- Walk around your home and inspect the coating each spring and fall. Areas where checks have opened up that are 1/4" or greater on the upper curvature of the logs need to be caulked. Keeping the moisture out of checks will help extend the life of your stain. Log Builder and Conceal caulking are compatible with High Sierra.
- Next, look for any bushes or trees that have grown close to the building and cut them back. Look for water patterns on the home from lawn sprinklers, for example, and move sprinkler heads as required, or repair gutters and down spouts as needed.
- During your inspection, give special attention to all handrails. Handrails receive extreme weather exposure and will usually need more maintenance than vertical surfaces. Also, log handrails often don’t have good water drainage out of the horizontal rails, particularly the lower rail. Consequently, handrails are prone to rot. Contact Sashco for further guidance.
- Periodic cleaning of the logs will also extend the life of the coating by removing fungi that might grow on dirt that has accumulated on the log surfaces (especially on the lower courses of logs). CPR, mixed to the cleaning strength solution, is an ideal product for this use.
- Maintenance coats of stain are needed when there are areas of erosion down to bare wood, when water repellency has diminished, or if the sheen has weathered and dulled significantly. You must clean the logs first, allow them to dry, and then apply one or, if needed, two coats of stain. Cascade clear coat can also be used for improved appearance and durability.
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