All About WeatherSeal�: Maintenance
WeatherSeal� is a completely different type of natural wood finish. Unlike regular watery stains, WeatherSeal� is thick and rich which allows for a much neater application without the sloppy mess. When you properly mix WeatherSeal�, it actually looks like pudding. Yet it dries to a rich, natural wood appearance. Plus, WeatherSeal� is totally complete. All the protection is packed in ONE product! No need for buying and applying two separate coatings. And as a performer, WeatherSeal� has earned a top rating by thousands of satisfied customers.
Maintenance
YEARLY INSPECTIONS AND TOUCH-UP of your home's exterior is the best preventative maintenance approach you can use to prolong the overall life of WeatherSeal� and to keep the appearance of your logs at their best. Inevitability, for many reasons, there will be stained areas around the house that will wear more quickly and will be in need of repair sooner. The southern and western sides of the home, if fully exposed, will always weather at a faster rate. Random patches of wood stain in other sections may also break down more quickly due to variations in wood grain, emergence of cracks in the logs, conditions of excess moisture, etc.
Those areas that reveal bare wood or show signs of deterioration should be washed clean with a cleaner, thoroughly rinsed with fresh water, and once dried lightly sanded (180-220 grit) and then touched up in the same color. The best technique for blending touchup areas is by using a rag dipped in WeatherSeal� and dabbing on those areas and smoothing and feathering it with a rag into the surrounding stain. After about 15-20 minutes lightly dry brush with a good brush the �rag-coated� areas in order to smooth WeatherSeal� out even more. This process will probably require repeating 2 to 3 times and it does take some improvising on the part of the applicator in order to get a feel for this technique.
CRACKS IN THE LOGS should be sanded around the edges and sealed with an acrylic latex caulk. Deep cracks should be stuffed with backer rod first to fill the excess void and caulked over. (NEVER USE SILICONE CAULKS because they don't adhere well to wood.) Once the caulk has cured, touch up with WeatherSeal� over the caulked areas. Touching up patches of wear before they start damaging adjacent areas will prolong the overall life of the finish and insure maximum protection of the logs.
THE FREQUENCY AND NUMBER OF RENEWAL COATS depend on where the home is located, the home's design, the species of wood used for the logs, the shape of the logs, and the general surface condition of each log. Generally the western and southern sides of the house will need to be coated more often. Because one or two sides of the building are more weathered and need coating does not mean the entire house should be coated again. Those sides that are in good condition should be lightly washed with a cleaner (Simple Green� is good) and thoroughly rinsed clean at a low pressure.
Lightly cleaning the less weathered sided of the home will remove the dust, pollen and other airborne particles that tend to make the coating look drab. Cleaning will help restore the coating to a newer, fresher look. Also applying more stain over stain that's still in good shape will tend to create a darker, more painted look. To prolong the natural look, it's important that WeatherSeal� ONLY be pressure-washed clean and coated again when it begins to show obvious signs of deterioration i.e., fading, flaking, etc. That way, excess build-up from previous coats of WeatherSeal� can be avoided and the color of the stain and clarity of the wood grain maintained.
USE COMMON SENSE to determine the need for cleaning and coating the log surfaces. Do not rely on a specific time frame for your maintenance schedule. Visually assess you building on a yearly basis and touch-up or re-coat as needed.