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Treatment Tips


 
HOW SOON SHOULD I PROTECT MY NEW LOG CABIN?

 
Log cabins are manufactured from untreated Nordic spruce - a softwood - so the wood will require treating and painting properly as soon as possible after installation.
 
Doors and windows should be painted on all 6 sides immediately after installation. 
See 'Doors and Windows' section below for more detailed information.
 
It is important your log cabin exterior walls and trims etc. are preserved with pre-treatment (wood preserver), and then finished with 2-3 coats of a good quality paint or stain, within 4 weeks of installing.
 
The products we recommend for your cabin can be purchased from local decorators merchants or online suppliers, but are not available at regular DIY stores.
 
When planning to install a log cabin, please make sure you are going to be able to treat/paint immediately yourself, or you can also hire a local professional tradesman to do the work for you.
 
When planning your budget for your log cabin project, remember to allow for the cost of the recommended preservative and the paint. These are not cheap, but it is important to use the correct products so that your lovely log cabin will last and also look good for longer!
 
IMPORTANT!
The log cabin manufacturers guarantees will not apply to cabins that have not been properly treated and maintained on a regular basis.
 
 
Step One: Preservative Pre-Treatment
 
If left untreated, wood will eventually turn a nasty grey/brown colour, and will be vulnerable to rot, decay, mould and insect attack. Using a wood preservative will help prevent this damage. It will also offer some protection to the wood for a couple of weeks until you are able to paint it.
 
For the exterior walls and trims, doors and windows, we recommend using a water based, Clear Wood Preserver, which will protect the cabin before you paint it. This should be dome immediately after installation of the building. You can also use it inside, but it is not necessary.
 
This treatment penetrates the wood deeply, and it will need to dry out for around 1-5 days before you can paint or stain the cabin. How quickly it dries out will depend on the current weather conditions.
 
Clear Wood Preserver is a colourless general purpose treatment for exterior use. It gives a deep penetrating protection to the wood against decay, mould, wood boring insects, dry rot/wet rot and blue-staining fungi.
 
We do not recommend solvent based products. We recommend water based preservative, which is quick drying and has low odour, with low VOC's.
 
Application:
Preservative can be either sprayed on using a garden sprayer, or applied liberally with a brush. Apply uniformly, flooding faces, sides, ends and joints with at least two brush or spray coats. Apply the next coat after the previous coat has soaked in, but before it is dry.
In other words, drench the wood in preservative.
 
Water Based Wood Preservers:
Everbuild Wood Preserver Clear 5L - available from Amazon
Rustins Advanced Wood Preserver 5L Clear - available from Toolstation
SIKA Wood Preserver Clear 5L - available from Screwfix
 
Preservative treatment is only the first step. The cabin will still need to be painted as soon as possible, within 4-6 weeks maximum.
 
 
Step Two: Painting or Staining
 
 
Painting or staining protects the wood from the damaging effects of sun and rain. Paints or wood-stains prevent the UV light from the sun from breaking down the surface of the wood and they also protect against rain penetration.
 
Exterior
 
'Clear' products are not suitable, as they do not protect against UV. There are translucent stains available which have a pigment, and they are available in various wood shades.
 
The type of product used will also need to be very flexible to cope with the expansion and contraction of the logs throughout the seasons.
 
Not all types of wood paint/stain are suitable!
 
Use a product which mentions on the tin or data sheet that it is suitable for use on bare cladding. If it only mentions it is suitable for windows & doors then it probably is not suitable for log cabin walls.
 
If you are unsure please consult a specialist supplier regarding paints which are suitable for unprocessed smooth bare softwood and follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
 
You will not find a suitable product in your local DIY store!
 
Products suitable for sheds, fences and garden furniture are not suitable for bare untreated wood.
 
Do not be tempted to 'economise' and use cheap 'garden shades' type of paint. This will cost you far more in the long run, as you will need to re-paint practically every year, and the cabin will not be properly protected!
 
Good quality paints such as Sadolin Superdec state they will protect for up to 10 years, so they are more economical in the long run.
 
Good quality paint will also be easier to put on initially, as they will need less coats to get a nice finish. Garden shade types of paint may need many more coats, as the coverage is not so good.
 
Sadolin paints/stains are available from Decorators merchants such as Brewers, and they come in many colours and wood shades.
 
We have used Sadolin products on our own cabins, and so therefore we are happy to personally recommend them.
 
If you require a translucent finish where you can still see the grain of the wood, we recommend Sadolin Quick Dry Woodstain. It comes in natural wood shades as well as many lovely colours.
 
If you want a more 'painted' opaque look where the wood is fully obliterated, use Sadolin Superdec. This product also comes in a multitude of colours, so you are spoiled for choice!
 
