Log Home Maintenance - Sealing Your Logs

This 1988 article, Caulk Joint Design, is a must-read before you caulk or chink your home. The illustrations and text when first published and, still today, set the standard for the ideal caulk joint for chinking and caulking performance.

Because of logs' tendency to take on water from rain and snow through cracks and checks, it is important to pay close attention to these openings and prep and seal them properly.

The Basics

If application is to bare wood, it must be clean.
If the logs are stained, be certain that the stain and the chinking or caulking are compatible.
Install a bond breaker so that the chink or caulk line will adhere at the top and bottom of the joint only. This allows for the chink or caulk to flex with log movement.
Gun the chinking or caulking into the joint.
Tool the chinking or caulking to achieve a continuous, smooth seal to the logs.

Sealing Log Checks and Cracks

Because of the log's tendency to take on water from rain and snow through cracks and checks, it is important to pay close attention to these openings and prep and seal them properly. Although the following photos show the use of Conceal to fill checks, Log Builder can be used for this application as well.


1 - Install backer rod into a clean, stained check to the appropriate depth. (See Fundamental Application Guidelines.)	2 - Gun Conceal over the backer rod.	3 - Tool Conceal.

* NOTE: use a bond breaker (i.e., backer rod) when significant log movement could occur. When movement is known to be minimal (as with many older homes) using backer rod is still best, but usually less critical.