Table of Contents
- Staining and Sealing Log Siding: Avoiding Moisture Absorption
- Staining and Sealing Log Siding: Preventing Wood Damage
- Sealing and Staining Log Siding: Creating and Maintaining Beauty
- Staining and Sealing Log Siding: Changing Colors
- Staining and Sealing Log Siding Is Superior to Painting Siding
- References and Resources
Creating and maintaining the beauty and durability of your home’s wood can be accomplished by properly staining and sealing log siding and paneling. Stains penetrate the pores of log siding and paneling that enhances the color of the wood or changes its color. It offers protection from the sun’s UV rays and possesses water-repelling qualities.
Since stain is a colorant, you must take the time to apply it smoothly and evenly to prevent darker spots, running, and dripping. Stain is typically left on the wood for a specified time and the excess is wiped off. Stains may last longer than sealers and tend to cost a little more.
Wood sealers are typically transparent liquids that are applied to wood after staining. It offers protection by repelling water and the elements. They are easy to apply with brushes or sprayer units. TIP: Apply both a stain and sealer to offer more protection than a sealer alone. This way, you prevent more color fading caused by UV rays.
Staining and Sealing Log Siding: Avoiding Moisture Absorption
Water is both a friend and foe in our daily lives. Water absorption can be a wood home’s, including log siding home’s, greatest enemy. helps fill wood’s pores and makes it harder for water to get into them.
Water damage can create a breeding ground for insects or worms, mold, mildew, fungus, or rot. This can be especially true with the bottom row of log siding. Sealing the log siding, corners, and trim creates a barrier to prevent water from damaging the stain and wood. It also helps protect the health of the wood. This process can be completed by skilled homeowners or professionals.
Staining and Sealing Log Siding: Preventing Wood Damage
Any wood damage to log siding or paneling distracts from its beauty and longevity. Damage can be caused by things other than moisture in the form of rain, sleet, or snow, including:
- Insects and bugs
- Lack of shade on the south side
- Fast or frequent temperature fluctuations
- Summer’s heat and winter’s cold
Staining and sealing also provide more benefits than we might realize, including:
- Protects from the sun’s UV rays
- Helps minimize warping
- Helps minimize cracking
- Reduces wood breaking
- Helps prevent wood peeling
- Reduces pollution damage
- Repels dust and dirt
Protecting your wood siding prevents excessive long-term maintenance and repairs. Use the highest quality stain and sealer you can afford and you will never be sorry.
“Creating and maintaining the beauty and durability of your home’s wood can be accomplished by properly staining and sealing log siding and paneling”
Sealing and Staining Log Siding: Creating and Maintaining Beauty
Many stain colors are available to capture just the right hue you dream of. When the wood is prepared correctly before stain and sealing are applied, these materials will adhere better and stay on the wood longer. This not only creates gorgeous rustic wood it helps maintain the color over time.
You may have seen wood-siding homes that have turned an ugly dark brown and/or black on some walls, especially the one facing south. This issue was created by poor wood preparation, stain or sealant application, maintenance, or a combination of them. Do yourself a favor and apply the stain and sealer products according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Do not guess at it or use someone else’s ideas.
Staining and Sealing Log Siding: Changing Colors
If you desire to change the color of your log cabin or home, make sure the new stain is compatible with the old stain. If you switch from an oil stain to a water-based stain, you create more work. This change necessitates using a cob blaster or something similar to get down to the bare wood.
The log siding should be cleaned well before re-staining and resealing. Adding a new coat of stain will enhance the wood’s natural beauty, refresh the color, and seal the wood. Research shows that lighter color stains typically need re-staining more often than dark stains. A sealant coat can be applied after the stain is completely dry. You may also want to change the color of any chinking between and around the log siding.
Staining and Sealing Log Siding Is Superior to Painting Siding
Good advice dictates never paint log siding; stain and seal it instead. Painting log siding or full logs may sound like a good idea but it carries with it some drawbacks:
- Stain allows wood to breathe but paint does not
- Most paints don’t absorb well into wood and tend to keep moisture in
- Stains will let moisture escape and keep moisture out
- Paint hides problems that you cannot see
- Painting may hurt your log home’s resale value
- Removing paint to replace it with stain and sealer is costly
We hope this information about staining and sealing will be meaningful. Use it to beautify and extend your log cabin or log home’s life.
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