Driving up to a beautiful log home or cabin is a treat. Sometimes in the late afternoon, depending on where they’re located on the property, sunlight can make the wood glow with a warm, inviting light. It’s why many people love log cabins and homes. They look homey.
Sunlight can make a home look beautiful, but too much of it’s a bad thing. You know how doctors are always warning us about using sunblock or wearing protective clothing to prevent skin damage from UV rays? Those same rays can damage the finish on your log home, too.
The good news is that just as there are many ways of avoiding skin damage from the sun’s rays, there are many ways you can prevent sun damage to your log home. Let’s take a look at what sunlight and UV rays do to log home finishes, and then look at ways to prevent the damage.
UV rays are the culprit in log home finish damage just as they are in skin cell damage. Here’s what UV rays do to a log home’s finish:
Everything breaks down over time, including log home finishes. The idea isn’t to avoid sunlight entirely. It is to stay one step ahead of sun damage and make sun protection part of your log home maintenance.
I took down a pine tree in my yard and stacked the wood away from the house to let it dry. You know what happened? After only a few months, the stacked logs turned gray and dried out completely. It started breaking down pretty quickly, and that’s what can happen if UV rays bathe unprotected log homes after the finish breaks down completely.
Once your home’s protective finish breaks down, the logs are on their own; that’s when things get serious. UV rays start attacking the lignin, which is essentially the natural glue holding wood fibers together.
You’ll notice the logs turning gray, like the wood I stacked. It’s a tell-tale sign of sun damage. Checking and cracking get worse as the exposed wood expands and contracts from temperature changes. And moisture absorption increases, which can lead to deeper structural problems if you don’t address it.
Once you get to this point, we aren’t talking about simple cosmetic damage. The wood of your log home can be compromised. You need log home restoration, fast, to stop future damage and repair any existing problems.
Here’s the good news: most of the time, we can bring those logs back to life! Sun damage can be repaired with the right restoration approach. Generally, restoration includes:
Log homes and log cabins need a special touch to prevent damage and look their best. Every home needs a spruce-up now and then. But unlike other home construction styles, log home restoration to address UV damage does more than freshen the paint. It protects the very bones of your home: the logs that form its walls.
Make it a point to inspect your home’s finish annually. Take a closer look at the walls facing direct sunlight, usually southern and western exposures. Keep trees and shrubs pruned to improve airflow and reduce moisture problems. And call in Edmunds Log Home Restoration if you need help restoring the beautiful finish of your home. Beauty is more than ‘bark deep’ on a log home. If the finish looks faded, there could be problems with the logs.
