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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…
Interior
1) Tear out everything that is obviously ruined or that will interfere with drying out the log walls. All floor coverings (you will not be able to save any wooden floor – even if it looks good now, it will warp), trim, drywall, and insulation must go. You will probably have to replace all wet cabinetry and interior doors that were stained or contained any type of composite wood. Sometimes cabinets and doors can be saved if they were initially painted or if you choose to paint them now. Cut drywall and insulation about a foot above the high water mark. Sometimes tile floors can be saved, depending on the backer used under the tile.
2) Clean – Water usually brings in a great deal of mud or other contaminates. Once areas are cleared of debris and other building components mentioned above, then pressure-wash the log walls, studs, other framing, and sub-floors. Use products like Log Wash or Wood Renew to help lift out dirt and begin to control mold and mildew. Try not to use bleach as it can change the color of wood which can cause problems later. If you MUST use bleach, use no more than a cup per gallon of water and try to keep it off of wood that did not get wet. Apply the cleaners from bottom to top and then wash the dirt down the walls, across the floor, and out the door.
3) Dry out the log and timber components left behind. De-humidifiers are best at this task along with fans. If electricity is not available, just do your best to provide some air circulation. If only one de-humidifier is available, use it in one room at a time – running constantly until the moisture content of the wood in the wettest area of the room is below at LEAST 17%. Moisture meters are available at home centers and hardware stores. If your home is on a crawl space, close all the vents, install a new vapor barrier, and install a couple of de-humidifiers. This will quickly dry the space under the home and the sub-floor. If electricity is not available, consider removing sections of the sub-floor to provide some air circulation.
4) Disinfect – As soon as the wood is dry to the touch after cleaning. Liberally spray a mold control product on everything that got wet – Concorbium is one brand name. These products are commonly available at stores like Lowe’s or Home Depot. Buy a lot and use it. I have found these products work wonders stopping mold, mildew, and the odors and stains that accompany them. You may have to re-apply if it takes a while to dry your home out due to lack of electricity or equipment.
5) Replace and Re-build – I recommend replacing all electrical outlets and switches that were under water. If in doubt about electrical components, ask an electrician. I did not replace mine initially and had trouble later. Replace all drywall, insulation trim and re-finish. If you have a lot of open interior stud walls, I recommend applying powdered borax like Armor Guard inside the stud cavities and THEN closing them up. The borate will stay there practically forever and kill ants and roaches that crawl through it and then consume it as they groom themselves. Also apply this powder on the floor just before you re-install base cabinets in kitchens and bathrooms – same purpose.
If you had wood walls that did not have a finish applied, they may discolor. The longer wood is wet, the more likely it will have discoloration. Wood Renew or other percarbonate (hydrogen peroxide) cleaners can help remove some or all of this discoloration. Wood brightener- a product containing oxalic acid like Oxcon may also work, but be careful as these products may work TOO well and change the color of the wood beyond the desired color. If you did have a finish on the wood walls and discoloration is occurring UNDER the finish, that finish must be removed by sanding or stripping to remove discoloration.
Do not attempt to replace wooden floors until HVAC has been restored as flooring must be acclimated prior to installation.
Exterior
Luckily, log walls on the exterior are very durable if they were properly finished with a quality stain. They usually dry out nicely and require only some power-washing to clean.
Use a cleaner like Log Wash to clean off dirt. Do not try to be aggressive with the power-washer, you just want to rinse the dirt off. Some of the wood trim components that were engineered – like finger-jointed trim materials – may swell and need to be replaced. Exterior doors and windows (especially wooden ones) should be carefully examined and may need to be replaced as well. Insulated metal and fiberglass doors that get wet sometimes look fine, but they can hold water inside for a long period of time and eventually deteriorate.
Be careful around and under your home. Flood waters displace a lot of critters that may take refuge around and under your home – snakes, racoons, skunks, and opossums are no fun when they are too close.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at 1800-548-3554 or by email at techservice@permachink.com. We’re open 8:00AM – 8:00PM EST, Monday thru Friday.
