Archive for the ‘Insects and Log Homes/Cabins’ Category

Borate treatment on log buildings is important

Borate treatment being applied

Applying PeneTreat boron-based treatment

Question:  I am refinishing my log home this spring. I have stripped the logs down to bare wood again and I have heard about using borates on the bare wood before staining. Is this is a necessary part of the refinishing process?

Carpenter ants infesting log home

This is what you want to avoid, carpenter ants feeding on your decaying logs.

Answer:  Yes……. borates are a good assurance against rot. They have been around for years and should always be part of the process of finishing when the logs are raw. Borates work by penetrating into the surface of the wood and treating the log against insects but more importantly – against decay.  Borates actually raises the pH level of the moisture latent in the wood to the point that the rot organism and consequently, insects are both impeded.  By doing this treatment, the logs are better protected against future rot and decay.

Related links:

About the process we use: http://restorelogs.com/borate-treatment.htm

Why do logs rot?  http://www.restorelogs.com/blog/log-home-dry-rot-is-a-bit-of-a-misnomer

Tags: , ,
Posted in Common Problems, Insects and Log Homes/Cabins, Questions and Answers |
Post a Comment»

Edmunds & Company Welcomes Blaise Back

blaise is back!

Welcome back Blaise!

Edmunds and Company is excited to welcome back our old friend, Blaise Sopiwnik. Blaise started working with Edmunds and Company long ago as a teenager, alongside his father, Jesse.

Jesse is now a foreman and one of the company’s longest standing crew members. For the last three years, Blaise has been an admissions counselor at Northland College in Ashland, WI, where he oversaw a three-year increase in enrollment.

blaise and John sopiwnik

Blaise with his brother, John. A fish caught off-hours on a restoration job in Wisconsin.

Blaise brings to the table his project management and marketing skills as well as a fresh outlook. This spring, Blaise and I will be working together to write a series of articles about our experience restoring and repairing log homes, so stay tuned. Welcome back, Blaise!

 

Tags: , ,
Posted in Insects and Log Homes/Cabins, Log Home Maintenance, Log Home Restoration |
Post a Comment»

Log restoration – Replacing crowns

rotten crown

Someone else had previously repaired this corner. Notice there the exposed remaining rot and the lack of a scribed fit.

Log restoration and replacing rotten logs is what we specialize in.

Sometimes we get calls from people who have hired other contractors do work on their log homes. We inspected this home this summer, where another contractor had replaced a crown a few years previously. As you can see, there are a few problems with this installation.

First of all – the log was not properly fit into the space. Sections of rot were not removed and the log chosen for the replacement was not as big as its predecessor.  Also pine was used as the replacement log.

rotten crown

Notice carpenter ants already working on this pine log. A dried cedar log is best used here.

In the short time since the log was installed, the wood boring insects have taken up residence. The rot has begun here and the efforts made to remove and install the new log were in vane.

The work needed to be done right the first time. Replacing rotten crowns is a time consuming process and the right size and species of replacement log needs to be used.

crowns replaced

Here is an example of a stack of crowns we replaced.

We use cedar kiln-dried logs because they will not rot or shrink.  We can also match the stain on our replacement logs to the surrounding logs, unlike this example.

RELATED LINKS AND TIPS FOR LOG RESTORATION SERVICES:

Replacing vertical logs

Replacing crowns

Why do logs rot?

Tags: , ,
Posted in Insects and Log Homes/Cabins, Log Home Repair, Log Home Restoration |
Post a Comment»

Log Home Restoration – Info on insects

carpenter ants

Carpenter ants

The log home restoration business in Wisconsin and Minnesota puts us in contact with many different kinds of log homes and consequently, many different insects.

Recently through Wisconsin Public Radio and the University of Wisconsin, I came across this link to Insect ID. Click here.

I found that this page and site had allot of good information for the log home owner, whether it had to do with wood boring insects or pest-type insects that are typically found in log cabins. The presence of these insects is sometimes an indicator that you may be in need of log home restorations services.

Below are some resources from our site that might also help with info specifically related to log structures.

RELATED LINKS AND MORE TIPS ON LOG HOME RESTORATION:

Can Borates help prevent infestations

Why do insects infest our log homes?

My logs are infested with bugs. What can I do?

