So why do people use textured sealant Energy Seal?
First and foremost, to keep water, air and bugs out of places where they don’t belong; second, for its attractive appearance; and third, for the reputation of lasting longer and performing better than competitive products. It should not come as a surprise that log homes are a bit difficult to seal up. When you stack logs on top of one another to make a wall, the logs do not naturally fit tightly to one another so there are usually gaps that must be sealed to prevent air and water from getting inside. That’s what Energy Seal is designed to do.
Most people call log sealants “caulk” but we try to refer to them as “sealants” to help differentiate high quality products from cheap caulks that can be bought at any hardware store. Plus, several of our sealants do not fit the conception most people have of a typical caulk.
There are two reasons that Energy Seal is textured. First, it allows the surface of cured Energy Seal to remain looking “flat.” It does not have that shiny look common to most types of caulk. This allows Energy Seal to blend in with the surrounding stained wood. Second, the texture allows Energy Seal to better accept a stain so that it can virtually disappear on a wall.
Here is a TIP; if you plan to stain over Energy Seal, select an Energy Seal color that’s just a bit lighter than the stain you plan to use. It’s much easier to cover light-colored Energy Seal with a darker color stain than it is to cover dark-colored Energy Seal with a light-colored stain.
Applying Energy Seal
Before Energy Seal is applied, the surface must be clean, dry, and free of oil, wax, or anything else that will interfere with the adhesion of the Energy Seal.
Wherever possible, Energy Seal should be used along with Backer Rod or Grip Strip. If backing material is not used, there may not be enough room for the Energy Seal to expand and a crack may appear across the joint. Backer Rod should be used even if the joint is narrow. The width of the band of Energy Seal may end up a bit wider than you expected but the integrity of the seal will be maintained.
Applying Energy Seal over old caulk is never a good idea even if it looks like the caulk is still adhering to the wood.
Although it can be time consuming and somewhat difficult, old caulk should be removed for several reasons. If a caulk no longer adheres to the wood, it may be due to moisture getting under the caulk creating rot. The old caulk must be removed to properly treat and seal the wood, so the new sealant does not fail.
Once in place, Energy Seal may be tooled smooth with a trowel or putty knife. Spraying a light mist of water on the surface will make tooling a lot easier and will result in a smoother surface.
If masking tape is used to protect the surrounding wood be sure to remove the tape while the Energy Seal is still wet.
To protect recently applied Energy Seal from the weather, a loose covering of plastic film will prevent it from being washed out of the joint until it cures enough to withstand a heavy rain. Typically, a week or so is sufficient.
For more information about Energy Seal, give us a call 1-800-548-3554 or check out our Log Home Sealant Application Guide https://www.permachink.com/images/stories/catalog/sealants_guide.pdf
HOW TO SEAL AROUND WINDOW AND DOOR FRAMES
We have an excellent tutorial on sealing around windows and doors using Energy Seal and Log Gap Caps. Read it here: https://www.permachink.com/resources/log-gap-cap-and-energy-seal-to-seal-windows-and-doors