New Color Trends
Staining your log or timber home is a humble art and is a critical part of the sense of style and feeling of what the structure creates. Whereas paint simply transforms the color of a surface, leaving no trace of its previous character, stain is typically used to enhance the beautiful grain of wood and generate that back to earth feeling that heavy wood timbers accentuate. Semi-transparent stains from Perma-Chink Systems are designed to let the beauty of the wood shine through and provide increased protection from interior and exterior elements. But what about the colors?
Gray and Browns have been popular in recent years, and this trend is still going strong. If you’re clinging to those gray tones, you’re in luck. 2020 continues to welcome these tones with open arms.
Gray is also a neutral with a reputation for being cold, with more than 50 shades of gray. With some warm beige added you will have gorgeous and stylish color, like one on the photo above, with so many sophisticated hues.
Actually, the shift toward warmer-toned gray is going so strong, that they referred to as “greige”.
Is Greige Better Than Gray?
If you love the idea of gray but worry about the coldness of most gray colors, greige could be what you are looking for. With added beige tones you will get the elegance of gray, without the cold blue undertones. Try out our Lifeline Ultra-7 in Eucalyptus or Rustic Gray colors, they are absolutely stylish!
If you love your browns more than grays, but still want a hint of that rustic look, try two new browns from our Lifeline Ultra-2 collection. Maybe we should call them “brays”? And how do you mix browns and grays? You don’t! We made them for you! Check out the trendiest new colors in our Lifeline Ultra-7 and Lifeline Ultra-2 collection. Order your FREE color samples and try it on your wood.
“From colors to textures, we’ve got the scoop on which color trends are going strong and we would like you to know about it,” says Rich Dunstan, the president of Perma-Chink Systems. “We design eye-catching colors in many diverse tones that have the power to transform the entire ambience of your exteriors and interiors”
And the best part – you don’t have to mix anything, just pick your colors and order free samples to try it on your wood. Custom colors available upon request. Call 1-800-548-3554 or email techservice@permachink.com
Chip Wade and wife Pauli, of Wade Works Creative, are design professionals and lifestyle experts who love sharing their inspiring ideas with DIYers, pros and homeowners.
The Wades renovated the Misty Mill log home, located on Lake Sinclair, which was created in 1953 as part of the Georgia Power Company’s reservoir, with over 400 miles of scenic shoreline and just a 1 ½-hour drive from Atlanta.
The premise of Misty Mill is to spend time outdoors taking in views of the lake, without any worries of upkeep and maintenance. That’s why when Wade managed a total makeover of his own 2,400 sq. ft. lake house on Lake Sinclair in central Georgia, he wanted the best, top-of-the-line materials for his Misty Mill.
“All the content for this show house is about the best in innovative products and installations. I have personally selected the products I feel will be the best representation of this theme,” said Wade.
That’s where Perma-Chink Systems came in. After extensive research, Wade chose the premier log home care company to provide dependable, long-lasting and technically advanced products to ensure the creative design of the home meets not only Wade’s expectations, but future clients of Wade Works Creative.
In addition to selecting the best products, Wade also selected one of Perma-Chink Systems’ best Preferred Applicators, Nothing But Logs, to treat, finish and seal the log home. Located in Shady Dale, Georgia, Nothing But Logs has over 20 years of experience in maintaining, repairing and restoring log homes.
As the host of HGTV shows, Wade’s own creative stamp on the home required repairing the exterior to match his vision of the home. The exterior showed a lot of weathering and discoloration that would have to be addressed before applying the stain of choice.
Repair of the aged, grayed wood surfaces was accomplished with Wood ReNew. Being on the water, the home’s exposure to the weather gave the logs varying degrees of aging. Wood ReNew brightened up the wood, bringing back a true wood color, and was now prepared for staining.
The home was finished with two coats of Lifeline Ultra-2 Gentry Gray, and the newly constructed boathouse finished to match the home, making the new structure seem like it had been there all along. The choice of Ultra-2 provides the Wades with exceptional longevity and UV protection designed to prevent the extensive weathering damage. Add in the 5-year warranty of Ultra-2 when Lifeline Advance is applied and the Wades have a durable, cost-effective finish solution.
Along the way, the log home needed chinking repairs, completed with Perma-Chink White, the leading chinking. With repairs done in white, there was the issue of the old, gray chinking. Instead of re-chinking the entire home, the old chinking was freshened with textured Chink Paint in white, bringing a brand-new luster to the home. To improve energy efficiency, the end joints were sealed with Energy Seal Slate Gray, which matches the finish of the logs and presents a seamless joint.
