Perma-Chink Systems have the best stains for log and timber homes. While we tend to call our stains "finishes," most consumers are used to the phrasing of "wood stain." Why the difference? The quick answer is that stains permeate the wood, while finishes form a film over the surface, protecting the wood. If you want to know more about the difference, our tips below can answer your questions.

The Tech Tips are grouped below by how our system works. Like most things in life, success is determined by a strong foundation. So the first section contains information on getting your log or timber home ready for the finish of your choosing. Following the surface prep section, we've consolidated information about our finishes for both exterior and interior. The final section is dedicated to known issues with log and timber homes that all homeowners have to deal with, regardless of which finish they choose.

Wood Finishes Application Guide

Tips For Surface Prepping, Cleaning, & Washing

TECH TIP	PDF	TECH TIP	PDF
Buying the System		Avoiding Metallic Contamination
About Sealers, Stains, and Topcoats		The Use of Steel Wool or Wire Brush
Application Temperatures		Calculating Square Footage
About Osborn Brushes		About Linseed Oil
Sanding Tips		Coating Shakes & Shingles
Cleaning Guidelines		Hot Weather Applications
About Spot Cleaning & Stripping		How to Clean Bare Wood Surfaces Using Wood Renew & Log Wash
Media Blasting Versus Chemical Stripping		About Pressure Washing
Washing Media Blasted Surfaces		About Pressure Washers
How to Remove Existing Finishes		The Dynamics of Weathering
Freeze-Thaw Stability		Why Log Homes Need a Pigmented Finish

Tech Tips About Stains & Finishes

TECH TIP	PDF	TECH TIP	PDF
What is a Breathable Finish		About Back-Brushing
Maintenance Coats of Finishes		About Using Quality Brushes
Peeling Issues on Logs & Siding		How to Repair Peeled Spots
Removing Dried Finishes, Sealants, Borates, and Cleaners From Surfaces		About VOCs
Mixing & Boxing Stains & Topcoats		About Log End Seal
Oil Based Stains Versus Lifeline Water Based Stains		Sealing Grayed Wood
Penetration of Film Forming Stains		Beading Water
About Handrails

Tech Tips For Exterior Finishes

TECH TIP	PDF	TECH TIP	PDF
How to Apply Lifeline Exterior		Applying Lifeline Over Oil-Based Stains
How to Use Defense Products - Log & Timber/Deck		About VOCs
Applying Lifeline Over Existing Stains		About UV Boost
About Clear Exterior Finishes		Stain and Topcoat Additives to Lifeline Finishes
About Prelude Clear Primer		Sealing Log Siding
The Role of Advance Exterior Topcoat		Mixing Advance Satin
Coating Shakes & Shingles

Tech Tips For Interior Finishes

TECH TIP	PDF	TECH TIP	PDF
How to Apply Lifeline Interior		Applying Sure Shine
Interior Color Coats & Topcoats		Finishing Floors

Tech Tips For Moisture, Mold, & Wood Issues

TECH TIP	PDF	TECH TIP	PDF
What is Mill Glaze?		About Water Stains
About pH		About Moisture Content
About Moisture Meters		About Mold & Mildew
About Resin Bleed		Preventing Mold Growth

Perma-Chink Systems has a full line of wood cleaners designed to clean, restore, and prepare your home for maintenance. We cover the basic cleaning, as well as how to handle known wood issues like resin bleed.

Tech Tip	PDF	Tech Tip	PDF
How to Clean Bare Wood Surfaces Using Wood Renew & Log Wash		Consequences of Using Chlorine Bleach
About Cedar Wash		About Oxcon and Oxalic Acid
Cleaning Guidelines		Freeze-Thaw Stability
Washing Media Blasted Surfaces		About Spot Cleaning & Stripping
Washing & Staining After Borate Treatments		About Linseed Oil
Removing Dried Finishes, Sealants, Borates, and Cleaners From Surfaces		About Resin Bleed
The Use of Steel Wool or Wire Brush		About Mold & Mildew
Preventing Mold Growth		About Water Stains

Most people are accustomed to spring cleaning, but if you are a home owner, you know that your house needs attention year-round. Fall maintenance is much like spring house-cleaning, but more preventative and less “cleaning.” And it’s much easier to do it now rather than wait until the weather turns nasty.

Have you noticed your heating bill increasing year after year? It could be that your home has cracks that let heat escape, costing you money. Seal up cracks and seams before the weather turns cold and it’s too late to do anything about it.

Specifically designed for milled and scribed log homes, Energy Seal is a revolutionary product offering superior binders that effectively seal all interior and exterior gaps and cracks.

Energy Seal is a 100% acrylic polymer sealant formulated to provide a long-lasting and resilient barrier for any chinkless log home. Since logs constantly twist, turn, swell, and shrink during the life of a log home, annoying gaps can appear. These gaps promote the retention of moisture, which can lead to log decay and damage, as well as seepage of air and water.

What to do if your log home was flooded? 

Log homes are actually more durable than traditional homes, and are more likely to survive natural disasters, including flooding. The clean-up and repair of a log home after flooding is also much easier; follow these steps...

All About Linseed Oil - And Why It's No Good For Wood

We occasionally get calls about the exterior of a home that has turned black.

Almost without fail it's the result of using an oil-based stain that contained linseed oil.

Linseed oil is a yellowish oil derived from the dried seeds of flax plants, and is also known as flax seed oil. Linseed oil is used as a carrier in many brands of oil-based paints and stains. Since linseed oil is organic, many varieties of mold fungi thrive on it. Over time mold can proliferate to point where the coated surface can turn dark brown to black. One way to tell if the darkening is due to mold rather than UV damage is inspecting areas protected from direct sunlight like under eaves and overhangs; it will be the same dark color as the rest of the wall.

Dear Mr. Kennedy and Perma-Chink:

My log home has just been restored beautifully by Mark Hoge (www.cascaderestores.com) in Oregon.  A rough start because of a short working season wound up to be a wonderful experience.  Once the job was started, they stayed with it until it was finished.  His men were extremely nice and polite and worked tirelessly to get me the best job possible. 

This is my second experience with Perma-Chink and the contractor who built the home in 1988, Dan Nicklason of Bet'r Bilt is still recommending your products.  In 2007, I had a local painter use the corn-cob method and I was pleased with that except my home was in such bad shape, we kept running out of the corn cob.  Anyway, I was pleased then as I am pleased this time.  I feel that Mark knows what he's doing and was very patient in answering my questions.  I would say he is a master at staining.  I am grateful and appreciate Mark and Mr. Kennedy who gave me the names of the people who could help me with Perma-Chink. 

Thank you, most sincerely,

Mary Lynn (Satterla)

Umpqua, Oregon

Although there is some controversy regarding its cause, the most commonly held theory about the formation of mill glaze is that it is created on logs, siding and trim by heat and mechanical compression generated during a high speed milling process. The combination of compressed wood fibers and high temperatures that melt the sugars, cellulose, and other water-soluble extractives present in the wood end up forming a surface glaze.

In today's economy energy efficiency is a subject that most people are aware of including log home owners and those people contemplating the purchase of a log home. With this in mind we occasionally get asked about the R-value of our chinking and/or backing materials since many people assume that they provide some insulation value to the exterior walls. In point of fact, neither the Perma-Chink nor the backing material contributes any significant insulation value to a wall. What they do is eliminate outside air infiltration into the home. This has a much greater impact on the overall energy efficiency of a home than adding a minor amount of insulation to a wall.