Log home restoration - replacing large scribed logs

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We were called to do some work on this beautiful log home near Grand Marais, MN. There was quite a bit of rot on this gable wall facing the lake and there were a number of issues that caused the rot.

It is important to note that the ultimate goal for any log home owner is to prevent rot from taking hold in the logs. To do this, the moisture in the logs must be controlled.

In this log home, there were a number of factors that caused moisture to build up in these logs: up-facing cracks, up-pitched or level window sills, a thickly applied film-forming finish (Sikkens) and the extreme conditions presented by the northern Minnesota "lake climate". All of these factors combined to cause the rot here.

In our 30+ years of experience doing nothing but log home restoration work, we have seen many homes that have developed significant problems with rot because the logs had been treated with film-forming finishes such as Sikkens. From what we have seen, this particular type of finish forms a "film" on the logs after applying as little as two coats. This limits the logs ability to breathe naturally.

It is also important to note that a "film-forming finish" is a contributing factor and most times, is not the only cause of the rot... moisture is the cause. If a log has large, up-facing checks in it that allow moisture in and the film-forming finish traps that moisture, the conditions are ripe for rot. One adds moisture to the logs and the other traps it, which is not a good situation for a log home.

We recently discussed this problem on our log-blog. Click here to read more about "film-forming" finishes.

• Replacing half-logs
• Why do logs rot?
• Our replacement logs - dried cedar
• Why hire us?