Chinking for log homes

Winter Farewell: Good Riddance

Around the Lodge

Winter is finally finished or at least I thought so. A bit of snow the last two days has me wondering. The melt was fast – a few flakes here and there. Well good riddance. Take your frigid fingers and go. I’m rather anxious to get out into the garden. Just the other day it [...]

Painted Log Cabins Part I: The Problem with Painted Logs

Log Home Restoration

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 – [...]

Log Cabin Chinking & Insulating

Log Home Chinking

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 [...]

A Reader Discovers Their Home Is Hand Hewn

Reader's Cabins

It is always exciting to hear from readers of Bearfort Lodge. Not too long ago I heard from the Ryans who had left a comment on a previous post– [Just purchased and starting to renovate an 1830's log "dog-trot" farm house. Can't tell you how much your articles on log restoration and chinking have helped [...]

Postcard: Mid Winter Party

Postcards from the Lodge

Dear Beverly, I hope that all is well. The mid-winter party was a success. There was so much food. The weather was absolutely perfect and everyone had a wonderful time. There were people here throughout the day — Mostly those that couldn’t stick around for the evening — there was hot cocoa for their kids [...]

Postcard: Mid Winter Party

Postcards from the Lodge

Dear Beverly, I hope that all is well. The past several days have been sunny and crisp. A light dusting of snow last night have left behind a landscape clean and white. This is my last weekend in preparation for the mid-winter party here at the lodge. The RSVPs have been coming in and if [...]

Postcard: Ice Storm

Postcards from the Lodge

Dear Beverly, I hope that all is well. There has been an ice storm the last two days. It is an amazing sight. The ice has weighed down the branches on all the trees, they sparkle in the cold sun and crackle under the strain. The mountain road has become a tunnel through the trees, [...]

Postcard from the Lodge: Arrival of Winter

Postcards from the Lodge

Dear Beverly I hope that all is well. Thank you so much for the sheepskin slippers! They are so incredibly warm and snug – absolutely perfect! I’m finding it very difficult to take them off at the end of the day. Wonderful! Here at the lodge winter’s deep cold has finally gripped the mountain. The [...]

Moving and Restoring a Hand Hewn Log Home

Reader's Cabins

Paul, as addressed in the previous post, is tackling a major rebuilding and restoration of an outstanding hand hewn log home that he disassembled and moved from Pennsylvania to his property in West Virginia. Disassembling a log home is a long laborious process. Each log, its position and adjoining logs must be marked properly before [...]

Can Log Home Chinking be Colored?

Log Home Chinking

A reader recently asked if the chinking recipe provided on previous posts could be tinted or colored. Yes. Here is an excerpt from his email: I am restoring an old log cabin in WV and have gaps several inches wide (4-5 inches). I am going to use a stainless steel mesh as used for stucco [...]

Home Brew Wood and Log Preservative

Log Home Maintenance

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 simple mixture that I can use in a garden sprayer on my logs. My ingredients for a home-brew exterior wood preservative include [...]

Christmas Lights at the Lodge

Around the Lodge

‘Tis the season. The Christmas light have been lit. Does not feel like late November being that is has been so warm — although overcast today it was still quite warm. Don’t get me wrong — I hope that it lasts. Ive been driving the old truck for the last several days — getting in [...]

Simulating a Chinked Log Wall

Log Home Chinking

I get a lot of emails from readers asking questions about chinking. Recently a reader emailed me with regard to a project that he is planning. Using 1×10 boards with about a 2″ space in between he wants to create a log like wall with chinking between the boards. The wall will be standard insulated [...]

Patina Saved – Cleaning Old Wood With My Home Brew

Log Home Maintenance

Cleaning old wood can be tricky. I have found that many commercial wood cleaners can be much too harsh. I don’t want to raise the grain and end up with a fuzzy surface nor do I want to damage the underlying finish if there is one. Pressure washing on a log home is out of [...]

Postcard From the Lodge: Falling From Autumn

Postcards from the Lodge

Dear Beverly Night time temperatures are dipping ever lower here in the mountains. Although a smattering of color still clings to the trees the once spectacular canopy of color now mostly lays on the ground – a crisp brown reminder of its former glory. Autumn is one of my four favorite times of year. I [...]

Hand-Hewn Log Home Chinking

Log Home Chinking

I received an amazing email from someone that had purchased a home and soon discovered upon beginning restoration and remodeling that underneath the clapboard siding was a hand-hewn log home. What an exciting find! Some may grimace at such a find as it does open up a host of unanticipated situations with which they must [...]

Replacing Chinking and Fixing Logs Part 4: Chinking Recipe

Log Home Chinking

Chinking a log home is actually easier than you might think. Granted it is time consuming and more certainly work than kicking back and enjoying an iced tea while relaxing or spending time doing something more enjoyable. Think of it like icing a cake. As you may have read in one of my earlier posts, [...]

Replacing Chinking and Fixing Logs Part V – Insulating and Preparing Logs Before Chinking

Log Home Repair

In previous posts we have removed old deteriorated chinking, cleaned the logs, stabilized and repaired wood where needed, even replaced a small section of log. Now in preparation to chink the logs and seal up the wall I’m going to re-inspect the entire area again and clean-up any remaining debris and look for any section [...]

Replacing Chinking and Fixing Logs Part IV – Replacement of a Rotted Log – Stage II

Log Home Repair

As you know in my last post I had to remove a log that was rotten beyond repair. I contacted my local arborist this morning and was able to get my hands on an 8″ diameter 24″ Ash log. Perfect. I trimmed the log to fit and beveled the ends as in the rest of [...]

Replacing Chinking and Fixing Logs Part IV – Replacement of a Rotted Log

Log Home Repair

On this project there is one log that will need to be replaced as it is beyond repair. I could use the Liquid Wood to stabilize and harden it – but the face of the log has deteriorated to the point that I would not be able to rebuild it. If the face of the [...]

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