sheathing in the gable gets checked, especially at the band board and around the gable vent, and the wall is wrapped and flashed. The gable vent is usually original and rotted at the bottom; it gets replaced with a new vent and trim. The rake boards and the frieze along the bottom of the gable get looked at while we are up there, and the band board at the transition to the lap gets a flashing that kicks water out over the siding below.
The choice is what to put back. Real cedar shakes, stained, look the way the house was meant to and need staining again on a schedule. Vinyl shake panels give the shake look with no maintenance and go on fast. LP SmartSide shakes are engineered wood in a shake panel, factory-finished, with a wood look that takes hail better than vinyl. James Hardie makes a shingle panel too. We bring samples of each and match or contrast the color with the lap below.
What you supply
- A photo of each gable from the yard and a close-up of the shakes near the bottom row and the gable vent
- The choice of real cedar, vinyl shake, LP SmartSide shakes or fiber cement shingles, and the color
- A decision on the lap siding below: keep it or replace it at the same time
- Driveway space for staging under the gable and a small dumpster
What JMB supplies
- Staging set under each gable; the shakes stripped with the underlayment and disposed of
- Sheathing repair in the gable, at the band board and around the gable vent
- House wrap and flashing, with a kick-out flashing at the band board over the lap siding
- New gable vent and trim, or a louvered vent in PVC that will not rot
- Shakes in the material you choose, with starter course, corner treatment and rake trim
- Rake boards and frieze replaced or wrapped where they are rotted
- Stain on real cedar shakes, quoted as its own line, or leave them to weather
- Photos of the wrapped gable and the finished shakes in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Number of gables and their size, and how high the peak is from the ground
- Material: real cedar, vinyl shake panels, LP SmartSide shakes or fiber cement shingles
- Staining on real cedar, which is a separate line
- Gable vent replacement and rake or frieze board repair
- Sheathing repair at the band board and behind the vent
- Whether the lap siding below is replaced in the same job, which shares the staging
A photo from the street showing the whole gable and one close-up from a ladder or a window tells us the material and the condition.
How long it takes
One gable: one to two days including staging. Two or three gables: three to four days. Add time for real cedar staining to dry between coats.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Real cedar shakes
Western red cedar shakes or shingles, stained in the color you pick. The original look and the right one on a cedar-trimmed house. Needs stain on a schedule, which we quote as its own line or you can do.
Vinyl shake panels
Molded vinyl panels in a shake or staggered-edge pattern. No staining, fast to install, and they hide the nails. Hail can crack them like any vinyl. The lowest-cost way to keep the gable look.
LP SmartSide shakes
Engineered wood shake panels, factory-primed or finished, with a wood grain. Takes hail better than vinyl, can be repainted, and pairs with LP lap below. The usual pick when the whole house is being done in LP.
Fiber cement shingle panels
James Hardie shingle panels in straight or staggered edge. Heavy, fire-resistant, long-lasting color. Matches Hardie lap below and suits a house where the gable is close to a neighbor.
Cedar Shake Gable Siding Replacement — Real Cedar, Vinyl Shake or LP: questions, answered
Can you replace just the shakes in the gables and leave the siding below?
Yes. The gables fail first because they take the most weather and the least maintenance, and the lap siding below is often fine. We stage the gable, strip the shakes, wrap and flash, re-shake it and flash the band board where the gable meets the siding. The lap below is not disturbed beyond the top course.
What should replace cedar shakes in a gable?
Real cedar if you want the original look and will stain it on a schedule. Vinyl shake panels if you want no maintenance at the lowest cost. LP SmartSide shakes for a wood look that takes hail and can be repainted. Fiber cement shingle panels for the longest-lasting color. We bring samples and hold them against the lap siding so the color works together.
Why do the bottom shakes in my gable rot first?
The bottom course sits on the band board where water from the whole gable runs off, and the back of those shakes stays wet. If the band board was never flashed, water also runs behind the lap siding below. On the new gable we put a kick-out flashing over the band board so water runs onto the face of the siding, not behind it, and the starter course of shakes sits above it.
Do you replace the gable vent when you replace the shakes?
Almost always. The vent is cut into the same wall and is usually original, with a rotted bottom rail and a torn screen. A new vent in PVC or aluminum goes in with its own flashing and trim, and the shakes are fitted to it. If the attic needs more intake air, this is also the time to size the vent up.
How long does it take to replace the shakes on a gable?
One to two days per gable including the staging, with one crew. A house with two or three gables runs three to four days. Real cedar that we stain adds drying time between coats. If the lap siding below is done in the same job, the gable shares the staging and the whole house follows the normal siding timeline.
Can the gable shakes be a different color from the lap siding?
Yes, and it usually looks better that way. A darker or warmer shake color over a lighter lap, or stained cedar over a painted body, is the classic look on these houses. The band board between them gets the trim color. If you want them to match, vinyl, LP and Hardie all offer shake panels in the same colors as their lap.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners, builders and dealers. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-333-4066.
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Read morePage reviewed October 2, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All siding pages
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