Log Home Journal

Knowing when to stain or seal your log home depends on many variables.  Knowing these variables depends on whether it is a new construction, or an older log home. With newly constructed log homes, staining as soon as possible after the home is finished seems logical. Some banks even require it before they will issue the final payout. However, the following points should be considered.

With few exceptions, most log home kits when delivered to the jobsite are still wet or “green” meaning they have been recently cut down and milled or hand peeled. While on the jobsite they may or may not be covered to protect them from the weather. Add to this, often times several logs are laid around the jobsite to make for easy access. They can and are walked on, left unprotected and susceptible to construction debris (dirt and mortar splatter, paint spills etc…) and ordinary weathering. Moreover, new logs have what is known in the industry as “mill glaze,” a thin film of sap that is drawn to the surface of the wood by the heat from fast turning milling knifes. As it cools, it hardens and actually forms a film creating a barrier preventing any stain from penetrating. 

This scenario is typical of the average construction jobsite. So when the logs are erected, they are wet from recently being cut down, dirty from lying around the jobsite and have a film from the mill glaze. Not what a new stain should be applied to. 

Sometimes the General Contractor, if reputable, will require the applicator (usually a painter) to power wash the logs before apply the stain. Power washing will remove the dirt, or at least most of it, but does little to remove the mill glaze unless a chemical additive is used. After the logs have been washed, they are allowed to air dry a few days or until someone blindly decides “they are probably dry,” and then a stain is usually sprayed on leaving at best a thin coat. This could be construed as hiding the problem. 

The stain is on and the home is looking pretty good. The problem is, it will not hold up for much more than a year.  The logs are still green (wet), the mill glaze is most likely still intact and if you look closely, you will probably find a footprint or two. 

The solution; Wait 

If possible, it would be much better and cheaper to wait a few months. By waiting, you are allowing several things to happen. The logs will “weather” and start to turn gray. The weathering process naturally removes the mill glaze, gives the wood time to “season” just like firewood seasons and dries out, and in turn opens up the pores of the wood.  A good indicator of how long to wait is to let the logs just begin to discolor. Waiting too long causes it’s own set of problems. When they get to this point, it is the ideal time to begin the sealing process. 

Now as with the new construction process, power washing can be used to properly prep the logs for staining. A chlorine and TSP solution can be mixed depending on the depth of cleaning that is needed. This mixture will remove any mill glaze that mat be left, dirt or other pollutants and mildew spores that you may or may not can see. You can be certain that logs that have been in these surroundings WILL have mildew! 

Now the logs will need to dry to at least an 18% moisture content or preferably lower, 12 to 15% is ideal. Remember, the dryer the logs, the more stain will be absorbed thereby providing maximum protection. There is only one way to know if the logs are dry or not. Testing with a moisture meter. This handheld device has two probes that are inserted into the wood that registers the water content. Without it there is no way to be sure whether the logs are dry or not. With moisture being one of the major reasons stains fail prematurely, the moisture meter is a very important tool. 

Now that the logs have been cleaned properly, the mill glaze removed and allowed to dry to an acceptable moisture level, a quality sealer can be applied. If either of these steps are ignored, you can not expect any stain or sealer to last any length of time. Too often we are called to a home that is only a couple of years old, but the finish is failing, black spots from mildew under the stain are showing through and the overall appearance just looks spent. This is unnecessary as well as unacceptable. Moreover it is unprofessional. 

As beautiful as a log home can be, it may take a little longer and it will cost more, but the results will be a superior finish that will far out last any quick attempt at cutting corners. We consider it well worth the extra effort.  

If you have a log home restoration question, give us a call, we love to help!