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Sashco Product FAQs

Are your chinking or sealant products compatible with my stain?
There are many stain on the market with which our products will work well. In general, our products are compatible with other water-bases. Some oil-bases are OK, too.

Are your stains and caulking compatible?
Yes. All of Sashco's products are formulated to be compatible with one another. In fact, when our chinking and caulking are used with our stains, we give the chinking and caulking a limited lifetime warranty.

Can I chink with Conceal?
Yes, if the chink line is smaller than 2" wide. Anything wider should be filled with Chinker’s Edge or Log Jam.

Can I go over the top on my current chinking with Log Jam?
Yes, as long as you first thoroughly clean the surface before applying more chinking. If you have old Portland Cement-type mortar in the joints, be sure to remove any that is crumbling and falling out; however, if the mortar is in tact, simply tape over top with some clear packing tape and chink right over top.

Can I stain over my chinking?
Yes, you can stain over chinking and the chinking will take on the color of the stain. However, because chinking has a different texture and porosity than wood, it will have a different appearance. The best thing to do is test to see if the discoloration caused by the stain will be undesirable. If you don’t like it, you can choose to go back over the chinking with chink paint like our BrushOver or you can choose to do a quick skim coat of chinking to cover up the discoloration.

Can I use anything other than backer rod or Grip Strip as a bond breaker?
Yes! Clear packing tape (or any other kind of mylar tape) is also a common form of a bond breaker. If you are already at the desired depth, just place a piece of tape over the back of the joint and apply your caulking or chinking. You can also use duct tape or polyethylene tape (like Poly Masking Tape).

Can I use Transformation over my log home if I’ve previously used a stain containing waxes or other non-drying oils?
Yes, in most cases. Some stains are formulated with oils that never dry. Typically these stains are solvent based products that work by penetrating into the wood, leaving close to nothing on the surface. The advantage of these stains is that they never peel. The disadvantages are that very little surface protection is afforded, meaning they fade very quickly and require frequent re-application. In addition, they are not usually compatible with with other types of stain, nor most sealants (caulking and chinking).

If you have a non-drying oil based stain on your log home, Transformation is your best bet to minimize any compatibility issues. We recommend you let the previous stain weather for at least 18 months, which allows most of the oils and waxes to wash and wear off the surface. Then Transformation will have a better chance of performing well. Be aware, however, that Sashco cannot guarantee performance of Transformation stain over these heavy, waxy stains.

Can I use your chinking or caulking around my window bucks?
Yes. All of our products will form a rubbery gasket that will tightly seal around window bucks. Moreover, if there is significant settling that occurs, the products will accommodate a great deal of that movement without failing. But, if the movement is too severe, the sealant will tear cohesively before causing the window frame to shift or mechanically fail.

Do I have to fill all the tiny cracks?
It is good practice to seal with caulking or chinking (and backer rod) checks and cracks that are 1/4" wide or wider, especially on the upper curvature of logs. Prior to sealing them, make sure to apply a good wood preservative (like Penetreat) to prevent insect and fungal damage. The very small micro-checks that are barely visible can usually be sealed adequately with whatever stain is applied to the surface of the logs. The most problematic checks are the "in-betweeners" – smaller than 1/4" and larger than the micro-checks. Other than applying some wood preservatives to these types of checks, there is no really good way to treat these types of checks yet.

Do I have to use backer rod when chinking?
When movement is known to be minimal (as with many older homes that have undergone the majority of their shrinking) using backer rod is still best, but usually less critical.

This is usually difficult or impossible to completely avoid. If your house is well sealed with very good internal gasketing or caulking / chinking or both, then there is a good likelihood only a small amount of water will make its way through a power-washed wall. If a wall is not well sealed, there will be a good amount of moisture that will make its way through. Therefore, it is very important to remove paintings, furniture, draperies and the like from interior walls that will be power washed from the outside. It is also a good idea to place towels or plastic sheeting at the base of the interior walls to collect water that may run down the walls. You’ll want to be very careful that any run off is dried up quickly, as well, and not allowed to sit on the logs.

How do I avoid water leaking into my house when I power wash?
It is always best to media blast rather than power wash. Media blasting dust that can make its way to the interior of the home is much easier to clean up than water and won't cause any stains.

How should I tool your chinking and caulking products?
The best way for many people is with a damp foam brush. Others prefer shaped metal trowels or any curved tool to push the caulking into the joint. Other people use their fingers.

How should I tool your chinking and caulking products?
Just be aware that tooling is necessary, even if you’ve laid the bead down very neatly. Tooling pushes the bead of caulking into contact with the wood, ensuring proper and long-lasting adhesion.

Should I chink and caulk first, or stain first? Why?
It is usually best to stain first – with a stain that is compatible with the chinking. Here's why:

a) Stain, being a thin liquid, has a better ability to penetrate into wood and establish better adhesion to the micro-porous wood cells than does a thick pasty material like caulking or chinking. This means that a compatible stain can act as a primer for caulking or chinking, which then enhances its adhesion to the wood.
b) It is much easier to clean the surface of stained wood when the chinking or caulking runs during tooling with water. Bare wood absorbs the tooling water, and it dries out much faster, leaving potential stain marks. This doesn't happen as quickly or easily on stained wood.
c) Staining behind a joint gives an extra barrier of protection against the infiltration of moisture and insects should the joint open up more or the chinking or caulk fail for one reason or another.

“Chinking” in the log home industry has come to mean an elastic sealing material that looks like the old-fashioned Portland cement-based mortar in color and/or texture, used to seal the joints between logs. Chink lines can be fairly narrow or pretty wide. Backer rod or bond-breaking tape should always be used in back of the chink line in order to provide 2-point adhesion and allow the chinking to expand and contract to the maximum possible degree. Log Jam and Chinker’s Edge are both excellent chinking products.

What is the difference between chinking and caulking?
Caulking also generally has more elasticity than chinking products. Because of this, caulking works better in smaller joints (i.e. ¼” to 2” wide). Caulking can be used to fill the horizontal cracks (called checks), create a continuous caulking line between the log rows, or as a stacker during construction.

What is the difference between open cell and closed cell backer rods?
Open cell backer rod is a little easier to install because it is soft and pliable. It absorbs moisture so it causes the caulking and chinking to cure faster. Open cell backer rod is generally used only on the interior of the home. When open cell backer rod is used on the exterior of the home, if the caulking tears in any spot then the backer rod may absorb moisture, creating an ideal environment for rot.

Closed cell backer rod is probably the most common form of backer rod. Unlike open cell backer rod, it repels moisture. Closed cell backer rod comes in a variety of sizes ranging from 1/4" to 5” wide and can be used on both the exterior and interior of the home.

What is the insulation R-value of the Chinking and Backer Rod?
Sashco’s thermodynamic analysis of this question has revealed the following:

a) A 9” pine log has an overall R-value of about 11.2.

b) The overall R-value of Log Jam + Backer Rod + the dead air space between the lengths of Backer Rod is about 10.6.

c) The overall R-value of a log wall combining chinked joints and the logs themselves is about 11.1.

Will power washing damage my chinking?
Our experience with Log Jam and Chinker’s Edge over many years show that this is generally not a problem. If the Log Jam was applied properly to begin with, the power washing will have little or no effect on the chinking (except to perhaps clean it up and remove a little surface dirt and make it look a little more like new!). Do note, however, that It is important to make sure that you don’t focus the high pressure water spray right at the edge of the chinking or caulking because it is possible that you could begin to lift it.