Are your products available locally?
Log Care Solutions is a national mail order retailer of
Perma-Chink, Woodguard, and various other tested and proven
products for the restoration and preservation of your
log home. We ship all over the USA every day via UPS and
because we stock the items we sell over 99% of our orders
go out the next business day. We do not have local outlets.
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Are your products available in Canada?
While many of our products can be shipped to Canada, several
have restrictions and cannot. Because of this we encourage
you to call 828-625-8022 for assistance with all Canadian
orders.
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What is the best way to seal and stain my
existing log home?
First clean your logs with X-180 Weathered Wood Restorer.
This will get rid of all dirt, mold and mildew. It also
will get rid of any mill glaze that was blocking stain
absorption. Then apply Woodguard until the wood will not
take any more. Apply a second coat after 12-24 months
and you should be protected for 5-7 years.
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Can Woodguard be applied over existing stain
of unknown type?
The answer is maybe. Woodguard will not penetrate through
Sikkens Cetol which is basically a marine varnish. The
Sikkens would have to be totally stripped or cornblasted
off. The same is true for multiple coats of CWF from the
Flood Company.
Your home should definitely be pressure washed. We have
sample kits that we will be happy to send you. This is
the best way to find out if Woodguard will work for you.
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Removing black streaks
and black ends from a 12 year old log home.
Question:
Hi. We are considering purchasing a log home in Michigan's
UP--pine logs, 12 years old, about 38 x 25, two story.
Many of the log ends are black, and some of the logs have
black streaks. Will a wood cleaner repair this, or do
we need to corn blast? If we repair the wood & then
apply Woodguard, how long before we need to maintain again?
Any rough idea on the cost to restore the exterior, and
then ongoing maintenance costs?
Answer:
Your new log home is in a wet climate and the black you
see is probably mold and mildew. A mixture of bleach,
water and trisodium phosphate (THP) should clean it up
but as bad as it sounds in your e-mail it may take several
washings to get it clean. After using the Bleach mixture
you should apply x-180 weathered wood restorer to get
your logs neutralized and brightened.
After
everything is cleaned up and allowed to dry for a week
then apply the Woodguard. If you hire a professional to
restore your log home and apply Woodguard your cost will
probably be in the range of $2.00 per SF of surface area.
A
second coat of Woodguard should be applied in 1 year and
then you should be set to go for 5 years or more. Corn
blasting is usually reserved for disasters where stain
has failed and it will not come off with pressure washing.
It is a last ditch procedure. It abrades the surface and
leaves a rough finish.
Please
remember that no log home is maintenance free. The beauty
of wood comes with the price of regular maintenance. If
you want maintenance free you need to be buying a brick
home!
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Sandblasting
oak log home with graying logs.
Question:
We have an oak log home, the logs have a gray old look,
we thought about having them sand blasted and a sealer
applied, what do you think?
Answer:
Sand blasting will work but it has application problems
related to silicosis of the lungs. If I were you I would
first try to clean it with X-180 weathered Wood Restorer.
The graying you refer to is caused by the woods reaction
to sun. X-180 contains Oxalic Acid, which is a wood brightener
which gets rid of graying. After 20-30 minutes you pressure
wash your walls. Tough spots may need scrubbing and a
second application. Go to the Log Care solutions website
for info on this product. If the graying does not clean
up it is probably paint or stain and you will need to
corn blast it off.
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How
to fill larger cracks in a log home?
Question:
Can you use expanding foam to fill the larger cracks in
the logs of your log home? What is best, oil base or latex
stain for a log home?
Answer:
We recommend that you use polyethylene backer rod and
finish filling the check with Checkmate. You can purchase
a check kit on the Log Care Solutions website.
We
feel that oil base finishes such as Woodguard are the
best. It penetrates deep, is an EPA registered Wood preservative,
it makes your wood toxic to powder post beetles and termites,
plus it is an excellent water repellent. Water based finished
require multiple coats while Woodguard takes just one.
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Applying
Perma-Chink.
Question:
I want to perma-chink my log house. It has insulation
stuffed between the logs. Do I need to remove the insulation
and put in backer rod before I use perma-chink or can
I leave the insulation in and cover it with something
and then apply perma-chink?
Answer:
The insulation will probably compress when you put in
the backer rod. The PermaChink should be applied over
the Backer Rod. Chinking works by sticking to the log
above and the log below and otherwise floating. Our perma-chink
page at Log care solitions has the info that you will
need.
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How do I eliminate bees
and keep them from returning?
Question:
How do I eliminate bees and keep them from returning?
Answer:
Here's a three prong approach.
1.
With the existing bee holes, get a can of WD40. Put on
the red straw applicator tip. Stick the tip in the bee
hole and load each hole up with WD 40. The WD 40 will
keep the bee larvae from hatching because they cannot
get air. Then close off the hole by putting in a dowel
or caulk.
2.
Look around your property towards twilight. Look for areas
where you see bees going into wood piles or holes in the
ground. These are the nests, bomb the nest with Sevin
Dust from Garden Technology.
3.
The next time you stain your home buy some Bug Juice paint
Insecticide from Log Care Solutions. Add it to your stain.
This will get into the bees when they are drilling a hole
in the wood
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Shifting logs leaving
large gaps.
Question:
Hello, We recently purchased a piece of property that
has a small log home on it. Unfortunately, it appears
that it was build from a cheap kit by a novice builder.
