In the log home refinishing business, we get asked many times each year about the advantages of blasting logs with a “dry” vs. “wet” process to remove old finish.
We have found that in most cases, the blasting process or “dry” process (be it corn cob, crushed glass or sand) is the right process for the logs. Blasting uses compressed air to shoot a “media” at the building. We use recycled glass now for most applications on the log homes we refinish because we are so impressed with the results we get.
Water blasting with a power washer is not our method of choice for several reasons:
- Water is the enemy of logs. It is what causes rot and we don’t want to, in any way, contribute to this problem.
- Power washers can damage the logs by destroying the grain or “fuzzing” the logs and creating long stringy rough surfaces.
- Log homes are not completely air tight so water will make its way inside and this can cause staining on the interior logs, as well as create the potential for the development of dangerous indoor molds.
Blasting does little damage to the logs and keeps the log dry. Power washing can cause ugly, stringy fuzz to be created. I really don’t want to badmouth the folks that power wash but at a certain point one must look closely at the best practices here.
Here is another point to consider. If a power washer can be obtained for less than $500 and industrial-grade blasting equipment costs over $15,000, why would contractors choose blasting? The answer is that blasting simply works better and is less damaging to the logs in a number of ways.
We have been in the log home refinishing and restoration business for over 25 years. We have removed every type of finish from log homes from the lightest semi-transparent stains to the thickest oil-based paints.
Here is a video of us blasting off finish:
RELATED LINKS AND TIPS ON LOG HOME REFINISHING:
Blasting vs. power washing
Here is a project we recently did
Why do logs rot?
