The builder who put this cabin up made two major mistakes in caring for these logs. His intention was good, but his experience was lacking.
First he installed the chinking so that the top of the chink joints were flush with the log above it, instead of recessing it, and thus creating a drip edge for water to run down the house instead of finding its way behind the chinking and then rotting the logs.
The builder’s second mistake was in painting all the logs with a clear sealer, which was unnecessary, and which gave these historic logs a “plastic look” changing their patina from antique grey to god-awful orange. This plastic coating did not aid in protecting the logs but rather hid the damage that was occurring under the surface from the faulty chinking.
Originally posted 2015-07-17 14:20:15.
Most of my logs were new logs (I hewed them with a ships / lipped adze), and I wanted them to look somewhat aged, so I used a aging treatment you mix with water and small amount of brown paint for tinting. I then began to investigate clear sealers. I don’t like the idea of a plastic top coating, but when contacting some higher end luxury house people, I was surprised some use this on top of older logs? Some use a thompson type sealer. I just left mine. to breath (I have porches too). I also did not use the higher cost plastic chinking.
Smart man!
We think a lot alike.
I forgot to mention, in my own research, higher lime based mortars allow the materials to breath, and are more flexible then straight cement types. Many years ago I read an article somewhere that stated that on some of the older boats and ships they used to use a type of cement type lime caulk, with oakum, and even mixed it with sawdust for over wood decks / floors. I also notied some of the older Cabins in Maine they used Oakum between logs (piled with a boat caulking chisel), and used wood lathing or split branched over this.
When I first started out many years ago I worked for a man that would always add lime to the cement when we would chink. It tended to create a much slicker finish to the cement which this man said that that would enable the cement to better shed moisture.