Log And Siding Staining and Restoration

Log and Siding Staining and Restoration

Benefits of Restoring and/or Sealing Your

Home’s Exterior Surfaces

One of the most beneficial home improvements you can make is to preserve your home’s natural beauty and weather resistance by taking care of your exterior wood. It is what people see, and also what keeps your home dry and warm or cool. It is NOT merely a cosmetic or aesthetic issue.

In addition to prolonging the actual functional life of your siding or logs, proper and timely maintenance does greatly enhance the appearance and perceived/actual value of your home too. Beware letting it go too long, as it could cause permanent damage and discolorations.

Once your weathered wood exterior has been exposed to the elements (Sun, wind and moisture) it begins to deteriorate. It can not only rot, but be attacked by fungus and set up a dry-rot cycle and situation which cannot be easily repaired or remedied.

Discoloration, usually a darkening, can penetrate deep into the wood surface and be difficult and costly to remedy, if it is even possible.

Regular, appropriate exterior maintenance is the only way to both prevent deterioration and to prevent or slow down the natural aging process due to exposure to all of the elements and seasons.

So, the two primary purposes of Log and Wood siding maintenance are 1) Preservation of the wood and promoting its longevity, and 2) Enhancing the natural beauty for your enjoyment and home value.

To be clear, a sealant applied to any surface in any condition, will help preserve the wood. Even if it does not enhance the appearance or correct existing deterioration. Depending on the specific, individual condition and situation of your home’s wood exterior (and it will vary even on your own home due to the various different exposures on different sides/parts of your structures) a particular protocol may be indicated. You need to have a professional analysis and opinion to help you navigate the possibilities and choices of how best to approach your own property’s situation. It is not as simple and intuitive as it initially appears to be.

If your home is already well preserved and in good condition, then a regular re-sealing application after a simple pressure washing is probably all you need. Perhaps every 3 to 8 years or so, depending on your particular situation.

However, if like many, your home has already gone a little or a lot, too long since it was maintained, then a lot more deterioration may have already occurred, and a different approach and protocol is needed. Usually, a home has BOTH conditions at the same time, on different parts of the same home at the same time. We can customize a solution to meet your particular needs, no more, no less.

When a home has been neglected for too long, the sealant may have long deteriorated away, and allowed the elements to act directly on the unsealed, unprotected wood below. When this has occurred, either in spots or on a whole house surface, then a more involved approach and protocol is indicated. Darkened wood means there has been deterioration of the wood fibers, to varying extents. Usually, this is only surface deep, so can be handled relatively easily if caught early and remedied. Sometimes it is more extensive damage, and that too needs to be caught and fixed no matter what degree of deterioration it is currently. Better to interrupt a down-spiral now than to put it off, time is not your friend in this matter.

If there is deterioration of the wood, which has been sealed in by re-staining and sealing WITHOUT first properly treating the wood condition, then the existing finish has to be removed in order to permit access to the wood itself for restoration treatments. This requires additional steps in the process, including Stripping. A special stripper chemical made for wood exteriors, is applied and chemically peels off the existing finish, to expose the damaged wood beneath it.

Then, depending on the individual condition of each part of your home’s wood surfaces, we can clean and or bleach the wood to restore its natural, original coloration and appearance, as closely as possible. It is not perfect, but then neither is wood itself – a natural and variable appearance product, unlike plastic, etc. The artful and appropriate staining and blending techniques are deployed to restore your home’s exterior wood appearance closely to its best possible look! And of course, is sealed against the elemental forces as a result too, which will preserve the wood longer as well.

Then as mentioned, a simpler maintenance coating every 3 to 8 years will keep it sealed and beautiful. Perhaps with the need for some spot-restoration for the most weathered portions where the prior sealant may have already failed, but not on the majority of the home’s surfaces. It is NOT an “all or none” proposition usually and can be custom-tailored to your own unique home condition by Cook Bros.’ Professionals.

As with anything related to remodeling your home, it is critically important to hire an experienced licensed installation contractor to do your wood exterior sealing and restoration for you. Not a handyperson or someone who has done one or two paint jobs prior to yours. Although it is not rocket science exterior wood restoration and staining, there are many ways to screw it up and end up with a disappointing result. Cook Bros. are experienced experts- we can design a custom program for your particular home situation and condition, and thus efficiently and expertly address your exact needs.