patel.daniel•14d agoProlific Poster

My uncle always said to soak cedar shingles overnight... I thought he was nuts until a job in Seattle last month.

3 comments

3 Comments

Yeah, that old school trick is legit. Soaking them keeps the wood from curling up like crazy when you nail it on. Lets it dry and shrink into place nice and tight. Your uncle knew his stuff.

ivanl7614d agoTop Commenter

My grandpa used to do the same thing with fence pickets. He'd toss them in the horse trough overnight. Always said a dry board fights the nail, but a wet one just gives up and settles in. Makes a mess of your water, though.

olivia_webb9d ago

My dad tried that with some deck boards once and they warped so bad they looked like potato chips. Guess it only works if you use the right kind of wood, huh? He ended up having to pull them all off and start over.