After all the staining and sealing work was done, Chip selected the clear topcoat Lifeline Advance Satin to protect the logs and finish. The end result is a magazine-quality home, and we’re proud to be involved in Wade’s extensive project.
Now this inspirational lake house has all the comforts of the indoors, with exterior materials that will keep performing and protecting the home for generations to come.
You can view Chip Wade’s Misty Mill log home – including design concepts, before and after pictures – online at https://mistymill.com/.
We often get asked whether Perma-Chink’s LIFELINE™ finishes can be applied over an existing stain. Since the answer to this question is somewhat complex we’ll look at the various types of stains individually. First and foremost, for the best look and performance of a LIFELINE finish it’s always best to remove any existing old finish unless it already is a LIFELINE finish. Even then, the existing LIFELINE finish needs to be in pretty good shape before we recommend applying another coat on top of it.
That pretty well covers what should be done. However the question is “can a LIFELINE finish be applied over other brands of existing finishes?” If the existing finish is water-based and there are no signs of grayed wood and the color on all of the walls is fairly uniform the answer is typically yes with some reservations. For example, if the existing water-based finish contains wax there may be a problem with adhesion or “fish eyes” forming during application. But you have to be careful, not all water-based finishes are created equal. Water/oil emulsion stains claim to be water-based but in fact contain enough oil that adhesion may become an issue.
In general LIFELINE should never be applied over film-forming oil stains like Sikkens Cetol Log & Siding, Sashco’s Transformation, or other alkyd oil-based stains. These types of finishes should always be removed before applying LIFELINE. But what about penetrating oil stains like WOODguard, Outlast Q8 Log Oil, TWP, Olympic and others? It really depends on the individual situation. Since one-coat oil stains usually don’t last more than a couple of years, we rarely encounter a situation where the condition of the surface is good enough to apply one of our LIFELINE transparent stains without first removing the remaining stain residue. By the time someone typically decides that the existing finish is in need of repair there is usually enough grayed wood or dark mold growth present to require getting back down to a clean bare wood surface.
A more challenging question is when someone decides that he or she wants to apply LIFELINE over a penetrating oil stain that’s less than a couple of years old. The best and safest way to proceed is to remove the existing finish. Attempting to apply LIFELINE directly over an oil-based finish is risky and the last thing any of us want is for you to be disappointed with the results.
So what’s the best way to remove an existing oil finish? If at all possible, chemical stripping is the way to go. The components in most chemical finish removers like our S-100™ and StripIt® not only soften the finish but they also help remove any residual oil that may present in the top layer of wood. Media blasting on the other hand may remove the alkyd film or the oil-based pigments but does not remove any oils that may have penetrated into the wood. If LIFELINE is immediately applied to the blasted surface, there is a chance that the remaining oil residue will come to the surface creating an adhesion problem or blisters in the LIFELINE film, especially on sunny walls. A good washing with Log Wash will help remove some of these residual oils, but it’s best to give a bare blasted surface three months exposure for the oils to evaporate before cleaning with Log Wash and applying the first coat of LIFELINE finish.
Some Rules of Thumb
- If you do not know what specific finish is on your home, remove it.
- If there are black streaks, mold spots or any other discolorations that you do not want to see through the final finish, clean the surface down to bare wood and remove them.
- If there are signs of grayed wood or if the existing finish has areas that have peeled, clean the surface down to bare wood.
- Never apply a LIFELINE finish over oil-based, alkyd film forming finishes.
UV Boost™ is a concentrated water-based, liquid stain additive that contains a hindered amine light stabilizer specifically designed for wood protection.
Some regions of the country such as the southeast, southwest, and higher altitude areas are subject to high intensity sunlight. Over time, the ultraviolet light in sunlight photo-oxidizes the lignin component of wood. When added to the first coat of any of our Lifeline™ water-based stains, UV Boost interacts with the lignin thus slowing the photo-oxidative rate that results in wood darkening and eventually wood graying beneath the stain.
Application Tips
1. UV Boost is only effective when used in the first coat of stain or finish applied to bare wood. UV Boost must be in direct contact with the wood for it to work. It is not effective when added to topcoats or stains applied over an existing finish.
