Caulking or Chinking Your Log Home

Log homes mean caulking or chinking. It is a very popular that gets asked about log home building. Some people even confuse the two. Many times people have commented that they don't like the big white lines of caulk on logs. They actually mean chinking with that comment and it is a common mistake. One difference between them in the region. You will see chinking more in the southern and south eastern regions of the United States. Full log home construction is more popular in those areas. Log style and building methods also will have bearing on caulking of chinking. The northern regions of the U.S. see caulking being much more popular than chinking. I'm in the upper midwest in central Minnesota and in the 11 years I have been a log home dealer I haven't built a log home with chinking yet. Log home caulk such as Log Builder by Sascho is concealer pretty well by a proper installation. It is a narrower bead than chinking and is applied on all horizontal and vertical joints. Both chinking and caulk are made in different colors so they can be blended a bit but all said and done, caulk won't be as visible. With either process, proper surface prep and application is important. When caulking make sure all the logs are clean first. Large gaps and cracks will need backer rod so fill in as necessary with that. From there apply the caulk to all joints working with small areas at a time. Run the bead down the log(s) then go back with a 1" wide foam brush. Get the brush wet and tool out the bead of caulk before it cures. If the brush is too wet you will get water running down the log. If the brush is too dry the caulk will start sticking to it. Keep a rag handy and wipe off any excess that builds up on the brush. Caulking is very important so take the time to do it properly if you are doing it yourself or hire the job out to a professional. Ask the log home company you are working with if they offer either or both caulk and chinking and if it is included in their log home package they offer.