Maintenance on Your Log Home
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Article by: Mercedes Hayes Like every other house , Architecture exposed to the elements, Log Homes , 5 Must Haves For Setting Up A Basement Bar are neither maintenance free, nor are they absolute killers to take care of. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to state that the first couple of years demand significantly more work than your standard-issue house , The Benefits of Soft Water - Why You Need a Water Softener - unless, of course, you can afford to pay someone to do the work for you! Log preparation and the base coat of stain are critical to the long-term success of your wall , Dual Pane Window Glass Repair protection. But once the initial work is done, the maintenance becomes routine, and I would venture to guess log homes , Choose Your Own Sauna Design are a little easier to care for than other wood , Solar Projects – Should You Do Them Yourself? houses. After all, you don't have to strip the stain off between coats. LOG PREPARATION: Most construction sites become a sea of mud in a short period of time. The soil , 5 Must Haves For Setting Up A Basement Bar has been disturbed and there's no grass , A Guide To Buying A Down Comforter to hold the dirt together (or absorb the rain). You'll discover that the first few log courses are absolutely pristine, but the higher the walls , Dual Pane Window Glass Repair become, the more the logs get dropped, smudged, or even used as stepping stones , Twenty-First-Century Barn Raising to dryer places , Marble Repair (like the port-a-potty). Once the house , Consider Painting Contractors for Your Next Project is up, the logs will have to be washed before applying a stain... both inside , Bathroom rugs bring out the beauty and out. Doing the interior , A Quick Guide to Plastic Mailboxes cleaning in the right order didn't occur to us - especially since the logs were erected in the winter. , How to Lay Tile: A Beginner's Guide In our case, the timing was all wrong; you really want to wash the interior , Marble Repair walls before the finished floor , How To Give Your Room A Face-Lift Inexpensively! is laid, and before the basement , Consider Painting Contractors for Your Next Project insulation is installed under the floor , Architecture decking. We didn't make it, and we had to follow our wall-washing with a shop-vac to get rid of all the water. , Twenty-First-Century Barn Raising .. what a mess! It was recommended that we use a mixture of one part bleach and four parts trisodium phosphate. We scrubbed it on with a brush and rinsed it off. Some people recommend a power , Architect or Building Designer - Who Do You Choose? washer for the outside , Linoleum Flooring: The Truth about Today's Linoleum walls, but you must use great care, and apply with a fan-tip to avoid damaging the logs. The experts recommend corn , 9 Ways to find cheap home décor accessories cob-blasting, but this is an expense most of us can't afford. If you do use a power-washer, it's a good idea to follow up with a shop-vac and vacuum out the water , Architect or Building Designer - Who Do You Choose? that will pool inside , Preserve evergreen memories the checks, so that the logs don't get saturated from water , How To Give Your Room A Face-Lift Inexpensively! sitting in the cracks. Even so, it will take one or more days to dry completely, depending on the weather. , Stainless Steel Gas Grill Reviews Once the logs are dry, it is recommended that you apply a borate treatment before applying the stain. This borate is not only an insecticide, it also protects against rot. Usually this comes as a powder, and is mixed with water , Getting Rid of Runoff and sprayed on with an ordinary garden , The Art of Replacing Screens sprayer. Make sure it doesn't rain between applying the borate and the stain, or the borate will probably wash out. STAINING: All stains are not created equal. There is a big performance difference between the best and the worst, so make sure you don't try to save , Woodworking Tools - A Detailed Guide money by cutting corners on the stain - you'll pay for it later. A deck , Marble Repair sealer just won't work for logs; you should use a product , A Quick Guide to Plastic Mailboxes specially designed for log homes, , Twenty-First-Century Barn Raising and you won't find it at your local , Ceiling Fans - That Don't Require The Ceiling hardware store. For a good brand, budget around $250 per 5-gal pail. Our 2400 sq. foot house , Dual Pane Window Glass Repair took about 5 pails initially. Most stains need to be applied in two or three coats, so make sure your painter knows this when going for a quote. You will want to stain the exterior as soon as possible after the house , Careful Handling Of Non-Friable Asbestos Vinyl Floor Tile And Adhesive Mastic is erected; it's amazing how quickly the logs will turn gray under normal exposure. Afterwards, a "maintenance coat" of stain needs to be applied every 2-5 years, depending on the exposure. You usually don't have to restain the whole house , Architect or Building Designer - Who Do You Choose? at one time. You'll see the color , How to Install a Sauna Ventilation System lighten up as the stain wears thin - for lack of a better word. If you're not sure whether a new coat is required, run a hose on the wall , Protect Your Wood Flooring Investment and see if the water , Dual Pane Window Glass Repair beads up. If it does not, you're probably ready for another coat. And no, you don't have to strip off the old stain first, unless it has been neglected and shows sign of flaking and chipping. If your walls , Neighborhood Watch Programs And Increased Home Security have gone 10 years without a second coat, you may have to corn-blast and start over. In this case, consult a specialist. RAILING SYSTEM: The weak link of every log home , How to Install a Sauna Ventilation System is the railing system - especially on an exposed deck. , Downsizing Successfully Requires a Right-sized Approach The junctures between the rails and spindles need to be caulked thoroughly, and you'll see many more checks in the little railings giving the opportunity to let rain in. The railing system needs to be restained every year. Make sure you don't let any water , Designer bathroom sinks and basins drip on the railings; gutters are a must. CAULKING: It is a personal preference whether or not you caulk the exterior of your log home, , Twenty-First-Century Barn Raising but common sense would tell us that it's good policy to lock , Bathroom rugs bring out the beauty out the elements. There are caulks specifically designed for log homes , How to Combine Styles in your Decorating Scheme that remain supple and give with normal expansion & contraction. The first couple of years, it is advised to caulk any checks that appear on the upper curve of the log surface, where rain might collect. These caulks will take a stain, so they tend to blend in. After the house , The Art of Replacing Screens has reached equilibrium with its environment, , Twenty-First-Century Barn Raising the checking will cease. INSECTS: You can read more about insects in my article LOG HOMES vs. INSECTS: What to look for. For the most part, there is visual evidence of any insect problem. Make it a policy to inspect your home , The Practicalities of Walk In Bathtubs in the spring , Retractable Awnings – Several Different Shade Positions and in the fall, , Reinventing The Speaker Bracket - The Conductive Speaker Mounting System and be sure to keep your walls , The Practicalities of Walk In Bathtubs free of foliage, dead leaves, etc. Bushes should be planted a minimum of 2 feet away from the walls. , Downsizing Successfully Requires a Right-sized Approach Don't stack firewood against the wall, , Aquatic Bath Tubs - More Than Just a Dip or anything else that could provide a home , Bed Advice for New Internet Users for unwelcome critters, four-legged or six-legged ones. BOTTOM LINE: Maintenance on your log home , Installing your new bathroom tiles should be routine, and the best defense is keeping a careful eye on abnormalities. Discoloration of a corner probably means water , How To Remove Popcorn Ceiling is dripping on it. A little pile of sawdust probably means a boring insect. Holes in the log, regardless of how tiny, are a red flag. These are the kinds of things you'd look for with any house. , 9 Ways to find cheap home décor accessories And after you've had your inspection, relax on the deck , The Practicalities of Walk In Bathtubs and enjoy your home. , How To Remove Popcorn Ceiling .. you deserve it.  |
  
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