Stain Preservation of Logs

The stains that have been created, researched and developed over the years have greatly advanced in the area of adhesion and durability. The waterboune latex stains that are on the market today are also more environmentally friendly and emit less volatile organic compounds. With latex stains applied to logs, it absorbs deep into the grains of the wood, it allows the wood to breathe plus it permits any moisture in the log to dissipate. Years ago the norm was to use oil based stains on the exterior of logs. The most common problem was that the oil finish was a surface topper that did not allow the logs to breathe which caused moisture to get trapped within the logs, causing the logs to darken to a black colour. The latex products that we use today, log homes will have the same appearance 50 to 100 years from the day the home was constructed. By following some easy cleaning procedures and reapplying a maintenance coat to the logs once every 5 to 7 years the logs will continue to look like new.