Removing paint from logs is no easy task. The video here demonstrates one method.
Painted logs present a problem as described in an earlier post - removing that paint present another problem - how to do it. You can use chemical strippers but this would be extremely costly, take a tremendous amount of time and create an environmental mess.
There have been suggestions of using a high pressure power washer. Forget it. Not only will you be soaking the logs with unwanted water but it is terribly inefficient in paint removal.
You can use a grinder with sanding pads but this is also inefficient as you will go through pads quickly and have great difficulty getting into small areas.
Sand blasting. My word of advice: “don’t do it.” Sand is sharp and in combination with the pressure will eat significant amount of wood along with the paint. You will find that you have done more damage to the log than the paint.
The method of choice is corn cob blasting.
Corn cob blasting is much like sand blasting — same equipment however instead of sand one uses ground up corn cobs. The grit is rather soft and quickly removes the paint with little to no damage to the wood. The method is fast as well.
Once cob blasted there will be a slight nap or fuzz to the wood. After cob blasting here I went around with a grinder and sanded each of the logs - a process that actually went very fast once the paint was removed.
The cob grit did remove the paint quickly yet as you will see in the video the grit did get inside the house leaving quite the mess to clean up. Small gaps between the roof line and the logs was just enough space to let the grit into the house. If you use this blasting method I suggest that you cover everything in the house with plastic drop cloths.
The sound on the video is a bit poor at first as you can hear the sound of the air equipment in the background. And yes — before revamping the kitchen was indeed pink (a horrific gift from the previous owner) - it is no longer pink. The video was taken in 2000.
In the next installment of Protecting Logs I’ll address preparing the logs for sealing and staining as well as stain options, pros and cons.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Mary // Jul 13, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Awesome! Thank you so much for the corn-cob blasting info. We have a milled-cedar log home that we believe is painted on the outside. One day we plan to have it blasted. I wonder if some of our winter moisture problems are due to insufficient “breathing” of the logs.
As an aside - I love your website. It’s so nice to see a blog dedicated to one of my favourite subjects! Bearfort Lodge is beautiful and a constant source of inspiration for me. Thanks for sharing!
2 Bearfort // Aug 3, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Hello Mary — Thank you! Ahhh beautiful! Be wary of blasting a milled cedar log home. Lets have a discussion about this — I will email you my phone number as there will be special precautions that you will need to consider before undertaking cob blasting.
Thank you — I appreciate your comments on the site and my home. — I just visited you site — Oh My! Talk about inspiration — what an absolutely beautiful site! — I know Ill be spending quite a bit of time on yours.
3 Carol // Jul 23, 2008 at 9:36 am
This site is amazing! Thank you so much all of the great info!
My husband and I bought a small (24 x 24) log cabin 9 years ago. We have been learning by trial and error (lots of error) as we go, but it’s starting to look less like a camp and more like a home finally. This is the summer we have been undertaking re-chinking the whole thing.
I found this site just in time. We are chinking with mortar. I was considering synthetic, and am so glad I didn’t do it! Our determining factor was the cost, but it sounds like it would have been just awful!
Our cabin is pine, made from logs cut from this lot, so they are soft to begin with. They were painted - we were planning to repaint after re-chinking, but it sounds like we may want to reconsider.
The logs are unfinished on the inside, which looks wonderful. The chinking (which is mortar) has lasted great on the inside, but the outside has been patched quite a bit. The cabin was built in the 1970’s.
Any words of wisdom for us before we continue?
Thank you so much!!
4 Bearfort // Jul 25, 2008 at 8:50 am
Carol — Thanks — Im so glad that you have found the site helpful. — THe one thing that I can suggest is to start at the back of your cabin and be patient as you work your way around — By the time you reach the front door you will be an expert and your chinking work will look amazing.
I know of people that have actually had chinking parties — my caution on that is not to serve beer until after the chinking is finished.
We would love to see photos of your work
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