What would you guys recommend as the most inexpensive and maintenance-free treatment for a small log cabin? It's Aspen, so it needs a decent coat of something.. We would prefer to go a more natural route, but anything we concoct would be somewhat experimental and probably just as costly as a commercial product.. Any ideas? No termites to worry about, and it's nestled in the woods so UV exposure should be minimal. We also need to caulk/chink the seams on the outside. Got any brand recommendations for that? We're trying to keep cost and maintenance to a minimum... (Obviously. :))
Saver systems Defy waterproofs and prevents UV damage.
http://aloghomestore.com/finish.shtml
Recoats may be necessary every few years.
There's a guy in the Jemez that used the Cetol system/products. Looks good after three years (I think it's 3 years last fall)
http://www.logfinish.com/store/index.php
Hug it, squeeze it and pet it and call it George.
rofl
That Defy looks pretty good, Glenn... Relatively inexpensive and simple application.
Unfortunately, it looks like the caulk is going to cost more than the sealer... I was originally planning on stuffing strips of insulation between the logs and stapling in triangular strips of wood to cover that, but our logs are too tight fitting to stuff any insulation and too curvy to accept the wood..
Ah...natural. Linseed oil mixed with paint thinner penetrates and seals pretty well. Thinning it with paint thinner makes it spray pretty easily and you can put on additional coats. It's a drying oil.
Like I said though, it would be nearly as expensive as a commercial product, but does not have any UV inhibitors or fungicides.. Granted they are not natural, but neither is boiled linseed oil. If it was a cedar cabin, I might not put anything on it, but popple.... It'll self-destruct without good protection. :)
We put Log Home Oil called Almond Honey on ours but we mixed it with linseed oil and paint thinner and sprayed it on inside and out on our cabin. You can see it at www.countryplans.com/nash.html
What ever you put on the outside should not be done before treating it with Borate to eliminate wood bores and insects. This should be done when the moisture content in the wood is low. Allow to dry for 2-3 days then seal it to retain the Borate in the wood fibers.
The logs were already soaked in a borax/boric acid brine.
Beautiful cabin, nash! I've read your story a couple times. About what would you expect your treatment cost per gallon? I found a place a can get the DEFY stain (7 gal) for under $200, but the caulk is still a killer... I figure I'll need about 8 gallons of it (sounds like a lot..), and that would cost twice what the stain does! Could I possibly get by with a cheaper caulk? I know that the special stuff is super flexible, but I'm dealing with thin, short logs so there shouldn't be too much movement. Regular exterior caulk is like 8 times cheaper...
For what its worth, the linseed oil/thinner combination is what I use when constructing stained-glass windows. I use it to mix into my cement that gets brushed into the gaps between the lead and glass....my point here is that I know the mixture is a good hardener/sealant.....jb