It's important to remember that the key to avoid stress is to avoid being overwhelmed.
The simplest way to avoid being so is to split log home restoration into three relatively easy-to-understand steps: 1) Cleaning 2) Inspection, and finally 3) Finish.
Solutions/Cleaning If mold and mildew have grown on your log home, these should be cleaned off with a brush and a bleach/water/trisodium phosphate mixture; hose off and dry well.
It is important that the solution is mixed at the correct ratio per manufacturer recommendations.
Be sure to apply the solution evenly; a backpack sprayer will help you do the job.
There is little to be done about spots and stains, except to prevent the presence thereof by making sure water doesn't splash onto the logs (i.
e.
adding gutters, etc.
).
Prevention of spots and stains is important if you want to avoid molding and rotting of wood, and an even more expensive log home restoration than necessary.
If you notice any damage or rotting, these can be solved by either replacing an entire log or by cutting out the damaged/rotten area.
After all this, you can clean your logs using a pressure washer.
It is important however, not to use too much pressure.
Inspection After cleaning and rinsing, you need to carefully inspect the logs.
You want to look for any cracks or checks, particularly large ones (more than ¼").
You also want to look for any discoloration-any mold or mildew that has grown; spots or stains; or any obvious damage or rotting of wood.
Professional log home restoration services are not only experts at finding, repairing, and restoring rotted wood, they also guarantee their work.
Wood rot repair can be partial; the rotted wood is removed and replaced carefully with scribed wood that provides a seamless match.
Larger areas of damage makes the work even more complex; the log cabin may have to be lifted with a jack to restore and /or replace rotted wood.
If there are any cracks or checks, these can be restored by using caulk.
Large checks should be filled with foam strips called backer rod before the caulk is applied; these bolster the caulk's adhesion.
The inspection and restoration including wood rot repair cannot be stressed enough; annual log home maintenance will preserve your log cabin and actually save you money by avoiding expensive restoration costs.
Finish To finish up your log home restoration, strip the finish from the logs by blasting it clean; either with CO2 blasting and chemical strippers, or the commonly-used cob-blasting.
Environmentally-friendly walnut media is recommended over chemicals.
Smooth the surface using random orbit sanders or sandpaper, re-stain, and finally! Your log home restoration is complete in three not-so-simple steps.