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Log Home Maintenance Near Grand Rapids

Log homes are great, but they're not always easy to maintain. That's why a cleaning and staining routine is so important! The right products will help your logs look their best for years into the future while keeping them protected from dirt, grime, mold growth and even bugs. Homestead Timbers is proud to be a top log home maintenance company serving the West Michigan area. For DIYers we carry all of the maintenance products you need at our showroom conveniently located just off I-96 in Marne, a quick drive from Grand Rapids. If you're a DIYer, check out our how to maintain a log home page! For those looking for a company to handle their maintenance requirements, we offer a range of services to keep your logs in tip-top shape.

Log Home Services

Standard maintenance practices can be a simple process with log homes: Light power washing every spring to clean off the logs. Do an inspection to make sure everything looks as it should. Every couple of years follow the power washing with stain application, then caulk where needed. The longer you go between cleaning, staining, and caulking the more work will need to be done.

Now things often get more complicated than that. If there are high, hard to reach places, a lift will often need to be used. It is far more safe to be power washing from a lift than it is a ladder. We would never recommend trying to power wash from a ladder. Logs that have faced some damage will need a more aggressive power washing, or even to be media blasted down to bare wood. After this they will likely need some sort of secondary prep to get the logs ready for stain, and they will require two coats of stain instead of just one. It can quickly become a multi-day project for a small team depending on the size of the log home.

Power washing a Log Home

In our experience we have not found power washing to be detrimental to the logs. Some people say that power washing will force water into the wood and it will cause issues or it will damage the surface of the logs, we have not found this to be the case if you are somewhat careful.

You don't want to use too high of a pressure and get too close to the logs as this will cause excessive felting. If you have accidentally caused excessive felting of the logs (fibers sticking up) in an area then you can use an Osborn brush to take care of it. Some is to be expected as you are removing UV damaged wood but you do want to remove the felting as it will hinder the stains ability to penetrate the logs.

Also, it is important that after power washing you wait for the logs to fully dry before applying your stain! You shouldn't apply stain to wet logs as it will prevent the stain from performing how it is supposed to.

We recommend working in sections and utilizing CPR Log cleaner in a pump sprayer to spray on the area before power washing it off. This will help clean surface contaminates off and kill any mold/mildew.

If you are just cleaning and won't be applying any stain then you can simply spray on the log cleaner and then spray it off with a hose. This should be enough for a quick clean that will prevent mold and a build up of contaminants. If you're doing this we would still recommend power washing every other year.

Looking for someone to handle the cleaning and maintenance for you? Submit a contact form or give us a call 616-677-5262 to get in touch with a log home specialist.

Log Home Maintenance Crew

Our log home crews have experience in dealing with all sizes of projects, from small cabins to big lodges. They have seen many different situations and conditions for the log homes they've worked on. This expertise allows us to be able to provide an accurate estimate for what your project will cost. For most cases, we are able to work up an estimate based on pictures and measurements of your home. In some cases we want to lay eyes on it in person before providing you with an estimate. We can offer a one off service or create a maintenance plan where we maintain your log home year after year. We are flexible with our services, we want to help you keep your log cabin in excellent condition so that it will last many years without needing restoration work.

Log Home Media Blasting

Often we will find that log homes have been neglected and need to be media blasted to get down to sound wood. In the picture here you can see the difference before and after media blasting. The darker wood is weathered and will not take a stain well while the lighter is fresh and provides optimal surfaces for stain and caulk.

Another time media blasting is require is if the homeowner wants to change the color of the log home. For example, you buy a log home that has a really dark stain on it but you would prefer it to be lighter. The old stain needs to be media blasted off to get to fresh wood that will be able to take a lighter stain without the previous dark stain showing through.

Stop by our showroom just off I-96 and talk to our log home expert Joe, or pick up some quality maintenance products. While you're here you can check out all of the different products we offer! Ranging from log siding and interior paneling to flooring and countertops.

Get in touch!

Homestead Timbers

14840 16th Ave, Marne, MI 49435

616-677-5262

 

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