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How much stain do I
need? - See
How
Much Log Stain Do I Need?
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- How often do I have to
refinish?
- As a general rule of
thumb, if the stain is applied correctly, and according to manufacturer's
recommendations, semi-transparent stains can last 3-5 years, shorter if
the house is subjected to major sun exposure, longer if the house has
large overhangs and is shaded.
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- I want a natural
finish; what do you recommend?
- It depends on the
definition of “natural”: a fresh cut color or graying out of logs. All
stains available have light colors to choose from for a fresh cut look.
What would be recommended is how “natural” the customer wants to get i.e.
a personal preference. A couple of examples are
Capture
Natural or
WeatherSeal Natural Pine.
Life Time is
available for the natural gray weathered look. It is a wood finish that
gives wood the natural gray weathered appearance.
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- Can I just use a clear
“finish”?
Clear finishes are generally not recommended for the exterior of the
house. Because there is no pigment or “suntan lotion” to protect it. The
pigment also holds longer and will not flake off in a short period of
time. Using a “clear” finish means reapplying more often (may only last 6
months to a year under full sunlight). A lighter pigmented stain is an
alternative to clear.
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- Can I mix stains?
- Stains can be mixed if
they are the same product. Mixing oil and water based stains will not
work. Mixing is not recommended because of the difficulty of duplicating
the same mixture for re-coating at a later date.
Which stains can I spray on?
- The stains available can
be sprayed as long as you use an airless sprayer (no air tank). Even the
thickest one, Weatherseal, can be sprayed by using a special nozzle. Back
brushing is important; by back brushing, you force the stain to soak into
the wood to give you a uniform finish. A garden pump sprayer can be used
with only
Log Guard,
UV Guard,
Cascade
and Life Time
(if strained first).
X-100 and
WR-5
need a brass tip, as the formulation may eat a plastic tip.
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- What do you recommend
for decks?
- See
Log Finishing Options
or the finishes chart.
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- What type of interior
stains or finishes do you have available?
- See
Log Finishing Options
or the finishes chart.
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- What do you recommend
for an exterior log stain or finish?
- All of our exterior stains
and finishes are quality products. It is important that you choose the
product that will work best for you. If you need assistance after looking
through our products (See
Log Finishing Options or the
finishes chart), give
us a call and one of our customer service representatives will help you
choose a product that is best for you.
1-800-359-6614.
- Can I use an exterior
log finish on the inside of my home?
- We do not recommend using
exterior finishes on the inside because most exterior finishes contain
biocides or insecticides that do not affect personal health when used on
the outside, but with today's tendency to have more air efficient homes
those products could affect personal health when applied to the interior
of the home.
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- Which is better, oil
based or water based finish?
- Both will work for log
homes. Sometimes it is presumed that oil base stains are better. That is
not necessarily so, if the stain is applied according to manufacturer’s
directions and a good maintenance plan is implemented. Depending on sun
exposure and humidity levels where you live, any of the stains can be
recommended. If the house has a lot of sun exposure, either
WeatherSeal
(an oil based) or a
Capture/Cascade
system (a water based) will work well. The amount of solids in a pigmented
finish provide for longer lasting UV protection. Weatherseal and Capture
have more solids in their pigments, hence providing longer protection from
UV rays. Color may also be a factor as to the choice of stain. All of the
stains have different shades of different colors. Remember that if you
have an oil base stain on the logs, in most cases you must stay with an
oil base product, unless it is removed. Check with manufacturer's
recommendation.
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- What can I use for
outdoor log furniture?
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Armada,
WR5,
or High Sierra.
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- Will
CPF/2D
or
PeneTreat
change the color of my stain?
- No, they will not.
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- What finishes do you
have for cedar or pine siding?
- All of our
stains and finishes
will work. For a natural cedar look we recommend
Woodguard Honey
or X-100 Cedar
Tone Gold.
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- Can I stain before
Caulking or Chinking?
- Yes. However, if you are
using
Armada,
WeatherSeal,
or X-100, you
should caulk first and then apply the finish or use Manus-bond caulking
after you have finished. If using any other oil based stain, let the caulk
or chink cure at least 1 week.
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- What does the
temperature need to be for staining, caulking, or chinking?
- The best average
temperature should be 45-50 degrees but check the data:tec for your
product to be sure. If it is 50 degrees for an hour or two a day in the
Fall and 30 degrees at night you probably should wait, the product won't
cure properly.
I want a stain that fights insects?
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WeatherSeal,
Woodguard,
WR5,
and X-100 have
preservatives in them that insects don't like. You can also add
CPF-2D
to other stains and finishes to help fight insects.
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Considerations When
Purchasing
A Log Home Finish
1. Are your logs green or dry? (19%
or less moisture content is considered dry.
