Log Home Terms & Definitions

Solid Wood Siding Terms

Log Home Finishing Terms

Adhesive Failure:

Occurs when a sealant pulls away from the substrate. This type of failure is typically present when there is a compatibility issue between the finish and the sealant.

Back Brush:

The act of vigorously brushing the stain into the substrate. This is a critical step that should not be overlooked on the exterior.

Backer Rod:

Usually a foam material used to provide 2-point adhesion to the sealant.

Borate:

A preservative used to protect wood from insect infestations and rot.

Caulking:

A common type of sealant material used on log homes around doors, windows, checks, between logs and small horizontal joints.

Check:

A crack-like opening that forms in a log as it shrinks and dries. Checks that are ¼ inch or greater and facing upwards should be sealed.

Chinking:

Sealant material used on log homes designed to resemble mortar but remains soft and pliable to keep up with the movement of the logs. Chinking is mainly used in large horizontal joints ranging from 1 to 4 inches and is designed to stand out from the logs.

Chemical Stripping:

Chemicals applied prior to pressure washing to help clean or strip a finish from the surface of the wood.

Cohesive Failure:

Occurs when a sealant pulls away from itself and often exists when there is excessive movement in the substrate.

Compatibility:

Effectiveness of a finish and sealant properly working together.

Corn Cob Blasting:

Environmentally friendly process using crushed corn cobs to clean or remove stains from logs. It is similar to but less aggressive than sandblasting.

Felting & Fuzzing:

Common side effect associated with pressure washing and is best described as a surface texture that resembles that of a tennis ball.

Micro checking:

Small checks that occur when moisture is rapidly pulled from a log. This mainly occurs on the exterior of log homes but can happen on the interior.

Mill glaze:

A thin coating of sap, sugars or water that seep to the surface of a log during the milling process.

Moisture content:

The amount of water present in wood which is usually expressed as the percentage weight of water relative to the overall dry weight of the wood.

Mold/Mildew:

Typically a black discoloration on the surface of wood.

Oil Based Stain:

Commonly used stain that is easy to work with and designed to penetrate wood. Clean up performed with solvents. Note: Use of respirator is highly recommended.

Oxalic Acid:

Highly toxic cleaner works well in removing redwood tanning stains and rust discoloration. Not effective against mold and mildew.

Oxygenated Bleach (Sodium Percarbonate Cleaner):

Bleach that kills mold and mildew but does not harm the wood or the environment. Best cleaner for logs. More expensive than other cleaners.

Pressure Washing:

Common log cleaning process utilizes pressurized water applied through a fan nozzle to the substrate. Wood must be allowed to dry to moisture content below 20% before staining.

Settlement:

The movement of walls that occurs over time due to the shrinkage of logs as they lose their moisture.

Shrinkage:

The decreasing in size of a log as it loses some of its moisture content over time.

Sap Stain:

Typically a blue green discoloration on the surface of wood.

Substrate Failure:

Occurs when the substrate is pulled from itself.

TSP (Trisodium Phosphate):

A product mixed with water and used to clean logs and redwood decks.

Two Point Adhesion:

A proper sealant joint. Backer rod needs to be installed behind the sealant in order to get adhesion to the top and bottom of the joint. The sealant should not adhere to the back of the joint those promoting two points of contact with the substrate.

Water & Oil Emulsion Stain:

Environmentally friendly stain designed to form a surface bond and penetrate into the substrate. Additionally, it must be elastic and allow the wood to breathe. Note: Clean up is performed with soap and water.

Water Based Stain:

Environmentally friendly stain designed to bond to the surface of the substrate. Additionally, it must be highly elastic and allow the wood to breathe. Note: Dries relatively quickly which can lead to lap marks and brush marks if the proper application is not followed. Clean up is performed with soap and water.

Log Home Finishing Terms

Solid Wood Siding Terms

Rough Sawn/Circle Sawn Surface:

A surface that is in a rough, unsmoothed, or unfinished state: crudely formed.

Hand-hewn Surface:

A surface that has been cut or shaped with hard blows of a heavy cutting instrument like an ax or chisel.

Planed Surface:

A surface that has been finished using a carpenter's hand tool with an adjustable blade for smoothing or shaping wood.

Broad Axed Surface:

A surface that has been finished using a large ax with a broad cutting blade.

Wane Edge:

An edge of a sawn board where the bark or surface of the trunk remains.

Kiln Dried:

The process of slowly drying cut lumber in a kiln to gradually eliminate moisture from the center to the outer surfaces. Kiln drying prevents future cracking and checking and will also prevent any mold or bacteria growth prior to staining.

Kerf Back:

A notch, channel, or slit made in any material by cutting or sawing. Kerfing relieves tension making the wood siding less prone to bend or twist.

Chinking:

A mortar-based material used to seal the gaps between logs, modern chinking resembles mortar, but remains soft and pliable to move with the logs. Chinking is often used as a visual accent to log walls.

Blue Ponderosa Pine:

A hard pine second only to the Douglas fir as a commercial timber tree in North America. Ponderosa pine is relatively unaffected by changes in humidity after drying, making it valuable for work that requires close-fitting joints. It has a uniform cell structure and shrinks only a moderate amount, in comparison to other softwood species. It seasons beautifully with minimal splitting, cupping, or warping. Ponderosa Pine takes most finishes beautifully, including paint, stain, lacquer and varnish and unlike some of the heavier woods, paints and stains do not raise the grain.

Moisture Content:

The percentage weight of water in relation to the dry weight of the product.

Nominal size vs. Finished size:

Nominal size is the most common type of cross-sectional identification. Nominal sizing refers to the rough-sawn, initial cut size of the timber, before any drying or finishing. Finished size timber has been further processed to plane the sides; this provides a finished, or smoother, appearance and helps "true-up" the timber to parallel sides (the initial rough saw cut may have resulted in slight thickness variations along the length of the member). This finishing typically removes up to 12 mm (0.5 inch) of thickness.