One of the best houses to own though expensive to maintain is a log home. In existence for centuries, log homes and log cabins reflect the old lifestyles of our ancestors. Today, modern touches to log homes still captivate the hearts of many. Many would go the extra mile ensuring that their dream house of a log home can be realized, and their desire to keep it strong and sturdy for years to come is so intense that they are aware of the fact that in order to achieve that regular preservation projects should be done. Every issue like rots, mildew, or insect infestation should be addressed even if it is a simple one. The smaller the problem, the better and less expensive the repairs will be. Waiting for the problem to become a major one would mean a bigger repair endeavour that will cost you more money.
There are plenty of techniques a log home owner must be aware of even when he usually hires the services of a log home restoration company. For this article, let us look into the proper ways of applying the log stain.
LOG STAINING
Staining the logs is one of the most crucial processes when it comes to log home preservation. When you apply a stain that is not of good quality and you want to do it all over again, it will be very hard to remove the stain. Here are some information on how log home restoration companies usually perform log home staining with added tips on do’s and don’ts.
1. Never assume that painting the logs is fine. You may be excited to have some parts of your log house in bright colours but this is a big no-no. The logs will not be able to breathe.
2. Most companies use latex based stains. They allow the logs to breathe which then diminishes the potential for cracks or peels. Oil based stains are also fine. But be sure that they do not have any colour content in their maintenance coats. It is noted that those with colour will make your logs look darker every time you apply. For about two or three times of application, the original colour of the logs is lost and a log darkens.
3. It is a must to apply a borate treatment first before staining. Its purpose is basically for application on bare wood. They come in three forms: powder mixed with water, a pre-mixed solution, or glycol-based solutions. The last one offers maximum protection. Glycol-based solutions penetrate to the wood best and protect the logs from rots and insects.
4. Log home stains in the market are usually semi-transparent so that the wood grain is still visible. However, the rule of thumb is the darker the stain, the more protection it gets. A latex stain of solid colour provides the physical effect of paint. It somehow looks and covers like paint but allows the logs to breathe. Aside from that, the solid colour works by holding up with the sun’s UV damage longer. Therefore, the logs can be protected better and longer from their exposure not only to the heat of the sun but other elements like wind, water, and dust.
5. Power washing the logs with some small mold, mildew, dust, or insects on the exteriors should never be considered. Remember that rots occur due to moisture. When you power wash, the water will easily penetrate into the wood fibre and will not dry appropriately. Water sipped deeply under a stain will cause black mold to grow underneath. This is why most of all the blasting techniques, corn cob blasting is recommended by most log home restoration professionals.
We have to consider things such as the height of our chair in relation to our own physical size and also in relation to our table. Our forearms should be able to rest flat on the table in front of us. An adjustable height seat is one of the most important things to consider. Also, having a foot rest can help to ease discomfort as far away as in our shoulders.