Maintaining a log home is far more crucial than owning one! A healthy home leads to a healthy life.
Have you ever wondered why your log home had started losing its lustrous appearance, the way it was when newly built? Probably that’s because you are not taking care of it.
Here are the most effective 5 log homes maintenance tips to make your home look pristine. You really don’t need a professional’s toolbox or rocket-science knowledge to protect your home from sun, insects, and rain.
Wood will only remain in its original condition when you do your best to protect it from the above elements. Then what are you waiting for? Let’s get right into it.
Things That Are Essential For Log Homes Maintenance
Don’t you think so, it’s worth spending two days a year on your house maintenance than paying for costly repairs? Yeah! It’s obviously worth it. In the long run, you’ll add value to your wooden hut.
Some of the major things you have to keep into consideration include:
Don’t you think so, it’s worth spending two days a year on your house maintenance than paying for costly repairs? Yeah! It’s obviously worth it. In the long run, you’ll add value to your wooden hut.
Some of the major things you have to keep into consideration include:
Some Important Tools You’ll Be Needing
Before you get yourself into a repair process, get these three tools in place.
Why You Need Plenty Of Time?
Well, you’ll need a whole good day for inspecting the subtle details of your log home. And make sure you are doing it uninterruptedly.
Choose a day when you have no other chore to do. There’s no rush! It’s going to affect your home in the long run.
Top 5 Log Homes Maintenance Tips –The Secret
Here we go! With completely DIY log home maintenance tips that are going to be most effective.
1. Wash Your Log Home Annually – Exterior Cleaning
The most important thing to maintain your log house is its exterior washing –once per year. It will not only improve the lifespan of logs but also maintain the applied sealants coating.
Let’s dig a little deeper!
A log home’s surface is much prone to molds, mildews, pollens, dirt, cobwebs, and even bird droppings –which tend to stick to it. These contaminants will rip the protective coating with time, decreasing the lifespan of logs.
When this happens, you’ll have to seek a professional and spend a bunch of dollars for a hefty repair. Why don’t you think to do it yourself?
All you have to do is clean your home thoroughly with abundant water at least once a year. For this, you’ll have to choose the best cleaner. We recommend Sashco CPR Log Cleaner and Brightener because it serves the purpose better.
It might seem time-consuming. But trust us! The results will be miraculous.
2. Have a Check on Intruders – Molds, Mildews, Insects
The wood eaters, some insects, and fungi are the root cause of destroying the log’s interior. If you catch them earlier before they do what they are meant to, you can wipe-out, and keep your home safe.
Have You Ever Wondered Where They Come From?
If your home is located in an area where landscaping is too close or the humidity rate is high, you’ll probably see these intruders in your log home.
The leaking gutters, downspout splashing, and log sprinklers make the log prone to insects, mildews, and molds.
What To Do Now?
Make sure you have installed the gutters properly that keeps the dirty water running down the log. Having a faulty system or no gutter can accumulate the water and give birth to these germs.
Plus, make sure you give a regular check to the greenery beside your home. At least an 18-inches area is required for giving a good breathing room.
And you know what? Termites, beetles, carpenter bees, carpenter ants, and woodlouse are the root cause!
How Would You Know These Bugs Have Attacked Your Home?
If you see some closely-spaced and irregularly-shaped holes in the wood, then these mites have started their job. Plus, small heaps of sawdust is another symptom.
Whatever it is! That doesn’t matter! The thing is, once you’ve spotted them, just do anything to kill them. But what to do? Let’s squint into it!
3. Apply Insect Repellants – Kill the Bugs Forever!
A wooden house might give you a pleasant experience, but it’s actually not that easy to handle. You have to take proper care of it because the wood summons some dangerous bugs.
On the extreme, these bugs can scratch the exterior and eat the wood from the interior. The ultimate result is the decreased life span of your log home.
What’s The Catch?
Apply the thick coating of the best insect repellant all over the house –at least once a year. It’s as simple as applying the CPR Log Cleaner.
You just have to mix it in water and spray it on the exterior by using a garden sprayer. However, if the log’s condition is worst, you’ll have to look for a licensed exterminator for effective treatment.
4. Don’t Forget To Seal The Cracks – Caulking And Chinking
Have you ever noticed any scrapings coming out of your log’s junctions? These are called ‘checks’ that may occur throughout the log walls over time.
