The Product – Since 1981 when it was developed, Perma-Chink log home sealant, manufactured by Perma-Chink Systems, Inc. has become the most widely used chinking in the world. Due to its longevity, durability, appearance and ease of application, it’s the easy choice of homeowners, log home manufacturers, designers and Northwest Log Home Care. Perma-Chink is a flexible, textured sealant that emulates traditional mortar in look & feel but is synthetic in nature and is available in 8 colors. It adheres to logs, siding, wood accents and other substrates and is designed to last the life of your home. Its acrylic latex polymer formula allows it to bond to your logs and is designed to accommodate the twisting, shrinkage, expansion and other movements of your logs by maintaining a tight seal to help eliminate air and water infiltration as well as irritating insects. There’s no better way to seal and protect your log home. This industry changing product is mildew-resistant, cleans up with water, is used on your exterior and interior, is suitable for any climate and is virtually maintenance free. Also, due to its friendliness to apply in any temperature, we chink 12 month per year. We have applied Perma-Chink anywhere from less than 1 inch up to over 8 inches wide.
The Process – How long the process will take us depends on the amount of lineal footage you have to seal, ease or difficulty of access, method of application (bulk loading guns or commercial chink pumps; we have 2), how precisely the logs fit together, whether we do the log extensions or vertical corners, how wide the joint is, the task of working around shrubs, trees and other structures, whether a manlift is necessary, etc. As a result of these variables, there is no set price to chink a log home. Another deciding factor how long your project will take may depend on the look you want. Perhaps you have a hunting cabin in the wilderness or a 120-year-old cabin that you feel might look best with a “rustic” look or a more modern home where a much more pristine look is desired. As one of the largest chinking contractors in the country, I have no doubt you’d be pleased with the transformation we can provide, both aesthetically and functionally.
Backing Rod – There are 3 primary functions of the foam backing rod that is tucked into place on to which the Perma-Chink (or Energy Seal) is applied. First, it allows us to form just a two-point adhesion (on the top and bottom log), which provides for better elasticity during inevitable log movement. Second, backing rod allows for a uniform thickness, and third, it saves you money by us not using more chinking than you need. When filling up a joint without utilizing backing rod, you can easily use twice as much chinking as necessary, or more. It is available on rolls ranging from 400 feet to 6,400 feet, depending on the size needed. Sizes available range from ¼” up to 2” in the round variety. Grip Strip, which provides the same function is triangular shaped which allows you to chink over a flat surface, if desired. These sizes range from ¾” to 6” wide. These pictures show the backing rod being tucked in the gap between the ends of the logs and the door framing, application with our commercial pump and the troweled out, finished look.
Old Mortar Chinking – Keep in mind, old, unsightly, failed chinking (caulk or mortar) does not always need to be removed before applying Perma-Chink. We have applied Perma-Chink over existing mortar, but we make sure the new chink joint is wider than the existing, allowing for adhesion on clean, bare wood, not just covering the mortar. With mortar chinking, you probably have a small gap between the top of the mortar joint where it comes in contact with the log above it, so this void needs to be filled in/covered. When dealing with old mortar, we can remove any loose pieces if you’d like us to and fill the void with backing rod before chinking. Depending on the adhesion of the mortar, and whether or not its held in place with wire or nails, the removal process can be more time consuming than the fresh application of Perma-Chink. Keep in mind, it’s generally quicker and more appealing for us to apply Perma-Chink over foam backing rod than over existing rough textured mortar, in part because the new chinked joint won’t be as wide which could be aesthetically appealing to some.
The Finishing Touch – The majority of the time we spend on your chinking project isn’t simply applying Perma-Chink between your logs. The more time consuming portion of our work will be spent tooling out your bead of chinking to create the finished look you that most meets your likeness. We apply a delicate mist of water (sprayed) on the chinking prior to tooling which makes the toweling a bit easier and the material will have less of a tendency to stick to the tool allowing for a clean, crisp chink joint. In addition to chinking the log to log joints, most log homes have logs passing through drywall which often has unsightly gaps due to settling or mis-cut drywall. These areas can also be chinked to provide for a finished look.
Windows and Doors – Like traditional non-log homes, the areas around windows and doors are generally the most important to maintain a tight seal where Perma-Chink can be applied. If you want the option of full enclosure of these gaps, this can also be done as shown below.
Log Siding – With traditional full logs, when water infiltrates into the home, its obviously evident and this can be remedied by having the problem areas chinked. Log siding, also referred to as half logs, is mechanically attached to a plywood (or other variation of wood) substrate. While you might find this style a bit less conducive to air infiltration compared to an un-chinked traditional log home, a concern could arise that it will be difficult for you to determine water migrating between the joints since it could settle between the back side of the log siding and the wood substrate its attached to and not make it to visible areas of the home’s interior. This, of course, could lead to wood rot particularly because these areas can stay wet with continued exposure to moisture and not properly dry out.
Please refer to our video link to view my instructional video on the proper techniques of chinking.