5 Steps to Repairing and Restoring Your Log Home in Warsaw, Indiana

If you own a log home in Kosciusko County, Warsaw, Syracuse, or Columbia City, Indiana, you’ve probably already noticed that your home requires just a bit more maintenance than a traditional home. Most experts recommend inspecting and carrying out general repairs every two years.

While you might know that your house needs regular inspections and maintenance, you might be wondering where you should start. No matter the condition of your home or how long it has been since you last inspected it, log home repair and restoration follow five mains steps, which are fairly standard. Below is a quick look at these five steps.

Step 1: Inspect

It’s impossible to make the necessary repairs if you don’t know what the problem is. This might sound basic, but it’s extremely important –it often starts by lightly tapping each log to check if there is rot in the wood. A thudding, dull sound is an indication of the presence of rot, while a bright, echoing tap means the logs are generally in good condition.

Logs at the overhanging ends and under the windowsills are typically most exposed to water and water, so it might be a good idea to start with those. If you notice any log that is beginning to rot, mark it with a marker pen or a bit of duct tape for later repairs. While tapping is not a very scientific approach of checking for rot, it’s pretty accurate and non-invasive. Another obvious indication is if you see signs of mold, mildew, or rot on the exterior of the logs.

Step 2: Clean and restore

After inspection, you need to give the exterior of your home a thorough cleaning, whether you’ve found rot or not. Regular exterior cleaning wards off mold and fungi and helps you keep away unwanted bugs. If you can find a washing detergent pre-formulated specifically for log homes, that would be great because other harsh detergents might damage your siding over time. And if you’re not an expert or don’t have experience with log home restoration, consider hand-washing instead of using a pressure washer to avoid damaging the logs.

Once cleaning is completed, you can work on restoring any problems you noticed earlier. If you found rot, you will typically need to cut out the rotting parts of the log and apply a special finishing solution to dry up any additional parts that might be rotting. There’re actually various ways to fix rotting logs, so before you start cutting them up, you might want to consult a log home restoration professional.

Step 3: Preservation

Whether you found rot or not, you always want to apply a wood preservative to prevent rot from developing or to stop it from spreading. Borate preservatives are quite popular for use on log homes, but you can shop around for alternatives. Apply the preservative to areas that have started to rot as well as the rest of the rot-free logs.

The preservative basically dries up the wood preventing further mold growth that causes rot and also keeps off log pests. Borate preservatives can be sprayed or painted on logs. As the preservative slowly absorbs into the wood, it stops the rot in its tracks and also puts up a strong defense against pests like termites and fungi.

Step 4: Stain and finish

Once you’ve carried out all the necessary restoration and prevention measures to remove rot and stop it from spreading, it’s time to beautify your exterior. Staining your log home protects it from organic growth, water absorption, and harmful UV rays in addition to restoring its natural luster.

There is a wide range of exterior stains and finishes on the market, and you might need the help of a local log home professional if you’re having difficulty making a choice. Generally, avoid the cheap, low-quality options and go for high-quality penetrating stains and finishes that will protect your exterior better and for longer.

Step 5: Chink and seal

This final step involves replacing any worn out or cracked chinking with a new sealant to cover up areas that might cause water leakage and insect invasion. If you carry out regular inspection of your home, chances are you won’t do much sealing at any one time. You will typically just touch up a few problem areas, such as the logs at the overhanging ends and under the windowsills.

Bottom line

Carrying our regular log home inspection and restoration following these steps is the best way to prevent extensive damage that might end up costing you a fortune. If you need any help with inspection and restoring your log home, Matthews’ Painting Company can help. We provide our log home staining and sealing restoration services to the Warsaw, Syracuse, Lake Tippecanoe area, Winona lake area, Columbia City, Indiana, and surrounding Indiana cities.