In many previous posts I discuss the use of boric acid during the process of replacing chinking, repairing logs and have identified several other uses where boric acid should be used as well as methods of application.

Boric acid works as a wood preservative — it kills mold, mildew as well insects and is very useful to have around any home - not just log homes.

I have received numerous emails and questions as to where to find boric acid. In fact more than one reader has emailed saying that they found boric acid at a local pharmacy which was both very small amounts and at an astronomical cost.

Boric acid is not very expensive and a little goes a long way.

I have placed in the side bar a link to the best source for boric acid they carry boric acid (PeneTreat) in the perfect sized quantities for most applications at a very attractive price.

Over a period of time I will be sharing my sources for materials as I have chosen them very carefully. I do not take such relationships lightly. Service and quality are chief concerns. I could easily load up on links to various suppliers of materials yet I refuse to do so. Links to such are chosen very carefully and only after extensive conversations.

Please follow the above link and should you wish to call them, ask for Mike Carey. He is a wealth of information. Tell him that Bearfort Lodge says hello.

While the snow is falling outside I’m working on repairing chinking inside the lodge.

Most of the chinking throughout the lodge is in great shape however there are a few spots here and there that are in need of attention. Some areas are simply cosmetic repairs and other areas are in need of being completely re-chinked. As you can see in the photos there has been damage to the chinking along the fireplace and chimney.

Read more about making white chinking

In the last installment of Replacing a Rotted Log I left off where the log had been fitted and wrestled into position.

My next step was to fine tune the position and spike the log to the adjoining standing logs. I used galvanized spikes and drove them through the new log at an angle near each cheek at both the top and the bottom of the log positioned so that the head of the spike will be covered by the chinking. My crude diagram here shows the placement of the spikes from a few different views.

Since the log is being inserted to an existing log wall I am very limited as to the placement of the spikes and the size of the spike as I am having to attack the spiking from very awkward positions. I spike from two positions at each end and have drilled a tight pilot hole in the new log so that I do not run the risk of splitting.

Read more about replacing a rotted log

Here we are nearing the end of August. Autumn is approaching quickly and winter is not far behind sothis is the time in which log cabin owners should begin the late season inspection of logs and chinking.

Let’s focus on the chinking for now.

Late summer is a great time to do a final inspection of your chinking before the cold weather sets in. Why you may ask? If you need to make any repairs or touch-ups on chinking and use synthetic chinking materials keep in mind that these products are to be used in temperatures greater then 40 degrees. Therefore inspecting your chinking now provides you with the adequate time to make your repairs before the cold weather sets in.

Read more about preparing for winter

In the last post on Replacing a Rotted Log - I had removed a log that was rotted and weakened by wood boring insects.

Now that the old log has been removed I have to focus on prepping the new log that will be inserted and spiked in its place.

Using a large blunt masonry chisel I scrape and peel away all of the bark. The log is still a bit green which makes bark removal relatively easy. Removing bark from a seasoned log goes much faster.

If this were a larger log I would use a spud. A spud is a long handled tool sort of like a garden hoe but with a wide flat and blunt end. A blunt end ensures that you do not cut into the wood as the idea is to remove only the bark. A sharp tool would bite into the wood.

Read more about replacing a rotted log

Replacing a rotten log on a log home is no easy task. However it is an unfortunate task that sometimes may have to be tackled. Luckily there have been only a couple of logs that have needed to be replaced on this 100+ year old structure.

Here at the lodge a base log was in great need of repair. Being that the logs are all American Chestnut - which no longer grows to any size here in the U.S. since the blight that wiped them out in the 1920s and 30s - a suitable replacement has to be located.

I choose Ash as a replacement. It has a similar grain as Chestnut and blends well. Ash also takes stain much the same and once stained its difficult to differ between the two. It provides very straight logs and is a nice hard wood with that I can easily obtain. Suffice it to say that I love getting my hands on a fine piece of Ash.

The log in question is a base log. A base log is the first log in contact with the foundation.

Read more on replacing a rotted log

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.

Read more on stripping paint from logs

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.

Read more on the problem of painted logs

A subscriber/reader asks “The fiberglass strips of insulation that you suggest be placed between the logs… I assume those are about 5″ wide (cut from 15″ rolls) is it only one strip between the logs that we would need to use or two (i.e., back to back with the paper sides glued together)?

Thanks for the question….. In a couple of earlier posts we discussed insulating between the logs using rolled insulation that I had cut. You want to make sure that you do not compress the insulation it should remain fluffy.

I simply cut the insulation with scissors (mind you I wear one of those paper masks when working with insulation and gloves when handling) into strips — the strips I cut are about 2 inches wide usually. But it depends on the size of your logs.

Read more on chinking and insulating

I make my own wood preservative. I could run out and purchase a similar preservative for about $95 a gallon or I can spend about $10 and make my own. I make a concentrate that I can store and when desired mix with equal parts of water use in a garden sprayer on my logs.

My ingredients for a home-brew wood preservative include Borax, Boric Acid and Propylene Glycol.

Read more about home brew preservative