Chinking Application Guidelines

If you are looking to keep weather and other elements outside of your home, chinking is the best option available for you. Chinking refers to the infill between the logs of log cabins. This tight seal keeps weather elements, air infiltration and insects out of your log cabin. Applying chinking is one of the more important tasks in building and owning a log cabin. There are multiple important steps in the chinking process. We will cover a few of the more important steps in the chinking process to get you started in the right direction.

Stain before chinking:
Best results are obtained when chinking is applied to wood that has been previously coated with a compatible stain. If newly stained, the coating should be thoroughly cured before the chinking application.

How much chinking do I need?
This depends on the size of your log cabin and the size of the chinking joints. A 5 gallon bucket of chinking will be suitable for 195 lineal feet for 1 inch chinking joints. For a larger 4 inch chinking joint, a 5-gallon bucket would last 45 lineal feet. It is important for you to estimate how much chinking sealant you will need for your log cabin.
Coverage Rates per 5 Gallon Bucket of Chinking:
˝” x 1” Wide Chinking Joint= 195 Lineal Feet
˝” x 2” Wide Chinking Joint= 95 Lineal Feet
˝” x 3” Wide Chinking Joint= 65 Lineal Feet
˝” x 4” Wide Chinking Joint= 45 Lineal Feet

Product Coverage Rates per Case of 29oz Tubes of Chinking:
Ľ” x ˝” Wide Chinking Joint= 308 Lineal Feet
Ľ” x ľ” Wide Chinking Joint= 231 Lineal Feet
˝” x 1” Wide Chinking Joint= 154 Lineal Feet

Weather and Temperature:
Once you have estimated how much chinking or sealant you need in is important to gauge the weather conditions. This is important for a few reasons:

Sunlight:
It is crucial that you do not apply your chinking sealant in direct sunlight. Direct sunlight can lead to “blistering” which can hurt the overall effectiveness of your chinking. After you have applied your chinking sealant you should cover the area for 1-2 days with white plastic sheeting.

Temperature: The temperature of your wood surface is also an important factor in chinking:

• Wood surfaces should be between 40 and 90 degrees.
• They also need to be free of frost before chinking.
• Your 5-gallon buckets of chinking also need to be at an appropriate temperature. Leave your buckets in an area where they can warm to room temperature. Once they have reached room temperature, the chinking is ready to apply.
  The natural weather conditions are not cooperating with me. What should I do?
  You can create the optimal environment. Use plastic sheeting to create a tent like structure. You can use portable heaters to heat up the area and make your wood the perfect temperature. But, please use caution when using portable heaters.
  Make sure your logs are clean:
  Clean the log surfaces thoroughly to remove dirt, pollen, bird droppings, and other surface contaminants.
  Use Backer Rod:
  Backer Rod is a foam material used to fill large checks and gaps between logs. It also provides support for chinking and sealants. Its primary purpose is act as a “bond-breaker” and promotes two-point adhesion giving the joint and sealing material the ability to compress and expand as logs move. Sealants and chinking do not adhere to the backer rod - only to the log surfaces of the joint - allowing for movement without damaging the sealing material.
  Methods of Application:
• When using 5-gallon pails, our Snorkler Pumping System, grout bag, or bulk loading guns may be used. Western Log Home Supply can supply you with all these materials.
• Use a caulking gun when using either the 29 oz. or 10.5 oz. cartridges of chinking of sealant.
• If you don’t feel like purchasing a chinking gun you can always take advantage of our chinking gun rental program.
  Tooling:
  Chinking should be tooled directly after application to ensure good adhesion and a smooth looking bead. You can use tool chinking with an ordinary masonry-type tooling blades, or a damp polyethylene foam brush or even a wet finger.
  Work the material smooth, tooling the chinking tightly to the surfaces.
  Cleanup
  Clean up is simple just keep a damp rag handy for clean up.
  At Westernloghomesupply.com we have all of your chinking needs covered. An item like Log Jam Chinking would match perfectly with our 1 qt. Bulk Loading gun. These items will quickly get you on the right path to chinking your log cabin. Be sure to view Westernloghomesupply.com for more helpful tips and useful information. Also, be sure to check out our chinking gun rental program.
  For more information about chinking material, or chinking application or tools contact Western Log Home Supply toll free at (800) 518 6256