Cabin Maintenance

We see many log cabins throughout the state of Arizona as we provide free quotes for maintenance and log cabin restoration. The first thing we always notice is the lack of ongoing care and regular maintenance. In most cases, the whole restoration process could be avoided if the log cabin owner had just followed a regular maintenance schedule.

What is log cabin maintenance?

There are a number of things that can degrade your log cabin surface:

• UV radiation – the sun is a destroyer. Look specifically in areas where the sun hits your cabin walls all day long.
• Water – if water has intruded between your logs or into cracks in your logs, it can cause serious damage.
• Insects and rodents – many times where you find water damage, you’ll find insects. Inspect for termites and wood boring beetles.

The good news with all of the items above is there are stains that protect from UV and also against mildew, fungi and repel water.

By taking care to do ongoing maintenance you can avoid problems from the above and also keep your cabin looking new.

Ongoing maintenance requires careful inspection of your logs and exterior.

Look for fungi

Damaged and weakened wood is ripe for fungi which feed on the sugars and starches in the food. Left alone, fungi can eventually destroy the wood.

Look for insects

If you don’t take care of insect infestation, they can cause serious damage. Termites and carpenter ants are prevalent in most of Arizona. Logs that are properly maintained are not vulnerable to insect attacks

Insects that could attack your home:
• Long-horned beetle
• Flat-headed wood borers
• Powerpost beetles
• Carpenter bees, ants
• Drywood Termites

Fixing areas that have been damaged by insects is one part of the log cabin restoration process.

Look for water damage

If your cabin is property stained and maintained you should not have any water damage. We generally find damage when stains have not been reapplied and the bare wood is repeatedly soaked and where water accumulates. Water damage will cause discoloration. Water damage can also cause rot. When this happens the rotted wood needs to be removed.

Look for peeling stain, flaking stain

When you find peeling and flaking stain, you’ve waited too long. To fix this situation, you’ll need to take down the surface with blasting or sanding. You’ll need to get back to the ‘bare’ wood and then reapply stain.

In many cases, if these issues are localized, a quick fix can be done. Unfortunately, we see many cabins that have all these issues and they need to be restored.

What does log cabin restoration involve?

If your cabin has not been maintained, you might need to go as far as restoration.

Log Cabin Restoration could include:

Media blasting
Media blasting is like sand blasting but uses a less abrasive medium that is environmentally friendly. Common materials used are:

• Walnuts
• Soda
• Corn cob
• Glass beads

We prefer walnut shells as this medium is relatively inexpensive and does not penetrate the wood that can later cause mold.

Sanding

In addition to blasting, often times, we’ll need to do a sanding finish. The objective is to get back down to the bare hard wood. In many cases, blasting can do that but sometimes additional sanding is needed to get rid of the dry, oxidized wood.

Staining

Once the surface has been prepared, you’ll need to re-stain the cabin. Do NOT paint your cabin. Your logs won’t be able to breathe if you apply paint.

How do I know if I need maintenance or restoration?

The best way to determine if your situation is an easy fix or requires restoration is to have a professional come out and review your cabin. Many companies provide free quotes. Our teams travel throughout the state and we’d be glad to review your cabin and provide a bid that includes the work that needs to be done, the price for the work and the timeline in which to get the work done.

Just give us a call for a free log cabin restoration quote.