Wood Log Home Staining and Restoration

A log home restoration project can be a big undertaking. Whether you have a log cabin that needs maintenance or a log home that needs to be stained and refinished, the professional log home restoration experts at High Performance Coatings, Inc has what it takes to get the job done. We have the professional experience with working on log homes around all of Minnesota.

>> Click on the quick video below to see start to finish a wood log home restored! <<

The above short video is a log home that was completed Fall 2019 on Lake Ida in Alexandria, Minnesota.

The wood log lake home was eco-blasted to bare wood and coated using a 3 coat stain acrylic system by Structures Nature One. You'll be amazing by the before and after. As well, this home had poor sealing between the logs allowing air to leak plus pests to enter, not to mention water was being trapped between the logs.. Click on the PLAY button and see this unfold in under 6 minutes (high speed)

High Performance Coatings, Inc. Wood Log Home Services..

Our Minnesota log home restoration and log home repair experts can help assess any problems you may be facing as a log home owner. With over 22 years of experience repairing and restoring log homes all across the Minnesota, the log home restoration experts at High Performance Coatings, Inc are able to provide all of their expertise in log home repair and log cabin restoration services throughout Minnesota. Whether your log cabin or log home needs log replacement, log home chinking, log home caulking, log home staining, log home maintenance or all of the above, High Performance Coatings, Inc can help you out. As log home repair experts with a long history of working on log home restoration and log home maintenance projects in the Alexandria to the MPLS area we have restored and repaired some beautiful homes all across the state of Minnesota, including everything from modern day log homes to traditional and historic log cabins and many of the full scribe or Scandinavian scribe homes all across Minnesota.

It doesn't matter if your home is a newer model log cabin built from a log home kit or an older, traditional historic log home built at the turn of the century, our experts can help you understand and evaluate the repairs that need to be made to your log home to ensure it weathers the storms and weather and is ready to be passed down for generations to come. Consider HPC if your log home is in need of repairs or maintenance and contact us for a cost estimate.

Where do we start with a wood home staining project?

We prefer to eco-blast old finishes off since it is a dry process. Eco-blasting is a finish removal system that combines high volume compressed air with a special walnut or crushed glass blasting media.

But in some less severe cases one can get by with power washing and chemical strippers that require the user to apply large amounts of water to the logs. This requires a drying time before the stain can be applied.

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Eco-Blasting and surface preparations in Minnesota

We take pride in our clean-up after eco-blasting. In most cases we pick up about 99% of the walnut we use, leaving a clean site that looks like we were never there - except for the new clean surface of the logs. The walnut shell and or glass dust are biodegradable and very safe for the environment.

For tougher jobs when the old finish is thick or hard we can use sand. Typically after using sand, we recommend sanding the logs to help clean up any material that is left from blasting process. Most old hard, dry paints tend to stick to the hard grain of the wood and can only be removed by sanding.

Eco-Blasting vs. Power Washing

We suggest eco-blasting (as seen in the video at the top of this page) since it is a dry process that will keep your logs dry and ready to stain the exterior immediately. Dry logs are happy logs! Moisture is your enemy with a log home and the less water, and moisture applied the better. You need to be cautious when power washing. It can drive the water so deep into the wood fiber, that it will take a lot of time to dry out properly and may cause black mold to grow under your new stain over time. We can power wash if needed. Contact us today and we can discuss the options..

Using a power washer to try and strip finishes will work great on the dry, broken down stained areas, but IT CAN also drive the water into the wood. Under the overhangs, porches and up in the peaks of the gables where the stain is still in good shape, in some cases, it will not remove the finish well enough to stain, and will likely cause a blotchy look after the new stain is on. Let us assess the needs better. Schedule a visit today.. We'd be happy to visit your home anytime!

Minnesota Log or Wood Home Caulking and Chinking

Caulk and chink for your log home. Which one should be used on your home? The rule of thumb is if the gap between log courses is ¾ of an inch or less, you should use caulk. If it is larger than ¾ of an inch, you should use chink.

These products are designed to withstand the movement of your log home in these applications. Grip Strip backer rod should be used to fill the larger openings. This makes a flat surface and allows the chink to stretch like a rubber band when applied properly.

A properly caulked or chinked log home will be much more efficient to heat and cool. Gaps around windows, doors, between log courses and in the corners can rob your log home of comfort. Improperly installed or failing caulk and chink is also one of the primary causes for log rot. While it may seem like an easy solution, we do NOT recommend filling the checks or “cracks” in the logs with caulk.

Over time, with the log movement, the caulk will fail along these checks and leave a hairline crack between the wood and caulk, allowing water to seep into the checks. Since the majority of the opening has been filled, the water cannot dry out, causing log rot to occur.

There are times when we must fill these checks, but they should be kept to a minimum. If there is a check that runs into a window, door or corner, that is allowing the wind, water or bugs to enter the interior of your home; we will have to fill them. Regardless, you should plan on inspecting these, spring and fall, and repair if needed.

We recommend applying a small bead of Shell Guard to these checks, every one to two years instead. This keeps the check open to “breathe” as nature intended, and will stop any log rot that may want to form.

At High Performance Coatings, Inc we use the below based on the application :

Energy Seal Caulk
Perma-Chink
Grip Strip
Shell-Guard

(log chinking, log home chinking, log cabin chinking, chinking log homes, log jam chinking)

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How To Spot A Rotting Log

Typically we use a hammer and walk each logs full length, tapping on it being careful not to damage the log or the chinking. Using a ladder to tap on the upper logs. And the logs directly below the windows! They are one of the first ones to show signs of rotting. If there is a hollow or rotten exterior, you will experience a different sound.

This is not always a foolproof way to locate rotted logs, but it works 90% of the time. Once a problem log is found, place a piece of masking tape to mark it for repair. Another method is too simply look for the gray weathered look or insect holes. Log ends are also spots for log rot, especially if they stick out past the overhangs of the house. Water splashing down off from the roof onto the top log starts a waterfall effect that can cause the whole corner to rot.

Wood Log Home Thermal Imaging in Minnestoa

Are you tired of paying too much to heat your log home in Minnesota? Are you feeling a draft from between the logs on your home? These are all very common problems with older and even some newer log homes. Many log home companies advertise a “chink-less” design style where a tongue and groove or foam gasket take the place of tradition chinking or caulking. Even these homes can settle and leave you with air spaces. The smallest gaps can let in lots of cold air and cost hundreds of dollars in heating costs.

High Performance Coatings, Inc in Minnesota has the technology to help you determine where you’re loosing heat! Thermal Imaging has helped to save log home owners hundreds of dollar in heating expenses. We can determine the problem areas and find solutions to turn your log home into a more efficient home.