Log Home Maintenance – Caulking and Chinking

Don’t overlook the caulking or chinking on your home as part of its routine maintenance. One item that should be on your maintenance checklist is sealing the gaps between logs.

The purpose of chink or caulk is to fill gaps between the logs or between logs and windows, doors, foundations, roof lines and other areas where we want to prevent air and water from making its way into the log building or cabin. This ensures the home remains leak-free and reduces air leakage, thus keeping heating and cooling bills down. While we recommend chinking to reduce rot, it’s also a good way to keep energy bills down (and there may be tax credits available related to reducing energy usage).

Difference Between Caulking and Chinking

Chink or caulk – what’s the difference? Both chink and caulk relay on latex polymers. The basic difference between caulk and chink is that chinking has fine, sand particles added to it. The sand makes the appearance of the chinking dull or “flat.” In the same eway that aggregate adds strength to a concrete slab, the sand adds strength to the chinking material.

When to Repair Exterior Caulking

On the outside of the log home, you don’t need to repair the caulk unless the following three things occur:

On the inside of a log home, caulking and chinking is mostly for aesthtetics. If you have significant air leakage, the problem should be tackled from the exterior first. Water coming into the home from the outside can also cause significant damage, and the caulking should be checked on the exterior of the home and repaired if necessary to fix the leak.

How to Repair Interior Caulking

Modern chinking material adheres much better than traditional caulking. Chinking can be used on lines that are from 1/2″ wide to more than 6″ wide. If the lines we want to seal are less than 1/2″ in width, we usually recommend traditional caulking, or a product called Energy Seal. Perma-Chink is our preferred brand of chinking.

The technique for repairing caulk (or chinking) on the inside of a log home is the same as on the outside but the reasons for doing it are different. On the inside it is primarily to prevent air leaks or for aesthetic reasons. On the outside, it is for the health of the logs themselves, as well as to prevent air leaks.

Make sure that the surface you are repairing is dry, clean and free from dust or dirt. If the existing caulk is pulling away from the log, carefully remove it so that there is a solid surface to caulk over.

Foam Backer Rods

Sometimes it is necessary to install foam backer rods behind the line of chinking. The foam rod insulates the line of chink as well as breaks the bond in the center of the line, allowing for more flexibility within the chinking material for when the logs naturally expand and contract with temperature changes.

Work on a Section at a Time

Apply a consistent line of caulk and do it one section at a time. If you are new to caulking, don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Smooth the caulk line with a tool or your finger, making sure to press hard enough so that it adheres to both the upper and lower log. The goal is to make a smooth line that does not have gaps and creates a bond between the logs.

Interior caulk repair is important primarily for how it looks but exterior caulk plays an integral role in the health of your logs and may require more expertise than what a beginner might be capable of.

If you are looking for some help with caulk or chink repair, call 715 – 373 – 5744 or contact us online if you want it done by experts.