LOG HOME and CABIN EDUCATION INFORMATION
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LOG HOME and CABIN EDUCATION INFORMATION
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Chinking
For all your Chinking supplies go to: http://www.perma-chink.com/pc-44-3-perma-chink.aspx Chinking was innovated by our forefathers. The pioneers constructed log homes when they first came to the North America. Some logs were dry while others still green. As the green logs lost their moisture content along with some compaction of fibers, the walls shrunk and gaps would appear between logs allowing for insects and out side elements to get in to the home. To fill these gaps they used a mix of different materials straw and grass with mud or clay to fill the gaps. Some home owners like the look and that is fine, but there are more homeowners who do not like the look are want to add the cost to their homes.
When the pioneers first built log homes they did not know the science behind “Bound Cell” water and how the moisture inside would over time evaporate and cause the logs to shrink causing gaps between the logs because logs shrink in diameter and not in length due to the fibers running longitudinal. *note see section on Moisture Content* As the logs shrink gaps between each log get bigger then the home would fill with insects and the pioneers came up with a mud and straw mixture to fill the gaps and called it “Chinking” that helped keep unwanted insects out the best they could. Today chinking is like a concrete mixture and has to be replaced when the log shrinks more and pulls away from the solid chinking. If you do not replace the chink when gaps appear between the log and chink material water will reservoir and promote decay in the logs. Most homes being built in higher elevations have no option and have to be chinked due to thin air and extreme temperatures for the day to night.
Chinking is expensive and takes a lot of time to apply inside and outside the home. On average the cost of chinking runs around $6,000 per 1,000 square foot of home. So if you have a 2,000 square foot home it will cost between $12,000 and $14,000 every 5-6 years. Most all manufactures using an average moisture content formula will have to chink their homes at some time, either the day it is built or a couple of years down the road, then every 5-6 years. If you are living in your home expect to take a month vacation because they have to chisel out the old and replace the new inside and out creating a mess while you live in a construction zone. Again, this is an industry where you will get what you pay for. It might look like you are getting a great deal when you first purchase your package, but in reality, you end up paying more for maintenance over the years. Perma-Chink Systems, Inc. has come out with a new latex chink that they claim has a 40-50 year life span. I was out on a job site this last fall and got to see this latex chink first hand. It was a pre-fabricated home, what they called a log home. It was framed with ˝ log siding and in-between each log was the latex chinking. I noticed that the chink had torn vertically due to stress during shipping. I asked the contractor how he intended on fixing the tear and he said that he would just take a little on his finger and wipe over the area filling in the space. He did not have to go back and replace the whole seam saving the homeowner money. If you like the look of chinking that’s ok, but make sure that you select a log home package with low moisture content to the core and grades very high on the Timber Products Inspection Agencies grading scale. The quality of logs used on you home will determine the frequency of having to chink or not to ever chink. *note see section on Moisture Content*
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