Prior to repairing, preserving, maintaining or protecting, it’s always best to take some time walking around the house once or twice per year while looking for areas that need attention. Drawing a simple diagram of your house and marking areas of concern is also a good idea; this way you won’t miss any of the areas when it comes time to address them. Things to look for include:
Open Checks or Gaps Between Logs
If you have a log or building style that allows your logs to fit tighter than others (chinkless style), make sure it remains chinkless. As tight as the house was when it was built, at times you’ll notice separation between the logs. Perhaps your home doesn’t need to have all joints chinked, but make sure the areas where air and water infiltration exists are attended to. Larger upward facing checks (cracks) in the logs should also be filled, particularly if they are part of a wall that isn’t protected from rain with overhangs/soffits. 99% of the time checks don’t go all the way through the logs. Upward facing checks are more important to fill than those on the underside of a log since they can hold water with no way to evacuate other than evaporation, and, of course, standing water can lead to rot. If your log home needs chinking, Perma-Chink is designed to last the life of the home helping make it water and air tight. The vast majority of the homes I chink are referred to as “chinkless style” logs.
Cracks in Chinking (or separation)
If you’re seeing hairline cracks in your chinking either it was applied too thin (thickness) or the application wasn’t wide enough to absorb log movement. These are usually easily repaired. Apply some Perma-Chink over the area that needs repair and feather in with a stainless steel trowel, or even your finger. More than likely, the crack will not reappear since the movement in your logs has probably stopped, depending on the age of your home. Unlike stain, which is difficult to blend in (left to right), blending in Perma-Chink is quite easy. If you have areas where the chinking has come loose from the wood, this can only mean there was something on the log (mill glaze, dirt, oil, etc.) that prevented it from permanently sticking when it was applied or enough pressure wasn’t used when tooling the chinking after it was applied. These areas can be cut out then reapply Perma-Chink and properly trowel out to match the rest of the chinking. Or, at times, it won’t need to be cut out and Perma-Chink can simply be reapplied and smoothed out.
Water Stains (interior or exterior)
A good wood cleaner (or blonding agent) can remove water marks. Sometimes a Scotch Brite pad with a little soap and water also removes water stains. Depending on the severity of the water stain and the smoothness of the log, lightly sanding can also remove the stain without disturbing the look of the log. But most importantly, find out where the water is coming from and resolve the problem so the water stains don’t appear again. Water stains are always more prevalent in corners where gaps between the logs are most like to show up.
Faded Finish
It isn’t unusual for the top half of the logs to be a bit more weathered and sunburned than the bottom half since the upper half is exposed longer to the sun while the bottom half gets more shade. Faded finish is caused by the sun. This isn’t causing damage to your logs, it’s just unsightly. At times, sanding or pressure washing the faded area of the log will prep it to be re-stained although it can be difficult to match the lower and upper portions of a log when the new stain is applied. Often when prepping the top area of the log you’ll get down to clean, bare wood while the bottom half more than likely will still have the stain intact. The weathering on the log could be mold, mildew or UV damage, all of which don’t go deep in to the wood; it’s simply on the outer shell of the log. If darkened areas appear in or under the stain, this can’t be removed without also removing the stain unless it’s topical mold/mildew, which often can be simply washed off.
Loss of Water Repellency in Stain
Faded finish doesn’t always mean it lost its water repellency although it may have. Simply splash some water on the weathered area. If it beads up and trickles off, you still have protection. If it seems to soak into the wood, the water protection is gone. Pretty basic stuff, but important. If you like the color of your wood 12-18 months after staining them, it’s always a good idea to apply another coat of Lineline Advance clearcoat on the walls with the highest sun exposure. Keeping your logs properly coated with a stain and clearcoat finish will keep the logs dry…and dry wood can’t rot.
Dusty / Dirty Logs
Pollens and dust can make your logs look aged and weathered in a very short period of time. Particularly if your logs have a clear coat finish over the stain, it’s very easy to wipe clean (using only water) with a sponge. Or, simply hosing down your home twice a year will help keep it clean and won’t give the contaminants a chance to embed themselves in the stain, which will mean more work later. At times, a mild log cleaner may be needed, but make sure it isn’t so strong that it removes the stain.
Soft & Rotted Wood
Rotted wood is only caused by moisture. Rot won’t appear after the wood gets wet a few times, but going through months or years of wet/dry cycles or standing water can lead to rot and at times this can be a structural issue. Remove all saturated, spongy wood and treat with liquid epoxy (MBalm) and wood filler (EWood) to build the log back up. Use your judgment (or the judgement of a professional) if the log needs to be replaced. 99% of the time it doesn’t unless the log has been a victim of total neglect.
Small Holes in Logs
You’ll often find a bit of sawdust directly under very small holes which are normally caused by carpenter ants or beetles. Noticing a few small holes does not necessarily mean you have a major infestation or that your logs are about to lose structural integrity. Isolate the problem and treat with borates. Borates (Shell-Guard) does not penetrate stain and is designed to be applied to clean, bare wood. Beetles can stay in the log for several years.
Snow Drifts
After a significant snowfall you should shovel it off your deck and make sure it’s not drifted up against your log wall. Keeping the logs continually wet is only welcoming potential mildew and loss of stain protection or possibly even rot.
Other Observations
In addition, make sure your gutters are secure and in good operating working order. The lack of gutters, or those working improperly can cause long term concerns with leaks and overflows causing damage to your logs (or deck) by keeping them continually wet.
It’s best to keep your firewood pile a short distance from your home. Especially if you keep your firewood uncovered (allowing it to remain damp), making it a prime target for termites, beetles and carpenter ants. Leaning your wet firewood up against your house makes it that much shorter of a distance the pests need to travel.
Keep brush and foliage off your logs. Keeping landscaping trimmed back and not in constant contact with your logs will keep water off your walls during rain or when watering.