2. UV Boost may be used in both interior and exterior applications. When used inside it will help prevent the “picture frame” or “carpet frame” effect.
3. UV Boost is designed to be used in any Lifeline water-based stain as well as Acrylic Gloss/Satin and Sure Shine™ Gloss/Satin. It is not suitable for use in oil-based finishes or stains produced by manufacturers other than Perma-Chink Systems, Inc.
4. Lifeline Ultra-2™, Lifeline Ultra-7™, and Prelude™ are already formulated with the maximum recommended concentration of UV Boost; therefore, it is not necessary to purchase or add additional UV Boost to these products.
5. UV Boost is available in two sizes, one for the addition to one gallon containers and one for addition to five gallon containers.
Application
1. Shake container of UV Boost.
2. Add entire contents to the appropriately sized full container of stain or finish.
3. Shake or stir the container of stain or finish until the contents are thoroughly mixed.
4. Apply stain or finish according to the labeled directions.
5. Any stain containing UV Boost that is left over once the initial coat is applied may be used for subsequent coats. Just be sure to “box” the remaining stain to assure a uniform color.
Cleanup
UV Boost that has been spilled may be cleaned with soap and water.
Storage/Shelf Life
1. Keep container tightly sealed until ready for use.
2. Do not freeze.
3. UV Boost has a shelf life of three years from date of manufacturing.
Packaging
UV Boost is available in both 120 mL for adding to one gallon of stain or finish and 240 mL for adding to five gallons of stain or finish. Since the concentration of the active components differ, be sure to use the appropriate size for the amount of stain or finish you are using.
Results from panels exposed in an accelerated weathering tester for 1200 hours.
Have you ever seen the exterior of a home that has turned black? Almost without fail it’s the result of using a stain that contained linseed oil. Linseed oil is a yellowish oil derived from the dried seeds of flax plants, which is the reason it is also called flax seed oil.
Linseed oil is used as a carrier in many brands of paints and stains. Since linseed oil is organic, many varieties of mold fungi thrive on it and over time they 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 that those exposed areas protected from direct sunlight under eaves and overhangs will be the same dark color as the rest of the wall.
When this occurs, washing with Log Wash™ alone will not be enough to remove all of the discoloration due to mold growth. We recommend to first use Wood ReNew™ along with some scrubbing in order to remove the visible mold. Once the surface is cleaned with Wood ReNew, use Log Wash to help remove any residual linseed oil that may still present.
Media blasting alone is not a satisfactory method of removing a heavy growth of mold. Linseed oil penetrates into the wood and although blasting may remove most of the surface discoloration, there may be enough residual linseed oil remaining in the wood to support mold growth underneath the finish. If the home has been blasted, it will be necessary to give the home a good washing with a Log Wash solution (2 cups per gallon of clean water) before applying Prelude™.
The best way to prevent this problem from reoccurring is to avoid the use of any product that contains linseed oil. None of our Lifeline™ finishes contain linseed or other types of organic, naturally derived oils.
Wood-boring beetles can be found all across the United States. There are several types of beetles that can be considered “wood-boring” beetles. Often referred to as “wood worms” or “powder post beetles,” wood-boring beetles are responsible for damage to structural wood, second only to termites.
Wood-boring beetles are difficult to control once an infestation has begun. Therefore, prevention is the best management method. Great NEWS: the treatment for all types of wood-boring beetles is the same.
Shell-Guard RTU is the best way to protect your home from wood-boring beetles, termites, carpenter ants, wood rot, fungi and more. It’s active ingredient Disodium Octaborate Tetrahydrate, or borate, combines with food-grade glycol added to deepen wood penetration that can be used to both treat and prevent pests from eating wood.
Research results shows that the presence of borate in the wood does two things:
- It kills younger beetle larvae that are feeding in the wood.
- It prevents any old house borer eggs from hatching. The borate treatment interrupts the beetle’s life cycle and eventually the infestation will end.
About Wood-Boring Beetles
Wood-boring beetles invade and damage wood furniture as well as structural and decorative wood inside the building. The beetle larvae feed in and do most of the damage to wood, and when they reach the adult stage, they emerge through round exit holes, which they create by chewing through the wood surface. Adults of some species also bore exit holes through plaster, plastic, and even soft metals that might cover the underlying wood.
