The Best Log Home Chinking

For a log home, I’ve found chinking to be nearly as important as the logs themselves for insulation and protection against the weather. This is certainly not an area I would want to overlook, but choose a high quality chinking material that works the way it is supposed to, lasts through the seasons, and needs little to no maintenance. It should be easy to apply and simple to clean up.
A good quality chinking material should expand and contract with the weather so as to not crack, tear or peel away as it ages. It should fill any inconsistencies in the logs to form a permanent weather tight seal. This protects your house from moisture seeping in, and protects you from uncomfortable drafts in your home. Of course, it should provide a variety of color choices to match the logs and stains you have used for your home and provide a nice looking texture that compliments the natural look of your log home.
Chinking is available in tubes compatible with either large or small sized calking guns for doing touch up work and maintenance, or is available in bulk five gallon buckets for the initial application. When bought in bulk, one five gallon pail of chinking typically provides the following coverage:

• Half inch wide chinking joint by a quarter inch depth- 770 lineal feet
• One inch joint by half inch depth- 195 lineal feet
• One and a half inch joint by half inch depth- 125 lineal feet
• Two inch joint by half inch depth- 95 lineal feet
• Three inch joint by half inch depth- 65 lineal feet
• Four inch joint by half inch depth- 45 lineal feet

Log-Gevity Log Chinking
Log-Gevity chinking is compatible with all other Log-Gevity products and most other brands of log finishing products. It provides the elasticity needed for expansion and contraction as the weather changes throughout the year without allowing the movement to break the seal and require further maintenance.
Log-Gevity is easily tooled to provide the outward appearance you choose for the chinking in your home while providing a natural sandy appearance that traditional chinking materials have always had. To further match your home it is available in tan, grey, wood tone, antique white or buff color tones to assure you can whichever option best matches your home.

Triple Stretch Chinking
Triple Stretch Chinking is an environmentally friendly low VOC chinking that is non-toxic, and cleans up simply with water. It is known for its ease of application with great adhesion properties and a lifetime warranty.
As with any high quality chinking, Triple Stretch is designed for situations which require extraordinary amounts of expansion and contraction with its highly flexible qualities. It is available in a wide range of light and dark grays, tans and browns to match any décor. It further provides the texture of a truly historic look to add to the visual appeal of your log home.

Log Builder: The Sealant Made for Log Structures
For over twenty years, Log Builder by Sashco has been an industry leader for log home chinking. Manufactured to achieve superior elasticity, Log Builder creates a lasting tight seal between logs and absorb their movement throughout the year and weather proof your home. It is further recommended for cracks in individual logs if they happen to occur in your home. It is also has an appropriate use of filling in and around wood siding or shingles.
Log Builder maintains a stylish appearance by not cracking or peeling away over time and with its availability in tan, dark brown, or wood tone to suit the color scheme of your home. Although it uses a water base formula for easy clean up, it remains stable in its pre application form through a freeze and thaw cycle to assure it is job site ready.

Log Jam Chinking
Another product provided by Sashco, Log Jam has set the industry standard for premium quality log home chinking. Log Jam is easy to tool and clean up with it water based platform, yet is able to continue to perform after a cycle of freezing and thawing out both before and after application. Tested and proven to expand up to 250 percent of its original size, Log Jam is guaranteed not to tear or rip and require premature maintenance steps.
Log Jam is textured to simulate the historic mortar used to fill log joints, but unlike mortar, it doesn’t heat up while curing and potentially melt synthetic woods. To compliment the aesthetics of any log home it is available in white white, mortar white or buff white; light gray and gray; and in the brown tones of tan or wood tone cedar. Log Jam is especially well known for its easy application procedure.