# Log cabin maintenance question



## sbcchris (Apr 30, 2012)

We are in the process of purchasing a small log home up north. The outside has what appears to be mold on the logs (see pic). All of this is new to me, and I'm looking for advice on how best to clean it, what to use, and how best to maintain it.


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

I would strip it down. I have used bleach water in the past and power washed. There are some chemicals available that treat both mold and bugs, check out Boracare. If you can find a place that rents a media blaster and media like corn cobs or soda that would be the preferred method to keep the moisture out of your logs instead of using a power washer. Once it is all stripped now is the time to treat it for bugs with a borate. Get a good quality stain and keep up on a 3-5 year maintenance schedule.


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

You are going to get a broad response on what stain to use. I have had 3 log homes and one cedar sided home and have had great success with silkens. They have been bought now by ppg but I believe use the same formula.


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## sbcchris (Apr 30, 2012)

brushbuster said:


> You are going to get a broad response on what stain to use. I have had 3 log homes and one cedar sided home and have had great success with silkens. They have been bought now by ppg but I believe use the same formula.


Did you mean to type "sikkens?" I am familiar with Sikkens, as that is what I use on my older boat. So, it would be the the marine formula (Cetol Marine).


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## plugger (Aug 8, 2001)

The two options are Sikkens products or Perma ***** -Lifeline products. I have used Lifeline products with much success. My parents log home was done with lifeline stain and top coat then then washed and retopcoated every 5 years. After 30 yrs it was still good and never had to media blast. I have used the top coat on cedar trim that was stained with various latex stains and it does well.
Lifeline™ log home stain - premium wood stain for log homes. (permachink.com)


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

sbcchris said:


> Did you mean to type "sikkens?" I am familiar with Sikkens, as that is what I use on my older boat. So, it would be the the marine formula (Cetol Marine).


Sikkens, the phone didn't like the spelling


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

It use to be cetol 1 2&3. I'd have to look at the can to see what we used on the new home


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

I've gotten by longer than 3-5 years and have seen sikkens hold up for several years, but 3-5 is manufacturer recomendations


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

A lot will depend on sun exposure, water and snow splashing and building up against logs. The covered porch is great on the one eve shown, if you can do that or have that on the other side that be great. The one thing that kills a log home is moisture penetration, so whatever you can do to alleviate that, gutters, extended Eve's and Gable rakes, stone veneer 3-4 feet up from the ground....


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## Sharkey (Oct 29, 2010)

Scrub with water, TSP, and bleach mixture. Brush on Sikkens. Repeat every 2 to 10 years depending on exposure. My covered porch area is good for 10 years between coats. I have used the clear maintenance Sikkens the last few years and it is a very very good product. It is amazing how far a gallon will stretch. 


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## sbcchris (Apr 30, 2012)

brushbuster said:


> Sikkens, the phone didn't like the spelling


Given the amount of black on the logs, do you think media blasting is the best course to take? I do like the thought of not blasting water into the logs with a pressure washer. I'm just a little worried about the media gouging the wood.


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## plugger (Aug 8, 2001)

I have seen some amazing results with media blasting although I have not done it my self. 

I dont know what area you are in but there is, or at least was, an out fit in Traverse city that specialized in all aspects of log home maintenance and repair.


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## Jiw275 (Jan 1, 2015)

My son had a house with mold in the bathroom area attic. The Co. recommended by his realtor blasted the area with dry ice. 
Worked well.


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

sbcchris said:


> Given the amount of black on the logs, do you think media blasting is the best course to take? I do like the thought of not blasting water into the logs with a pressure washer. I'm just a little worried about the media gouging the wood.


My neighbor had his done, turned out beautifully. The mold needs to be killed though by using bleach or chemicals formulated for mold, mildew fungi.


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## cedartool-fishinfool (May 26, 2005)

Most sites I have seen don't recommend bleach but vinegar or Borax for cleaning.

This may help:

https://restorelogs.com/blog/mold-on-the-logs-on-your-home-what-you-can-do/


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## sparky18181 (Apr 17, 2012)

Had a guy come out to quote the job for me. He uses glass bead media. And his reason was that it didn’t raise hairs off the logs I saw a few places he has done and they were very smooth.


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## sbcchris (Apr 30, 2012)

Thank you for all the replies and ideas!


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## bucko12pt (Dec 9, 2004)

When I built my cabin I spent a lot of time looking at log homes/cabins to find a good finish. My log walls are white cedar.
It seemed like everyone recommended Sikkens, with few other options. Occasionally I heard Menco from a few log home builders and home owners. I looked at a lot of finishes on homes and cabins and one thing I noticed with Slkkens finish was the finish flaking off. Some spots were small, others were baseball to softball size and it didn’t seem that the finish penetrated, only coated the surface. Was that an application problem, or a product problem. Likely an application problem, but I really liked the way the Menco stain penetrated the wood. 

I ended up using Menco’s finish which is a Michigan Company. Their finish penetrates very well and since the original finish applied in 2002, I’ve only recoated one time. I’m looking to recoat it again in the near future, more so because of mold on the sides that are shaded and the sunny side needing a coat, rather than it really needing a total refinish.

