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Log Home SealantsThere are basically only two types of log home sealants to use on a log home. On a log home that doesn't have chink joints you will be using caulking to seal any areas where there might be a chance for an air leak. This is normally just around the windows and doors. Other log homes that have chink joints require the joints sealed with chinking and then use caulking for the sealant around the windows and doors. I will talk about chinking later. Lets talk about using caulking first as a log home sealant. Some log home manufacturers require a bead of sealant applied between the logs as they are being stacked. Others require the horizontal joint on the exterior to be sealed with a caulking over the joint. Both types of application are meant to stop air and water from infiltrating your home. Based on what I have seen from working on numerous log homes the exterior application of the sealant does a better job. The problem I see with the bead being applied between the logs is that the caulking is smashed flat. I know you say that this is what is suppose to happen to secure a tight seal. The problem is that there isn't enough caulking material left in the joint to allow for the expansion and contraction of the logs. Your log home is always moving due to the changes in the temperature and weather conditions. There has to be enough log home sealant material between the joints to allow for this movement without it tearing. Another key factor is that the logs are drying out and as they dry they will shrink both in diameter and in length. If the sealant bead between the logs was smashed flat then it doesn't have enough material to allow for the logs shrinking and will tear. My opinion is that log homes that have the horizontal joints sealed with caulking on the exterior properly will have less of a chance of developing air leaks. The best option would be to seal the logs with both types of application to prevent air leaks. There are alot of log homes on the market where the logs have a tongue and groove system to prevent air leaks. These systems sometimes will also use a a foam tape to help in sealing the joints. This is a good idea but it doesn't always work out as good as it should. This is another case where with the logs drying out they are shrinking and getting smaller at the same time. When doing inspections on log homes that use this tongue and groove style I see alot of possible air leaks in the joints. I have my own rule, if the tongue is exposed in the joint then this is a possible air leak. I think that if you can see the tongue then this is telling me that the groove is not sitting down tight onto the tongue. This tells me that the seal has been broken. The foam tape is suppose to take care of this problem by expanding and sealing the void. After months or possibly years of being smashed down I don't think that that foam tape is going expand. I can tell you for a fact that I have seen it plenty of times where it has not expanded. In theory this is a good idea but it doesn't always work. As I said I have seen this plenty of times on log homes that I am doing maintenance work on. I suggest to the home owners that sealing the joints with a log home sealant would take care of this problem. In the long run it will save them money on heating and cooling not to mention possilbly keeping out some bugs. The exterior sealant method over the joint which I prefer can be done to a new log home under construction or to an existing log home. You just have to make sure that the log home sealant material is compatible with the stain you have on your home. Now lets talk about chinking which is a specialized log home sealant material used for sealing large joints. It is basically a caulking material but it is formulated to maintain a seal in a joint size from 1" up to 6". Like caulking it stays very flexible so that it is able to move with the logs to maintain a tight seal. Because chinking is applied to wider joints it is always applied over a backer rod. The backer rod is important in two different ways. First it supplies a firm and flat surface to apply the sealant to. Second as the chinking dries it will pull away from the rod leaving the chinking with just two points of adhesion. You only want two points of adhesion so that when the logs are moving the chinking will move with logs and not tear. If the chinking would stay attached to the rod then the chinking would tear away from the logs. Since chinking is applied to wider joints and needs to be at least 1/4" to 3/8" in depth you will need to trowel the chinking. By troweling the chinking you are smoothing it out and at the same time pushing it up against the logs. This will help in giving the chinking better adhesion to the logs and give the joint a smooth finished look. When I said above that you needed at least a 1/4" to 3/8" depth that means for the entire width of the joint. The chinking should carry onto the logs at least the same 1/4" to 3/8" to assure in maintaining a tight seal. Remember you need enough log home sealant in the joint to allow for all of the movement of the logs. If you apply the chinking to thin it will eventually tear. For the types of trowels to use I like using either plastic or a good stainless steel cake decorating spatula. The plastic ones are nice because you can cut them into different sizes and shapes if you need to. You will also need a spray bottle so that you can lightly mist the chinking with water before you trowel it. If you don't mist the chinking it will just stick to the trowel and then you will have a mess. One more tip when it comes to doing the troweling, don't apply to much pressure to the chinking. This just takes a light touch. The troweling will just take some practice. Trial and error is the best teacher sometimes. For any questions about log home sealants or if you want more information on log home sealants please fill out the Information Contact Form below.
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