Before
AfterA Specialty Service
Log Home Care
Breathable stains, chinking repair, and UV protection — the way a log home actually needs to be cared for.
Request an EstimateLog homes are living structures. The wrong finish can quietly destroy one in three seasons.
Most general painters around Honesdale and Hawley aren't equipped for log work, and that's not a knock on them — log home care is genuinely a different trade. The logs move with the seasons. They take on water through hairline checks. They sit in shade and grow mildew, then bake on the south face and lose color to UV. A standard exterior crew arrives with pressure washers and acrylic paint and, with the best intentions, ruins the cabin.
We handle log homes the way log home manufacturers actually recommend. That means no high-pressure water driven into the joints, no film-forming solid paint that will trap moisture, and no skipping the chinking repair just because it's tedious.
The Process
- 01. Gentle CleaningChemical brighteners and oxalic-acid washes restore tone without forcing water into the joints.
- 02. Strip or Sand (If Needed)Failed finishes are removed by media blasting or careful sanding — never abrasive pressure washing.
- 03. Caulk & ChinkingUpward checks sealed with backer rod and flexible log caulk; missing chinking repaired with Perma-Chink or Sashco Log Jam.
- 04. Breathable StainTwo to three coats of a penetrating, breathable stain — Sikkens Cetol, Sashco Capture, or Perma-Chink Lifeline — brushed in by hand.
- 05. UV Clear CoatA clear topcoat (Lifeline Advance or equivalent) on sun-exposed faces to slow color loss and add years to the finish.
Three Things That Actually Matter
Breathability. Chinking. UV.
Stains that let the wood exhale.
Wood is hygroscopic — it takes on and releases moisture constantly. A solid acrylic paint film traps that moisture against the wood and rot follows within a few seasons.
We use penetrating, vapor-permeable stains — Sikkens Cetol, Sashco Capture, Perma-Chink Lifeline — that bond to the wood fiber and let interior moisture escape. The finish looks like wood because it is wood, sealed.
The cracks are where homes die.
Upward-facing checks — the long cracks that form as logs dry — collect rainwater and feed it directly into the heartwood. Failed chinking does the same at the joint line.
We inspect every wall, install backer rod into any check wider than a quarter inch, and seal with Sashco Conceal or Log Jam. Missing chinking is cut back to sound material and repaired with a textured, color-matched compound that flexes with the log.
Sun is the slow killer.
South and west walls take the brunt of Pennsylvania's summer UV. Without protection, lignin in the surface fibers breaks down, the stain pigments wash out, and the wood greys.
A clear, UV-blocking topcoat over the pigmented stain doubles the time between full re-coats — typically 5–8 years on shaded faces and a maintenance touch every 3–5 years on sun-exposed walls.
What a log home restoration runs.
$4,500 – $18,000+
Every cabin is different. A small one-story hunting camp with a sound existing finish is closer to the low end; a two-story lakefront log home that needs full media-blast stripping, chinking repair, and a complete three-coat stain system is at the upper end.
We walk the property with you, photograph problem areas, and give you a written, itemized estimate before any work is scheduled.
Common Questions
Have a log home that needs honest attention?
We'll walk the property with you, point out what's working and what isn't, and write up a clear plan.
Request an Estimate