STAINING DO’S AND DON’TS FOR YOUR LUXURY LOG HOMES

STAINING DO’S AND DON’TS FOR YOUR LUXURY LOG HOMES
By Michigan Wood Products

Proper preparation of your log siding product before staining, as well as the staining procedure itself, can ensure that your finished logs or log siding exceeds your expectations or the expectations of your client. Here are some valuable tips for the proper preparation of the wood, and application of wood staining products.

Log Quality is Critical: The sap-ring in log measures 2/3 the diameter of the tree trunk. .
Sap causes what is typically seen as a blued or black blotches on the wood -- even with
the very best of stain applications! ALL the sapwood should be pulled aside during the
drying and milling process. Simply stated, using inferior log siding products milled from
sapwood may be inexpensive to begin with, but in the long run will cost more time and
effort to maintain and will result in less satisfaction with the appearance of the home.

Prepare the Log Siding: Use a TSP wash (Tri Sodium Phosphate) to open up the
cellular structure of the wood so the stain will penetrate further into the grain.

Stain Quality: It’s always best to research the different stain qualities available at your
local stain store. Check online to make sure you are getting the quality you want for the
money you want to spend. There are a wide range of products, and of course, the best
products are the most expensive. Even a quality stain will not wear well if preparation is
inadequate or sun exposure is excessive. Look for guarantees and for stain life
expectancies as published by the manufacturer. Follow all manufacturers’
recommendations for product preparation and stain application.
Stain Application: Stain doesn’t go on like a coating of paint and doesn’t function like
paint in the protection of your log siding product. Unlike paint, stain is designed to soak
into the wood. Two healthy coats of stain back-brushed into the wood itself are much
better than one heavy coat of stain, which sits on the surface. If you apply your stain like
a thick coat of paint, the stain will ultimately chip, crack and peal.

Color Choice: The predominant enemy of stain is the UV rays of the sun. Lighter stain
colors will fail faster than darker stain colors because UV rays penetrate further into the
lighter colored product.

Limit Sun Exposure: If you are still designing your home, you might want to position
your home in relation to the sun in order to minimize sun exposure. It’s always good to
have an 18 – 24 inch overhanging soffit on your roof to keep your log siding out of the
sun as much as possible.

See this and more articles at http://www.avalonloghomes.com/log-homes-information-news-technology