MuskokaTone-stained Eastern White Cedar shakes on a Muskoka boathouse exterior, weathered grey finish paired with dark horizontal siding and warm wood garage doors at the water's edge.MuskokaTone-stained Eastern White Cedar shakes on a Muskoka boathouse exterior, weathered grey finish paired with dark horizontal siding and warm wood garage doors at the water's edge.

If you've been researching cedar shakes for an accent wall, a porch, or full exterior siding, the terms "shake" and "shingle" get used interchangeably fast — but they are not the same product. Of the two cedar species Muskoka Timber Mills carries, only one is native to this part of the country: Eastern White Cedar. It deserves its own explanation, especially if you're trying to decide whether it's the right fit for your project.

Shakes vs. Shingles: Clearing Up the Confusion

This is the single most common point of confusion, so it's worth settling first.

  • Shingles are sawn on both sides — smooth, uniform, and machine-cut to a consistent taper. They give a clean, tailored look.

  • Shakes are thicker, heavier, and have a more rugged, textured face than shingles, while still having a flat back so they lay flush against your wall.

Both are installed similarly, but the visual result is different: shingles read as refined and tailored, shakes read as rugged and traditional. Neither is "better" — it depends on the look you're after.

Muskoka Timber Mills' Eastern White Cedar shakes are rebutted and resquared (R&R). This means the side edges are machine-trimmed perfectly parallel and the bottom butts are cut at an exact 90-degree angle. This gives installers a fast, straight, and airtight install line, while still keeping that rich, deep shadow line that makes it a shake rather than a shingle.

Side-by-side close-up comparing a cedar shake (left, thick and textured) with a cedar shingle (right, smooth and uniform).Side-by-side close-up comparing a cedar shake (left, thick and textured) with a cedar shingle (right, smooth and uniform).

Why Eastern White Cedar?

Eastern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) is native across Ontario, Quebec, and the northeastern U.S. Muskoka Timber Mills' Eastern White Cedar shakes are sourced from Quebec — still a regional supply chain, and nothing like the cross-continent shipping Western Red Cedar (grown on the West Coast) goes through to get here.

A few things set it apart:

  • Light colour and fine, tight grain: It starts pale and weathers to a soft, uniform silver-grey. This is a very different look than the warmer reddish-brown tones of Western Red Cedar.

  • Naturally resistant to decay and insects: Like most cedars, it contains natural oils that make it rot- and insect-resistant without chemical treatment.

  • Low Tannin Content: Eastern White Cedar naturally contains less tannic acid than Western Red Cedar, meaning it is far less prone to dark, bleeding tannin stains over time.

  • Lightweight: It is one of the lightest siding materials available, which matters on older structures, cottages, or additions.

  • Dimensionally stable: It takes stain and finish beautifully and holds its shape exceptionally well through Ontario's freeze-thaw cycles.

Muskoka Timber Mills offers both Western Red Cedar and Eastern White Cedar, so if a customer is choosing between the two, the honest answer is: Western Red leans warmer and has slightly stronger structural density out of the box, while Eastern White leans lighter, finer-grained, and comes from a much shorter regional supply chain — a genuine point of pride for a lot of Muskoka cottage owners and homeowners.

Grading: What "A/B Grade" Actually Means

Eastern White Cedar follows its own grading system, distinct from the numbered categories used for Western Red Cedar. The absolute premium tier is Grade A, which is completely knot-free. The second tier is Grade B, which allows minor, tight knots, but only high up on the piece where they won't be seen.

Muskoka Timber Mills standardizes on an A/B Blend across its Eastern White Cedar shakes. By blending these two top tiers, you get a 100% clear, knot-free face on the lower 5 to 6 inches that actually shows on your wall. Any minor natural characteristics are hidden safely above the exposure line. This gives cottage owners and homeowners a flawless, high-end finished look at the right price point, without forcing you to overpay for a single-grade sort.

Where Eastern White Cedar Shakes Get Used

  • Siding & Sidewalls: Increasingly popular as a full exterior treatment or as a rustic accent (gable ends, dormers) paired with another siding material.

  • Interior & Accent Walls: A growing trend for cottage interiors, screened porches, and feature walls where the raw texture reads as warm and natural.

A Note on Roofing: While Eastern White shingles (the thin, uniform profile) are historically used for roofs, thick, hand-textured shakes are overwhelmingly reserved for vertical wall installations. Because Eastern White Cedar is a softer wood, the heavy, uneven texture of a shake can trap moisture on a sloped roof line, causing them to weather prematurely. For a true wood shake roof, Western Red Cedar remains the industry standard.

Eastern White Cedar shakes as a gable end accent on a craftsman cottage, natural unfinished cedar against dark siding and white decorative timber framing.Eastern White Cedar shakes as a gable end accent on a craftsman cottage, natural unfinished cedar against dark siding and white decorative timber framing.

Natural-finish Eastern White Cedar shakes as a gable accent, set against dark siding and white timber trim.

What Drives Cost?

Because every Muskoka Timber Mills Eastern White Cedar shake is standardized to a premium A/B grade, grading isn't a lever that moves your price up or down. Instead, three other factors drive the cost:

  • Thickness & exposure: How much of each shake is left exposed to the weather affects both the finished look and how much material a project needs.

  • Coverage: Total square footage, plus a waste factor for cutting around windows, corners, and rooflines.

  • Finish choice: Raw is the lowest upfront cost; MuskokaTone stain and Timberthane coating both add cost to the project but drastically reduce how often (and how much) you spend on maintenance down the road.

Finishing Options

This is the differentiator worth leading with: cedar shakes are only as low-maintenance as the finish behind them, and Muskoka Timber Mills offers all three approaches under one roof.

  • Raw/natural: No finish at all, left to weather naturally to that classic silver-grey over 1–3 years. Lowest cost and zero immediate maintenance, though nature controls the final colour.

  • MuskokaTone stain: A custom stain program that locks in your chosen colour rather than letting the cedar weather unpredictably. The right call for anyone who wants the texture of real cedar without losing colour control.

  • Timberthane coating: An exterior-rated polyurethane finish for maximum protection and the longest interval between refinishing. The premium option for anyone who wants the lowest long-term maintenance.

That's a genuine differentiation angle against competitors who only sell raw shakes and leave the finishing entirely up to the customer or a third-party painter.

Eastern White Cedar shakes with Timberthane coating on a residential gable dormer, light grey finish, paired with board and batten siding and natural stone exterior.Eastern White Cedar shakes with Timberthane coating on a residential gable dormer, light grey finish, paired with board and batten siding and natural stone exterior.

Timberthane-coated Eastern White Cedar shakes on a residential gable dormer, finished in warm grey and paired with board and batten siding and natural stone.

Weathering & Maintenance: What to Expect

Left unfinished, Eastern White Cedar starts pale and silvers out evenly over the first couple of years — a look a lot of cottage owners actively want. Stained or coated shakes hold their chosen colour far longer but do need refinishing on a cycle (longer with Timberthane than with a standard stain).

Remember to always use stainless steel fasteners (or high-grade hot-dip galvanized) during installation; standard steel nails will quickly corrode against the elements and leave ugly, dark streaks bleeding down your clear cedar walls.

Talk Shakes with Our Product Experts

Whether you're planning a full exterior overhaul, a rustic feature wall, or just want to see the difference between Eastern White and Western Red Cedar in person, the samples tell the story better than any photo can.