Caring For Your Log Home's Wood |
Caring For Your Log Home's Wood
Keep your wood in like-new condition without needing expensive log replacements.The thought of maintaining a log home may seem intimidating to some homeowners. But unless you are a self-proclaimed procrastinator, following these easy tips can put your mind at ease.
Along with today’s new preservatives and regular spot checks, a log home can be maintained in just a couple of weekends a year. John Wilmes of RBJ Wood Restorations in Missouri offers a variety of log home repair services from basic stain maintenance to full log replacement. He has observed what happens when a stain system fails and the elements do damage to a wood home.
“A basic re-staining and sealing job costs as little as $1.89 a square foot versus spending $100 per log for a total replacement,” John explains. “The more tools a repairman has to pull out, the more expensive the repair,”
Services can range from as little as $2,000 up to $11,000 and up for major damage. (*This rate varies throughout the country.) With his hands-on knowledge, John offers some advice that could help homeowners keep trouble at bay.
If a home is properly maintained, a full re-staining can be done every 7-8 years. Maintenance during these in between years can be as little as just washing off logs and maybe re-applying a topcoat, or in some cases, even re-staining and sealing a small area where the elements have gotten a foothold on your logs.
John has found that certain areas of the home seem to have more trouble than others. Problem areas are:
- The deck or balcony of a home can be a tricky area. If the area is not covered by a roof or awning the rain back-splashes from the deck to the exterior log wall and creates a battered area that homeowners should keep an eye on. If the log starts to change color, then it might be time for a spot wash, dry and re-stain of that area.
- Southern and western walls receive more sun, which can do just as much damage as moisture to the walls, and they need to be protected from damaging UV rays. The heat and radiation from the sun breaks down the fibers of the log, which not only degrades the wood, but also offers a place for water and insects to enter.
- Breezeways are a great catchall for dirt and debris along with being a home for insects and birds. Dirt, flyspecks, spider webs and bird droppings all create a holding place for moisture and can have an accumulative effect over time.
- The extended corners of the logs are more exposed than the rest of the wall. They have less protection from the sun and rain while catching the wind and flying dirt. These areas need to be given extra protection including treating the log ends with special sealing products.
- If your home has dormers or multiple rooflines, be on the lookout. Wherever roof meets wood is where trouble can start. See the picture at right for an example of a home design with dormers and/or roof lines that meet each other. These elevated places can easily begin to rot if they don't get regular close inspections.
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By Bob Rynes on Aug 13, 2009
Good informative article.
By Ed & AnnMarie Parks on Aug 13, 2009
We recently had a cleaning and restaining of our log home with a new satchko/transformation stain. The wash went well. The first coat of stain also went well. The second coat turned the front of our log home dark and shiney! We are working with the log company to try and "fix" the terrible, old, plastic look of our cabin. Any suggestions?
By Brian Creekmore on Aug 13, 2009
This article is very misleading. I have several log homes that I have stained that have lasted over 10 years, with the exception of the south and west walls. Also what is included in a basic stain job. As a log home refinisher, we almost always require a finish removal before applying a new stain coating. Also most of the log home stains on the market today require two coats, and some require as much as four coats of product. How can any log home finisher do the job right for $1.89 per square foot.
Please reply at brian@pacificloghomecare.com
By Dan Decker on Aug 14, 2009
It would be really helpful if you put out information about how log coatings fail over time (some two years or less). I would suggest you do your readers a favor and do a servey of log home owners to see what coatings last over time and that have the lowest cost of ownership in the long hall. I am building a log house and coatings are difficult to pick. All of the sales people say how "great" their product is but the owners of most of these coatings tell me that the coatings do not hold up over time. Some of these people that have them on their dream homes have very serious ongoing problems. Do your readers a favor and give them some real information about coatings. Thanks.
By Pam Arnhold on Feb 28, 2010
Hi,
I would like some advice on how to clean the inside of our logs. We purchased a 10 year old home and it looks like they had some water come through at some time. Do we need to sand and then restain?