Loving Your Log Cabin!!!!!!!

When setting out to refinish a log home there is much more to consider than simply putting on a coat of stain.

First, the washing must be done with extreme care so the stain, dead wood, and mold can be removed without destroying the logs. another thing to consider is the chinking between the logs, much care must be used in hitting the surface from indirect angles and with less than 2500 PSI in conjunction with the right cleaners to either strip the stain thats on the surface or just clean the dirt and mold off.

The next step is, the logs be inspected for insect damage since the prep required before the staining will have the wood ready to accept insecticide. if there is an infestation logs must be treated before they are finish coated. This treatment can be done by an exterminator or we can apply a system to protect against continued infestation.

Then a thorough application of the desired stain system, we like sikkens system best for logs as it is made up of very tiny particles and penetrate deeper into the surface of the logs than most, it also has a much higher solids content than most stains therefore leaving more film on the surface so it’s kind of the best of both worlds, so to speak. The sikkens system offers more UV inhibitors than all other systems on the market and can be reapplied over itself every few years to keep the cost down significantly.

Although the prep is pretty much the same, I recommend a different system for the decks and railing on your home than the logs. We have found that Pacrylic oil hybrid is the best semi-transperent stain on the market. It holds up well and looks great. Many others work, but the PPG Sun-proof and appearance over tim,e we have found, is best with this system.

Once your project is done, the best way to maintain it is a yearly light rinse of all surfaces with a cleaner and reapplication every other year in the high exposure areas. It is not necessary to re coat 100% of the job until it shows signs of wear or removal of mold growth causes damage to the coating. But rest assured if you do not do the yearly wash and the re-coat every other year, your project will require a full or partial stripping which is much more expensive than just maintenance. So just as you would not drive your car 50k miles without an oil change because we all know what would happen, your log siding and wood decks require similar preventative maintenance.