Maintenance Guide Protecting Your Log Home Investment These simple steps will help maintain the beauty of your home for years to come. Your log home dream is reality, what is important to you, as the homeowner, to understand how to maintain and care for your investment, start an easy care and maintenance program. Why? Unfinished wood in a conventional wood sided house or log home that is exposed to weather conditions and is subject to rapid deterioration. Pre-weathering for as little as several weeks has been shown to damage the structural strength of the wood and adhesion performance of wood protecting finishes! Start your maintenance program for your log home today. Inspections: The homeowner can do much to protect the wood and help in its maintenance, particularly in maintaining proper water drainage and treating wood regularly. The following are some inspection items to consider during construction and after your home has been completed. Site Preparation: Proper grading should be done during construction to avoid expense later. Finish grade should never come in contact with wood and always slope the grade away from the log structure. Wood Ingesting Insects: Soil treatment, if required in your location, should be performed by a certified applicator. For wood, use a borate treatment, some exterior finishes contain insecticides that can help. Roof Overhangs: Protect log walls from excessive water and sun exposure by diverting rain water with roof overhangs of at least 18" to 24" and projected side eaves. Gutters / Downspouts Inspect and clean gutters and downspouts regularly to avoid water back-up. ALL log homes should have rain gutters to move the water away from the home. Caulking Inspect caulking around windows, doors, etc. Repair or replace as required. Chimneys Thorough chimney inspections and cleaning should be made prior to the start of each heating season. Humidity Heating systems can draw great amounts of moisture out of logs. A humidifier will keep moisture at comfortable levels and help reduce log checking. Porches or Decks They should be designed to shed excess water. Slope decks away from the house and foundation to discard water. Wood Checks / Cracks Soak all exterior checks with a water-repellent wood coating system to protect against water damage. Exterior checks facing upward should be filled with a good exterior grade caulk. FINISHES AND COATINGS The best protection against wood rot and decay for log homes is to keep the log walls dry. Remember dry wood will not rot. Application a premium water-repellent wood finish that allows the wood to breath and moisture to excape. How to get started with a maintenance program. Delivery to Log Wall Erection. We recommend treating all wood surfaces with a borate, Interiors: Apply an interior treatment before finish floors (carpet, vinyl, etc.) are applied. Do not use a varnish that will trap moisture under the surface and crack, peel or blister. Wood Decks: Use an exterior water-repellent deck finish which provides the ability to reduce splitting and warping of your wood. For dimensional stability of deck finish wait six months to a year before applying deck finish on pressure-treated lumber, cedar and redwood. For non pressure treated woods, we recommend application of your deck finish when wood is thoroughly cleaned and dry and always follow label directions carefully. 12 to 15 Months Later... Inspect the deck for changes due to the natural settling and seasoning processes. Apply a thin coat of penetrating finish with water repellency protections, after the deck has been cleaned completely. Three To Five Years Many factors can influence the life expectancy of your wood treatment system. Based on regular inspection, repeat maintenance is usually on a 3-5 year cycle (or as needed) for the exterior log walls and wood decks. Generally only one or two sides of your home will need maintenance, normally the west or south side of your home