Exterior Finishing
Finishing the exterior of your Katahdin Cedar Log Home is an important step in protecting your investment. When finished properly, your exterior should provide many years of beauty with some routine maintenance each year.
- Stains and topcoats. Stains and topcoats protect your cedar from damage by ultraviolet light. Stain colors also provide the primary color scheme for the exterior of your home.
- Application. Once your home is enclosed with the roof on, but before the windows and doors are installed, your contractor can begin applying stain and topcoat. Because Katahdin's cedar has a very low moisture content, there's no need to wait to apply finishes once your home's exterior is complete. Also, it's much simpler to have a crew utilize staging equipment from the log raising to make quick work of the stain and topcoat application. For more details about stains and topcoats, click here.
- Decks and porches. Any exterior decking will also be completed once the home is enclosed. You'll want to apply stain and topcoats to these surfaces as well to protect them from the elements.
- Grading. As the home construction process nears completion, you'll want to have the grading finished up so that rainwater is directed away from the foundation. Final grading should be no less than 24 inches from the bottom of the subfloor. Any earth moving for landscaping may also begin at this point in the building process.
Click here to download a printable version of this page OR click here to download the entire "Guide to Building Your Log Home".