We recommend water based products which dry quickly and are easy to use. Oil based products usually take 16 hours to dry and therefore can be damaged if it rains before it is dry.
 
We recommend you treat the outside of your building with 2-3 coats initially.
 
Interior
 
You should also treat the interior walls of your cabin with a stain or paint suitable for wood.
 
We have used Cuprinol Garden Shades on the interior walls of some cabins at the display site.
 
If you don't want a colour inside, there are clear stains such as Protek Royal Interior Wood Finish or Protek Top Coat. (We do not personally recommend these for the exterior).
 
You could also use oil such as Danish Oil as a treatment for your internal logs.
 
If you don't treat the inside at all, it is likely to get very grubby if you have children and animals!
 
Floors should be varnished using a Diamond Hard Floor Varnish for protection if not covering with carpet tiles or laminate flooring.
 
Summary
 
To be clear, all external bare wood must be treated immediately after installation with a good quality product.
 
Pay attention to get the paint right into the corners, especially on V profile logs. You may need to use a small brush to work the paint right into any small recesses.
 
All eaves and apex fascia boards must be painted on all sides and edges. If already installed remove fascia boards as this makes it easier to do the job correctly.
 
For Lasita Bespoke or Perfect Range cabins, the window battens should be painted front, back, sides, and all edges. This will prevent warping.
 
All doors and windows must be painted on every surface immediately after installation. No bare surface should remain. If not painted correctly this can lead to swelling and warping.
 
Remember to paint hidden areas such as underneath the roof boards where they overhang the walls.
 
Failure to immediately correctly paint your cabin will affect the manufacturer's guarantee.
 
Doors and Windows - IMPORTANT!
 
 
When the cabin is delivered, remove the doors and windows from the cabin package and ideally store them FLAT in a dry place.
 
Doors and windows should be painted on all 6 sides as soon as possible after installation.
 
For the avoidance of doubt this is outside, inside, top, bottom, and both sides!
 
Log cabin doors open outwards, so they should be protected on the inside door face the same as the outside door face.
 
If you want a different look or colour inside from the outside this is possible, but do not leave the inside face unpainted. If not treated on all faces the same they are likely to warp!
 
When using Clear Wood Preserver to protect the wood , remember to let it dry out before you paint.
 
Use a brush to apply wood preserver to the doors and windows. Try not to get the preservative on the glass as it can be a bit sticky to clean off.

Remove the doors and windows from the cabin package and store them FLAT in a dry place.
 
In winter months paint the doors in a garage if available, or move some furniture, lay down a dust sheet and paint them in the house. It may be a little inconvenient, but it will not take more than a day or two!
 
Lay doors on trestles to paint. Paint the front, back, sides and top of the door.
 
As the paint we recommend you use is water based, it will dry very quickly, so you will be able to turn the door over and paint the back side in a couple of hours.
 
Repeat this for both doors, then repeat the whole process adding more coats. We recommend at least two or three good coats are completed (all sides and edges) before installing the doors outside.
 
Remove windows and doors from their frames before painting them (only if they are the lift off type obviously!) to allow you to get to all surfaces - front, back, underneath, sides and top to get a proper finish. We do not recommend you to take apart tilt and turn style windows.
 
We do not recommend you to take apart tilt and turn style windows unless you are technically competent to reassemble them!.
 
If the window is not easily removable, paint with the window fully open, remembering to paint the underneath, sides and top.
 
Leave the window slightly open to dry well before closing or it may stick to the frame!
 
Windows which are outward opening (hung on barrel hinges), can be easily removed and painted separately like the doors. (Not Lasita Maja cabins)
 
PLEASE NOTE:
Failure to correctly paint your windows and doors may lead to swelling, warping, or leaking.
This may also lead to problems with opening and closing the doors and windows.
 
 
General Painting Advice
 
  •  To protect the wood of your log cabin, you must immediately process them with a wood preservative.
  •  We recommend a weather protection stain/paint that will protect wood from moisture and UV radiation.
  •  Use a product which is designed for bare timber.
  • It must be very flexible to allow for the movement of the wood throughout the seasons.
  • When painting, use high quality brushes and paints, follow the paint application manual and the manufacturer’s safety and usage instructions.
  • You are advised to use good synthetic-fibre brushes for water-based stains, pure bristle for oil based.
  • Never paint a surface in strong sunlight or rainy weather.
  • Always paint the whole way along one log at a time, starting from the bottom or top log and working one by one.   If you use this method you can break off for 'calls of nature' without it looking a mess!
  • Don't worry if the first coat looks a little patchy, this is usually improved by a second coat.
  • Do not paint in sections from top to bottom as you will get a dark area where the sections overlap.
 
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Mar 28, 2024

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