LOG HOME MAINTENANCE CHECK LIST

Start the log home maintenance check list first by examining the south and west walls. These walls will show the most wear since these sides take the most sun shine and are the most vulnerable to the weather.

Do the same types of inspection on the rest of your home that you do on the south and west, you never know where a maintenance issue is going to get started.

Check to see if the stain is still repelling water by simply sprinkling some water on the stained surfaces. If the water beads up and runs off then the stain is fine but if the water is absorbed into the wood the stain is no longer water repellent.

You need to now apply a new coat of stain but first give the area a light power washing to remove any dust or dirt particles that might be on the logs.

You should at the same time as doing the water repellent test do the masking tape test to check to see if the stain still has good adhesion to the logs.

Take pieces of masking tape and press them firmly onto the logs and then remove them quickly. If no stain is removed the stain still has good adhesion.

If some of the stain is removed in various areas then you are looking at doing some spot sanding and touch up staining. If you are looking at a large area you are probably looking at removing all of the stain on the wall.

Also if you have small areas where the stain is peeling, blistering or flaking off you can sand those areas and then spot apply new stain. But as above if the area is too large you are better off removing all of the stain and then staining the whole wall.

Look for any color variations that there might be in the curvature of the logs. If the stain is lighter on the top of the log then on the bottom then this is a sign that the stain is starting to fail.

While you are doing the stain inspection you should also be looking for signs of mold and mildew growth. There are different types of mold to look for such as black mold, white mold and green slime mold.

These will mainly show up on the north side of your home where the sun doesn’t shine on the logs. Another area would be the bottom courses of logs by a deck area where they would get a lot of splash back of water when it rains.

You need to be also looking for signs of log rot in these same areas. Log rot has a tendency of getting started in checks (cracks in logs) and butt joints.

Log homes that have the joint areas sealed with chinking or caulking need all of the joints checked. Over time the sealants can start to tear away from the surface of the logs.

This would in turn cause a possible air and water leak to form.

You should do a log home maintenance check list inspection at least once a year. This will help you stay on top of any maintenance issues that might develop.

If you have any upward facing checks or butt joints with gaps you should be getting them sealed as soon as possible to prevent the start of any log rot.

If you have any questions concerning what to look for while doing an inspection just get it touch with us.

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