Caulking, Chinking, Seal
With utility costs soaring, it is very important to maintain tight seals in between logs and around windows and doors. Log homes are the toughest structures to keep sealed properly. This is just the nature of the beast. Logs move. Logs shrink as the moisture leaves them and they crack or check. Logs lose size and dimension both longitudinally and lattitudinally. They are constantly moving and changing. They breathe. The logs take on moisture and then release it again. That is why it is so important that the stain applied to them breathes. Most sealants, caulk and chinking, will not tolerate this amount of movement by the logs.
We use Sashco sealants at Top-Coat. We feel from experience that they are the best available. They have excellent adhesion and flexibility, along with limited lifetime manufacturer’s warranties. We have not only field tested these products for year’s and feel them to be the best, but have visited Sashco’s facilities in Colorado, and have been impressed with their dedication to continual improvements and testing.
Here again is an area where wood preparation is essential to the success of a product. No caulk or chinking, no matter how good, will work properly if the surface isn’t sound, meaning clean and dry, without damaged wood cells. A few stains/sealers, especially those high in wax content or non-drying oils, may interfere with caulk/chinking adhesion. This is a case where no caulk or chinking will adhere properly.
Caulking and chinking must be maintained on a regular basis. Since logs are always moving, changing, checks or cracks are opening up, and these need to be caulked and sealed promptly or they are an avenue for water and insects right to the middle of the log. Crowns, which are the protruding corners on many popular styles of log homes, are an especially vulnerable area, and extra attention in needed in these areas.
Chinking is a way to not only seal in between logs, but also change the whole look of a log home. There are different colors available, and a 1” to 3” band of chinking applied between logs can change the look of a log home, and add tremendous aesthetic beauty.
We at Top-Coat believe in the necessity of using a bond-breaker, namely a closed cell backer rod when we caulk and chink. Proper depth and width of the caulk or chinking is also an absolute necessity and essential to the sealants flexing and stretching and working properly without failure!
Log Home Borate Impel Rod Protection
Impel Rods are a highly concentrated solid form, water diffusible borate rod. They are ideal for both preventative treatments of high risk areas and remedial treatments in areas with existing decay. Because Impel Rods stop decay when properly used, there is no need to replace decay damaged, yet structurally sound logs! Decay prone and rot hot spot areas at greatest risk include: base logs, corner construction, exposed rafters or overhangs, and below windows, doors, and dormers.
Impel Rods depend on moisture to work. When moisture contents of wood reach levels suitable for decay attack, i.e. (around 25 percent) Impel Rods slowly dissolve and begin to diffuse throughout the moisture saturated wood. The preservative will migrate into the areas of highest moisture, which are at the highest risk from fungal decay. The diffused Impel Rod will adequately and effectively prevent the wood from rotting and decaying because it will not allow the fungus that causes rot to grow. When moisture levels drop below 25 percent, the preservative becomes dormant and provides a reserve, ready to reactivate should decay conducive conditions reoccur. We feel that Impel Rods are an essential part of the protection of your log home, and include them as part of our prevention and restoration system.
Cedar Siding Staining and Cedar Log Staining
Though we specialize in working with log structures, we also work with cedar siding as well as other wood siding. Cedar siding is also susceptible to the same issues as log, such as U.V. damage, insect and fungi and moisture problems. At Top-Coat, we take pride in being able to address any of these issues appropriately, and help our customers resolve any problems associated with their log or wood siding. We are more than happy to work directly with the general contractor or home owner concerning wood preservation issues and staining of the home as well as the caulking of your home. It is essential that a new home is stained with top quality stains so that your exterior wood is properly protected and you get good longevity out of the stain job. This will also be the foundation of all future Repair on your wood, and of course it is beneficial to keep the wood in the condition it was when the home was constructed. We can also help customers find out what is causing problem areas on a home.
We are also more than happy to help customers with the re-staining of existing cedar sided homes. With these, the home is pressure washed with a mild detergent/wood cleaner, to not only clean up the wood if needed, but also kill any mold and mildew spores that are on the surface of the wood. If this is not done, there is a very good possibility that these will grow back, under you new stain, which of course is not a good thing. At Top-Coat, we feel confident that we can help you with any needs that you may have concerning your wood sided home!
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