Log cabin - stain, colour or vanish?

LiE

LiE

LiE

Caporegime
Joined
2 Aug 2005
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Location
Milton Keynes
Got a log cabin going up next week which is currently bare wood. I'm not sure what the best protection is. Any suggestions?
 
Making some assumptions that parts of the logs will have gentle slopes I would suggest you'll have more standing water droplets. In which case I'd really consider varnish. How seasoned is the wood do you expect shrinkage and is the wood tanalised?
 
It's not actually made from logs like you'd think.
Looks like all fresh timber to me, untreated.

Here's a pic of the 5x3m beast. The picture shows what the delivered wood looks like.

29KxRFM.jpg
 
You'll want to be adding a few coats of clear preservative if it is just bare wood. Then a decent stain system like Sikkens Cetol would be what I would use on something expensive like a log cabin. Should give you 4-5 years before it needs re-doing.
 
Only ever seem to hear bad stuff about ronseal. That's also water based stain, so I can't see it actually lasting 5 years. Plus it'll completely cover the grain of the wood going by other water based stains I have used in the past.

http://www.decoratingwarehouse.co.uk/buy/woodstains/woodstains-1/johnstones-satin-woodstain/81

This looks like a better product than the Ronseal if going the cheaper route. It's also microporus, so lets the wood breath. Available in matt or satin.


There have been a couple of log cabin build logs on here so hopefully one of them sees the thread and can say what they used.
 
So you would suggest a couple coats of preservative followed up with a few coats of a solvent based stain?
 
LiE said:
Looking at going for this now.

Preserver: http://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/product/wood-preservative
Login Cabin Treatment: http://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/product/log-cabin-treatment
Click to expand...

That would work, but you would have to wait a week or two until the wax waterproofer in that preservative has weathered off.

I used a coloured preserver and then decking oil on my shed and it looks great and seems to be doing a good job so far. You would probably have to do a maintenance coat more often than with a stain, but oil is very easy to apply, so shouldn't take very long to do it.

IMG_6160_zps20a5ad4b.jpg


Here's a pic of the back of my shed after a couple of coats of oil. I much prefer to see all the grain and knots and the oil helps to bring them out. Should look good on a cabin.
 
That looks good, I think we will go for the light brown preserver. Apply that and wait a week before applying the log cabin oil.
 
creocote if you like the color . As close as you can get to creosote and i think it looks great... will be doing my new shed with it when it arrives next week .
 
Snaggle said:
creocote if you like the color . As close as you can get to creosote and i think it looks great... will be doing my new shed with it when it arrives next week .
Click to expand...

I wouldn't use that on a log cabin, its more for sheds and fences. It smells really strong for a long time and would need regularly topping up.
 
Two coatings of Remmers Aidol Wood Preservative Cream in clear for impregnation followed by two coatings of Remmers Aidol UV Weather Protection Stain in clear UV+. One more coat of the latter a year later before summer. Stays perfect and in original wood colour for at least half a decade.
 
2 coats of the preservative and 1 coat of oil. I'll be putting on another coat of oil soon, it's clear but adds a little colour.
 
That looks nice - If it was mine I would slap some gutters on each side and pipe it down below base of cabin.

Dave
 
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