Six steps, in the order that makes it last

Moisture readings, probe tests and photos, wall by wall.

Why it comes first: You can’t price or plan a restoration from the driveway. The inspection tells us what’s cosmetic, what’s structural and what can wait.

• We walk every elevation and note the finish condition, checking (cracks), chinking gaps and any staining from gutters or splashback.
• We take pin-meter moisture readings on each wall, low and high, because sun-facing and shaded walls rarely match.
• Suspect areas get probed with an awl. Soft wood is mapped and photographed so you can see it too.
• You get a written scope broken down wall by wall, with photos, not a single number on a business card.

Remove failed finish, gray fibers and mildew down to sound wood.

Why it comes after inspect: New stain over old, failing stain fails with it. Getting to clean, bare wood is what lets everything after this step last.

• We choose the method by the finish and the wood: media blasting for film-forming finishes and heavy buildup, washing and sanding for lighter jobs or when blasting isn’t practical.
• Windows, doors, roofing, landscaping and mechanicals are masked and protected before any stripping starts.
• UV-damaged gray fibers are removed, not stained over. They won’t hold a finish.
• After stripping, the logs dry out until readings come back under 19% before anything goes on them.

Fix rot, replace failed logs and treat bare wood with borate.

Why it comes after strip: Bare wood is the one chance to see and treat everything. Rot and insect damage left under a fresh finish keep spreading out of sight.

• Small soft spots get cut back to sound wood and rebuilt with epoxy consolidant and filler, then shaped to match the log.
• Logs with deep rot get sectioned out and spliced, or replaced full length when the damage runs too far.
• A borate preservative goes on while the wood is bare and can absorb it, guarding against rot fungi and wood-boring insects.
• We note the cause of every repair, whether gutters, grade, splashback or a roofline, so it doesn’t happen again.

Chink and caulk joints, corners, checks and penetrations.

Why it comes after repair: Air and water get in through the gaps first. Sealing before staining means the finish goes over a tight, weatherproof shell.

• Upward-facing checks wider than about 1/4 inch get backer rod and a flexible sealant so they stop holding water.
• Failed or missing chinking is cut out and replaced with an elastic chinking compound tooled to a consistent profile.
• Butt joints, corners, window and door trim, and every wire or pipe that passes through a log get sealed.
• Products are chosen to stay flexible as logs move with the seasons, and to accept stain where they need to.

Breathable stain plus a topcoat, built to the right thickness.

Why it comes after seal: The finish is the log’s skin. It has to block UV and shed water while still letting moisture out of the wood.

• We use breathable, log-specific finish systems, not deck stain or paint, so trapped moisture can escape.
• Bare wood gets a 2-coat minimum of stain, then a clear topcoat where the system calls for one.
• Color is tested on your logs, on a section you approve, before full application.
• Product, color, batch and coat count are recorded so future maintenance coats match exactly.

Yearly checkups and maintenance coats before damage starts.

Why it comes last: A maintained finish costs a fraction of a full restoration. Sun-facing walls wear first, so catching them early keeps the rest of the house from following.

• A yearly walk-around catches failing caulk, new checks, insect activity and finish wear early.
• Sun-facing south and west walls usually need a maintenance topcoat every 3–5 years. Shaded walls often go longer.
• Maintenance coats go over clean, intact finish, with no stripping, when they’re done on time.
• Care plans keep your records, products and schedule in one place.