Home owners with cedar roofs that get estimates from roofing contractors reminds me of how Thomas Jefferson said: “Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what is for lunch”.
A survey of the most popular opinions among contractors as to what is best for your cedar roof does NOT guarantee getting the best advice about cedar roof care.  When comparing cedar roof care contractors it is not easy to tell who is promoting the best standards and practices for your cedar roof  from those who are not.

Two of the three statements below are true. One of them is a commonly used but misleading statement to sell you a “cedar roof treatment” without any UV protection.

A.   A new cedar roof will “weather,” gradually changing color and ultimately turning a beautiful silvery grey.

B.  The side of a cedar roof that gets the most sun light will be in a more deteriorated state than areas that get less sun light.

C.  Sun Light damages Wood.  Cedar with no sun block/ UV protection will turn grey or silver.

In case your a bad test taker.  B and C are true A.=BS.  Grey is the natural color of  a Cedar Roof like wrinkles are the natural state of skin.  For home owners who like the look of weathered wood, but want their cedar roof  to last there are some excellent Silver or grey tinted wood preservatives for cedar roofs.  AMTECO makes wood preservative in “Slate Grey” because some people like silver of grey cedar roofs.  These true wood preservatives go on grey and protect cedar roofs from Sun damage rather than allow Cedar roof to turn grey over time because of not preventing sun damage.  I hope this helps to explain the difference.

The truth is silver or grey is the natural color of Cedar that has been sun damaged.  Those in the cedar roof cleaning business using products that do not protect cedar roofs from sun damage are bending the definition of “the natural color of cedar”.

Here is a misleading statement about cedar roofs:

“Some homeowners like to stain their cedar roof for a more dramatic color scheme. However, over time, the wood will eventually change from reddish brown to a weathered grey.” 

Here is a more helpful statement about cedar roofs:

Cedar roofs preserved with “Total Wood Preservative”  every 5 years will will last three times as long as cedar roofs that receive no wood preservative.  Neglected Cedar roofs will turn grey from sun damage or turn dark from algae infestation.  The natural direction of a cedar roof not preserved and protected from weather is towards rot.  A Ceadar roof is very expensive to replace financially wise  home owners will preserve their wood roof.

Logical reasoning:  A cedar roof is made of wood so find the best wood preservative and apply it to your cedar roof.  Get your cedar roof really clean before applying the best wood preservative.  A wood preservative that does not allow moss, algae and lichen to grow will eliminate the need for paying for future cleaning.  More wood preservative can be applied every 4-5 years for a small fee.