Log homes are stacked. Logs are closely put together and the ends form a zipper. This is where log homeowners need to pay attention. If your Zippers a re open, you are losing energy and inviting insects.
A well-made log home is a joy to live in. The logs are beautiful and practical. Log homes do need routine love, especially around the Zippers. Here are some tips to keep your Zippers sealed and secure.
Chinking is the mastic material that is applied to seal gaps in logs. In the olden days, pioneers used whatever they could find. Mud, manure, horsehair, small sticks or… Their goal was to keep out the cold. Cosmetics was not an issue. Usually, the materials they used to chink, also contained insects and were short term fixes at best.
Chink is molding in a tube. You can instantly seal leaks in logs, hunting camps, windows, and RV’s.
Modern Chink products are superb. Try the Perma Chink products. They come in caulk tubes and 5-gallon buckets. These products expand 27 times during the changing seasons. You can get them in colors and textures. Using a hand caulk gun makes for easy application. You Tube videos will show the application process.
Using Chink along all the joints of a zipper will quickly seal the deal. You can also use an End Seal product that will protect and seal the zippers log ends.
Tools and materials are simple enough. Small, flexible trowels, foam brushes, and a water mister are needed. If the gaps or cracks are huge, you can install backer, a foam insulation. With matching colors, you can also seal and fill long log cracks, inside and outside.
Applying Chink is an easily earned skill that will save energy and money. Keep your camp, home, or outbuildings protected and sealed.
Seal up those zippers!
Montana Grant
