Log Home Restoration: Quick Tip

Its a good idea to wash your log home at least once a year. In the spring after the pollen falls is the perfect time. It not only makes the home look better but, it also removes dirt, pollen and other contaminants that is a source of food that helps mold, mildew and lichens thrive. Be sure to use a mild detergent and start from the bottom and work up so as not to streak the logs.

Log Home Restoration: Sanding The Fascia

Log home restoration sometimes requires more than one stripping method. On this log home, we stripped multiple coats of latex paint from the fascia but there was still a tent left from the engrained pigment. #40 grit sandpaper on orbital sanders was used to remove the engrained pigment.  #40 grit paper will leave a somewhat rough profile ideal for penetrating stain to absorb. Sanding the wood smooth leaves the woodgrain tight not allowing the finish to penetrate properly therefore preforming poorly.

Log Home Restoration: Log Rot Repair

 This is a perfect example of what happens when a deck is built attacthed to a log home. Water “splash back” keeps the wood damp and usually mildew will begin to grow. The mildew growth compounds the problem and eventually logs begin to rot.

Log Home Restoration: What About The Maintenance?

If you have owned your log home any length of time, then you have already had to deal with log home restoration maintenance issues. If you are considering buying a log home, understanding maintenance requirements and procedures can help not only in the buying process, but also help in understanding what is involved in the periodic upkeep of the home. 

Some log home owners after enjoying the initial excitement of the rustic beauty, the smell of the logs and the “log home living” atmosphere are disappointed to find that with all the beauty comes all that maintenance. However, if they understand proper maintenance procedure and maintain a practical maintenance program, they can efficiently manage the upkeep of their home without becoming overwhelmed by what may seem like a daunting task.

 The key is proper and routine maintenance. Proper maintenance does not mean waiting 5 or 6 years and then having someone to “power wash” your home with household bleach using 3000psi. water pressure. Then applying a do-it-yourself retail “big box store” stain, or the all too familiar “water-proofing” sealer. This is oftentimes mistakenly referred to as “log home restoration by some. This approach will certainly produce disappointing results. The “power washing” alone can do irreversible damage as well as can bleach if used improperly. 

Proper maintenance starts with an annual or even better, bi-annual “walk around” inspection. Take your time and inspect every square inch of your log home. Use a pen and paper to make notes of questionable or obvious areas of concern. Things like soft or rotten wood, loose or cracked caulking, bare wood, evidence of bee or other insect damage, stain discoloration, loose or missing knots, soft or decayed log ends, or anything else that may be suspicious looking. Better to take the time to examine a potential problem and it turn out to be nothing than to ignore it and ultimately be the cause of major repair work. Any problems need to be addressed immediately. Waiting only compounds the problem and it does not take long for something as minor as a soft spot in the wood to quickly deteriorate into dry rot. 

Also, at least once a year, it is recommended to wash your log home. Washing not only makes your log home look nicer, it helps keep the stain intact by removing pollen, dirt and other contaminants that feed mold, mildew and algae that erode and damage the finish. Be sure to use a very mild detergent. Too strong or the wrong kind can streak or even remove some finishes. There are some good products made specifically for cleaning log homes.

 Once clean and dry, it’s a good time to make minor repairs. Touch up areas the stain may be worn or missing. Dig out old caulk and replace with a new quality caulk. Treat and plug any Carpenter Bee holes you may have found. And don’t forget to caulk any large upward facing checks (cracks in the logs.) Depending on what you found during the inspection will dictate what needs to be done. The most important thing however, is to do something each year so it don’t pile up and become overwhelming.

 The largest and most important maintenance task is re-coating your log home.

Assuming that your log home was prepared properly to receive a quality sealer, and the sealer was applied correctly, you should expect 3 to 6 years of protection from a semi-transparent finish. You can expect less than 3 years if a clear or lighter stain is used. Keep in mind, the darker the stain, the more pigment and therefore the more protection. Lighter shades (the natural look) have the least amount of pigment and the least amount of protection.

So, it comes down to a trade off. Most people like the natural look of the logs. But to achieve this, either a clear or a light “honey” color will have to be used leaving the least protection on the logs. Using a darker color such as a pecan, mahogany or walnut tone will give the most protection thereby lasting the longest, but most people don’t like the darker shades. 

So the log home owner will have to decide which is more important; using a lighter shade to keep the natural look and sealing more often, or using a darker stain with more pigment and protection that will last longer, but loosing the lighter “natural” log look.

  Your log home is an investment. Spending the time and the money to properly maintain it is also an investment. It is important to use quality products that are made for log homes and this is one instance in which “you get what you pay for!”

Most people would not hire a body shop to go to a store and buy a can of spray paint to re-paint their car. Yet all too often, the “off the shelf” retail stains and caulks are used to maintain log homes. Most of these types of products are consumer oriented and for the “do-it yourselfer.”  Make sure you know what your log home restoration contractor uses and insist on log home specific products.

 There is nothing like living in a log home, the look, the smell, the relaxing surroundings, but be sure you know and understand what it takes to maintain one. It is an ongoing process that if routinely managed can be taken as just another characteristic of log home living, but if neglected, it can certainly become an overwhelming burden. Choose the former and enjoy the rustic lifestyle and natural beauty or your well maintained log home.

Sealing a Newly Constructed Log Home

Consider This When Sealing a Newly Constructed Log Home 

 Newly constructed log homes are usually stained and sealed as soon as the “dry in” is completed or shortly thereafter. Nothing wrong with that right? Well here are a few things that should be considered before applying a beautiful natural wood finish to your brand new log home.  Read More…

Log Home Restoration: Proper Caulking

Log Home Restoration often requires repairing failing caulk. As seen in this picture, the caulking has separated. Usually this is caused by not using “backer rod” in the joint before applying the caulk. Backer rod acts as a filler to keep from filling the entire check (or crack) with caulking. But it’s main purpose is to keep the caulking from adhering to the back of the check.

 

The caulking needs only to adhere to the top and bottom of the check. In this way it has the ability to streach in two directions, up and down. If the caulk is adhered to the top, bottom and the back of the check, the elongation is greatly demished causing the caulk to tear loose and fail.                                                                                                  

In this picture, the backer rod has been installed, the caulking applied and properly tooled into the check joint. Neat and clean joints make it easy to stain and blend the caulk into the wood. This properly applied caulking will last for several years to come. But…log homes require constant inspections to keep up with new checks as well as older checks that may need to be recaulked. If inspections are preformed bi-anually and caulking issuses addressed early on, the maintenance can be kept at a manageable level. If you wait too long, maintenance issuses can become overwhelming making your log home a burden rather than an exciting log home experence.     

 Make a maintenance “checklist” and and use it. Make notes of anything unusual and keep an eye on it. The next time you do your inspection go back and check to see if anything has changed or gotten worse. Make repairs as needed and don’t put it off. It don’t take long for insects or wood rot to do major damage. It is much eaiser to make repairs early on than to wait until a log has to be replaced.

Log Home Restoration: Interior Media Blasting

On our You Tube channel are two new media blasting videos of  the interior of a newly constructed log home. The logs were left unprotected  for two years before they were finally erected. Weathered wood, clay and mildew had to be removed so we did a light media blast to remove a minute layer of wood from the logs. We then sanded with #40 grit sand paper to smooth the profile. Finally, two interior finish coats were applied by brush. Check them out at: www.youtube.com/taskmasters3