There are a few ways to protect your logs from the elements but I cannot stress enough that painting is not one of them. If you are looking to refinish your log home and some hack of a restoration guy comes along and suggests painting it will help improve its looks and protect it - quickly escort him off of your property.
If you are on the market looking at log cabins and fall in love with one that has been painted - take heed and think hard as you may be in for a rude awakening. Some painted log cabins are salvageable while others may have rotted beyond reasonable repair. Paint can hide a host of problems and there may be a very good reason that they were painted.
The owner may have painted them out of ignorance or perhaps it was to cover up a serious problem. Only a very thorough inspection will tell you.
In these photos you can see that the logs at the lodge had been painted by the previous owner. A brown marine paint was used. Apparently the brown was to simulate the color of the log and marine paint was used 
because it would supposedly help to keep water out. WRONG.
Painting logs with any kind of paint is a set up for rapid decay of a log structure. What was meant to keep water out actually traps moisture in the log. The log cannot breathe and begins to rot at an accelerated rate. This is the M&M scenario: a hard-shell coating with a soft inside.
In this case the previous owner had slathered the logs with marine paint. The paint not only hid the rot from view (out of sight - out of mind) but also hid the goofy and detrimental hack repairs using bathtub caulk, plumber’s putty and a host of other materials.
During examination of the exterior logs I probed them using a screw driver, 
ice pick and a rap of my knuckles to check for rot. Very gently the screw driver was inserted in the log at the checks (cracks) where there was suspected rot. Each location where the screwdriver ’slipped’ deep into the log with little or no resistance the log was marked with a wire surveyor’s flag. Where there was a distinct difference in sound knocking on the log was also an alert to rot.
The ends of logs were also inspected. On a number of log ends
plumber’s putty had been used to cover up areas of concern. The putty had to be pulled out to see how deep the rot had ventured.
Some hack repairs by the previous owner were quite obvious with metal bands used to help hold the log together. Some logs were almost hollowed by rot and others were soft and spongy.
The photographs posted here show the painted logs and the resulting problems they hid.
An upper deck door area shows the difference between the once painted logs and the logs after the paint had been removed, the logs stabilized and protected with an appropriate finish.
If you are looking at log homes on the market and come across a log cabin that has been painted you must inspect thoroughly. Select a home inspector that has experience with log homes and arm
yourself with the basic knowledge as to what and how to inspect.
In upcoming posts we will walk through the process of inspecting painted log cabins, the process of removing paint from the logs, restoring the logs to their natural beauty and discuss the options for refinishing with the right kind of stains and seals.
We will also take a look at stabilizing and repairing rotted logs.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Tara Anderson // May 8, 2007 at 9:42 am
I bought a log home almost 12 years ago now.They family that built and sold the home to me had painted the outside.I was young and stupid back then and just saw a log home in a good location in which to raise a family.I did not think of the future problems.Well my questions are,how do you remove paint from the logs safely not only for the environment and family but also the wood and when should you replace a log or just restore it?
I also wanted to comment on your site.I think this a great thing.I have little money in which to restore this log home and you have shown me a way to do it without killing my budget.
Thank you,Tara
2 Bearfort // May 16, 2007 at 11:07 am
Hello Tara — Thanks so much for your comments - Im glad that you found the site and that it has been of help to you.
Restoration can be expensive if contracting out - but my goal here is to provide at least some information on being able to tackle projects in a cost effective manner by yourself. Armed with the right tools and know how you should be able to accomplish restoration without breaking the bank.
Actually it sounds like you have a good find. I have just posted on removing paint along with a simple video from a few years back.
I choose cob grit lasting as it is environmentally friendly and makes quick work of removing paint.
you can see the post here: http://www.bearfortlodge.com/bearfort_lodge/2007/05/protecting_logs.html
As far as when a log should be replaced — this is a bit tricky in that i work to save the log rather than replace although one log here at the lodge was replaced.
Log replacement is the last choice as it is a drastic move. I sent you an email and we can have a conversation about this. Ill also start working on a post that will address this issue as you are not the first to bring up the question.
3 Rowanne // May 24, 2008 at 12:51 pm
I just found this site. With only 27 days to find and purchase a house under VA eligibility, we jumped on a log cabin on 3 acres in the woods. The previous owner had recently painted the exterior. We now guess it was to mask poor upkeep since we’ve found a ton of other problems covered with putty, paint, glue, and whatever he could find to spend nothing, fix nothing, and sell quickly. The cabin has had no maintenance for 23 years.
Now, we wonder if we can remove the paint, ourselves, off the cracked logs, and finish them properly. We don’t have a big budget for repairs so they are all do-it-yourself projects on our log cabin.
After reading the warnings here about painting and repainting, I am certainly nixing that idea. Thanks for the helpful site ~ Rowanne
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