Log Preservation

Why Your Log Home Isn’t a Canvas

Ok, log home lovers, time to be real. Owning a log home is a dream. Come on, the character, the warmth, the charm, there’s nothing like it. But let’s be honest, maintenance can feel like a full-time job. And at some point, most of us have thought, “Maybe I should just paint it and be done with all this upkeep.” (Ahem. Every professional log applicator likely experienced an eye twitch after reading that.)

Outdoor handrails and spindles take a serious beating from the weather. Especially when they aren’t protected by an overhang, they need more frequent care than other parts of a log home.

And there’s one simple thing you can do to help prevent one of the biggest problems they face: give trapped water a way out.

Why log railings are so vulnerable

Typical log spindles and handrails often have holes and connections that don’t drain properly. Rain and melting snow can collect in these areas and sit for days, weeks, or even months.

That trapped moisture creates conditions where rot and decay can develop.

The quick fix: drill weep holes

This is the simple railing hack:

Grab a 1/8-inch drill bit.
Drill a weep hole wherever a spindle meets the rail.
Do this on both the top and bottom rails.
Look for cracks in the top curve of the railing, too.
At the bottom end of any crack that could collect water, drill another weep hole.

The goal is simple: give water an escape route instead of letting it sit in the wood.

New handrails have their own set of challenges

Round log handrails are typically made from green wood. Once they’re installed and begin to dry, the wood shrinks, cracks, and develops fissures as it releases the stresses caused by shrinkage.

Those cracks and fissures are a normal part of the drying process and can’t be prevented.

The problem is what happens if a finish is applied before those openings develop. Once cracks form, they can provide a path for water to get behind the finish and into the railing.

Temperature changes can make the problem worse. When the rail heats up in the sun, water in the wood can turn into water vapor and put pressure on the finish. During winter, water in the wood can freeze and expand, which can also push the finish away from the surface.

Green wood also makes finishing more difficult because finishes have trouble adhering to damp surfaces.

Give new handrails time to dry

If possible, wait until a new handrail reaches a moisture content of less than 20% before finishing it.

How long that takes depends on how green the wood is and the diameter of the rail. It can take two to six months.

By that point, most of the cracks and fissures will have opened, and remaining cambium on the surface will have had time to dry and peel away.

What is cambium?

Pro Property Services Villari Log Home Stairs

New handrails are often very smooth because they’re typically hand-peeled. Some can still have cambium residue left on the surface. Finishes have difficulty adhering to cambium. Even if a finish initially adheres, the cambium can eventually dry and peel away, taking the finish with it. Trying to sand damp cambium away can also be difficult because the damp wood fibers and cambium can quickly clog sanding paper or sanding pads.

If you can’t wait for the handrail to dry

Not everyone wants to wait months before finishing a new handrail. If the handrail needs to be finished sooner, the surface should be prepared as well as possible. The other option is to allow the handrail to dry before finishing it. If the handrail has already developed some surface graying while drying, the surface can be lightly sanded with 60- to 80-grit sandpaper and washed before finishing. Whatever finishing system you’re using, make sure the finish gets into the cracks and fissures that have developed in the wood.

Don’t overlook the bottom of the railing

The bottom sockets of handrails can be particularly susceptible to water infiltration and the water staining that can follow. Providing a way for water to drain from the socket can help prevent water from collecting there. The same goes for other areas where water can become trapped. If there’s nowhere for it to go, moisture can sit against or inside the wood.

Watch for discoloration

Handrails can develop the same types of discoloration seen on logs, including:

Mold
Tannins
Water stains
Grayed wood

These conditions can be handled in the same general way as they are on logs: clean the surface, address the discoloration, and prepare the wood before applying the finish.

If sanding is necessary, use 60- to 80-grit sandpaper, then wash the sanded surface before applying the first coat of finish.

Handrails need more frequent maintenance

The top rail takes the most abuse from sun, wind, and rain, so don’t expect it to follow the exact same maintenance schedule as the rest of your log home.

Plan on checking your railings regularly and expect maintenance about every year or two.

During those inspections, look for:

Open cracks and fissures
Large checks or splits
Water collecting in holes or sockets
Water stains
Mold
Grayed wood
Areas where the finish is no longer protecting the wood

Pay particular attention to larger checks. If a split or check becomes more than 1/4 inch wide, it should be sealed to help prevent large amounts of water from getting into the rail.

A little drainage goes a long way

The basic strategy for protecting a log railing is pretty simple: Keep water from sitting in the wood.

Drill weep holes where water can collect. Give the bottom of cracks a way to drain. Pay attention to sockets and other connections. Let new handrails dry when possible, and properly prepare the wood before finishing.

