Maintaining the Exterior of Your Log Home
Posted by Ward Cedar Log Homes in Home Care and Maintenance Log Homes
With any type of home, the home will require some maintenance. Log homes require a different type of maintenance. You can save yourself a lot of work if you plan ahead and design your home properly. Think about roof overhangs, porches, keeping the home off the ground, and proper landscaping.
The exterior of your Ward cedar log home will require a minimum amount of maintenance each year. The most important item to remember is to keep as much moisture as possible away from the exterior of your home. Maintain the finished grade at least 10” to 18” below any wood members and provide adequate drainage away from the building. To prevent water from running off the roof and splashing up on the log wall, rain gutters and downspouts may be used.
Keep any shrubbery and trees far enough away from the building to provide good air circulation around it.
The exterior of your Ward home may be treated by one of several methods. The home may be allowed to age naturally over a period of years. This aging process will be characterized by an early period of lightening or bleaching-out of the cedar logs, followed by a slow darkening of each individual log turning to a gray color.
An exterior wood stain of any color may be applied as often as desired. There are a number of brands out there that are of high quality. Check with Ward Cedar Log Homes or your local paint or hardware store for the recommended brands.
A clear, exterior penetrating preservative may be applied to maintain the natural wood color from the beginning. Any exterior finish must be a penetrating type and it must not seal the logs, as they need to breathe. There are many good exterior preservatives on the market. Do not use a material which seals the exterior of the log home.
As your log home ages and the materials acclimate to the local environment, extra exterior caulking may be needed to fill checks or cracks. Generally, it is recommended that each fall the home be inspected carefully for new checks or cracks and the appropriate caulking be applied as required. Check in particular all ends of the purlins and tie beams which pass through the log walls. Fill any large cracks with backer rod, and then caulk the outside to seal the crack.
A high quality caulking, such as the type provided in your log package, is recommended for outside caulking. This type is known to have a high resistance to adverse effects of ultra-violet sunlight. Also this type of caulking can be stained to match the exterior finish of your log home.
With the right maintenance your log home will last for many years.
Start today and view the many log home floor plans we have.
If you have questions about maintaining your log home, call us at 800-341-1566 or drop us an email.
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