How do I choose a stain for my log or timber frame home?

When choosing a stain for your log or timber frame home, you first must realize that the interior and exterior choices will determine your long term care cycles and difficulty level of keeping up with your chosen products.

When thinking of your interior, you must decide if you want a clear finish or a colored interior finish.  Products like Lovitt's Platinum interior is a clear dazzling finish that can be built up with multiple coats using a light sanding between coats to create a very deep and durable finish.  Chances are you will only have to do this once in the lifetime of your log home with occasional touch ups over the years.

The exterior finish is the one that will either haunt or reward you down the road.  There are 3 types of exterior finishes available on the market today.  Oil based, modified oil base, and water base finishes and stains. 

Our favorite type of stain is the modified oil base, it has the benefits of a penetrating finish that goes deep into the wood (unlike water base), but is soap and water clean up, uses the latest advancements in coatings technology, and are environmentally safe and responsible. 

The best part of these types of stains is that they do not darken over time, as they wear from the weather, rain, ect. the wood begins to lose a little sheen, then look a little dry, that is the time for a recoat and a water rinse is usually all that is needed between coats. 

Even if these modified oil stains completely wear off from exposure, the wood is left blonde and easy to recoat (unlike oil base stains that tend to darken with sun exposure) or water base acrylic stains (that tend to peel with sun exposure and are hard to remove without heavy sanding or blasting methods).

Oil base stains are usually the most durable though, and the best in class is a stain that tends not to darken between coats and is easy to keep up over time.

Contact us anytime to discuss your options and get technical advice on your project!  We love to help our customers achieve spectacular results, no matter where you are starting from.