I bought a 75 year old log cabin home in northern Idaho. It was stained or oiled from 30s – 90s. Then somebody stuccoed it (must have been a heck of salesman). Then someone else painted over the stucco. As the newest owner, I scraped off everything loose, caulked all the cracks and primed and painted the entire structure. THEN I found your page. Will the breathability problem be helped by the age of the logs? Should I cut a slot on the underside of each log to let it respire? Help?
Unfortunately, paint is not good for the logs as you have read.If there was any moisture in the logs, even though they are old they could be harboring moisture, it will rot the logs over time under the paint. I’m not sure that cutting a slot on the under side will do much for you.