I purchased a log home last year. It was built in the 70 and in great shape. It has paint on the exterior. I’m thinking about either repainting or stripping and going with a natural finish. Which would you advise? The logs are flat against one another made from a kit.
Steve
If it is truly paint, you need to have it stripped off by corn cob blasting. Paint seals the wood causing surface rot to form. It could be solid stainwhich looks like paint, but still allows the wood to ”breathe”. Any Sherwin Williams store would be able to tell you which it is if you can get a sample for them to look at. Maybe cut off a shaving with a razor knife.
Do not let anyone talk you into power washing. It will not clean the old finish off completely, and will drive the water so deep into the wood fiber that it will not dry out completely. When you apply new stain it will trap the moisture in the wood and cause black mold to grow over time causing the finish to fail prematurely.