It looks to be some sort of tongue and groove set up,
but the logs have appeared to have shifted quite a bit
in a few areas leaving sizable gaps. My question is about
sealant...is there a product made that is stainable or
will I have to match color the best I can. Any recommendations
would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a lot! Joe
Answer:
Energy Seal should do the job for you. Go to Log Care
solutions for info on this product. One thing about your
question puzzles me. You say that the logs have shifted.
If there was a real shift then the home was not put together
correctly using log screws or spikes and you have a real
problem. The shifting is probably log shrinkage from using
green logs. You may need some backer rod also for large
spaces.
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Repairing cracked caulking.
Question:
What kind and brand of caulk would you recommend for caulking
already cracked caulk on a log faced home. The homes color
is going to change from light brown to dark brown. Is
there a caulk that could patch the already cracked caulk
and be stainable with the dark color. By the way the dark
brown is going to be semi-transparent oil stain.
Answer:
I would recommend Energy Seal Log Caulk in the Classic
Brown Color. In proceeding with this project remember
that loose caulk should be removed. If you are planning
to stain with Woodguard the caulk should be allowed to
cure for 30 days before staining.
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Caring for a cedar log
home.
Question:
I have a cedar log home that I purchased already built
about 3
years ago. I've been told that I need to treat the logs
about every 5 years. Is that what the Woodguard preservative
is for? Someone also told me that it's best to treat it
with the same thing that was used before, but as I have
no way of knowing that, will it matter if I use something
different?
Answer:
This is exactly what Woodguard is for. Borate preservatives
like
Shellguard are usually applied only once. You cannot get
at the wood
after a coat of finish has been applied on top of a borate
preservative. With Woodguard the finish and the preservative
are one
and the same. Each coat builds more protection.
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Creating a moisture barrier
for log walls in the bathroom.
Question:
One of our bathrooms has interior log walls. What can
we put on the
logs that will act as a moisture barrier, e.g., against
steam from the
shower? We're looking for something that will not change
the color of the logs and will not hurt the chinking.
Answer:
Use an initial coat of Lifeline 110 Clear Interior sealer
and follow
it up with a couple of coats of Acrylic Topcoat in either
gloss or
satin. This can be applied over chinking.
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Caring for and preserving
an older log home.
Question:
I recently purchased a log cabin. It is need of some repair
and chinking. I have been told that the logs are 75 to
80 years old. It has been a while since the last cleaning,
sealing, or finishing. Most of the information I have
found is for newer logs. Is there something made especially
for older logs? Do I use the same materials designed for
newer logs. What order should I attempt to follow in preserving
the logs?
Answer:
On any log home the first order of business is to clean
the home. This would use X-180- Weathered Wood restorer.
The logs need to be preserved and finished. You would
use Woodguard for this. On an old log home that is dried
out you will just use more product than on a brand new
home. Your coverage will be around 500 SF per 5 gallon
pail. Complete information can be found at www.logcaresolutions
.com
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How long to wait before
sealing a new deck.
Question:
I'm just finishing a new deck I did with treated wood.
I plan to just water seal it... is there a certain time
frame that I should wait before treating it.
Answer:
The X-100 Deck Finish system is designed to use over freshly
installed treated wood. You do need to clean the wood
using x-180 weathered Wood Restorer to get rid of mill
glaze and dirt. The apply the pre-finish let it dry for
30 minutes to an hour and apply the top coat. For complete
information on this product go to www.logcaresolutions.com
and click on the exterior finishes.
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Is there a product that
will clean and brighten my log homes appearance?
Question:
I have a log home I am selling it really does not need
to be stained again but it could use a wash and with that
will that brighten it up a little or is there a product
that does that. I am selling it so do not want to have
it washed and stained again.
Answer:
X-180 Weathered Wood restorer will clean up your log home.
It is not a magic bullet to repair deteriorated log finish.
I recommend that you clean it and apply Woodguard Wood
Preservative. A cleaning and restraining may move your
for sale property from a "fixer upper" that
gets a low price to a highly desirable listing that gets
top dollar. First impressions really count in selling
homes! Complete info on these products can be found at
Logcaresolutions.com
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Looking for a clear deck
finish.
Question:
We have a large mahogany porch exposed to the elements
(Northern NJ)previously finished with a polyurethane.
Weather has removed protection in some areas and looks
are degraded by UV & water infiltration. To fix I
plan to lightly sanding down entire porch to completely
remove the Poly and return surface to natural state. I
need a long lasting clear transparent sealer-protectant
to apply to return color and protect surface that can
handle some foot traffic. Material used should be easy
to re-apply if required by the end user (client).
Answer
Your expectations for a finish are unrealistic. A clear
finish will not do the job! You need a finish with some
tint in it that will block the sun from getting at the
wood and also destroying the finish. X-100 Deck Finish
which is found at the www.Logcaresolutions.com website
is what you need. This is two part finish. You apply the
pre-finish first and then about 30 minutes later the topcoat.
This will do a great job. Your deck should be cleaned
at least once a year with x-180 Weathered Wood Restorer
and any high were areas should be touched up with X-100
deck Finish. This maintenance schedule will make your
deck look great.
You are correct in sanding off the Polyurethane. You need
to get down to bare wood for this to work. If you still
have graying on the deck use X-180 to get rid of it.
Product
Questions
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