Log Home Maintenance

Having our roots in the log home and cabin industry for so many years has allowed us to gain an immense amount of knowledge and become a successful log home maintenance company. One of the most important things we have learned is the proper way to take care of and maintain your log/log sided home. Through regular maintenance it allows you to preserve all of the incredible character and beauty that only wood can offer.

Our most popular log home maintenance and repair service is light power washing and applying a maintenance coat of stain or clear coat depending on what stain you use. Done every few years this will ensure your logs stay in the best shape possible as they will be protected from UV rays and the elements. By keeping up with maintenance it will keep your annual and overall maintenance costs down.

Through delaying necessary maintenance, you will end up needing more log restoration work done (costly) instead of just maintenance. This means media blasting the logs down to bare wood, replacing any rot, doing necessary secondary prep such as sanding, utilizing any necessary preservatives such as borate rods, applying multiple coats of stain as it will need to sink in to the new wood, and applying new caulking or chinking.

If you're looking for someone to help, we're a top log home maintenance contractor located near Grand Rapids, MI. We would be happy to help you with our knowledge, products, or services. Get in touch by submitting a contact form!

The first thing we usually ask is for you to send us recent pictures of your log cabin, this allows us to get a better idea of the condition of the wood. With pictures in hand and the dimensions of your house It helps guide us in estimating how much work will need to be done, from here we may be able to provide a budget number for your project. In some cases we may need to be on site to get a better idea and estimate, which leads us into the next step.

On site inspection, for some projects it is necessary to be on site and physically inspect the logs and any problem areas there may be. It also gives us a good idea of any equipment we may need to have, such as a lift to reach hard to access spots.

Next is scheduling, we will get your project on our schedule for washing and then staining. Our schedule is somewhat variable because staining is weather dependent, so if we have a rainy day that we were supposed to stain on we will switch and start our next washing job. Once we complete the staining, you're all set!

We utilize Sashco products and are proud to do so as they have the highest quality products and information we've found. They are a great company and would be happy to answer any of your questions. We are a stocking dealer of their products and went through their training classes for maintenance as well. 

The first step is gathering your materials. This includes wood cleaner, brightener, stain, and caulk. We have all of these products in stock, stop by our showroom in Marne, MI or get it shipped to you. Give us a call to talk about your project! 616-677-5262.

Check out our page on how to maintain a log home!

Prepping the surface: Power washing and using a cleaner is usually sufficient if it hasn't been more than a couple years since the last maintenance.

The next step is to do any necessary secondary prep. This means sanding, using an Osborn brush, or Sashco's buffy pad system to take off any wood fuzz, which hinders the ability for the stain to soak into the wood.

Now onto applying the stain. If it is just a maintenance coat you're doing every or every other year, one coat will be fine. This will keep stain towards the surface of the wood, ensuring it is protected. If it's bare or new wood it is important that you apply the first coat of the stain liberally. This coat will soak deeper into the wood. The second coat will stay closer to the surface and this is when you will get the sheen.