What is a Check?
Checks are cracks in the logs that allow rain water to collect in or wind to funnel through to the inside. They can appear anywhere on the home but are often found on the log ends and the bottom logs of the more exposed sides to rain and sun.
Checks larger than 1/4 inch should be filled with a caulking--usually a matching stain color so that it blends with the overall color of the log. If not filled and they are facing uphill, checks will fill with water and dirt and will slowly get bigger.
Log Home Enemies
The four most damaging enemies to your log home are sun, moisture, Insects and neglect.
Weathering effects from the sun are immediate. Damaging rays break down wood fibers and destroy the cellulose. This process starts at the surface of the log but in time the damage will penetrate deeper into the wood. The logs will start to turn a darker color and cracks will appear, opening up the log to moisture, dirt and insects.
Bats are Good!
Bats are valuable because they eat bugs - but you don't want to create a welcoming space for them in or on your home.
They can slip into the tiniest of spaces and love to hang out around windows, nestling up into the space underneath the trim. They also like the corners on the lee sides and sometimes in between the cracks on the logs.
Bat houses are great for this purpose. Not only are you providing a place for bats in a nearby tree, but you're also attracting them AWAY from your house.
Silicone
Silicone is not a recommended product in the log home industry. It has a poor adhesion to wood and does not flex enough to absorb logs' shrinking and swelling. We have seen many homeowners who have attempted to seal with silicone to save money but to no avail since it doesn't stick to the logs after one season of movement.
To chink
is to fill a gap or hole. Chinking
on log homes does exactly that by
creating a seal and adding extra insulation.
Whether contrasting or blending, both chinking and caulking come in multiple colors to help you find one that will fit the image you want for your log home.
A typical amount of swelling and shrinkage that a log will go through in a year will cause movement of approximately a 1/4 inch. Constant moving such as this will test the long-term and effective coverage of the sealant. We use only the top products which have been around for years and stood the test of time.
All logs will move to some degree
as they age. Even chinkless homes
and those with the driest logs will
shift to some degree due to shrinkage
and changes in temperature/moisture
in the air. The smallest gaps or
cracks in the wood can let in great
amounts of cold air.
If you imagine that the inside of your home is 20 C and the outside is -20 C then you can begin to understand the extreme temperatures sustainted in just 12 inches of your log!
Although it is ideal to wait a few years before you chink in order for your home to settle and get most of the movement out, you can chink right after it has been built. Occasionally a random log will twist a little too much, moving more than any sealant could possibly flex. This is a very easy fix though as we can remove the sealant and redo just that section.
Reasons for Chinking or Caulking
- save money on heating costs (which will quickly pay for the cost of chinking)
- protect your home from moisture penetrating your logs
- keep bats from getting inside (see side-note "Bats are Good!")
- keep mice out (they can create nests in the insulation around doors/windows, sometimes chewing their way inside)
- cracks that lead into the house are highways for dust and flies.
Chinking Sealant Materials
In the past, many different materials have been used from mortar to straw and mud. Today's products are made of an acrylic - latex elastic compound that sticks to the wood and stretches and compresses up to 100% of the original joint size (+ or - 50%). It is a gritty/sandy textured material that can be applied in beads up to 4 inches wide.
This new material cleans up with soap and water, has a low odor andlow toxiticty and is non-flammable. It adheres to many other substances than just wood, resists UV and oxidation and will take the stain of either water or oil based products.
Interior Chinking
While chinking generally starts on
the outside to stop all the cold air,
bugs, dirt and moisture from getting
in, some people like the finished look
and carry it through into the inside
of their house. The interior chinking
adds an extra seal, doubling the protection,
but it is not always necessary.
However, if your chinking bead is very wide and you have a gap between logs, then when it's cold outside and it's warm inside, condensation may form on the backside of the outside chink line and create moisture between the logs.
