Posts Tagged ‘log home maintenance’

Log home restoration projects come in all different shapes and sizes…

…and at one time or another most log homes need some sort of restoration.

In the course of our log restoration work in Minnesota and Wisconsin, we see many different types of log homes. I find it interesting to think about all the different types of homes and cabins that we call “log”:

From handcrafted and scribed massive white pine structures to those with 6″ log siding

log home repair

Large timbers

log home with log siding

Log home with log siding



 


 

 

From vertical log cabins at rural lake resorts to historic hand-hewn structures in the barren plains on Minnesota

vertical log home

Log home using vertical logs

Hand-hewn log home

Hand-hewn log home

 

 


 

 

 

From tiny log outhouses to 5000 sq. ft. log lodges

log home with large overhang

Notice the large overhang - a good thing

 


 

 

 

 

 

Log homes and the need for log home restoration can happen in all of these types of log homes. Click here for more photos of rot in log homes and cabins.

Contact us:  Log home restoration and repair is all we do, and all we have done for over 30 years!  Find us on the web at www.restorelogs.com or call us at 877-378-4403.

Let us take the worry out of restoring your log home or cabin.

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Posted in Log Home Restoration |
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Log bridges for sale

Hot off the press… Edmunds and Company goes into the log bridge building business!

log bridge

Anna and Reed Edmunds at work on the bridge.

Due to the lack of snow this winter, the Edmunds family decided to complete a fun family project during the Christmas break. We built a log bridge on our property.

log bridge

Freshly groomed after 14'" of snow on March 2, 2012

We had so much fun we decided to market them. This one is 30 feet long and six feet wide. The bridge is made with sustainably harvested, rot-resistant Western cedar logs and struts, local Tamarack railings, and a pine deck.

In our business of restoring log homes, the materials to build these bridges is readily available to us. The beauty of the design and construction is that we can build one almost anywhere.

log bridge

Picture this bridge on your property. Would sell for $4,000, installed within 100 miles of Washburn WI.

Look for more in the coming months about options and pricing. If you, or someone you know, wants a walking, Nordic, or an ATV bridge, contact us at 877-378-4403 or email us at info@restorelogs.com.

If you would like to learn more about our company and the work we do, see us on www.restorelogs.com.

Interested in a log bridge? Call us at 877-378-4403 or email us at info@restorelogs.com.

 

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Posted in General, Log Home Repair, Log Home Restoration |
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Introducing Spring 2012 Log Blog Article Series

Written by Matt Edmunds and Blaise Sopiwnik

I have spent many days, from childhood until now, in the dark, less-than- pristine underbellies of the old log buildings we restore. During these hours, I have often wondered what might have caused the builders of long ago to construct this particular log building. Who were the builders? Why this style? Why this place?

Whole log home

An example of a whole log home with scribed corners

In restoring and repairing log homes, I am interested in understanding what might have influenced people to build a certain structure, with a particular technique, in that particular spot. Sometimes this holds the key to figuring out how we will fix a given problem within a building. Sometimes we just find interest in pondering the building and the family folklore it holds.

In an upcoming series of blog postings, we will explore the different types of log homes and the histories they each hold here in the Midwest. We hope that the reader will come away not only with an understanding of the nuts and bolts of how these log homes were constructed, but begin to wonder why they were built. I have always wanted to describe the different types of log homes as a way to help log homeowners better understand and maintain their cabins and homes.

So here we go. Over the next two or three months, we will post a series of blog articles exploring different types of log home construction. We hope you find this informative and interesting.

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Posted in Common Problems, Log Home Maintenance |
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Log home maintenance: Porcupines are chewing on my log home…

damage from porcupineLog home maintenance problems can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes but here is one that we hear about at least once every summer – porcupines chewing on the logs. In fact, three times over the last two months we have fielded calls from log home owners that have had this issue. This photo is a good example of the damage they can cause.

We asked Scott Cravin (Extension Wildlife Specialist and Professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison) for an explanation. Here is what he said:

“Porcupines chew on all kinds of things…either to sharpen their teeth or because of some attraction in the glue, paint, sweat or whatever is on what they decide to chew on.

damage from porcupineSiding is usually attacked because of the bonding glue in plywood. Logs, as such, should not be much of an attraction unless whatever stain or preservative that is on them is attractive.

