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Sanding questions

I recently bought a 40 year old log home and found his site. It has been very helpful in learning what I need to know, and being a newbie at this I'm sure I will have lots of questions.

This home is made from double tongue and groove, D profile milled logs. I think they are cedar but i'm not certain of this.

The surface of the logs are in need of repair. The exterior was painter brown, but most of that has been removed (I believe by blasting). In addition I found an empty container of oil based stain, so I'm sure that was applied at some point as well.

Most of the logs are solid, with a few exceptions, and I can see remains of what appears to be fungus. The surface is weathered, and the grain of the wood is raised in a lot of areas, especially on the south side. There are some soft spots, but they appear to be fairly shallow. Checking exists, but doesn't appear to be too bad. The seams and checks have been filled with what I believe is a grayish caulk.

Obviously I need to refinish this, but I am a little unsure of how to proceed. Here is what I am thinking:

1. Remove old caulking.

2. Scrape/dig out the the shallow soft spots.

3. Sand with 40 grit to remove the high raised grain.

4. Sand with 80 grit to get to good wood and remove any old finish.

5. Clean with Log Wash, then Wood Renew, and last with Oxcon.

6. Apply Shell Guard, being careful to apply it to the inside of the checks.

7. Prime with Lifeline Prelude

8. Apply 2 coats of Lifeline Ultra 2 stain.

9. Apply 1 coat of Lifeline Advantage clear coat.

10. Seal between the logs and all checks with Perma Chink Energy Seal.

11. Seal the end of the logs with Log End Seal.

Does this all sound correct? I can sometimes be an over-doer, but I really want to do this right the first time so that it will last and I will spend much less time and money in the long run. However, this is a fairly expensive approach, so if I am going overboard with anything please let me know.

Thanks,

Brent

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Piatz on May 24, 2012 at 1:34pm

Hi Brent,

I work for Perma-Chink Systems and you are on the right track if you are going to use our system of products. I would like to make a few suggestions however.

1. After Sanding you only need Wood Renew if there is still grey UV damaged fiber to remove.

2. You only need Oxcon if there are Iron Tannate, or dark water stains that you can't get rid of after you have sanded. If you do use Oxcon be sure to do the entire wall. You can't spot clean with it. Also make sure that you rinse very well.

3. You may not need Prelude Sealer if you are finish sanding with 80 grit paper. Prelude Sealer is only used on the exterior if your wood is very rough. A surface sanded with 80 grit paper usually doesn't require the clear primer. Another case where you might use it is if you are trying to get different species of wood of logs of different ages to blend in better when finished.

4. You may want to consider doing some rot repair before applying your finish. We have some great epoxy products that you can use. M-Balm and E-Wood. Feel free to call or email me for details.

5. It's better to apply Log End Seal after your second coat of Lifeline Ultra 2 is applied and has dried to the touch. Allow the Log End Seal to dry clear and then apply your Lifeline Advance topcoat over the entire project including the log ends. This will give the Log Ends even more protection from water infiltration and will help seal the Log End Seal to the wood.

6. We have a new set of warranty forms available and I also have some tech tips that I can mail you so feel free to contact me if you would like them.

As always, feel free to give us a call if you have any questions. We have staff standing by to answer your questions from 8am EST to 5pm PST Monday through Friday. Or you can email me at kevin@permachink.com.

Good luck with the project,

Kevin, PCS Redmond

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Permalink Reply by Brent C. on May 25, 2012 at 3:39pm

Thanks Kevin. That's exactly the information I was looking for.

What about UV boost? Is it very beneficial? Your site says to add it to the first coat, but would that be to the Lifeline Ultra 2 stain, or to the Prelude primer if I choose to do that?

Also, is it better to add a second coat of Lifeline Advance?

Brent

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Permalink Reply by Jackie Pinkston on May 25, 2012 at 4:30pm

Brent we're a log home restoration company in Checotah, OK area. We do a lot of consultations for folks that are buying (or have bought) older log homes. We do not charge for consults, but instead try to schedule them when we're already going to be in the area. If you get to a point in your log repair that leaves you with a question, feel free to give me a holler. I'd be happy to stop by. Jackie

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Permalink Reply by Brent C. on May 25, 2012 at 4:34pm

I had no idea there was a professional that close. That's awesome. I'm just outside of Tecumseh, and I'll definately keep you in mind. Thanks!

Brent

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Piatz on May 25, 2012 at 5:11pm

Hi Brent,

It never hurts to add UV Boost to the first coat of the finish. It will abosultely add some more UV protection to your finish.

However if you decide that you need to use Prelude Sealer as your first coat you can skip the UV Boost because it already has the max ammount that you would need included in that product.

As for Lifeline Advance, we recommend one coat initially, and then a maintenance coat three years later after a cleaning with Log Wash.

If you would like a copy of our warranty forms just let me know.

-Kevin, PCS Redmond