2. Does your house have long eaves, or lots of trees protecting the
walls from the sun?
3. Is your house sitting out in the open at high altitudes with the
sun beating on it all day?
4. Is there a high amount of humidity in your area?
These are questions that should be asked of you when purchasing a finish for
your log house. All finishes are not of the same quality and there is
probably one best suited for your conditions that will last at least 3-5
years.
When purchasing a log home, most owners are aware that there will be some
maintenance, but having to redo a finish every 1-2 years is not something
anybody wants to have to do. Look for finishes that are made for the log
home. Try to find a house in your area that has the finish you are looking
at.
Beware of the 7 to 10 year warranties offered by companies. Read the fine
print on how many coats of finish you need to apply to get the 7 to 10 year
life out of a finish. Does the finish penetrate into the wood or lay on the
surface, making it susceptible to peeling and cracking?
Remember that wood was a living organism and the cells react not much
different than human skin. The finish should “breath” to prevent a build-up
of moisture under the finish. The surface needs to be protected as when you
apply a sunscreen to your skin. Sunscreens with high UV inhibitors protect
your skin better and the same is true with log stains.
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Average Life
Expectancy of Finish Types
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Clears
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6 months - 2 years.
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*Semi-transparent
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3 to 7 years.
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Solid Pigment
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5 to 9 years.
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Paint
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8+ years.
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*The Life Expectancy of Finishes is directly
proportional to the amount of direct sunlight the finish receives.
More Direct Sunlight =
a Shorter
Life Expectancy.
More Shade (less Direct Sunlight) =
a Longer
Life Expectancy. |
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Getting The Most From
Your
Log Home Finish
Longer overhang of the eaves means less
weather to the log walls and longer life for the finish.
Apply finish at temperatures in the range of 50 to 90 degrees F. Surface
temperatures below or above this range can hinder absorption and shorten the
life of the finish. Wind and direct sunlight can also dry a finish too
quickly.
Clean surface of any dirt, oil, or bark, which can reduce absorption and
shorten finish life.
A pigmented finish will normally out-perform a clear one because pigment
works as a sunscreen to keep the wood from graying.
Caulk large checks so that water is not absorbed by wood. Retained moisture
can interfere with surface-building finishes.
If logs or lumber are very shiny, a barrier such as a milling glaze could
exist, preventing absorption. Sand or pressure-wash surface before applying
finish.
If you are doing log repair and adding half-log facing or crowns, think
about using PeneTreat for spraying those new sections and notches This will
help prolong the life of these replacements. The PeneTreat can also be
applied in dry form when caulking upward facing checks.
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Clear Finishes? Know What
To Expect
By James Adkins -
Customer Service Rep.
We receive a lot of phone calls from customers across the U.S. who have
either applied a clear finish on their log home or they would like to have
one on their home. They want to keep the natural look of the logs.
Those who have already tried a clear finish are reporting they have to
keep re-applying a finish every year or two. The cost and time are
tremendous. The clear finishes offer very little protection from the sun’s
ultra-violet rays. It is like going out on a hot day with no sunscreen.
You burn from the sun and your dead skin then peels off. That is why we
use sunscreen to protect ourselves from the sun. Debarked logs are not the
natural look of logs; the bark protects them from the weather. If you ever
noticed alongside the road a tree without bark, it turns gray from the
sun, absorbs moisture from rain, and eventually the insects will infest
the wood as rot takes place, returning the wood back to Mother Nature in
the form of fertilizer.
Yes, this process may take awhile, but the starting process does not take
long at all. For example, the more the moisture, the faster the process.
Pigmented stains offer you protection from the harmful UV rays that break
down your finish. They will absorb the UV rays and deflect them. Usually
the top portion of your logs receive the most sunlight. Sun, moisture and
insects are the biggest hazards to your log home. The UV rays break down
wood fibers along with moisture, contributing mold, mildew and fungi to
breaking down wood fibers. Insects see wood as a birthing place for larvae
and a food source by drilling holes and eating wood.
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Avoid
Peeling Finishes and
Sunburned Logs
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-
 In
this photo you can see the finish has blistered, cracked, and is starting
to peel. This has happened because the finish has lost its adhesion.
(Notice the top area where the log has become sunburned and turned gray).
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- One of the factors
for peeling is the moisture content of the logs when they were coated.
