How to Pick A Good Log Home Finish and Apply it Properly

How to pick a good log home finish and apply it properly.


The Truth about Log Home Finishes

Some say you have to refinish the outside of a log home every year. Others say 3 or 4 years and a few will tell you 6 or 7 years. What really is the truth about log home finishes? There are many exterior finishes that work well with log homes and each one will last different lengths of time.
Proper application is one of the biggest factors in longevity of log home exterior finishes. Three-coat systems are better than two, and two-coat systems are better than one. The finish that I have had the best success with is the three-coat system. Some of them, when properly applied, will last up to ten years. I have one home that I helped put a finish on over 12 years ago and its still looking good. Home location also plays an important part.
So what is the secret for lasting finishes? The first and most important thing is log profile or how the log itself is manufactured. Hand scribed log homes will not last as long as milled logs. (Check your insurance companies; some will not insure a hand scribed log home.) A Swedish coped log will last much longer because it allows the water to run off the logs and not set between the logs causing damage.
The home on which the finish has lasted the longest is a Lodge Log Home with Mesmers Timber Flex. Lodge Logs also puts a saw cut in the top of the log. This allows the log to dry without cracking as much, in the top ¼ which eliminates most water penetration; which in turn, allows the finish to adhere better and stay on longer. I have applied finishes and refinished many different kinds of log homes, but Lodge Log homes have held up the best in both wet and hot climates. Finish application and log prep makes a big difference in longevity of finishes. There are, of course, many different ways to do things. Money and/or time influence these ways; however, as one person put it, “cheap is expensive because you have to come back and refinish it sooner”.
In so many cases cheap will actually cost you much more!
Log preparation is very important. Even though the logs may look clean from the factory, milling them causes a glaze to form on the surface so it keeps the stain from penetrating. When finishing two brand new homes, I compared pressure washing to sanding the logs before the finishes were applied, and with the logs that had been sanded the finish lasted much longer.
An existing log home being refinished may also need extensive cleaning. Sanding, pressure washing or corncob blasting are ways to prepare the logs for finishes. My favorite still, is sanding or lightly grinding the exterior with power grinders that have a special type of steel brush on them. (Perma-chink Co. sells them and they work well.)
Here is an example to help you appreciate my point: A person called me and said, “I just can’t keep the finish looking good on my log home and I have to apply a new coat every year”. So I went to his house to access the problem he was having and boy, was it a mess. I then asked him how he had prepared the logs when they were new. Well, He said, “they looked pretty good so I just applied the one-coat finish because it was easy and cheap. Then each year when it started looking bad I simply painted over it again”.
Looking at it closely you could see light footprints, dirt and stains where he had never cleaned it, even between the yearly coats.
Figuring up the cost for the finish that he applied for eight years, along with the labor, the CHEAP finish cost him $12,000.00 more than if he had gone with the three-coat expensive system, besides the fact that it was a small home. What is more, it needed to be completely refinished again. The moral of the story: Take the extra time to find out the best way to put the best finish on your log home!
Another person called and said, “His finish just would not stay on, and it was turning black”. Taking a look at his log home, there was black mold in some places and other places the log oil was just rolling off.
There were three underlying problems:
1. The logs were not properly prepared before the finish was applied.
2. The finish was sprayed at high pressure, which caused it to separate.
3. The finish he had bought was a bargain and did not have mildew resistant chemicals, etc.
He showed me the brochure that came with the finish, which stated how long it should last, not would last, and so forth. Reading about a product from a brochure that is written by the manufacture is usually biased just like talking to a salesperson. They are after the money! When you select products never listen to any salesperson, always check on satisfied customers and not just one or two, because they could be set up by the company as the only satisfied person that they had.
Always check with the state attorneys office and the Better Business Bureau to make sure that the company you are working with is in the Black. (See next article on selecting your log home.)
Do you know the truth about log home finishes?
By: Dan Barnett
Trails End Log Homes, Redmond, Oregon

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