Your handrails are exposed to some of the harshest weather on the property. Give them a little extra attention, and you’ll have a much better chance of keeping water where it belongs: out of the wood.

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So, what are borates and how do they work?

Borates are a naturally occurring mineral that prevent wood from becoming a viable food source for wood-ingesting insects, as well us fungi. Without question, they are effective. Confusion sometimes comes in when deciding between water-carried borate and glycol-based borate products. Here’s a breakdown from someone who knows borates: Dr. Mark Noirot, Ph.D., formerly with U.S. Borax. He took an in-depth look to provide you the 411 on the best bets when it comes to surface application of borates.

“As borates become more widely used for remedial preservative spray treatments of log homes, many studies have tried to prove one borate solution is better than another. While some reported tests may have suggested this, a thorough and comprehensive study by U. S. Borax of two leading borate solutions, Tim-Bor^® (a powder concentrate that is mixed with water) and Bora-Care^® (a glycol and borate solution), shows there is little or no difference in their depth of penetration into wood and, hence, their effectiveness. We found that both products penetrate and protect wood surfaces equally. Any reported variation in effectiveness shown in prior studies is most likely the result of inaccurate test methods previously used and not actual differences in the products themselves.

The Details

To achieve real accuracy, differences in moisture and condition of the wood must be controlled as much as possible, as well as the application of the borate solution and drying conditions. Test results should be reproducible and should not have very large statistical variations. The only way to get reliable results is to conduct the test an extensive number of times and to control the test elements as much as possible. U. S. Borax’s test has produced the most statistically reproducible and reliable results yet.

When conducting a test with wood, the one most uncontrollable factor is the wood itself. With differences in soil, climate and other conditions greatly affecting the makeup of any tree, even two pieces of wood from the same tree can be dramatically different. Any cracks, knots or other irregularities in the wood will let any solution seep into the wood more easily. Also, the level of moisture in the wood can help influence how deep the solvents and borate can penetrate. Because of these factors, great care must be taken in selecting wood for testing. In our test, we used Southern Yellow Pine and Spruce-Pine-Fir (S-P-F) boards. We hand-selected boards two inches thick and six inches wide with as few irregularities as possible. We cut the boards into 2’ sections, labeled and paired the adjacent sections, then sealed the ends with silicone to avoid edge effects. Each piece’s moisture content was measured three times, and then averaged. The yellow pine boards were 95 percent sapwood or greater and had typically eight to ten growth rings per radial inch.

How to Do it!

Next, one board from each pair was sprayed with a Tim-bor^® solution (which is a solution with 10.5 percent content of disodium octaborate tetrahydrate [DOT] ), then sprayed again 24 hours later. The other was sprayed with a diluted Bora-Care^® solution (a solution with 20.1 percent DOT). We applied each according to their respective label instructions. After treatment, all boards were stored in plastic containers with controlled humidity and relative temperatures. These conditions, though sometimes forcing the wood to dry more rapidly than normal, provided a constant, uniform condition for testing. By controlling both drying and wood surfaces, we worked to ensure our test was both accurate and readily reproduced.

After six weeks, we trimmed all the boards by 3″ on each end and by 0.7″ on the sides again, to avoid edges effects. Shavings from these boards were then dried and analyzed for their boron content. From these shavings, we concluded that borate molecules from each solution penetrated the wood at equal rates and in equal amounts. The borates in the wood are most likely identical in their makeup. While Bora-Care^® starts off with larger borate molecules combined with glycol, these molecules must break down into the same ones used in Tim-bor^® before they can penetrate the wood. The glycol added to Bora-Care^® probably has little, if any, actual benefit in helping the borates get into the wood. In dry wood, these studies conclusively show that no borate can be expected to penetrate deeper than 1/2″ or slightly deeper into the wood. Any claims that remedial borate treatments can penetrate to the core of a dried log are incorrect.

What’s the Difference?

So, what are the differences between the two preservatives? Bora-Care^® uses ethylene glycol and Tim-bor^® does not. While ethylene glycol does not improve the product’s effectiveness, it is a regulated volatile organic compound (VOC) that can contaminate water sources if not properly applied and disposed of. It is also expensive, adding significant cost without the additional effectiveness. The tests conducted by U.S. Borax are arguably the most sensitive ones performed to date. The rate at which Tim-bor® and Bora-Care^® penetrated the wood samples is the same, yet Tim-bor^® contains fewer VOCs and costs considerably less. Tim-bor^® is the smarter choice all around.

Tim-bor^® and Bora-Care^® are registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Borate wood treatments are a big deal. In this month’s Experts Corner, our favorite Southeast Territory Manager, Paul Peebles, breaks down the 411 on borates.

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