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Common Problems, Insects and Log Homes/Cabins, Log Home Restoration |
Post a Comment»

Log Home Maintenance – Proper uses for different types of Borates

Log home maintenance often includes the use of borates are a preservative for the logs. There are basically three forms of borates: liquids like PeneTreat, Bora-Care or Tim-bor; pure borate rods like Impel Rods; or mixed borate rods like Cobra Rods.

PeneTreat is a powered borate. The powder is mixed with water and applied to bare wood. It treats the wood in general for rot and also prevents infestations of wood boring insects.  Bora-Care is a highly concentrated borate where the borate is mixed with glycol to promote penetration into the wood.

We use and recommend PeneTreat where we want general protection for the wood.  It comes in the form of a powder and is typically mixed at one pound per gallon.  Bora-Care is a gel, which is also mixed with water, usually 1:1. This mixture is then applied to low, up-facing checks, lower logs that are getting wet all the time, window sills that need extra protection and crown or log ends. These borates offer good protection from rot when used in conjunction with a quality log home stain.

Borate rods or Crystalline Solid Borate Rods are either pure borates in rod form or borates mixed with copper hydroxide.

• Impel Rods are a pure borate rod in a solid form
• Cobra Rods are a mixture of borate and copper hydroxide (more…)

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Insects and Log Homes/Cabins, Log Home Maintenance, Log Home Repair |
Post a Comment»

Log homes and wood boring insects

Here is a related question from our previous posting.

Question: I need to get wood-boring beetles and carpenter bees stopped. No serious structural damage yet but the insect problem needs to be addressed. I am the original owner of the home. It was built in 1985 out of southern yellow pine. It was a kit supplied by Real Log Homes out of North Carolina. It was last cob-blasted, borated and sealed in 2004. Borate applied at that time did not stop insects. Need help to get insect damage stopped and house resealed.

Notice the honey combing that the ants do as they "excavate the rot". Until you get rid of the rot, you can't control the population of boring insects.

Answer: What we know about carpenter bees and powder post beetles is that they feed on decaying wood. Therefore, they often are a sign that the logs are retaining moisture and that there is some rot. Borate treatment is not a guarantee against these insects. It isn’t a pesticide but more of a treatment for the logs to raise the PH level of the wood to the point where the rot organism is impeded, and subsequently the bugs are less able to attack it. Click here for more information about insects in log homes. (more…)

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Insects and Log Homes/Cabins, Questions and Answers |
Post a Comment»

Covering up rotten logs – good or bad idea?

Question: I have a home where the floor beams rotted. I ground off as much of the rot as I could and then I treated them heavily with a borate solution. Next, I sprayed foam insulation over them to seal them off. Do I need to be concerned that they will continue to rot despite my efforts?

Answer: Rot is all about moisture. Sometimes when it comes to the practicalities of doing repairs like yours, one has to leave some rot.  The most important thing to its longevity is to keep that area as dry as possible.  So… it sounds like you are on the right track.  The only thing you might find is that some of the rotted areas could attract carpenter ants and/or powder post beetles.  The borate treatment you used might help this but if the wood boring insects get really annoying, then you need to have an exterminator come in and treat these areas as well.  Good luck.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Common Problems, Insects and Log Homes/Cabins, Questions and Answers |
Post a Comment»

Log homes can have problems with wood boring insects

Carpenter ants present

We have been getting lots of calls from people who are concerned about the tiny holes they see in their logs. It’s that time of year when bugs can become a major concern for a log home owner. Boring insects are a common problem that we see in log homes and cabins. The boring insects that we have in the Midwest are commonly the carpenter ant/bee and the powderpost beetle. These insects bore into your home leaving in their path small holes in the logs and a bit of dust. They feed on deteriorating wood so this really makes them a symptom more than a problem in and of themselves.

The most common insect in log homes is the carpenter ant. The carpenter ant infests wood that is rotting, although they do not cause the rot. The holes these carpenter ants bore are about ¼” in diameter or the size of a pencil.

Powderpost beetle holes are smaller than those made by carpenter ants

Powderpost beetles are also common in log homes but they don’t generally do structural damage and are most times not the best indicator of rotting wood. Their holes are the size of a pencil lead. Neither of these insects do structural damage to the logs themselves but carpenter ants may be a warning sign to you that your logs are getting wet or have some rot in them. (more…)

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Insects and Log Homes/Cabins |
Post a Comment»