So….what to do? Corners and edges can be ‘armor-plated’ with angles of sheet metal, dry wall corners, hardware cloth, etc. but that may be unattractive. Repellents based on capsaicin (hot sauce is the active ingredient), thiram (a fungicide), or other mammal repellents could be applied. Even a small mesh bag of moth flakes/balls (napthalene) placed near damage may help. And there’s always the more direct approach of eliminating the offending animal. Good luck.” Scott Cravin

damage from porcupineIf your home is under attack by porcupines, you may want to consider following Scott’s advice, at least in the short run. If a porkie is gnawing off the finish on the logs, it is a good idea to take some measures to prevent it from continuing. At that point you will re-apply a good finish on your logs home.  To do this you will need to sand down the logs and reapply the stain.

RELATED LINKS AND TIPS FOR LOG HOME MAINTENANCE:

Finishing log homes
Blasting log homes
A refinishing job we did in Gordon, WI

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Posted in Blasting Log Homes, Common Problems, Log Home Maintenance |
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Log home maintenance tips for new homes – Cleaning exterior logs with bleach

Log home maintenance includes all sorts of aspects for insuring that your log home stays “healthy”.  It is important to start out the life of a log home the right way.  In the course of working with new log homeowners on getting their log homes refinished and stained, I have run into some consistent confusion when it comes to the use of chlorine bleach and preserving log homes.

Before finishing new log homes for the first time, some builders and homeowners are using a highly concentrated mix of chlorine bleach and water (more than 8oz. of bleach per gallon). This solution is used to remove discoloration or molds left from the time that the building was under construction or from when the logs sat out in the elements. The problem with this method is that it can leave a residue and impregnate the logs with bleach and moisture, especially if a power washer is used. If this residue is left and it is not rinsed completely away, the results can be a failing finish in less than a year.

blasting log homeMost of finish companies do not want this highly concentrated chlorine bleach mixture applied to the logs prior to the application of their stains. In my opinion, one should first should try dry methods of cleaning the logs such as corn or glass blasting and if that doesn’t take care of the discoloration, then try oxygen bleach. Finally as a last resort – chlorine bleaching may be used.

Note: Applying a neutralizer or oxygen bleach after chlorine bleach before staining can be an effective way to get rid of residue and help ensure that no interactions occur.  With any of the “wet” methods of cleaning logs, a moisture meter needs to be used to make sure that the moisture content is at or below the recommended levels for the finish being applied.

RELATED LINKS AND MORE TIPS ON LOG HOME MAINTENANCE:

Log Home Maintenance

Dry Method Blasting

Oxygen Bleaching

Problems with Powerwashing

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Posted in Blasting Log Homes, Log Home Maintenance, Refinishing Log Homes |
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Log home maintenance you can do yourself – caulking cracks in your logs

Log home maintenance issues sometimes need to be resolved by experts. That is where we come in. But there are also things that the homeowners can do to insure that their logs stay “healthy”.

Up-facing check in log

Classic example of up-facing checks needing caulking.

Logs naturally do develop some cracks or checks. As wood dries, the difference in surface tension and moisture gradients between the inner and the outer parts of the logs cause checks. This is  part of the charm of the log home.

These cracks can face up or down, depending on where they are on a log. Logs with cracks that face upward can be susceptible to rot because they allow the water to travel deep into the logs, where rot starts. The more exterior areas of logs can usually dry out after a rain because of the wind and sun, but the more interior areas can remain wet longer. When this happens, they can reach the right moisture point that allows rot fungi to grow.

Here are the three criteria we generally use when determining if it is necessary to caulk checks on log homes:

  • Face upward
  • Are more than a ¼” in width at the surface of the log
  • Are in a vulnerable place in the wall  (i.e. the bottom courses of a log wall near the ground, an area that gets a significant amount of water splashing up from the ground

If all these criteria are met then the check needs to be filled.

Proper log home maintenance is your best insurance against needing more costly repairs down the road.

