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Protect and maintain the beauty of your log home and deck
Your home is a major investment so it is important to clean, treat, finish and maintain it properly from the beginning. By following the steps below you can protect and maintain the beauty of your home and deck.
Surface Preparation and Cleaning
For New Wood Surfaces:
Here, the objective is to clean off any surface grime and residue and prepare the wood to receive protection from the finish you will apply later. Many people use a bleach solution to clean their wood but we do not recommend using bleach. The chlorine in bleach destroys the lignin in wood and lignin is the "glue" that holds the cells of your log or wood together. This will create a fuzzy look on the surface of the wood. If you decide to use this method you will need to remove the fuzz by scrubbing with a bristle brush or using an Osborne buffing brush on a variable speed sander/polisher. Instead of bleach, we carry a range of products to assist you: Timber Wash and TimberBrite are two of the most popular. They work just ask well cleaning your wood home and decks. Apply these products using a brush or sprayer, agitate gently and rinse off. A garden hose will work for rinsing.
A word or two needs to be said about removing mill-glaze from milled wood. This occurs because new planers can produce lumber at extremely high speeds and the result is fused wood rosins and compacted wood fibers. You'll find this most often on deck material and milled logs. This surface makes it very difficult for the finish you apply to do its job. Timber Wash can be use for this.
For wood that has a finish/stain applied that is in good shape:
Your goal is either to maintain the beauty and functionality of the finish on your home and deck or to prepare the food to receive a fresh coat of finish. The cleaning solutions mentioned above also work well for this purpose.
For gray/weathered wood without finish or wood whose finish has failed (severely degraded):
These situations first require the removal of mold, mildew, water stains, tannin bleeding, discolored wood fibers and perhaps the balance of finish/stain remaining. The second step involves the application of a neutralizer and brightener.
Try Timber Wash, (can take off old finish), or TimberBrite, (can lighten gray/weathered wood). Apply the product using a plastic garden sprayer. Saturate the area and leave on for 5-15 minutes. The time varies depending on the product and the condition of the wood. Rinse well with a pressure washer (see explanation below). You may find a few areas that need additional work. Repeat the procedure above, taking care to keep the surrounding work area saturated with water so your cleaning solution will only work on the area you want it to.
Pressure Washing:
Rinse thoroughly using a pressure waster capable of generating 1000 to 2500 #psi. If it's too powerful and is damaging the wood, hold the wand further from your work area and/or use a wider spraying tip. Start with a 25 degree fan tip and hold it approximately 18" from the surface. Make even, sweeping motions (similar to using a paint sprayer). it is better to pass over the same area, overlapping slightly. Periodically check the logs or lumber to make sure you are not being too aggressive and damaging the outer layer of wood. If so, it will have a fuzzy look similar to the bleach-treated wood discussed earlier. This fuzz is loose wood fibers and needs to be removed from the finish to adhere properly. Try a Scotch Brite type of pad or bristle brush when the wood is wet. You can get any you missed after the wood has dried. The pads can be used by hand or a similar pad can be purchased for use on an orbital grinder (the slower speed, 2000 rpm type works best). Professionals often use an Osborne buffing brush on a variable speed sander/polisher.
Step One for failed or degraded finish:
The remaining finish should be removed by a stripping solution. The type we would recommend will depend upon the type of finish that was on your house or deck. Please contact us for details. The procedure for removing is similar to cleaning gray/weathered wood. (We often recommend trying HERE for and excellent article explaining the differences between oil and water based finishes.
For Exterior Application:
To protect your wood from the sun's UV rays, exterior finishes must have a tint/color of some sort. They should also have mold, mildew, and insect inhabitable ingredients. If you apply a clear exterior finish to your wood it will be protected from mold, mildew and bugs but it will still turn gray, which is fine if that's the color you want. Otherwise, you can choose from a wide color tinted selection.
For Interior Application:
Here, the use of clear finishes is fine. Remember that wood gets touched a log on the interior (especially around light switches) so if you have decided on an oil-based product make sure you choose one that dries to a positive dry or your walls will start to look dirty. Sikkens is a top rated oil based finish that has a positive dry.
We carry a full range of high quality cleaners, restorative agents and finishes. Just to name a few: Defy, Sashco, Permachink, Weatherall, and Sikkens. Check out our Catalog of Finishes, Cleaners/Strippers, Chinking and Caulking when you start planning your wood protection program.