A cabin is like an outdoor small place or an area for you to relax yourself or to have a good time with your family and friends. Overtime, your cabin will start to deteriorate due to direct sunlight and other weather elements where you will see that the cabin’s wood has started to split, curl and loosen up. When this thing happens, you need to repair the cracks in your cabin. By renovating the cabin, you will create a fresh look to the exterior section of your cabin.
The task of renovating and cleaning of wood needs to be done when there is no rain. You must double check the weather forecast to see if it would be sunny day when you decide to do this task. Try to maintain your cabin wood regularly so that the wood will not get rough very fast or create splinters and slick surfaces. An untreated cabin wood will also cause algae and moss to grow and result to your deck becoming very slippery whenever it is wet.
Although log cabin normally uses thick wood walls that can last for long period of time, cracks or even splitting of the logs can always happen due to weather elements. Cracks that can be found on the exterior walls of your log cabin are also known as ‘Checks’ and happened as the log cabin age. Therefore, if you notice any cracks on your log cabin, you should immediately repair them using the right materials in order to prevent further damage to the cabin.
To repair cracks in a log cabin, you need:
- Clean cotton rags
- Blow dryer or other heat source
- Backer rod
- Cement chink
- Caulking gun
- Wood sealant
- Paint roller
- Trowel
- Roller
Repairing Cracks in a Log Cabin
How to Repair Cracks in a Log Cabin
- First thing to do is to ensure that the cracked or split area along the log is dried
- Then, you need to take a cotton rag and stuff them into the effected area.
- After that, you must allow any excess water to soak them up.
- Once finished, you have to apply natural heat source onto the area in order to finish the drying process. You can use a blow dryer to produce the required heat.
- Then, you need to take a cotton rag and stuff them into the effected area.
- Next, you have to push a backer rod into the cracked or split area. You must insert into its opening with a minimum of 2 1/2-inches and do not insert more than the mentioned size.
Whenever you find upwards-facing ‘Checks’, you need to immediately repair it by filling the cracked area so that it will not collect any rainwater thus resulting to mildew or even rot the log.
- Then, you have to place a cement chink tube onto your caulking gun and make sure that you cut off the cement chink tube tip.
- Next step is to press the chink into the cracked or slit log until you manage to fill the affected area entirely.
- Next step is to press the chink into the cracked or slit log until you manage to fill the affected area entirely.
- Use a trowel in order for you to smooth the outside of the effected area that you have finished filling
- By doing this step, you would be able to flatten the chink onto the wall evenly
- Make sure to wipe any excess items if there is any before allowing the area to dry for up to 24 hours
- By doing this step, you would be able to flatten the chink onto the wall evenly
- You can also apply a coat of wood sealant to fill any of your cracked or split logs.
- This method can be applied by using a roller in order to spread the sealant and also even its layer.
- Once finished, you need to allow the effected area to dry thoroughly.
Always remember that when you want to repair cracks on your log cabin
- You can use backing rods that are available in every hardware stores as well as construction stores
- Make sure to measure the correct size of the cracked log before purchasing the backing rods
- When your log is already rotting, concrete chink cannot be used to fix the log. The only thing to do is to replace the log with a new log.
- Always use protection such as a protective eye wear (goggles) and a respirator mask for safety measurement especially when you are sanding the deck, repairing damaged boards or using chemical stripper as well as staining the cabin.
- This method can be applied by using a roller in order to spread the sealant and also even its layer.
As soon as the cracks are repaired, your cabin will get its look back. It is known that every single piece in the cabin forms part of one’s personal touch. In other words, it is the way we keep the cabin that keeps it different from one another.
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