What are the signs that beetles are present in the wood?
- Sawdust or frass is the first sign of beetle infestation.
- The chewing noise made by older larvae in the wood.
The life cycle of most wood-boring beetles is similar. It starts with an adult female depositing her eggs in the wood. The eggs hatch and a small grub-like larva emerges. It’s the beetle larvae that feed on wood, and they may continue eating the wood for several months or, in some cases, up to 20 years depending on the species. There comes a time in its life cycle when it’s getting ready to make the change that the larva makes a hole to the surface of the wood, so it can get out of the wood as an adult beetle. That’s why the holes are called “emergence holes.” Typically this is the first sign that beetles are present in the wood. Once the hole is complete and the tunnel is cleared of the sawdust or frass, the larva creates a pupa case and makes the transition to an adult beetle. The adult beetle eventually emerges from the hole, feeds on pollen and nectar and looks for a mate. Once impregnated, the female beetle can start the cycle all over again.
Order Your Shell-Guard RTU or Shell-Guard Concentrate to kill any wood ingesting insect it comes in contact with.
Customer Testimonial
For active infestation I have successfully used borates against insects that are actively living in isolated spots on structures. In the pictures below, poweder-post beetles infested barn wood on my porch. I injected Shell-Guard RTU into the actual holes using a syringe made for injecting marinade into food (any plastic syringe with a tip small enough to fit the hole will work).
These holes were treated and within a day there were dead larvae. It has been more than a year and they have not returned.
Protecting wood surfaces in a beach or water front environment is a challenging task. You are faced with numerous variables that contribute to erosion and degradation of the substrate including sunlight, wind, moisture, salt, and sand. The two most destructive environmental variables to an exterior coating system and wood are sunlight and water.
Sunlight is the major cause of damage to a number of materials, including plastics, textile, wood, coatings, and other organic materials. The type of damage, such as loss of gloss, chalking, elasticity, adhesion, and color change, varies depending on the material sensitivity and the spectrum of sunlight. Spectral sensitivity varies from material to material.
One component of sunlight is ultraviolet light, commonly referred to as UV. UV light is responsible for most damage to exposed wood because it changes or destroys the wood’s lignin, a component of wood that hardens and strengthens the cell walls. In more scientific terms this process is called photo-oxidation. The colorants contained in the color coats are responsible for absorbing UV light. The more colorant a finish contains the less UV light will get through to the wood itself.
Opaque finishes like paint and solid body stains are very efficient in blocking all of UV light from hitting the wood. That’s why when they peel off the freshly exposed wood may still look bright. On the other hand the objective of transparent stains is to allow the character of the wood to show through the finish.
In order to accomplish this transparency the pigment loading is significantly less than that contained in opaque finishes. Although some of the UV is blocked by the colorants, enough of it gets through to eventually photo-oxidize the wood. Since darker colors typically contain more colorant than lighter ones they tend to last longer. However, some lighter colors that contain titanium white, or KX colorant, also contain a high colorant loading which extends their life but they do give up some degree of transparency in return.
Lighter colored stains that contain titanium white (KX) will also absorb less heat; therefore, there will be less overall stress (day surface temperature versus night surface temperature) that the finish system and wood substrate is exposed to over the course of a 24-hour period.
Squared logs, timbers, and vertical flat siding are easier to maintain since the sun hits these wood pieces at the same angle and the UV light is evenly distributed over the entire surface. In addition, the flat vertical surfaces cannot accumulate snow and ice and even upward facing checks are not as prone to rainwater entering the logs. Squared wood pieces are subject to the same weathering parameters as round surfaces, but the weathering is mostly uniform over the entire exposed surface.
The second challenging variable for wood in a coastal environment is moisture. Coastal areas are notorious for their high relative humidity and pop-up thunderstorms. Keeping wood dry is the goal to protecting its long term integrity. If wood remains wet for long periods of time without drying out, conditions are favorable for the formation of wood decay fungi, the precursor to wood rot. Four conditions are necessary for the development of wood decay producing fungi. Eliminate any one of these and decay fungi cannot survive: oxygen, temperature (40° – 90°F), moisture content in excess of the fiber saturation point (> 25-30%), and a suitable source of energy and nutrients (that is, the wood).
