Summer is here and it's time to start those home maintenance projects you've had on hold since winter. Here's an important log home tip to help you maintain the beauty of your wood.

Cleaning Your Log Home

Periodically cleaning your home is an important step in maintaining the appearance and durability of your WOODguard finish. The exterior surfaces of your home are settling ground for dust, pollen and other airborne contaminants that dull the surface and provide a food source for fungal growth. In addition, if you are using a contact insecticide additive, such as Bug Juice, dirt accumulations will prevent bugs from contacting the treated surface. A light cleaning once a year will keep your home looking beautiful and help prolong the life of your WOODguard.

What tools will you need? A garden hose equipped with a spray nozzle, a pump up garden sprayer and a long handled, soft bristle brush is all that's required.

What cleaner should you use? We recommend you use X-180 Weathered Wood Restorer diluted 3 or 4 to 1 for light to moderately soiled wood to bring it back to the appearance of new without harming your WOODguard finish. Wash your house just like you wash your car. The objective is to remove dirt, grime, pollen and any surface mold/mildew without harming the finish. Cleaning is also necessary to perform an adequate inspection of the condition of your finish and any caulking or chinking. Soaps and detergents can do an adequate job in removing dirt and grime, but be careful about what you use. Some products leave a residue that may be difficult to rinse off which could affect the performance and appearance of your finish. Usually liquid cleaners are easier to rinse off than powders. Bleach is caustic to your WOODguard finish. NEVER use any product containing ammonia!

How should I start? Begin by wetting down the wall with mist from your garden hose. Apply your cleaning solution with a garden sprayer (a mop or brush will work too) starting at the bottom of the wall and working your way up. Work only an area big enough so that the cleaning solution is on the wall for about 10-15 minutes. Gently scrub the wall with your brush then, using a gentle setting on the hose nozzle and thoroughly rinse the cleaner from the top down. This will help prevent blotches and drip marks. If you are going to use a pressure washer set it to deliver at 500-800 PSI to avoid splitting the wood fibers.

Once your home is clean and dry do a thorough inspection of your finish. If you notice water penetrating into the surface then it is time to reapply WOODguard. If the water still pools on top of the wood, you can wait another 6-12 months to reapply WOODguard. Don't forget your decking: X-180 Wood Cleaner works great on decks!

For more information on X-180 Weathered Wood Restorer, click here.

Fore more information on WOODguard Wood Preservative, click here.

A Few Key Points:

• A periodic gentle cleaning will help extend the life of your WOODguard.
• Never mix any product containing ammonia or bleach.
• Clean from the bottom up, rinse from the top down.
• Thoroughly rinse any cleaner off the wood.

     

New Logfinish.com Products& Services:

The Logfinish Prestained Log Siding and Trim System is the next major step in the evolution of the log home industry. We offer an integrated, professionally designed system of log siding and trim to give your home the beautiful look of full logs. Conventional log home problems of low R values, settling, shrinkage and log movement are eliminated because the Logfinish System is designed to be applied over conventional frame, timberframe or even structural insulated panels. All exterior and interior Prestained Log Siding and Trim components are manufactured from kiln dried Eastern White Pine. The system offers a number of advantages for builders and homeowners including:

• Engineered System
• Machine Coated Lumber
• Kiln Dried Lumber
• Easy Installation
• Speeds Construction Time
• Competitively Priced

Logfinish.com we will prepare a Total Interior and Exterior Package Estimate from your construction plans and room by room specification sheet. All estimates will include a suitable waste factor. All window and door trim will be precut with one end of each vertical trim section allowed to run wild for final field trim. To get a specific price quote for your home, please supply us with a blueprint complete with an accurate window and door schedule and a specification sheet for each room noting wall, ceiling and closet finish. For more information on what's included in the Logfinish.com System Exterior & Interior Packages and plus pictures, click here.

SuperChink Premium Acrylic Log Chinking

SuperChink is a premium pure acrylic latex chinking that has been specially formulated for maximum compatibility with log homes treated with WOODguard Wood Preservative. The product is designed to beautifully fill and seal the spaces between logs. SuperChink provides a high degree of durability, flexibility, resistance to mechanical damage and resistance to cracking caused by log movement or shrinkage. It is particularly well suited for applications involving large gaps which are very deep or very wide, or where the chinking will be exposed to very low temperatures for extended periods of time.

