Log home restoration is easily achieved when you have an expert team around from a reputable company recognized for its excellent services and good customer relations. Obviously, maintaining a log home is expensive. However, when you know clearly how to go with its maintenance and preservation the proper way, you will realize that it doesn’t have to be expensive at all. What you will really need is the appropriate preparation and scheduling of projects and budgets that help make a log home last for a long time close to its original lustre and shine.
With plenty of companies that offer log home restoration projects in areas around the country known for log homes, it could be hard to choose which one to do business with. Some thoughts to ponder on when facing this dilemma are the following: One, never rely heavily on websites. You have to do your own research. Some companies have the best marketing sites but provide the poorest kind of service. Two, look for those with established image to the general public who are involved with log home ownership or restoration. Three, the best company will always go the extra mile in making you understand the flow of the service you are asking for rather than focusing on showing the client how much they are going to pay.
Having said those pointers, let us now have a rundown on the most common services that we normally find from a log home restoration company.
Pre-Purchase Inspection
A log home pre-purchase inspection involves the inspection of a log home which is up for sale by current owners. Through a log home restoration company, you will be guided on the most important points that make a house strong, sturdy, and functional regardless of when it was first built. This is especially crucial when you wish to buy one already inhabited by previous dwellers or you aim at buying one to develop an inn of lodge.
Cob Blasting/ Sand Blasting/ Chemical Stripping
A stain finish can never be applied to logs without removing the old finish first. Cob blasting, sand blasting and chemical stripping are the common ways to do this. However, in order to keep the process as biodegradable and environmentally-friendly as possible, many companies now shift to cob blasting because it does not damage the logs, there are no chemicals involved in the process, and power washing (which could only cause moisture build up on the logs) is not necessary. The work is done quickly because no drying up of logs is called for with cob blasting.
Deck/Fence Staining and Stripping
Some sections in a log home could never avoid the presence of water especially when rain or snow starts falling in. These areas in the house are therefore susceptible to water. Some companies can be hired to do some maintenance jobs on these areas, just to ensure that appropriate staining is done on a regular basis; and if there is a need to remove the old finish, stripping is too common on these sections. When done consistently, damage to logs on these areas due to water is minimized.
Borate Treatment
To preserve the logs and achieve maximum benefits, borate treatment is applied. It is a natural preservative that had somehow replaced the use of the Penta chemical that flourished back in the 1980’s. It works to raise the pH level in the logs so that rots will only begin at very high percentage points. This means that minimal moisture build-up can hardly cause rots. With borate treatment it will take huge amount of mold or mildew for rots to take place. It is applied after blasting and before staining.