Swedish Cope
Log Home / Cabin Construction Guide

CAULKING & STAINING:

• CAULK OR CHINK THE SEAMS: One of the best ways to ensure that your home is weather tight is to caulk the interior and also the exterior of the home. Caulking is what most customers will use, but chinking is also a popular option. We recommend caulking everywhere that two logs meet each other both horizontally and vertically. We recommend routering the vertical joint where two logs meet. This allos the caulking to be applied flush with the log - not on the outside of it. Apply the caulking as per the manufacturer's specificaitons. Install a good-sized bead of caulking and avoid wiping the caulk away as you are smoothing it. Caulk and chink will shrink a little as they dry, so be sure to account for this shrinkage in your application. Too often we see caulking jobs that have a small bead applied to the log and then they smear the caulking as they are smoothing it out. This is not recommended because it leaves a thin layer of caulk that is likely to separate as the caulk dries out. This is also likely to separate if there is movement in the logs.

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• CAULK THE CHECKS: Our logs are dry, so many of the logs will have visible checking (sometimes referred to as cracks in the logs). It is very important to caulk any checks that may catch rain water, especially checks that are on the exterior upper side of the log. Caulk checks that lead to door or window framing. It is also recommended to caulk any checks that may possibly continue from the exterior to the interior of the home. This type of check could possibly become a wind and insect chase. One example is a check that may spiral around the log. This type of check may start on the exterior of the home and spiral around the log to the inside of the home.

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• WOOD PRESERVATIVE: It is a wise idea to apply a wood preservative to your logs prior to staining or sealing the logs. This is especially important in areas that have high humidity or wood-boring insects. A product called Penetreat which is a borate-based wood preservative that can help to protect your logs from decay and insects. Apply the wood preservative as per the manufacture's specifications.

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• STAINING/SEALING OF EXTERIOR WOOD: The best way to protect your logs and keep them in pristine condition is to regularly apply a quality sealant on the logs. All wood on the exterior of the structure must be finished and maintained with a high quality penetrating wood preservative that repels water, inhibits the growth of mod, mildew, fungus and also deters insects. This will typically need to be done on the exterior of the home every three years and sometimes sooner if necessary. The 1st application of an exterior sealant should be a minimum of two coat process. Apply the stain/sealant as per manufacturer's specifications. We have found that heavy brushing of the stain directly onto the wood has been the best method. Many customers spray the stain and then brush it in order to save time. We have not seen long term positive results on single coat applications. Your dealer can sell you a variety of exterior stains/sealants.

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• STAIN / SEALING OF INTERIOR WOOD: Seal the wood on the interior of your home with a high quality sealant with UV protection. We can sell you clear interior sealant with UV protection or a tinted interior sealant. Most customers choose a clear or very light colored interior sealant. Most manufacturer's interior wood sealants do very little to protect from UV rays. UV protection helps to prevent the wood from changing color over time dur to ultra violet rays. Interior sealants will typically last must longer than the exterior before needing to be resealed. The 1st application of an interior sealant should be at least a two-coat process.

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