Related links:

Log home maintenance
Chinking and caulking
Log rot

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Posted in Log Home Maintenance, Log Homes and Rot |
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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…)

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Posted in Insects and Log Homes/Cabins, Log Home Maintenance, Log Home Repair |
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Log home refinishing: How to choose a stain – oil based vs. next generation latex stains

Log home refinishing has changed over the years because of the changes in the products used. We get asked at least a few times a month about the advantages of oil based vs. latex based stains on log homes. This seems to be the “age old debate” in the log home community.  In brief, we recommend the latex based stains when finishing your log home and here is why.

About ten years ago, the EPA made a set of rules that are effectively going to make oil stain a thing of the past. The rules have been phased in. The companies that make log home stain have been putting all their research and development efforts into the “next generation” latex stains. These are stains that contain latex based pigments.

build up of stain

Notice the contrast between the darkened logs and the crowns that had already been blasted to remove the built up finish.

The oil based stains are still around mainly because they continue to sell and many people still swear by them. The reality is that the stain companies will have to change them significantly to comply with current environmental law. Another drawback of the oil-based stains is that some oil stains have a problem with “buildup”. These film-building stains can build up to the point that they can cause problems with rotting logs.

The new latex stains are lasting longer and longer and they lack the buildup problems that oils have. These are two reasons why the scales have tipped for us to the side of the latex based stains. There is still no magic bullet for semi-transparent stains.  The reality is that you need to keep up with a re-coat schedule on your house.  It is our opinion that when it comes to log home refinishing… we recommend using latex stains.

Related links:

More on film building stains
Cob, sand or glass blasting
Replacing rotten logs
Selecting a finish

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Posted in Blasting Log Homes, Log Home Maintenance, Refinishing Log Homes |
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Log home repair can be a major undertaking… so keep up with doing the routine maintenance and avoid costly repairs.

Log home repair in even newer log homes is more and more common. It is very important to keep up with the maintenance of your log home so that you do not need to do expensive repairs down the road.

rotten crowns before repairIn this situation, there were large checks (cracks) in the ends of the logs. Water got in and rot followed. Checks on the up-facing side of a log can be particularly problematic. Had the checks been caulked when they first got big enough (wider than ¼”), this customer may have been able to avoid needing log home repair vs. maintenance.

rotten crowns after repairOne thing we do quite a bit of in these situations is replacing the crowns. Click here to learn more about replacing crowns.

Below are more links about ways you can avoid repairs on your log home by staying up to date on the routine maintenance.

Give your log home a checkup
Chinking and caulking
Why do logs rot?

If you are in need of log repairs check out these links:

Finishing log homes
Sand, cob, or glass blasting
Cleaning the exterior logs

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Posted in Log Home Maintenance, Log Home Repair |
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Log Home Maintenance: What to do about logs that continue to seep out sap or pitch

Log home maintenance has some unique aspects to it compared to maintenance on other types of houses. One unique problem that log homes present is when the sap or pitch from the logs seeps out to the point where it is visible and unsightly.

We received the following question from our blog regarding this common problem with log home maintenance.

Question: Pitch or sap is leaking out from my logs.  I want to know if there is anything that can be done to keep this from happening.

Answer: We have seen a number of log-sided and full log homes that have real problems with pitch seeping out of the logs. Most are homes built within the past 20 years and all are made of some species of pine, be it eastern, white or Norway pine.  Most of the time pitch does stop coming out after about five years.  Often in these cases, the logs need to be blasted to remove the pitch and then the logs need to be re-stained.

In extreme cases, pitch can continue to seep out for many years. It is my opinion that this is happening because the stain on the logs is acting as a blocker and once the stain begins to get older, it starts to fail and break down and this “blocking” effect goes away.  When this happens, the sap is allowed to flow again. Here is an article entitled: “Effective Management of Resin Exudation from Eastern White and Red Pine” done by the University of Maine. Just in case you want more information on this and what resin blockers might be able to do, click here for a PDF of this study.

For more information on other log home maintenance issues, check out some links to our website:

Cracks or checks in logs
Epoxy not recommended for filling cracks
Frequently asked questions

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Posted in Log Home Maintenance, Questions and Answers, Refinishing Log Homes |
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