Recommendations:
- There are two basic ways to combat the effects of weathering. By far the most effective method is to keep wood surfaces in the shade as much as possible by extending roof overhangs or constructing roofed porches around the home.
- Keep all vegetation at least 24 inches away from wood surfaces to allow for adequate ventilation and drying out of these surfaces.
- Clean the wood surfaces to remove all foreign materials from the wood prior to the application of an exterior finish system. The overall performance of even the best finish system is dependent upon proper surface preparation and application technique.
- Select and apply a highly durable exterior semi-transparent stain, like Lifeline™ Ultra-7 or Ultra-2 to protect the wood and enjoy the beauty of the wood grain. Select Lifeline™ Accents to highlight wood timbers and trim if more opacity is desired.
- Select a color that contains shades of brown, red, or gray. Consider colors that contain titanium white (KX) for lower surface temperature swings as well as good UV protection. (colors: Butternut, Wheat, Driftwood, Stone Gray or Gentry Gray).
- Apply an exterior clear topcoat, like Lifeline™ Advance Gloss or Satin, to protect the color coat and add additional UV and mold and mildew protection. Consider the Gloss for additional reflection of UV light.
- Fill all upward facing checks, cracks in wood, with a specialized acrylic sealant, like Check Mate 2™
- Clean the finish systems at least once a year with Log Wash™, a liquid concentrate for bare wood and maintenance cleaning, to remove all foreign debris for the surface of the finish system and extend its longevity.
- Perform an annual inspection of the coating system as a proactive maintenance approach.
- Darkening of the wood or finish when water is applied, is an indication of water getting through the coating and wetting the wood
- Checks or micro-fissures in the wood, especially upward-facing
- Cracks in the finish
- Color fading
- Pay close attention to the south- and west-facing surfaces
- Keep metal surface clean and freshly painted. Salt spray is highly corrosive.
You can’t completely stop or reverse the weathering of exterior wood, but you can slow the process dramatically by using the right type of finish system and a proactive game plan to combat the environmental elements.
Chink Paint™ is a high quality, elastomeric latex paint used to refresh or change the color of your log home chinking. Chink Paint is available in all eight standard colors of Perma-Chink® in either a textured or smooth finish (with or without aggregate, respectively). This difference provides the customer a choice as to whether or not they would like to add additional texture to the appearance of the chink joint.
Chink Paint can be used in several situations. Some log homes have cosmetic chink joints that serve no purpose other than giving the home the appearance of a chink-style structure. These false chink joints are typically quite shallow and do not allow enough room in the joint for both backing material and the proper recommended thickness of chink. It is much easier to paint the joint with Chink Paint Textured than it is to apply a thin layer (less than 3/8 inch) of Perma-Chink and be more susceptible to negative performance qualities like tears and blistering.
When staining a home that is already chinked, it takes less effort to paint the existing chinking with Chink Paint than it does to try to protect the chinking with masking tape during the staining process. It is virtually impossible to prevent some stain from getting on the chinking and once stained, it is extremely difficult to clean or paint the discolored areas and blend with the surrounding chinking.
If you are applying a new finish to your home, you may as well refresh or even change the color of your existing chinking. This really gives the home a new, clean look. Since Chink Paint has a texture identical to Perma-Chink, it’s impossible to tell if the surface is original Perma-Chink or Chink Paint.
When applying Chink Paint, the first step is to make sure the product is well mixed. Chink Paint, both Textured and Smooth, contain a blend of raw material ingredients that need to be uniformly dispersed to ensure proper color, adhesion and long-term performance. Furthermore, Chink Paint Textured contains an aggregate to give it the similar textured appearance to Perma-Chink. Over time this aggregate may settle to the bottom of the pail, so it’s important to stir it well to make sure the contents of the container are uniform before beginning.
Chink Paint is best applied using a paint brush with about two to three inches of fairly stiff bristles. An expensive brush is not needed, and can be disposed of once the job is completed. A chip brush works just fine, especially for the textured version. Keep a wet rag handy to wipe off any Chink Paint that may get on stained surfaces and clean-up with soap and water.
