An online log home community for log home enthusiasts.

Stain

Hi All,
I just joined after looking for info on restaining advise.
Our log home is 6 years old We used VELVIT OIL log penetrating stain and it has gotten a little too dark in sun exposed areas and it is time to recoat. My dilema is it has gotten chalky as well as too dark.
I look at pics in magazines and wish ours had that rich low lustre sheen instead of the chalky look.
We didn't use any sealer but have used the velvit oil twice and applied it with the care of loving homeowner, (used plenty of log oil and painstakingly took the time to work it into the logs by hand.)
I would welcome any advise to as to what product to use,prep work needed and my concern is I thought we were suppose to let the logs breath not seal ????? HELP.
Signed,
Lindsay- in need of stain and or sealing advise !!!!

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by ANGELA on July 25, 2008 at 1:44pm: The best finishes can seal and allow the logs to breathe. All of the finishes with that sheen you are talking about are film-forming finsishes with a topcoat. Perma-Chink Lifeline Ultra-2 w/Advance and Sikkens Cetol 1 & 2,3 are two of the best. Pressure-washing with wood cleaner (no bleach please!) should mostly revive your logs and get them ready for a new stain although some sanding may be necessary as well.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Terry Tadysak on October 5, 2008 at 9:18pm: Perhaps you could contact Sikkens and ask them if their product is a 'coating' product or penetrating oil. Sikkens reps inform me that their product is a 'coating' product, not penetrating product. I totally agree with you that any product used MUST allow the logs to breathe. Please inform your readers, after how many coats of the second satin shine coat of Sikkens will the layers begin to trap moisture ? Sikkens no longer pushes the 3 coat step. They have reduced it to two, as I have been informed.
I also agree, no bleach. I do not agree that pressure washing is the best method of cleaning logs unless the pressure is low. I suggest investigating products like X-180. 414-962-5272. Sikkens is also water based. Consult with wood experts to see if they are choosing oil based as a first choice. Eventually, almost all products for this application will be water bourne, but, until the Industry perfects the water bourne products, investigate benits of the proper oil based semi transparent penetrating stains available as well.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Brent Nelson on September 9, 2008 at 11:57am: Lindsay,
I'm getting ready to stain the exterior of my new log home next month. I've been studiously studing many stain brands and applying them to scrap logs. I'm taking my samples and photographing them beside my log home then taking the pigment colors and "photoshopping" them onto the logs of my home in the photo, using the "paint bucket" feature. This gives me an idea (on a photo) as to how dark or light, the tone, saturation and values associated with log stains. I know it sounds crazy, but it works.

It sounds to me like the key word in your situation is "transparency". You want the wood grain to show and like me...hate that chalky stain that looks like paint.

One thing I've found. Many people go dark and then wish they went with a lighter stain. Logs turn dark after time. Remember, if you go light, you can always go darker later on. If you go dark, its so much harder to go lighter and requires "corn cob" (sand blasting) the surface to get the old stain off.

If you go through log home magazines, 90% of the log homes pictured are stained with the lighter tones.

I'm going with the Sikkens Cetrol SRD log stain in Natural Oak. It is a mid-range lighter stain and looks a lot like the cedar stain. Since our log home sits among oak trees, all the better, even though white oak bark is gray. The Citol SRD is a transparent mat stain that alows the grain of the wood to show through.

I'm by no means an expert and have yet to apply my stain, but I want to make sure I've investigated every possibility to insure a stain color on my home that I'm pleased with.

Good Luck!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Diane on September 19, 2008 at 9:12pm: Hi Brent
Am interested in more of your findings. I've been "diggin" deep for information on best product and process AND for that all important color choice (my husband thinks I'm nuts1:-) What made you decide on Siikkens Cetrol SRD? I, like you, want to be sure I'm 100% happy with the color. Your photoshop idea is an excellent one and will "steal" it to make sure color I choose is the right one. We are almost done buidling in Maine and my husband is stressing about getting the wood cleaned/stained and sealed. People from PermaChink said the house will be fine through the winter months and to wait till spring to start and complete the process of washing/staining etc...due to the temperatures dropping. Thoughts on this? Any info you can forward regarding product will be most appreciated. One more question, are you doing the work yourself?
Thanks! Diane; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Terry Tadysak on October 5, 2008 at 9:29pm: I have done considerable research on exterior and interior stains. If you would like my suggestions based on my research I would be pleased to e-mal you my "How to Do" sheet.