If the logs were too wet ( 20% or higher). The logs will continue to dry
out and as they dry the resident moisture will move from the center of the
log outwards to the surface. The moisture will form on the surface of the
log between the finish and the wood. If the finish is very thick and
heavy, a blister will form because the moisture can't pass through the
barrier of the finish. If your logs are still quite green, we suggest that
you apply only one coat of finish. This will give the logs some protection
while still allowing the moisture to escape out through the one coat of
finish. Once the logs have dried out to 19% or less, then you can apply
the remaining coats. You can test the moisture content of your logs with a
Moisture
Meter. Also,
moisture can also occur from checks holding water. When heat from the sun
reaches and heats the log's surface, the moisture is pulled to the surface
causing a break in the wood to finish adhesion.
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- Any type of finish,
either oil or water based can peel. Remember, it is the amount of finish
build up that will provide the potential for peeling. Penetrating finishes
tend to peel less because instead of acting like a plastic coating on the
logs, they don't build up into one thick coating (less "plastic") thus,
allowing moisture to escape out through the thinner coating. They do tend
to weather away over time and will need to be recoated periodically to
maintain their protective qualities.
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- The gray, sunburned
area on the top of the log shown in the picture
is a result of prolonged, direct sunlight. This can be remedied by
extending the eaves and overhangs to allow for more protection from the
sun. Also, avoid using clear finishes because they provide less UV
protection from the sun. You could also plant shade trees to help deflect
the direct sunlight.
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- If your logs are
sunburned you can
typically get by with sanding down the sunburned areas with either a disc
or an orbital sander and then reapplying your finish. You will need to
reapply the same number of coats as the rest of the wall
to match the color of the rest of the wall. Tip When you are
reapplying the finish to match the rest of the wall it is better to apply
too much and make the sanded areas look darker then to not add enough so
they look lighter. The darker areas will tend to look natural where
lighter areas will stick out and look distinctively unnatural.
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An Inside Look A Perspective on
Varnishing Log Home Interiors
by Micheal McArthur
Coating interior log walls with a transparent varnish has numerous merits
worth considering. The psychological difference between non-coated and
varnished logs is dramatic. Varnishing the log surface will enhance the
depth of the wood grain and enliven your living space.
Leaving aside the positive aesthetic benefits, there is also a health
benefit to sealing your log walls. Wood is a porous material and as a
result, it has a tendency not to clean or dust well if left uncoated. If you
are an allergy sufferer, dust mites and other airborne particles will cause
allergic reactions. Log walls are an ideal location to accumulate and hold
these various irritants. Because of its porous nature, cleaning a bare wood
surface with a detergent solution will raise the wood grain and further
aggravate its magnetic attraction to airborne particles. By filling the wood
pores with a varnish type coating, a slicker, easier to “dust and clean”
surface is created thus making the control of microscopic allergens on your
log walls more effective.
There are primarily two types of varnishes that can be used on log walls:
solvent-based or water-based. The major advantage of a water-based varnish
over the traditional solvent-based type is its lower fumes. When working
indoors, the harsh fumes and odor of a solvent-based varnish can be quite
unpleasant, especially when good ventilation is not possible. Also, new
environmental regulations are slowly phasing most of these solvent-based
varnishes off the market. It should be noted that even water-based varnishes
do have differing degree of fumes, some having more than others. (PolySeal
water-based wood varnishes are some of the lowest in the industry).
A minimum of two and usually three coats of a water-based varnish is
required to insure an adequate seal of the wood pores. Additionally, by
applying multiple layers of finish, a thicker film is created thus
magnifying and increasing the depth and clarity of the wood grain. At the
same time, it provides a smoother surface that is easier and more durable to
clean. Water-based varnishes also dry faster so a project can be completed
in much less time. The hardness of the coating will depend on the resins
used. For maximum durability, a polyurethane resin used alone or in
combination with hard acrylic resins is your best buy. On log walls, a
flatter satin or matte finish is usually preferred in order to minimize the
glare of indoor lighting, whereas a gloss finish tends to be too reflective.
A WORD OF CAUTION... Never varnish interior log walls that still contain
excessive moisture in them, generally above 18%. The reason is that a
varnish is a clear or transparent enamel type coating that is not very
breathable, especially when two to three coats are applied. When the heat is
turned on during cold weather, the warm interior log walls draw the moisture
to their surface. If enough moisture is present in the logs, peeling of the
coating may occur and/or molds will grow BENEATH the coating causing ugly
discoloration. This can only be remedied by removal of the coating. A rule
of thumb is to wait one year and through a heating season BEFORE applying a
varnish to the interior log walls. Also, consult with the log manufacturer
for feedback on this log moisture issue.
In conclusion, varnishing your interior log walls provides great advantages
to the home dweller for reasons of appearance and cleanliness. It is an
investment well worth the cost that will be recouped many times over in the
years of comfortable living it will provide.
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Michael McArthur is manager of the Log Home Products Division of the
Continental Products Co. Continental manufactures wood coatings for the log
home industry including
AquaShield,
PolySeal, and WeatherSeal. |
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