I will use Menco’s finish again as it has far exceeded my expectations.

https://menwoodcoatings.com/


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## sbcchris (Apr 30, 2012)

bucko12pt said:


> When I built my cabin I spent a lot of time looking at log homes/cabins to find a good finish. My log walls are white cedar.
> It seemed like everyone recommended Sikkens, with few other options. Occasionally I heard Menco from a few log home builders and home owners. I looked at a lot of finishes on homes and cabins and one thing I noticed with Slkkens finish was the finish flaking off. Some spots were small, others were baseball to softball size and it didn’t seem that the finish penetrated, only coated the surface. Was that an application problem, or a product problem. Likely an application problem, but I really liked the way the Menco stain penetrated the wood.
> 
> I ended up using Menco’s finish which is a Michigan Company. Their finish penetrates very well and since the original finish applied in 2002, I’ve only recoated one time. I’m looking to recoat it again in the near future, more so because of mold on the sides that are shaded and the sunny side needing a coat, rather than it really needing a total refinish.
> ...


Thanks, bucko. I'm a believer in supporting local businesses as much as possible, so I'm really interested in this company. My Mom has a place in the Irish Hills, not too far at all from Hillsdale, so I could check them out in person. 

As you could see, there is a fair amount of mold and fungus on the logs, so I'll need to do a fair amount of prep before staining. You mentioned you have mold on the shaded sides of yours. Have you used the Menwood stripping/cleaning product as well? I'm debating between using some chemical stripper, or media blasting. The well isn't far from the house, so I'm a little hesitant on using chemicals/bleach and having that seep into the well.


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## bucko12pt (Dec 9, 2004)

sbcchris said:


> Thanks, bucko. I'm a believer in supporting local businesses as much as possible, so I'm really interested in this company. My Mom has a place in the Irish Hills, not too far at all from Hillsdale, so I could check them out in person.
> 
> As you could see, there is a fair amount of mold and fungus on the logs, so I'll need to do a fair amount of prep before staining. You mentioned you have mold on the shaded sides of yours. Have you used the Menwood stripping/cleaning product as well? I'm debating between using some chemical stripper, or media blasting. The well isn't far from the house, so I'm a little hesitant on using chemicals/bleach and having that seep into the well.


No, I haven’t used their cleaning products, I’m not planning on stripping, only clean and refinish.

One other thing I did do before putting finish on was to wash the wood with oaxlic acid. What that does is eliminate any mill glaze from processing and open the wood surface to accept the finish better. My wood was new, so this step isn’t necessary on previously stained wood. Every situation is different, so you’d have to decide whether you need to complete this step, or not because it’s definitely more work. In my case, I’m glad I did it.

Here’s a little explanation of wood glaze, not a recommendation of their products. 


https://www.facebook.com/122282374494727/posts/475883372467957/


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## sbcchris (Apr 30, 2012)

Update on the cabin project - As the cabin is 4 hours away from our house, I knew I wouldn't be able to work on the outside continuously over a period of weeks, and I felt the option of media blasting would be cumbersome. Renting the compressor, pot, and nozzle at random times would be problematic. I solicited quotes from several contractors, and they ranged from $25K - $40K. Not happening. I purchased a stain remover/stripper from Perma-***** and set about stripping power power spraying. It did an OK job on stripping the stain, but not the mold. I bought near $1K in stripper, and quickly realized I would need to spend probably another $4K more on stripper alone. And, it really did not do a good job at all on removing the stain that is on the ceiling portion of the porches. Plus the water intrusion inside was an issue. So, I decided on grinding it down. I bought a variable speed Bosch angle grinder, a sanding backer pad, and a ton of 36 grit sanding disks and went at it. After sanding with the 36 grit on the angle grinder, I then use 60 or 80 grit sandpaper with a random orbital sander to smooth out the logs. It is a TON of work, and the saw dust generated from that is probably just as messy as media blasting, but I'm more comfortable using the grinder and sander than the media blaster. 
I went with Perma-***** as they have an entire suite of products that are compatible with each other, so I know I'm not mixing chemicals or treatments that cause issues with subsequent products and applications. I must say their customer service is outstanding. They've answered all my questions, scheduled a 1:1 consultation session for me with a live person, took back $800 in stripper, and came recommended from a few of the contractors I spoke with as well.

So far, I have two sides done. I still need to do the other two sides, and then hit the trim and ceilings in the front and back porches. This project will probably extend into next year, as I'm doing most of the work by myself. I'll come in way under the lowest contractor quote, but I completely understand why they charge what they do. But I do take pride in the fact that I do a lot of work myself on our home/cars/boat, and have saved a ton of money over my 51 years doing just that.

Below are some before, during, and after pictures. Thanks again to everyone who commented on my original thread. I spent a lot of time researching products, soliciting opinions, and consulting with experts. It's been quite an experience so far.

Before










During
















After


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## Ranger Ray (Mar 2, 2003)

Looks great!


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## deepwoods (Nov 18, 2002)

I agree. Looks great!

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## ReallyBigFish (May 8, 2014)

Nice work. Looks like a new place.


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## Jiw275 (Jan 1, 2015)

Very nice!


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

Thanks for the update, nice job it looks great.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

Wow, great job. Do it right, so you don't have to do it again for a long time.


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

Nice work.


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

Awesome!


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## plugger (Aug 8, 2001)

Looks very nice!


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## grapestomper (Jan 9, 2012)

Looks good.


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## newaygogeorge (Aug 16, 2006)

wow that's a lot of work, but dam it looks fantastic. Nice Job *s[B]bcchris[/B]*


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

Sanding logs is a lot of work. We did our interior garage logs this summer.


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