How do I preserve my log home?

Wood Preservation

On the country roads in your area, take a good look at the old wooden barns that have been there since you were born... Look closely, and you'll notice that the barns that are in good shape are the ones with a good roof. The roof is the key to any wooden building's long life. Very rarely did anyone use preservation on the wood in those days, but they did make sure that there was no permanent water or moisture on it. If you allow any wood to remain wet or moist, you automatically invite fungus to begin it's systematic destruction of the wood's cellulose. It doesn't matter to the fungus whether the wood is sawdust, regular 2x4's or cabin logs. With a good roof and overhang over your building, you can eliminate the permanent water/moisture problem.

We can only guess how many hundreds of spring and summer rains those old barns have seen, and they are still standing square and solid. it's because of their sound roof; not because of preservatives. As long as they can dry out after the rain, they're fine. The same holds true for log homes. A good solid roof is the ultimate protection from fungus.

Common sense indicates that the interior surfaces of a log wall are protected from exposure, simply because they are inside the home. The 2x4's that comprise your stud walls, and the lumber used for your floor joists and rafters are dry and protected because they also are inside the home.

No amount of discussion ever convinced the building industry to apply preservatives to these interior timbers, because it wasn't necessary. Common sense says the same holds true for the interiors of your log walls.

Having said all that, we are not opposed to applying a preservative to the exterior of your log home after construction, in spray or brush form (NOT dip-treating). We sell an ultraviolet resistant coloration that contains the fungicide in it. you may know it as TWP, and it can be obtained in a variety of shades and colors, from a golden yellow to a dark brown. However, we are entirely opposed to applying any preservative material at all to the interior log surface.

With a dipping process, the preservative is applied to the interiors, as well as the exteriors of the logs. For years, we have opted NOT to do this. it seems that many of yesterday's preservatives, after chemical testing, have been banned for interior use. Creosote is a great preservative, but it cannot be trusted to be good for your health. Imagine breathing it in for years in the enclosed environment of your own home. The EPA decided that it should do something about it years ago. Pentachlorophenol sounds like it can kill fungus, but what can it do to you? It was banned for interior use by the 80's. Lots of log homes were treated with it, inside an out, and people are still living in those homes. Then came Zinc Naphthenate. Yes, it inhibits fungal growth, but after years of breathing in the fumes, what allergies will you get? The latest in the list is the Borax solutions. Time will tell with this, too.

Years ago, we began recommending no wood preservative on the interiors of our log homes. It is no good to go "back to the land", build your dream home on the back forty, and develop allergies or some other similar problem because you are breathing in chemicals. In the past, too many chemicals have been given the go-ahead for our use, (not just in our industry- remember DDT?.... but in many other cases) only to be pulled from the shelf at a later date. By then, we have already been exposed. Most people will agree that it's better to avoid exposure in the first place. We are comfortable with preservation on the exteriors of your logs, only. By avoiding interior application, you will also avoid years of concentrated exposure.