Subject: rot
Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003

Where I work, there is a log cabin on the property. We have found the the bottom log on the North side is starting to rot on the bottom. Some spots worse than others. Would you recommend using the Epoxy filler or the sawdust mixture? The exterior is stain.

It depends on what you want things to look like when the job is done. The Fill-It filler cures white, so it would need to be either tinted or painted to approximate the color of the logs. The L & L resin and sawdust is a closer color match to a freshly cleaned log, but is not an exact match and may also need to be tinted to get a closer match.

Does the sawdust mixture take stain?

The result of either product is a high quality plastic, so neither is going to take a stain that is designed for wood very well. As I said, you can tint both mixtures when they are fresh, or paint them with either an opaque paint, or a tinted varnish when they are cured.

Do you recommend coating the first three logs up from the foundation with CPES?

I don't recommend coating any of the logs with CPES. What rots log homes is not the water that hits the surface of the log, but the water that runs deep into the wood by going in the cracks, cups, and end grain. If you treat these areas, what is done to the surface of the log is merely cosmetic, and for this I would not recommend the CPES.

What is the difference between sawdust mixture and epoxy filler?

With the Fill-It filler, it is pre-thickened and cures white.

With the L & L resin and sawdust, you can make it any thickness you need. Sometimes you want it to be somewhat runny to go into deep cracks. And it cures to a wood color which will be closer to the color of the logs.

When filling cracks with CPES, if you get it on the exterior what does that do for future staining of logs?

It will keep the stain from being able to penetrate the wood.

When CPES is applied over stain will it darken the look?

Like varnish, CPES will tend to darken the wood slightly. As I said, I don't recommend CPES for the surface of the log.

Jay

Please let me know if I can answer any further questions.

Doc