
1. Inspect Stains and Coatings
The harsh summer sun can break down your log home’s exterior stain, especially on southern-facing walls. Fading isn’t just an aesthetic issue, it could mean that the protective coating isn’t doing its job to its fullest. This could result in water penetration, which can lead to rot or mold. To test, spray water from a garden hose onto the surface. If it beads and runs off, your coatings are sound. If the wood darkens in places, it could be time for a reapplication. If that’s the case, be sure to use products from the same stain manufacturer, or ones that are compatible.2. Check for Checks
Wood fibers crack and separate naturally and do not cause structural problems in log homes. However, if you have upward facing checks on your exterior, they could collect and retain moisture, allowing it to get deeper into the wood and potentially cause rot. If you see evidence of upward-facing checks, deal with them immediately by filling the gaps with a log-specific filler that’s clear or can be stained to match the wood tone.3. Address Unwelcome Guests
Summer is the high-season for insects, like carpenter bees, to move into your home uninvited. They don’t eat wood, like termites, but they do tunnel into wood to lay their eggs, and August is about the time when the larvae start to emerge. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Oil and polyurethane coatings can help keep them away, but you’ll also want to spray an insecticide with pyrethroid as the active ingredient. If you find they’ve already moved in, Borax has been a standard method of extermination but can be toxic to other wildlife. EPA-registered products, like BEE-Gone by ISK Biocides, have been developed specifically for log home applications and are effective at controlling wood-destroying insects.