Professional Wood Staing & Finishing

Topics on Northern BC Log Home Finishing

Well done but... WHAT DID THEY DO TO THE LOG FINISHING!

Saik’uz Development Corporation Vanderhoof

• The Saik’uz Development Corporation will receive $624,610 for the Saik’uz First Nations Gateway Arts and Cultural Exchange Centre. The total project cost is $820,400. http://www.wd.gc.ca/siceai/results_northwest_e.asp
• The centre will house a studio, gallery and retail sales area featuring locally produced arts and crafts. It will help grow the cultural tourism industry for the area and will enable the area to host meetings and conferences. It will also encourage and promote the development of First Nation business ventures throughout the region by capitalizing on Alaska-bound tourists.

From a log home builder/applicators POV, it shocks me to think homes are actually finished this way and people pay for it. I fear for the home buyer.
I'm including these image examples to help the conscience level of log building quality improve and hopefully to save someone the heartache of something like this from happening to you. Northern BC is growing and I want to see the log home finishing trade grow along with it. Surrounding our trade around professionals that improve our industry is key to its growth. Hopefully this article will help educate people interested in building and buying the higher quality log homes built by qualified Northern BC log home builders and finishers.

• <>Example: BAD Log Home Staining and Finishing.
• <>Example: GOOD Log Home Staining and Finishing

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This log building, located between Vanderhoof and Prince George, BC Canada was built using premium grade, large diameter spruce and pine house logs. From an outsider's eye looking across the road this log building looks pretty good. I was thrilled to see this project happen however, once I walked closer to take be better look the stain finishing was shocking! I brought a local log builder along and our opinions were the same.
Until the angle griders came out and the staining began they had a very nice start. It appears someone was either cutting the budget where profit is made or, had no idea how to finish (stain) the outside logs and clear coat the interior of this very expensive community project made possible in part by the Softwood Industry Community Economic Adjustment Initiative and Community Futures I might add.
The Big Question... I know they were informed but wonder why they didn't they take advise from any qualified log home finisher or company(s) that makes stain formulated for Northern BC climate? They obviously used amateurs to apply this stain and in my opinion they used the wrong product and method to apply the solution for NOTE!: preserving, the outside logs of this expensive project. It also appears they very sparingly, brushed a "shoe polish looking stain" onto these beautiful house logs... IMHO what a mess... It makes me wonder who actually approved this and who will pay to do it over when the deterioration begins sooner than expected (a few years)? Not only do these logs look very " stain thirsty" and IMO terrible up close, there is no penetration to the wood. It looks so sparingly applied, no way will this staining preserve this expensive log building for long.
According to http://www.wd.gc.ca/siceai/results_northwest_e.asp the total project cost is $820,400. Expect this 2750 sq. ft. Saik’uz Legacy Home beauty to look very weathered and thirsty in a few years. What a shame seeing beautiful log work finished like this in the end.
That being said, not all is lost. Future log home projects can learn from, IMHO, these log builders mistakes.

If you want your log building to last, what protects your investment?

Staining and or clear coating a log building is one of the MOST important processes and often the most over looked or scimped on because of budget. It is my opinion, if the contractor has profit issues he usually "pulls the wool" over the owners eyes in this part of the project. Not until later do most owners actually notice bad paint jobs, finishing etc.
I say... There is no point in going to all the mass work and major expense of building a log home like this one and then do-it-yourself staining in the end.
GOOD Finishing Starts here!

Professional Log Home Finishing

Here is a good example of what your outside logs should look like. This is an example of Timber Pro Coatings finish. This Vancouver based company makes world class eco solutions for all types of log home finishing TimberProCoatings.com.
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Beware of Bad Interior Log Home Finishing

This is not how a log home should look.

Grinding and Cleaning Logs:
These large diameter, spruce and pine logs were finished with a 6 inch angle grinder. They could have been buffed with a special cup brush, not a high speed angle grinder! The angle grinder not only removed the beautiful hand hewn drawn knife work, but missed ALL the laterals and corners on every log in the building! The result is a very rough and dirty looking log finish. It is also a good possibility that the dark area's missed have a fungus. This log building could have been finished so much better but wasn't. From my understanding the general contractor was advised on interior finishing but obviously felt they knew what they were doing.

Finishing Logs with Urethane:
The logs were then coated with an interior water based urethane. This was a good thing however, the log applicator poorly cleaned the building after all the grinding. Air blasting, exhaust fans and vacuuming was obviously not done properly resulting in very rough to touch (will hold dust now) very hard to clean) finish. The applicator(s) also used half the amount of clear coat needed to finish this building. They never used a HVLP spray system. Flood coating is a must to give your logs that deep professional look that lasts.

This is how interior logs should look before urethane is applied.

NOTE: red arrows.

Use a slow speed polishing disc and a special cup brush, hand sand tight area's and air blast the logs. Draw knife work is then untouched and the laterals are clean and buffed. Notice how the rich natural grain comes out from buffing. The result is a super clean, very smooth natural looking wood finish.

Worried about a dusty log home?

Buffed logs look awesome, buffed logs that are flood coated hold much less dust years down the road.
These two logs are prepared properly and ready for clear coating now.

Following steps are:
2 to 3 flood coats of Timber Pro Coatings interior satin urethane lightly sanded or fine buffed between coats.

Stay tuned for the profinish coat! ...

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Interior Wood Ceilings

Interior log finishing: