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Log Home Inspection - Log Home Maintenance
What is the key to log home maintenance? Inspection! You want to know every aspect
of your home and identify areas that are more troublesome than others. Your goal
is to discover why a problem may be occurring so that you can correct it and not
just treat the symptom.
Make it a practice to walk around your home, at least every fall and spring, to
check on the condition of your logs. During your biannual inspections, use the following
check list as you do your walk around. Note the areas needing attention and schedule
log home maintenance for optimum weather conditions.
Problems:
1. Mold/Mildew
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Possible Causes |
Corrective Measures |
Moisture! Search for moisture source:
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1. Sprinklers wetting the logs |
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2. Lack of gutters or gutters leaking |
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3. Spigots dripping/spraying water on the logs |
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4. Splashback via downspouts |
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5. Geographic - area of the country w/high humidity |
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1. Adjust, or move, sprinkler heads |
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2. Install or repair gutters to eliminate water from cascading down the logs. |
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3. Repair and install Impel Rods |
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4. Direct away from your home |
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5. Periodically clean your logs w/CPR
mixed at the cleaning strength. When a maintenance coat of stain is needed, add
a mildewcide to your stain for added protection. Check w/stain manufacturer for
compatible products. |
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Bushes/trees too close to the home holding water and creating a humid environment |
Cut back trees and bushes/consider the "drip line" of a mature tree. Trim
bushes back from the home at least 18 inches. |
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Growth on the stain surface caused by an accumulation of dirt and pollen has created
a food source for the fungi |
Clean the logs w/CPR mixed at the cleaning
strength. For detailed instructions
refer to the CPR Data:tec sheet
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Growing on uncoated logs |
This requires more aggressive cleaning. Mix
CPR at the brightener strength (Refer
to the CPR Data:Tec sheet) and the stain with High Sierra Log Stain or the Capture Log Stain/Cascade staining system. If
your home is in a high humidity environment, add a mildewcide to the stain before
applying it(check w/the stain manufacturer for compatible products). |
2. Fading Stain
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Possible Causes |
Corrective Measures |
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UV degradation |
Clean the logs with CPR and then apply
a refresher coat of compatible stain. Also, consider protective measures - shade
trees, porches, wide roof overhangs.
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3. Discoloration between top & bottom of log
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Possible Causes |
Corrective Measures |
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UV degradation intensified by curvature of round logs |
Clean logs with CPR and then apply a
heavy coat of stain to the upper curvature of logs feathering it onto the lower
curvature. Then apply one light coat to further even out the color. |
4. Peeling Stain
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Possible Causes |
Corrective Measures |
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Substrate not clean prior to staining resulting in peeling stain |
If the entire structure was not properly cleaned prior to staining, then there is
a great likelihood that the entire coating will fail. You can either repair the
areas of failure as they occur or remove the coating and start over. Repair entails
thoroughly cleaning the area and removing all of the coating that is not firmly
adhering to the log surfaces. Apply stain by brush to the bare wood, and feather
into the surrounding "good" stain. Additional coats may be necessary to achieve
a similar color to the surrounding logs. |
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Water entering checks, especially areas w/many tiny checks
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Often, this is where you will see flaking, peeling stain. Water enters the logs
through these tiny checks, seeps under the coating and pushes it off as it becomes
a vapor. Repair is the same as above. Once any of these checks become large enough
to accept 1/4" backer rod, caulk them following the directions on the Log Builder Data Tec sheet.
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Too many coats of stain-not allowing the logs to "breath" or Use of a
film building stain that isn't breathable |
If moisture cannot pass through the stain, it will become a vapor and with intense
pressure blister the coating until it breaks and starts to peel. The solution is
the same as the section above as for unclean substrate. |
5. Log Home Chinking/Caulking Pulling Away
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Possible Causes |
Corrective Measures |
1. Applied to an incompatible stain surface
2. Substrate not cleaned prior to application
3. Applied at too high a surface log temp
4. Applied at too low a surface log temp
5. Not tooled properly
6. High % of log shrinkage/movement usually due to high moisture content of logs
7. No backer rod or bond breaker installed
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Log Home Chinking that has been applied to an incompatible stain will eventually
lose adhesion, it may take as long as a year or two, but it will happen. You can
either repair the areas as they fail, or remove all the chinking and redo the entire
structure at once. Repair consists of removing the chinking, cleaning down the logs,
and if the stain is in good shape, priming the logs where the chinking will adhere
with a stain that is compatible to both the chinking and the existing stain. If
no bond breaker was installed during the first application, install backer rod prior
to applying the chinking.