The leading experts perfer oil based semi transparent penetrating oil stains as their 1st choice. I chose TWP Cedartone 101 made by Gemini Coatings. TWP as it ages gets lighter. When you apply added coats it returns to its original color, NOT darker.

The real key when designing your log home is to keep the water off the logs. I have a 32 inch over hang on the sides and 7 foot overhang on the front and back. I have a 9 ft high 10 inch thick poured basement where the walls are almost 2 feet above ground level. In the most severe of rains my logs remain dry ! KEEP the water off your logs by design. This may be the best advice anyone can give you. I designed my 9 inch sweedish log home with Meadow Valley Log Homes in Mauston, WI. Cassy and Barb werb outstanding in creating a design that was built to see the 22nd century. If you would like pictures let me know.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jim Bilyeu on October 1, 2009 at 3:13pm: I don’t know who your “leading experts” are but they should go back to school. Most people doing this type of work should know that the decision to use a water base or oil base should be based on the climate in which they live. To use an oil base product in a damp climate could produce unwanted mildew. A lot of home owners have told me that they don’t have a mildew problem, their homes have just turned “dark”. Remember the Bear lawsuit, log houses turning dark. That dark was mildew growing in the oil base finish. I’ve been in this business for over 40 years and I don’t know of one “Expert” that would only recommend an oil base finish. I do know quite a few who calls themselves “experts” but believe me, they have a long ways to go before they are experts.

The biggest and most important thing about applying a finish, any finish, is Prep, Prep, Prep and more Prep. The better the prep the longer the product is going to last. You might also want to read the application directions for the product your going to apply. Sickens = BLEACH, yes, Sikkens recommends using bleach. If you don’t use bleach and you have pre mature failure, don’t go to Sikkens complaining. There is nothing wrong with using a mixture of one quart bleach to 4/5 gallons of water to kill mildew spores. Just spray it on and rinse it off real good.

If you plan on using Borates and Sikkens, please read the application procedures. There is a 6 month waiting period required between applications.

Sikkens is probably the best product on the market today. The main drawback to this product is the effort and the prep it takes to apply it correctly. It is by far the hardest and most expensive product to remove if you have to remove it. In most cases, contractors just want to remove it and apply another brand of finish. This just leads to higher cost for something that does not need to be done.

….Jim Bilyeu …

Log Home Repair & Restoration
Loghomerepair@yahoo.com
503-329-4218; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by See Dirt Run! Inc. on October 1, 2009 at 7:00pm: Excellent post Jim! Points well made.

Beth; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dianne on September 24, 2008 at 11:17am: Just started staining. The product here is Sikkens Cetol SRD in cedar color. Don't know if this will help, but I thought to put it out here as an example. I chose this photo so you can see the contrast with the logs that haven't been stained yet. This is a new build (logs delivered May 19) and they were still in very good condition and needed very little cleaning before the staining started.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by See Dirt Run! Inc. on October 5, 2008 at 4:58pm: All wood should be cleaned and prepared before the initial coating is applied, for a number of reasons. If you skip this step you will see it a few years down the road as the finish begins to age. Even a light cleaning to make sure any surface pollutants and microbial growth are gone is very important.

Beth; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Terry Tadysak on October 5, 2008 at 9:07pm: You have decided on Sikkens. Highly rated by others. . Be sure you re-apply the second coat as they direct. Monitor the moisture of the logs with a moisture meter year by year. Use one that penetrates well below the surface. If you find that the second coat, layer after layer, is trapping moisture, call sikkens and ask them hoiw to solve this potentially difficult problem. Consult with U.S. Forest Products Lab Experts. They express concerns about products that coat and not penetrate into the wood.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kevin Piatz on January 8, 2010 at 1:36pm: I can't seem to find anything on the internet where U.S. Forest Products Lab Experts express concerns about products that coat and do not penetrate into the wood. What I did find was this which if you read all the way through you will see that it states the opposite. http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr60.pdf
The thing is that although it does actually say that the acrylic coating products protect exterior wood better than the penetrating oils in this research by the U.S. Forest Products Lab, you must also understand that the research isn't even done on logs. It seems to be conducted on ply wood siding and waferboard. I'd like to see the same research done on logs. As you most likely know, logs have much different needs then plywood and waferboard. Logs expand and contract, they crack, check and move. The finish used on them must be formulated with these things in mind. If you can link to us the report that you have I would really appreciate it Terry. Thanks in advance!
- Kevin; ▶ Reply to This