The Log Home Maintenance Guide: A Field Guide for Identifying, Preventing, and Solving Problems

by Gary Schroeder

Overview

Preventing problems and dealing with them when they occur.

America has hundreds of thousands of log homes, and every one of them presents unique maintenance issues that differ from homes of traditional stick-frame construction. Lack of knowledge about the unique characteristics of a log home all too often results in owners inadvertently doing damage when they try to make repairs. Owners of log homes have long relied on the expertise of log home builder and specialist Gary Schroeder and his Schroeder Log Home Supply company, a trusted source of information and guidance.

From dry rot to carpenter ants, Schroeder has seen it all. Now he shares his wisdom on how to preserve and protect your beautiful log home. This newly revised edition takes advantage of all the recent techniques and products—it’s a state-of-the-art guide to identifying, diagnosing, and solving problems so you’ll enjoy many trouble-free years in your log home.

Gary Schroeder, a former forester and consultant, has also been a custom log home builder and restoration contractor. He and his wife, Kathy, started Schroeder Log Home Supply, Inc., now a leader in the field, in 1986. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781581577051
Publisher:	Countryman Press, The
Publication date:	12/02/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	184
File size:	49 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Gary Schroeder, a former forester, was for many years a builder of custom handcrafted log homes as well as a log home restoration contractor. Since 1986 he has been president of Schroeder Log Home Supply, Inc. He is the author of Muir's Original Log Home Guide Millennium Issue and The Log Home Maintenance Guide. He lives in Deer River, Minnesota.

Table of Contents

	How to Use This Guide	5
	Introduction	6
	My Log Home's History	8
	FYI: The Parts of a Log	9
Chapter 1	Care of Logs Before Building	10
Chapter 2	Design for Easy Maintenance	13
Chapter 3	Log Inspection	22
Chapter 4	Insects	30
	Ambrosia Beetles	32
	Bark Beetles	33
	Carpenter Ants	34
	Carpenter Bees	35
	Flat-Headed Wood Borers	36
	Powderpost Beetles	37
	Round-Headed Wood Borers	38
	Termites	39
	Winter Flies	40
	Wood Wasps	41
Chapter 5	Log Home Pests	42
	Bats	42
	Mice	44
	Porcupines	45
	Squirrels	46
	Swallows	47
	Woodpeckers	49
Chapter 6	Caulking & Chinking	50
	Backer Red & Chinking Step by-Step	50
	How Much Caulk or Chinking Do I Need?	54
	About Finishes and Chinking	55
	Chinking and Application Tools	55
	How to Use a Follow Plate	57
	Care of Bulk Loading Guns	61
	Caulking a Log Home	62
	Caulking & Chinking Problem Solving	64
Chapter 7	Log Home Finishes	84
	About Log Home Finishes	84
	Considerations When Purchasing a Finish	87
	How Much Log Finish Do I Need?	88
	Finishing and Sealing a New Log Home	89
	Refinishing and Sealing a Log Home	90
	Power Washing Logs	94
	Sandblasting Logs	96
	Cob Blasting Logs	97
	Soda Blasting Logs	98
	Chemical Strippers	99
	Sanding Your Logs	99
	Log Home Finish Problem Solving	100
Chapter 8	Log Home Decks	120
	Deck Finish Problem Solving	124
Chapter 9	Log Restoration	134
	Patching Rotted Wood	134
	Borate Wood Preservatives	138
	Impel Rods	138
	Rotted Log Ends with Gray Patina	140
	Rotted Board and Batten Corner Panels	141
	Log Crowns	142
	Half-Log Replacement	150
	Full-Log Replacement	152
	The Problem with Painted Logs	160
	Bowed or Shifting Log Walls	163
Chapter 10	Cedar Shake & Shingle Roofs	166
	Resources	170
	Recommended Reading	171
	Index	172