Perma-Chink Systems, Inc
Log & Timber Home Care Experts
Flavonoids are colorful compounds that are present in most plants. They are what make red beets red, and blueberries blue. They are also responsible for giving flowers their broad range of colors.
Trees, too, contain flavonoids, with some species containing more than others. In some types of wood, these flavonoids are apparent right from the start. The wood may be yellow, red, or other color, depending on the species. But in several species of wood, these colored flavonoids may not become visible unless the wood is exposed to some type of acid.
Applications of all Perma-Chink exterior finish removers, cleaners, stains, topcoats and sealants can be a bit of a challenge in extremely hot weather, which we consider over 90°F. However, if you know what to expect and avoid you can easily cope with applications during the hot summer months. We’ll address each of our product lines individually. And for all our products, we recommend keeping the product pails out of the direct sun on hot days to minimize the heat build-up.
Ever since Perma-Chink Systems introduced borate treatments to the log home industry over 20 years ago, its products have been the preferred method of protecting log homes from wood-destroying insects and decay fungi. We are still the world’s largest supplier of borate-containing preservatives for log homes, and although there are other borate-based products now available, most are based on technology developed by Perma-Chink Systems back in the late 1980s.
For many years the product of choice for cleaning bare wood surfaces was a solution of chlorine bleach and water, perhaps with some detergent or TSP (trisodium phosphate) added to help clean the wood. When correctly applied and well rinsed, bleach solutions can work fairly well most of the time. However, household bleach does not come with a set of directions for using it on wood, and even within the log home industry there is no agreement as to how to properly use bleach.
Drying times and curing times relate to two entirely different processes that occur in water-based polymer systems. All water-based products, be it stains, paints, or sealants, contain a percentage of free water, hence their description as water-based.
Many people are under the impression that the winter months are hard on their logs and finishes. To some extent that’s true. In cold climates where the exterior log surfaces may be covered with ice and snow for several months can be damaging if the logs aren’t properly finished. But even then, the most damaging effects of weather on wood and coatings actually occur during the hot summer months.
One component of sunlight is ultraviolet light, commonly referred to as UV light, or UV rays. UV light is responsible for most damage to exposed wood because it changes or destroys the wood’s lignin, a component of wood that hardens and strengthens the cell walls. In more scientific terms, this process is called photo-oxidation.
Chink Paint™ is a high quality, elastomeric latex paint used to refresh or change the color of your log home chinking. Chink Paint is available in all eight standard colors of Perma-Chink® in either a textured or smooth finish (with or without aggregate, respectively). This difference provides the customer a choice as to whether or not they would like to add additional texture to the appearance of the chink joint.
Over the past several years we have discovered many things about cleaning wood and existing finishes. First and most importantly is that chlorine bleach is not the best product to use. In addition to its potential for damaging the finish and bare wood fibers, its use and misuse contribute to specific problems including the loss of film adhesion, discolorations due to tannin extraction, streaks, blotches, and premature failures of the finish system. We have also discovered that many wood and deck cleaners available at paint and hardware stores, home improvement centers and Do-It-Yourself outlets contain components that interfere with the proper performance of our finish systems.
Occasionally we get a call from someone with an older log home who wants to “seal and protect” their logs but does not wish to remove the gray patina that has built up over the years.
Typically they think that some type of clear finish can be applied to their home which will keep water from penetrating into the wood and help retard wood erosion due to sun, wind, and rain. The truth is that there is no clear exterior product that will meet their expectations.
Before we get started, let’s look at the difference between shakes and shingles. In many cases the terms are used interchangeably but regional differences do exist. Nationally you will find shake roofs and shingle-sided homes as well as vice-versa. It’s more a matter of semantics than definition.