If the surface of the logs wasn't properly cleaned prior to installation of the
chinking, the dirt, pollen, etc., can adversely affect adhesion. You may get lucky
and not have widespread failure, so you can repair as needed. Remove the chinking
where it has lost adhesion, clean the log surfaces, and reapply new chinking. If
no bond breaker was installed during the first application, install backer rod prior
to applying the chinking.
Chinking that was installed when the surface temperature of the logs was either
too hot or too cold can also lose adhesion. Repair is the same as above.
If you used green logs in construction, expect areas of chinking "failure". If the
type of "failure" is lose of adhesion, then repair is the same as above. If the
"failure" is center tearing, then clean the chink line, apply more chinking, and
tool to blend the new chinking into the old.
If no backer rod or bond breaker was installed, expect areas of either type of "failure"--
lose of adhesion or center tearing. If the moisture content of the logs was high
and no backer rod was installed, you should anticipate more widespread "failure".
Repair by removing the old chinking, installing backer rod, cleaning the log surfaces,
and apply new chinking.
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6. Chinking/Caulking blistering
7. Cracks & Checks
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Possible Causes |
Corrective Measures |
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Natural phenomenon as logs lose internal moisture |
Caulk the checks on the upper curvature of the logs, or spiral checks that lead
into your home (See detailed instructions on the Log Builder Data:Tec sheet)
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8. Insects
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Possible Causes |
Corrective Measures |
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Depends on the type of insect. Some are nesting & some are feeding |
Feeding type insects, i.e., carpenter are nesting ants, termites, post powder beetles,
can be treated with borate products IF there is no coating on the logs. Refer
to the PeneTreat Data:tec sheet
for details. Nesting insects that don't ingest the wood are more difficult to deal
with. Insecticide additives that are compatible with your stain can be used to help
ward off nesting insects.
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9. Air/Water Infiltration
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Possible Causes |
Corrective Measures |
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Logs have shrunk in diameter as their internal moisture content lowers creating
larger gaps between the log courses. |
You may need to caulk each log course or locate the specific areas of infiltration
and caulk only those areas. Refer to the instructions on the Log Builder Data:tec sheet. |
Other Maintenance Concerns: - Log home maintenance
Re-staining Compatibility: If you don't know what stain is currently on your
home, then the only sure way of not encountering compatibility problems is to remove
it down to raw wood and start over. If you do know the product that is currently
on the structure but would like to switch to another product, call the manufacturer
of the new stain product that you are considering and ask them for technical assistance.
They most likely will need a sample of the current stain so that they can do some
testing. Your other option is to just stay with the current product.
Cleaning Logs before maintenance: Would you wax your Lamborghini before you
washed it? The same principle applies when you are getting ready to seal your logs.
They must be clean of dust, dirt, pollen, etc. If you don't clean the log surfaces,
then there's a high likelihood that the adhesion of the new coat of stain will be
adversely affected.
Chinking/Caulking over existing chinking or caulking: This is another one
of those compatibility issues. In most cases you can apply Log Jam chinking or Log
Builder Sealant over existing caulking or chinking. Of greater concern, is whether
or not the stains that have been previously applied are compatible with the chinking
and caulking. Call us for assistance. You will need to know the brand name of the
stain on your home.
Chinking over mortar: You can apply Log Jam over mortar. Refer to the Log Jam Data:Tec sheet for complete instructions.
What is Okum and can Log Jam and Log Builder be applied over it?: Okum is
jute that has been treated with bitumen, and bitumen is basically asphalt. If the
Okum is old and brittle, Log Jam and Log Builder will adhere to the Okum. If the
Okum is still fairly tacky and "loose," Log Jam and Log Builder will not adhere
to it.
What about Motor Oil? If your log structure has been treated with motor oil,
our stain products will not adhere to it, nor will any other stain. Motor oil never
cures, so adhesion of new coatings is impossible.
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