Repairing your log home with the right supplies will extend its life greatly.
Log homes are generally constructed from rough-hewn timber that is susceptible to rot and other damage over long periods of time. If your log home is showing signs of damage, there are a number of products and materials you can use to repair it. Some products may be best applied by a professional due to difficult application methods or toxicity. Does this Spark an idea?
Stain and Sealant
If your home's exterior logs are just beginning to show wear from weathering, light cracking or fading, the application of a quality wood stain and sealant will preserve them and prevent further damage, according to This Old House. Choose a product with a mildecide in it, or apply some form of mildecide underneath the other products. Mildew growth can lead to serious rot that can compromise the structural integrity of your home. Stain will change the color of your home, unless you match the existing product, and it may darken over time. Check that your home's daubing materials, if any were used, can withstand the sealant you've chosen to use without cracking.
Epoxy Wood Consolidation Products
Logs with large or deep cracks, or with limited rot, can often be repaired and patched with special epoxy wood consolidation. Epoxy products work to seal the wood and create a strong support for the remaining part of the log. Some products require the application of a special resin-based primer for the epoxy to properly adhere to the wood, according to Rot Doctor. Choose a product that can be blended with sawdust if you plan to fill large areas of a log, or you may end up spending more on consolidation materials that it would cost to replace the log altogether.
Wood Plugs
If the structural logs in your log home have cracks or rotten spots in them, cutting a specially fit wood plug and surrounding it with epoxy is your best option. This method is known as wood splicing. Decay must be cut and cleared out. The wood plug must be cut from a tree of the same species, and the grain should run in the same direction. Installing a new wood plug when decay is first noticed may prevent the need for replacing a whole log.
Chinking and Daubing Materials
The logs that make up a log home are usually only roughly hewn, leaving small gaps between them. Chinking and daubing materials seal these gaps and prevent moisture, pests and cold air from entering the home. Chinking consists of small pieces of wood, stone or flexible materials such as burlap and jute to fill in the gaps. Daubing, in the form of a hard-drying paste, is then applied over the chinking. Daubing cracks eventually due to weathering and the shifting of the home. Historic homes may require a more traditional formulation, but modern log homes can be re-daubed with a mixture of lime and Portland cement.
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