Maintenance of a Log Building

Whilst we have proferred the virtues of our timber log buildings and their longevity, it will be necessary to maintain your log building over time to maximise the life of your building, whatever it's intended use.


Looked after correctly, as a home, it could become a family heirloom but how do you go about ensuring its longevity?


Above - Log House Aurinkomesta

The Maintenance Process

The maintenance process starts well before you actually start your building, certain elements need to taken in during the planning and design phases of your project.

01  Foundations

Good foundations are vital in helping to protect your log building from the effects of moisture and decay.

The preferred solution is to use a raft foundation, depending on the soil type on your plot. Log buildings are lightweight structures so this method is cost effective and functional.

02  Design

A common design feature in log buildings is the roof overhang.

This feature removes a lot of pressure from the walls, helping to protect your building from the worst of the weather.

03  UV Damage

UV will damage the structure of the timber if your building is left unprotected as it damages the polymer bonds in the timber. Lignin is especially at risk, the timber will silver and expose the logs to further damage.

04  Moisture

Timber is hygroscopic meaning that it will take on moisture until it reaches equilibrium with the environment around it. As humidity falls it releases the moisture back into the atmosphere and should return to around 14% moisture content - the level present when it left the factory

05  Nature

Protecting your building against the elements serves also to protect your building from insect attack, not a great problem in the UK but good quality treatments will also deliver protection against funghi, mould and mildew.

06  Sapstains

You will find sap exuding from within the timber which can discolour the treated surfaces. This is a natual process that diminishes with time and the effects will disappear with future treatments.

Paint?

So called "log buildings" sold online or in garden centres can be painted but your Kontio log building, even one designed for use in a garden should not, here's why.


The timber in your log building "breathes", not air but water vapour by a process called diffusion. This ensures that moisture is exchanged until the timber reaches equilibrium, leaving you with no issues of mould growth, rot, etc.

Stain

So it is vital that you do no use paints on your new log building as paint will lock moisture in the timber and stop the process of diffusion from working. This will eventually result in the internal environment becoming less healthy.


A stain is more readily absorbed into the timber and will move with the timber, it gives greater and longer lasting protection. Painted timber will crack and blister, opening the timber up to attack, not a desireable feature by any measure.

Internal Treatment

Internally you can choose to run with a clear stain serving as protection, leaving you free to enjoy the beauty of the timber that is so much a part of a log building, irrespective of use.


Or, you could opt for coloured stains changing the character of your building completely, mixing and matching if desired to suit the particular design you have opted for?

Fire

For log buildings functioning as a residential log home with two floors then Building Regulations will require the exposed timbers to be treated with a fire retardant to achieve a Class 0 Fire Rating. For other buildings and uses such treatment is not normally required.


At this point you are possibly thinking "timber, fire, not a good match" (pardon the pun) but worry not, massive log timber has advantages over timber framed buildings for example, visit our Downloads page for our Technical Sheet on the behaviour of fire regarding log buildings.

Fire Treatment


The fire treatments for log buildings are readily available and can be easily applied with a brush, roller or low pressure spray. The coatings colourless and odourless and once applied the protection lasts for the life of the building - Note  the purchase should include a Certificate as evidence of application and will need to be retained for inspection by Building Control.


Overpainting using a water-based non-flammable stains is then possible, some manufacturers produce coloured stains that provide both functions i.e. Class 0 and colour.