Logs home create maintenance chores.
Maintenance is an important factor in protecting the investment, beauty, and durability of a cedar log home. Even though cedar is resistant to rot and insects it is not impervious to them. The Log Homes Council recommends basing your maintenance program on your site and geographic location because different regions have different effects on log durability. Investing the time, effort and expense of maintaining your log home can save you the higher costs of repair and restoration. Does this Spark an idea?
Inspection
A visual inspection is the first step in finding what needs to be taken care of. It is a good idea to make seasonal inspections and cure any deficiencies. Walk around the home and look for problems, such as chinking, that have pulled away from the logs. Look for mold on the logs because it is not only unsightly but also damaging to the wood. Look for splitting logs and graying or discoloration. If you are not sure about your inspection, then contact a log home specialist to inspect the home for you.
Cleaning
Weather and UV damage from the sun remove protective treatments over time and the home will need a good cleaning. A power washer is the easiest way to do this, but you have to keep the spray light or you will damage the wood by breaking down the cellulose that binds it together. Another option is to use a good wood cleaner and a stiff, long handled brush. Work from the bottom of the home to the top and then rinse from the top to the bottom. Make sure the logs dry for several days before applying protective treatments. For logs that do not clean up with this method, you may consider corn blasting.
Chinking
Wood shrinks, houses settle and weather beats on your cedar logs. If your cedar home is chinked, be sure to look closely for areas where the chinking has separated from the logs. It is important to close up these openings because hey create a place for mold and mildew to hide. Remove any loose chinking and then mix your own chinking recipe you glean from log home sources, or buy synthetic chinking in a color that provides a good match to your original color.
Rot
If you find that your cedar has rotted, it is important to repair these places immediately. The four most likely areas for rot is in cracks, gaps, butt joints and the lower courses of logs near the ground. For small areas you can apply epoxy, but for areas that are 4 or more inches long it is best to attach a veneer log.
Treatment
If the log home already has some type of wood treatment, find out what that is and select a product that will be compatible. Many treatment options are available. Some are clear to bring out the natural color of the cedar logs, while others are protectants with color enhancers. Protectants may be transparent or semi transparent. Choose something with UV protection as the sun's UV rays are really harsh on logs.
Tags: your cedar, cedar home, cedar logs, from bottom, from logs, protective treatments