Annoying! Isn’t it? Yes, it’s a lot annoying because it will make your home look less pristine. Despite decreasing the appealing looks of your home, these checks have to do nothing to the interior.
They are harmless! Unless they are large enough that to cause ‘splits’ in the wood. Here’s the time when you really need to take a serious step.
During the log home construction, the stuff called ‘Chinking or Caulking’ is usually used to seal the logs’ gaps. When you are not adequately taking care of it, this material will start loosening or peeling off with time.
These cracks can decrease your log home’s efficiency and cause water to accumulate in it. Water, when it gets into them, starts weakening the wood internally.
How To Fix It?
There’s absolutely no need for any professional if the cracks and gaps are small; you can do it yourself. First, clean the area thoroughly and eradicate the peeling. Now you have to reapply the Caulking mixture.
Installing a backer rod will provide better adhesion and better stick to chinking. So that’s the secret!
However, if the cracks are going beyond your understanding, becoming bigger with time, then it’s time to seek professional services, urgently.
5. Re-Staining The Whole House –Final Remodeling
Your house needs to be stained to maintain its aesthetic look and its protection from various elements. Like all the other four factors –re-staining is also important, and the last thing you have to do every year.
Before you get yourself into another re-stain process, make sure you clean the previous one –by the process called sanding.
Sanding eliminates all slack wood fibers and debris that is still retained on the log’s surface. By sanding log homes, you provide better adhesion to the staining material.
It removes the previous finishing from the log and makes room for the fresh one. It’s although time taking but still an effective way to improve your home’s lifespan.
Why Is Re-Staining So Important?
You might be wondering that re-staining your home every year is a wastage of time and money? But have you ever thought about how important it is?
Well! If not, then it’s time to know its importance.
Despite your home’s aesthetic looks, staining prevents the wood from deteriorating. It’s the primary defense against potentially damaging agents –UV, heat, and water.
We usually recommend to re-stain your wooden home at least once a year or after every two years. That’s the final step to the maintenance.
Moreover, if the previous stain is wholly damaged or peeled, it’s better to hand it over in the professional’s hand. It’s time for complete re-staining.
What’s The Best Stain For Your Log Home?
We highly recommend Sasho Transformation Log and Timber Stain for your log house because of its premium quality and ever-lasting durability.
Plus, it comes in a variety of colors, from natural grey to dark brown hue. Astonishing! Isn’t it?
Proper Ventilation Leads To A Healthy Environment!
You wash your home to keep it clean, seal the cracks to make it last longer, and re-stain it to look aesthetic. Isn’t it?
Have you ever wondered what happens when there’s no proper ventilation in your home? No ventilation means no air, increased pressure, accumulated dust, and many more.
Especially in wooden homes, the pressure inside is slightly higher than outside due to moisture or heat. It starts moving towards gap junctions, around the windows, and every possible hole –causing unbearable marks.
Proper ventilation leads to a healthy environment. That’s the truth.
No matter if you have simple heating, exhaust fan, or AC unit as your ventilation system, the thing that matters is how you maintain your ventilation system.
Make sure there’s no accumulated dirt and debris on the fan blades or grill. It will affect the efficiency of the ventilating system and overall costing you a lot more dollars.
Just like you clean your home, make sure the ventilating systems are getting the same attention.
Is It Difficult to Maintain A Log Home?
Some people think that maintaining a log home requires spending many dollars or seeking a professional for this job.
They never think that they can do this job perfectly on their own too.
Maintaining a wooden home isn’t difficult at all; that’s all the matter of your thought. But we must say, it’s quite different than other typical houses.
By following all the tips mentioned above, you’ll realize how simple it was.
Conclusion
Summing up! If you really want your log home to look as astonishing as it was, then do follow these 5 log homes maintenance tips to get the best bang for your buck.
Starting from killing the bugs, fixing the seams, filling the cracks to wash and re-stain it, finally, you can increase the lifespan of your precious home.
After reading this detailed review, you’ll find out that maintaining the log house isn’t rocket science anymore. And you don’t really have to pay a hefty amount for its repair – because you can do it yourself now!
Out of your monotonous routine, you should at least take out a whole good day to spend on your home every year.
