Whether you've just bought a log home or have owned one for years, maintenance isn't something you want to ignore.
With our experience and top of the line products, we have just what it takes to keep your log home looking great for many years to come.
Log home restorations are a passion of ours. We have the expertise to bring your home back to its former glory.
Do you have some rotten logs causing you some concern, some settling issues, a serious insect problem invading your home? Maybe you just need a little sprucing up. We also specialize in Log home construction, Log cabin chinking and staining, and Log home repairs.
Don't put it off any longer, give us a call!
(406)291-0315
See the Unseen
An inspection of your log home should be the first step to a successful log restoration project. Log Home care should always begin with an inspection before deciding what log home repair may be needed for your cabin.
We offer Thermographic Imaging Inspections. With this inspection you can easily see where you are loosing heat through chinking that has failed (even if it looks good), find excess moisture in your logs, and it can even see if there is rot present.
Restoring Your Logs Natural Beauty
Media blasting makes removing stain from log and wood structures easier and faster than ever. Because it uses only dry media, no water is forced into the wood. Dry time is eliminated and stains, chinking and caulking can be applied immediately afterwards.
Crushed glass media works like millions of tiny surgical steel blades, making precise and quick work of removing both fresh and old coatings and stains, as well as UV-damaged wood. It leaves the healthy wood underneath intact and creates a textured surface for improved stain adhesion and longevity.
This is by far the most important step of the process. Many will blow right through this stage of the process, this is a mistake. While it may look good in the end, the longevity of the finished product WILL take a hit.
We work tirelessly to ensure every inch of the surface is ready to accept the new stain. Sanding or grinding off all the old and damaged wood is an important part of the process.
Decay is a natural process for any living matter that is exposed to the elements. Wood is no exception. When a tree is cut down, debarked and left unprotected it starts the decay process.
Most new log home owners don’t realize the maintenance required to keep their log home looking good. Maintenance products will not last more then 3-5 years, so in order to avoid having to replace logs and the expense that goes with it, a proper maintenance schedule is recommended.
God's Country Contracting will inspect your logs to check for decay or rot and to make sure the preservative is still doing its job. In the event, that wood has decayed, we have the capability to replace logs even in the middle of a wall. In most cases no one can even tell the wood was replaced.
Rot, weather, insects, and fungi all pose a serious threat to your logs. Protect your investment—treat your logs first to make them last. Applying a borate helps protect your home from the costly damage caused by rot and insect infestation.
TIM-BOR® Professional Insecticidal Dust is a water-soluble borate powder that acts as a wood preservative, fungicide and insecticide to control and prevent wood decay fungi, drywood termites and carpenter ants.
Contrary to what some companies may tell you, you cant just slap a coat of stain on and call it good. Logs do not behave the same as siding or dimensional lumber will. Restoring your home will need the proper care to get the quality you deserve.
With Sashco's unique elastic formula allows it to move freely as your logs move, instead of cracking and peeling like the others. It provides the long-lasting protection you need and creates the dream-worthy look you want.
Applying Sashco's Cascade clearcoat protects Capture Log Stain from major color shifts to maintain that just-stained look. Cascade Clear Top Coat is clear, so routine maintenance applications won’t affect the color of your log home chinking or other sealants.
Adding an insecticide like Bug-Juice can be a big help in preserving the log finish. It is an insecticide paint additive that is designed to kill flying and crawling insects that alight on most interior and all exterior surfaces. It can be applied on most interior and exterior surfaces, including kitchens and pantries. Bug-Juice does not repel insects, it is a contact pesticide. It begins to work after an insect makes contact with the treated surface. It kills crawling and flying insects ranging from ants to mosquitoes and cockroaches to silverfish and weevil. Bug-Juice will not effect the color or drying time of the coating. Bug-Juice can be added to any oil or latex-based paint, stain, or sealant.
Sealing the Deal
Next is to apply the chinking. There is a certain art to this step. While there are several ways, to do this, it is extremely important to ensure that the chinking is properly sealed to the log surfaces. If there are any compromised areas in the chinking, water can enter and cause problems down the road.
Log Jam Chinking stretches up to 250% of original joint size without tearing – moves with your logs when they move.
Textured to simulate old-time mortar.
With all the hard work, time and money you've just put into your Log Home Restoration, this step will help protect your investment.
God's Country Contracting is committed to making sure you have the necessary tools to ensure the long lasting finish of your Log Home. We are here to answer any questions you may have and to help anywhere we can!
To test your finish, use a spray bottle to mist the logs with water. If the water sheets off, leaving the stain color unchanged then it’s doing the job. If the logs soak up water, then it is time for another application of finish.
It is important to point out that even the best finish won’t properly adhere to a substrate surface that has been compromised. Similar to spray painting over rust on an automobile, if what is beneath the stain fails it will take the new finish along with it.
A simple test to determine the surface integrity is to observe the logs on the sunny side of your home (usually the south side). If you can scratch with your fingernail across the grain and wood fiber is removed, this is evidence that UV radiation from the sun has sacrificed the lignin (organic glue that holds wood fiber together) and the surface is in early stages of degradation. In this case, the existing stain and loose wood fiber must be removed prior to reapplication of a stain product. This is most often by chemical or dry media removal.
Thermal imaging has quickly become a valued tool in identifying problems related to energy loss, water and insect infiltration, inefficient HVAC systems and much more. The thermal imaging camera identifies patterns of heat loss that are invisible to the naked eye and quickly indicates air leaks within the structure. This allows accurate identification and repair the problem areas to stop the energy loss immediately.
Thermal imaging provides both an immediate cost benefit from the reduction in labor required to seal the home and future savings on energy costs.
Thermal image testing is affordable service to enjoy a greater level of comfort and energy efficiency in your log home.
All log homes will need some type of surface maintenance to provide protection from the elements and preserve the wood from harm.
When a tree falls in the forest Mother Nature immediately goes to work breaking it down and returning it to the soil. The primary agents of the “rotting” process are ultraviolet radiation (sunlight) and the presence of moisture accompanied by wood boring insects, mold and fungus. Log home owners face the same issues in maintenance efforts designed to protect their home’s exterior wood surfaces and eliminate costly future repairs.
The initial step to preventing log repair issues is awareness, and an annual inspection should be conducted as a first line of defense.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.