Testimonials
Yukon log home
A customer sent me in a whole series of photos detailing the work that he carried out in the restoration of his log home. Fig 1 shows the obvious signs of wood deterioration. Large cracks developed, and then complete pieces fell off. As with most wood decay in logs the outside appears somewhat solid however the inside is where all the decay has taken place. By the time this type of rot has made its way to the outside were it becomes real obvious, extensive damage to the structure of the log has taken place.
The First step is to determine how much damage is done and what can be salvaged. Fig 3 & 4 illustrate how the outer "skin" of the log can be salvaged. Either using a skill saw or chain saw, the rotten area is cut away. In this case some of the wood was salvaged and the owner chose to replace any wood that had signs of rot. The outer "skin" was heavily saturated with CPES and then later, it will be bonded using our Layup and Laminating Resin mixed with fine sawdust.
Fig 5 to 8 show techniques used to clean the area of rotten wood. It is not necessary to use mechanical means to remove the deteriorated wood however in this case I assume it was done to make the installation of the replacement wood easier. Fig 8 illustrates how much wood was removed. Even though some of the outer wood can be salvaged some NEW wood will have to be employed to give the log its shape back.
The NEW wood has been shaped and installed. Once you are at this stage the final cosmetic shaping can be done. It is best to take you time with this aspect of the restoration as the more precise your replacement wood, the less product you will require. As you can see a job well done!
If you go back to the beginning of the repair, the importance of your evaluation really plays an important role here. Those strips that you saved and saturated with CPES are now secured back in place which makes for a fantastic looking repair. Layup & Lamination epoxy is mixed with sawdust till a thick paste is formed; this is then smeared into all the cracks and crevices.
The final step involves placing clear plastic over the whole repair then using tools, or your hand, contour the repaired area to blend into the other areas of the log. When you are satisfied with this let the epoxy cure [do NOT remove the plastic till everything is cured] When curing is complete peel the plastic off and admire your work.
Repairing log ends is a different type of repair however the basic principles are the same. In this case the owners decided to go with trying to save as much of the original wood as possible. In other cases owners have chosen to replace the whole log end and secure it with some rebar or large lag bolts. It is evident that our tool of choice is a small chainsaw for this type of work. Rotten areas were cut away being careful to keep all pieces that could be salvaged. Some stock lumber was cut to the rough shape and epoxied in place.
Fig 17 to 25 show the process of putting the log back together. It's almost like a jig saw puzzle. In some cases it can save you a lot of time by taping the log together before you cut it. Any pieces that are ready to fall apart will be held together by the tape. It's obvious that there was a lot of time spent in re-building this log end.
The final step is the same, place clear plastic around the repaired area and shape it to what best suits your eye. When it's cured simply remove the plastic and admire your work.