Log Home StainI can't express enough how important it is to use a high quality log home stain on the exterior and interior of your home. This thin layer of stain offers various important types of protection for any of the wood surfaces needing stained. The quality stains have UV inhibitors added, are mildew and mold resistant, and water repellent. One more important feature that a high quality stain will have is that it is breathable. The reason the stain must be breathable is to allow any moisture that might be trapped in the logs a way to escape. If the moisture cannot escape mold and mildew will start to grow under the stain. The interior stain that you use on your log home should also have the same breathable characteristic as the exterior stain. Some log home owners don't want to apply any type of a stain to the interior. This would be making a mistake which could cause you problems down the line. Believe it or not you do need to have UV protection on the interior due to the sun shining through the windows. A properly applied coat of interior stain will also make it easier to clean and dust the logs. The stain will also keep the logs from absorbing odors from cooking and other everyday household odors. If you want to leave the logs with that light natural look then just pick a light colored stain. There is a wide variety of colors and brands on the market today to choose from. Now a little advice for the log home owners who have a home that is several years old. You need to be doing an inspection of the exterior stain of your home at least once a year. I have found through the years of working on log homes that when the stain starts to fail other maintenance issues usual follow. Since this is the log home stain section I will tell you some of the major things to look for concerning stain deterioration. Usually the first signs of deterioration will start to show up on the sides of your home that receive the most sun light. These would normally be the south and west sides on most homes. Signs to look for to determine if the stain has started to fail vary from home to home. These would be discoloration, peeling, blotchy wood color and darker stain under the over hangs and porches. The north side of your home and areas that have shrubs to close to the home can also be problem areas. The north side doesn't get any sunshine and if the shrubs are to close no wind to dry the logs. This can cause mold and mildew to start growing under and on top of the stain causing it to lift off of the log. Take a good look at the top of the logs on the sides of your home that take the most sun. The top of the log is where the stain will usually start to fail first. This holds true for both oil based and water based stains. The reason the stain will fail here first is because it takes the most direct sun light. During the summer the sun is high in the sky and is shining down on the tops of the logs. If you will notice the stain on the under side of the logs is probably still in good shape because it is being shaded from the sun. You may also see this same pattern on the gable ends of your home. A lot of log homes will have a dark stain line under the eves on the gable ends. The dark area is where the logs are being protected from the sun light by the over hang. The logs below this dark area will usually have stain that is failing. Another key factor to the stain on top of the logs being in worse shape is that the top of a log acts like a shelf. Dust from the nearby road, farm fields or just the pollen floating through the air settles on top of the logs. The heat from the direct sun light will bake the dust and pollen into the stain causing it to fail. A light power washing in the spring and then again in the fall to remove the dust from the logs will help the stain last longer. I strongly recommend doing this!! To check to see if the existing stain on your home is in good enough shape to stain over try doing the masking tape test. Apply a piece of masking tape to the stain and then pull it off, if it removes quite a bit of stain then you are going to have an adhesion problem. This simple test will show you if the old stain still has good adhesion to the logs. If it still has good adhesion then you can go ahead and stain over it, but if it doesn't have good adhesion you should remove the old stain before applying a new stain. On many of the log homes that I have worked on the exterior stain was beyond the point of saving. When this happens the home owners are looking at having the old stain removed before a new stain can be applied. For removing old stain I recommend Corn Cob Blasting. For more information on this go to the CORN COB BLASTING section. There are basically two types of log home stains for use on log homes and other exterior wood structures. There are OIL BASED and WATER BASED stains to choose from. I personally use and recommend using a water based stain over an oil based stain. The stain that you use on a log home has to be a breathable product to allow any moisture in the logs a way to escape. Oil based stains tend to seal the logs. As I mentioned above if the moisture is trapped in the logs you will start to get mold and mildew growing under the stain. This will turn the logs black and eventually lift the stain off of the logs. As far as the longevity factor, from everything that I have read a water based stain lasts just as long as an oil based stain will. For more information on log home stains just give us a call at 563-419-7535 or simply fill out the PRODUCT INFORMATION FORM at the bottom of the page. If you would like a brochure on any of the products in the LOG HOME PRODUCTS section or would like a CATALOG sent to you just let us know. Be sure and check out the rest of the information pages at the bottom of this page by clicking on the link buttons. Also check out our full line of products by clicking on the LOG HOME PRODUCTS link button.
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