Maintenance Program - Log Home Care
Regular maintenance is necessary for your log home to look as beautiful as the day you fell in love with it. Lack of knowledge, of proper log home maintenance, is one of the leading causes for structural damage. Using the tips on this page, will better help you understand how to maintain your home and how to identify potential problems before they begin.
Routine maintenance can mean the difference between a few dollars and an expensive problem. Many of these problems are preventable. One thing you can do is to get into a routine of inspecting your home. Begin by taking a walk around your home. Here’s what to look for.
Inspect your home for any failures with chinking due to wood shrinkage. Understand that wood shrinkage and the resulting settlement and movement are not problems but characteristics of working with a natural material.
Also pay attention to the appearance of the stain. What you will be looking for are signs of any peeling, flaking or discoloration. This will typically be found on your south & west sides of the house due to the sun.
✅ Look for possible causes for mold/mildew
✅ Wash logs
✅ Check stain
✅ Check chinking
✅ Check for insect damage
✅ Clean & check gutters
✅ Weather stripping
✅ Make sure there are proper over hangs on all log walls
- Sprinklers that are continually wetting your logs.
- Gutters that are leaking
- Spigots that spray logs when hose is in use.
- Shrubs that are planted too close to home.
- Wash your logs with a log cleaner and powerwasher. This will brighten logs and bring out their natural beauty again and will also allow you to see any problem areas that need to be resealed or re-stained.
- This will be the first step when preparing logs for staining.
Note: it is important to stain logs within 48 hrs after logs have been washed.
- If your log’s stain is only peeling in a few places, it is possible for you to do a spot touch up. This can be done by the homeowner when and where needed. Be sure to clean your logs before applying a new coat of compatible stain.
- When chinking separates from the logs of your home, it is time for repair. There are a wide variety of chinking products available for the confident do-it-yourselfer, but consulting a log home professional may be the most comfortable recommendation for most homeowners.
- If left unattended, the cracks/crevices will become an inviting place for bugs, mold & mildew. It may also be a place for water to seep in causing rot.
- Install gutters, downspouts and generous flashings (where appropriate) to direct moisture away from the wood.
- Insure that proper coverings are installed. (Overhangs eaves, gables, porches, etc.)
- Insect damage is often easy for a homeowner to spot himself. If you notice mounds of wood shavings that look like sawdust, you will know there are wood boring/digesting insects at work on your home.
- Use a borate based product to fight insect damage. Borate preserves against wood-ingesting insects and rot. Plus, it is environmentally friendly, safe for people, pets and plants and has no glycols. Borate is EPA registered.
- Be sure to stack firewood away from your home. Do not invite unwanted guests.
- Keep plants a minimum of 18” away from your wood. This goes for mulch and other organic ground cover, which can be a breeding ground for insects.
Maintenance or Restoration
Regular maintenance is necessary for your log home to look as beautiful as the day you fell in love with it. Lack of knowledge, of proper log home maintenance, is one of the leading causes for structural damage. Using the tips on this page, will better help you understand how to maintain your home and how to identify potential problems before they begin.
Using a scheduled annual maintenance inspection, as well as the tips here on our page, will help you protect your log home from all types of damage and potential problems. If damage is pre-existing, calling in a log home professional to assist with repairs or replacement of damaged logs is what will be needed. A skilled craftsman will be able to help with almost any type of damage your log home may have suffered.
What We Can Do To Help
- Begin with a knowledgeable plan and let us help you put your log home regimen in place. Schedule an annual checkup. As log home professionals, we know what problems to look for and where to look for them. Log home inspections are necessary and can save you time as well as costly repairs. This should be thought of as a preventative or “safety” measure.
- Repair of chinking
- Repair of stain
- Repair or replacement of damaged logs
- Addition of overhangs. Using large eave overhangs will help protect your home from the elements. (A General rule of thumb is 1 foot overhang for every 8 foot of log wall.
- Addition of covered porches. Adding covered porches will help protect the wood from moisture and sun damage.
Maintenance Program Service Schedule – Our basic Maintenance Program will mean a yearly inspection of your home. A comprehensive inspection will include the inspection of your home by our log home professional, an annual wash with log cleaner, a consultation with the homeowner and recommendation for any restoration or repairs needed. Your annual maintenance fee will be applied to any restoration project you schedule with us. We hope to bring assurance & peace of mind that your investment is protected.
