Protect your log home by insulating and restoring.
Log homes require maintenance and care to preserve their inherent strength and beauty. Knowing maintain your log home's original condition is essential to keeping its character. Insulating and restoring your log home will help keep your investment comfortable in seasonal changes and beautiful to look at. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Insulation
1. Fill air spaces to insulate your log home on the exterior. Spaces between logs can let in air, debris, bugs and fluctuations of temperatures. Clean logs of debris and dirt. Use a damp cloth and wire brush to remove debris. Logs should be clean before inserting backer rod.
2. Backer rod helps fill air spaces
Measure the length of space to fill between logs. Backer rod will help fill the space and act as a backing for the caulking or chinking. Cut the backer rod and push it into the air space with a flat tool. Backer rod comes in a variety of shapes: round, trapezoid and triangular. Choose the shape that fits best between the logs.
3. Prepare the caulking gun by applying silicone spray inside. This will help the caulk activator rod slide easier and in turn help push out the chinking. Chinking is a sealant made from moss and clay to join in between the logs.
4. Use the spatula to scoop chinking into the back end of the gun and then remove the front nozzle tip. Dip the nozzle into a bucket filled with water frequently to help keep the chinking from sticking.
5. Caulking bead between logs
Place the caulking gun into a log space and fill with a continuous ¼" to ½" thick bead near the backer rod. The chinking is meant to stick to the logs, not the backer rod. Use a misting bottle with water to keep tools moist and clean. Repeat as necessary throughout log wall.
6. Clean up spills and loose chinking frequently before it dries. Keep a bucket of water close by for quick cleanups and for dipping sponges and wipe up cloths.
7. Restore the natural color of your log home
Place a water repellent material between floor joists and below the floor boards to insulate the floor. Polystyrene is an example of material that will help prevent the transfer of outside temperatures into your log home.
Restoration
8. Prepare a solution of one quart chlorine bleach to one gallon of warm water in the bucket. Use a stiff wire brush to remove dirt and debris from the surface of logs. Let the wood dry completely before applying stain. Regular applications of stain will restore the condition from sun damage and harsh environmental elements.
9. Stir the oil-based stain thoroughly and apply with a paint brush to the logs. Use long even strokes to achieve a uniform color. Wait for each coat to dry before applying another coat. If a darker color is desired, apply subsequent coats.
10. Use sponge applicators to clean up stain drips before they dry in place. Keep clean, damp cloths nearby for quick spills and for keeping your hands clean while applying stain.
Tags: your home, between logs, will help, applying stain, before applying, brush remove
