Log Home Chinking
Log home chinking is essential for your log home.
Properly applied chinking is necessary for all log homes to prevent drafts, water incursion and insects. The chinking can be done on the outside of the cabin or interior….or both!
Chinking cleans up the look of log homes and there are a variety of colors to choose from. The colors can blend with the color of the logs, or it can provide a distinct and unique contrast if desired. The time to do chinking is during restoration when the logs are clean and ready for the chinking to be applied and adhere properly.
The chinking process is well worth the investment and may help reduce leaks, insects, bats and other unwanted elements gaining access to your cabin interior.
Chinking for your log home is done using a latex based material provided by Perma-chink or Sashco.
Both products provide high quality results. Preparation for chinking usually includes full finish restoration prior to application. Restoration is required if the exterior or interior logs have a failed finish on them. The chinking needs to be applied to a good substrate or it will not adhere and then it will fail. Chinking can be either applied to bare sanded wood and then stained over, or it can be applied over the new stain that has been applied during the restoration process.
Chinking is a very important aspect of log home restoration and should not be ignored! You will be very thankful you did the chinking when you spend one drafty and cold winter in a non chinked log home.
“Our logs were embarrassing. The finish was looking dark, dull and uneven, and we weren’t sure how to proceed. We knew stripping off the old finish and starting over would be a monumental job, and we just didn’t have the time. Then in 2004 we were lucky to find Pete. After some deliberation, we hired him to deal with the problem for us. First he corn-blasted the whole mess off, then applied borate to provide future protection, and finally applied a beautiful new coat of finish.
What a difference! Since then, we have received dozens of comments about how beautiful our house looks and what excellent shape our logs are in. People are surprised when we tell them our logs are actually upwards of 25 years old. We now hire Pete each year to give our logs a cleaning, monitor their condition, and touch up the finish if needed. It feels so good to know our investment in our house is being so well protected, and to know that we don’t have to deal with this job ourselves.”