A lot of wasted energy is released through poor sealing of windows and doors. Luckily, we at Perma-Chink Systems have a solution to solve these air leaks. Energy Seal and Log Gap Cap work together to seal the windows and doors.
How to Seal Step-by-Step:
1. Use masking tape around the window or door seam.
2. Insert Log Gap Cap into the crevice using trowel. Log Gap Cap provides an even surface for sealant application and makes it easier to apply a uniform thickness across the gap.
3. Apply Energy Seal™ and tool smooth.
4. Remove masking tape as soon as tooling is complete.
We occasionally get calls about repairing spots of finish that have peeled from logs, handrails, etc. In most cases, the peeling is associated with checks or small fissures that have opened up after the finish was first applied. When this occurs, rain water soaks into the bare wood on either side of the check, and when the sun beats on the area the wood turns to water vapor and expands with enough force to push the finish right off of the surface. If the peeling is limited to a few small areas, touching them up is not very difficult.
Before we get started on the best way to perform the repairs, there is one thing we need to cover. If you have leftover product that’s more than two years old, you need to obtain enough fresh stain and topcoat to accomplish the repairs. Using old product is risky and unnecessary. Give us a call, and we’ll see if there is anything we can do to help.
Following are the recommended procedures for touching up peeled areas:
Step 1: Sand the peeled areas with 60 to 80 grit sandpaper. Do not use a finer grit. We want the stain to have something to grab onto. Be sure to sand off any surrounding stain film that looks like it may have lost its adhesion.
Step 2: If it’s just a few small areas wipe down the sanded spots with a damp rag. For larger spots or multiple areas on a wall, it’s best to wash the entire wall with a two cups per gallon Log Wash™ solution. Allow the wall to dry.
Step 3: If the peeling is associated with checks that are 1/4” or more wide, seal them with Check Mate 2® after sanding and cleaning, but before staining. This will help make the Check Mate 2 less visible.
Step 4: Using a rag, not a brush, apply one or two coats of stain to the bare wood. You want to apply enough stain to match the color of the surrounding wood. Since the coarse sanded area may be more absorbent than the original surface, one coat of stain may be sufficient to match what’s already there. Using a rag helps avoid lap marks and gets some stain down into any unsealed checks, as well as small cracks and fissures.
Once the stain has been applied and the color matches the surrounding wood, one coat of Advance™ Topcoat can be applied with a brush or rag. Lap marks are not much of a concern since the Advance is clear and colorless.
How about EuroPlast?
Looking for just the right compliment to enhance the interior walls of your dream home? Consider the ageless appeal of Venetian plaster. For centuries architects, designers, builders, and owners alike have marveled at the splendor of this highly popular form of wall surfacing, and throughout the ages the artisans who were skilled at creating such beauty have been revered and sought after. With today’s advanced technology, you can now have this distinctive elegance and appeal at a fraction of the cost- in as little as two days.
EuroPlast and Euroseal by Stuc-O-Flex International
Consider this revolutionary approach to dramatic design. EuroPlast is a pre-colored, acrylic polymer-based interior and exterior coating system that transforms vertical walls into a classic example of old world Venetian-style plaster. This versatile decorative coating exhibits a rich aesthetic appearance with an unlimited selection of color and texture opportunities. Achieve a wide range of effects from rustic plaster to smooth polished limestone.
EuroPlast is a decorative finish providing color, texture and hard durable surface that resists staining, dirt pick-up, and abuse. Applications easily go over interior and exterior surfaces including stucco, concrete, brick, block, plaster, cement-board sheathings- even primed drywall for interior applications.
Euroseal is a pure acrylic sealer that is applied over the EuroPlast finish. Euroseal has a unique ability to transform newly constructed walls into a classic example of centuries-old plaster. This semi-transparent sealer is formulated to obtain an uneven antiqued, or “mottled,” appearance. Euroseal is available in clear or in an unlimited selection of semi-transparent colors. The material can provide a high level of gloss or an eggshell appearance, depending on your design requirements. Euroseal colors are available in pre-tinted containers, ready to apply. The product is intended to create an old world or weathered look while adding a striking characteristic to completed walls.
If this unique product might be that one element to compliment and enhance the beauty of your dream home contact Stuc-O-Flex International, Inc @ 1-800-305-1045 or e-mail: techservice@stucoflex.com
