Welcome to: Exterior Finishes for Log Homes, Post and Beam Homes, and Cedar Sided Homes
What’s the Best Exterior Finish for Your Log Home?
1. ALWAYS CLEAN YOUR LOGS FIRST
Before you apply any finish to the exterior of your log home you need to prep it first to receive the finish. All the exterior finishes offered by LogFinish are semi transparent and they allow the beauty of the wood to show through. All dirt, grease, as well as mold and mildew must be removed first. Most milled logs have a mill glaze on them and it must be removed to allow adequate product penetration. We recommend X-180 Weathered Wood Restorer for cleaning and mill glaze removal. It removes all the dirt, grease, mold and mildew in one application. Just spray it on from the bottom to the top and let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Then, rinse your logs thoroughly with your pressure washer. Set the pressure for between 500 and 1000 psi and rinse from the top down. Keep rinsing until there is no more foam and then rinse it again. X-180 thoroughly cleans your logs and opens the wood up to receive the wood preservative and log finish.
2. NEXT APPLY A GOOD WOOD PRESERVATIVE
Wood preservatives prevent rot and make your logs toxic to wood eating insects such as powder post beetles and termites. Before applying any log finish, make sure you have an EPA registered wood preservative on your logs. At Logfinish.com we recommend Shellguard RTU because it penetrates so deep. This product is a 10% Borate solution in propylene glycol. Just spray it on with a backpack sprayer such as a Solo 475 and then back brush it in. It makes your wood toxic to powder post beetles, termites and other wood eating insects. It also prevents rot. Shellguard RTU is safe enough to be used inside and outside your log home. The key to successfully using Shellguard RTU is that it must be applied to clean, bare wood. Just apply the Shellguard RTU and let your logs dry for 3 -5 days. Then you are ready to stain with finishes such as Sikkens Cetol Log and Siding and Lifeline Ultra 2.
3. WOODGUARD WOOD PRESERVATIVE
Logfinish.com’s best selling log home finishing product is WOODguard Wood Preservative. This product is an EPA registered wood preservative and a log home finish all rolled into one. WOODguard is a petroleum oil based product and the active ingredient is copper 8 quinolinolate. Like Shellguard RTU, WOODguard provides rot protection and makes your wood toxic to powder post beetles and termites. Unlike Shellguard WOODguard is designed for exterior use only.
WOODguard is a one coat product that is applied to the point of refusal so the wood will not take any more. WOODguard should be applied with a Solo 475 Backpack Sprayer and then be back brushed in. It provides excellent water repellency and sun fade resistance. It is available in six natural wood tones and cures into the wood to a natural flat finish. Of all the products sold by Logfinish, Woodguard is the easiest product for most log home owners to apply. There are no issues with lap lines or brush marks as everything evens out as the WOODguard penetrates in. Only apply WOODguard when the moisture content of your logs is 18% or below and temperatures are 50 degrees and above. When applying a single initial coat of Woodguard, a second coat must be applied after three years. This second coat will protect your home for an additional 4-5 years. WOODguard also offers an optional clear acrylic topcoat, Woodguard TC that can be applied a minimum of 30 days after the initial Woodguard coat. Using Woodguard TC will significantly boost the life of your Woodguard Finish and help keep your logs cleaner. WOODguard TC is available in satin and gloss versions. For customers with environmental concerns, the WOODguard family of products offers the industry’s lowest VOC levels.
4. SIKKENS LOG AND SIDING
Logfinish.com’s second most popular exterior finish is Sikkens Cetol Log and Siding. This is a two coat alkyd resin product that must be brushed on. Sikkens Log and Siding uses the same product for both coats and yields a beautiful satin finish. Sikkens Log and Siding is available in eight wood tone colors. Apply the first coat one day and then come back and do the second the next day. The only limit to this product is that it must be applied to logs that have moisture content of 18% or below. When in doubt get a moisture meter. If your logs have moisture content higher than 18% apply a coat of Sikkens Log Pretreatment for six months to a year. This product allows your logs to dry out gradually with minimal checking. When your logs have dried to a moisture content of 18% or less you are ready to apply the Sikkens Log and Siding. Remember, if Sikkens Cetol Log and Siding is applied to wet wood with greater than 18% moisture content, there is a potential for peeling on the high sun sides of your home. When in doubt about moisture content, use the Sikkens Log Pretreatment first.
5. LIFELINE ULTRA-2
Logfinish.com’s newest exterior product is Lifeline Ultra 2 by Perma-Chink. Lifeline Ultra-2 is environmentally friendly, water based acrylic latex system that requires two coats of color followed by two coats of Lifeline Advance Topcoat. Ultra 2 is designed to be applied with an airless sprayer and then back brushed into the wood. It is a little trickier to apply than WOODguard or Sikkens Cetol Log and Siding, but, the results are stunning and the product offers a five year written warranty. Our sales of this product line have increased substantially during the past year despite the fact that it is the most expensive and requires the most labor to apply. Lifeline Ultra 2 is available in 12 factory pre-tinted colors. Lifeline Advance Topcoat is available in satin and gloss versions.
6. NATURE'S EDGE WOOD FINISH
LogFinish.com is now proud to offer Nature's Edge Wood Finish. This
revolutionary new product is a "LogFinish Green Choice Product" because of
it's all natural " American Grown" long oil ingredients and its very low
VOC's (Volatile Organich Content) . Nature's Edge is a waterborne oil that
is easy to apply and easy to clean up. Nature's Edge can be applied when
temperatures are between 40 degrees and 90 degrees. Just apply the product
with an airless sprayer and backbrush it in. Second and third coats can be
applied after just a couple of hours of drying time. Cleanup is a snap
with just soap and water. Nature's Edge offers excellent durability because
of its advanced zinc oxide UV inhibitors. For customers wanting to make the
greenest possible choice we recommend Nature's Edge.
7. SUMMARY
Which exterior log finish product is the best for you? At Logfinish.com we let you decide, by making wet sample kits available at no charge. The sample kits allow you try the products on your own wood and decide which one is best for you. Please follow the product links below for complete information on Logfinish.com’s exterior product line.