SuperChink has a creamy consistency which makes it easy to apply with no thinning or premixing needed. It provides a tight seal between the logs and also provides a decorative textured appearance which looks great in just about any log home design. Because it is an acrylic, SuperChink applies very smoothly and easily. The product can be used in a gap of any size. SuperChink should be applied over backer rod or bond breaker tape. While it may take several weeks for SuperChink to dry completely, it is normally dry to the touch within 24 hours. SuperChink will maintain a soft and slightly pliable nature after it has cured so it never becomes completely hard or rigid to the touch. Once cured, SuperChink becomes virtually impervious to weather conditions. SuperChink is available in the following colors that are designed to enhance the natural beauty of any log home: Sand, Tan, Brown and Gray. For more details on SuperChink, please click here.

Outlast Wood Seal for Decking and Wood Furniture

Outlast Wood Seal is a stain concentrate that provides excellent water repellency. It never hides the grain or beauty of natural wood surfaces and is available in three wood tones: Original Golden Toner, Red Maple Toner and Walnut Toner. Outlast is ideal for new construction or cleaned and prepped old wood decks, railings, outdoor furniture and more. It is the perfect blend of resins, waterproofing agents, UV inhibitors and semi-transparent iron oxides in a base designed to stop the unsightly graying of wood. It brings a halt to warping, checking and the splitting of unprotected wood that swells and shrinks under the influence of tain and tun. Outlast leaves a beautifully tinted, hydrophobically modified surface that resists the growth of mold and mildew without obscuring the grain of the wood. Outlast should never be applied without diluation. Mix one gallon pail of Outlast with four gallons of Mineral Spirits. This will cover 1000 SF of outdoor wood with a single coat. The factory recommends a two coat initial application of Outlast so the net coverage of two coats of Outlast mixed with Mineral Spirits is 500 SF of outdoor wood. For more details on Outlast Wood Seal, please click here.

NBS-30 Insect Repellent Paint Additive

NBS-30 is an insect repellent that mixes easily with both oil and water-based paints and stains. It repels insects of all types, puts an end to ladybug infestation and stops carpenter bees and ants from drilling. NBS-30 is a biologically natural product derived from plant extracts and is safe for pets, plants and people. Add one pint can of NBS-30 to a five gallon bucket of exterior paint or stain, or add at a rate of 3.2 liquid ounces per gallon of coating. Take special care to fill any existing carpenter bee holes or other insect manifestations with Sevin Dust or WD-40 then fill with caulking or a wood dowel. Sheen, curing time and luster of WOODguard may be changed slightly by NBS-30. Color may be affected very slightly and would be most noticeable in pure white paint. For more details on NBS-30, please click here.

Floetrol Acrylic Latex Stain Conditioner

Floetrol improves the performance of latex stain such as Lifeline Interior, particularly the darker colors. It minimizes brush and roller marks to make your stain job look better with less effort. Floetrol gives latex stain the feel of oil stain without the clean-up hasles and gives it the flow and leveling of oil stain to enhance its performance in less-than-ideal circumstances. Unlike water, Floetrol maintains and fortifies the qualities of stain. It also improves the coverage of most stains, providing an exceptional value for the money. Floetrol is ideal for faux finishing because it extends the "wet edge" of the stain. It gives you the time to create the look you want or to correct the mistakes you've made. Floetrol reduces tip-clogging and piston freezing with cupgun spraying-guns last longer. It produces a better spray pattern with less pressure. To apply, use one quart of Floetrol for each five gallons of paint. For more information on Floetrol, please click here.

For more information on pricing and product descriptions:

• Visit our website at www.logfinish.com
• Call us toll free at 888-208-2248

Send your photo submissions for the Logfinish.com Newsletter:

• By email at info@logfinish.com
• By mail to Logfinish.com, P.O. Box 608, Lake Lure, NC 28746.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

The Logfinish.com Team
Bill, Rae and Gale