we are building our own log home. Purchased white pine logs that unfortunately stained from weather and mold after sitting for almost 9 months. I sanded once with a disc sander and twice with different grits with a palm sander. No matter how deep I sand it still seems like it has blotches and some lines. I applied a clear stain and the blotches are even worse. What can I do to fix this and avoid going forward?
I apologize for the delay in response, this question was buried in our system under quite a bit of spam.
You’re not doing anything wrong — this is very common with white pine that’s been weathered. Mold and weather staining often penetrate deeper than sanding can reach, so sanding alone usually won’t remove it evenly. Clear stains actually highlight blotching, which is why it looks worse now. To fix it, you’ll likely need to clean or treat the logs with a wood brightener or stain-blocking prep product, then switch to a lightly pigmented (semi-transparent or toned) stain to even things out. Going forward, keep logs protected from weather before installation and avoid clear stains on pine — they’re unforgiving.