Types of Log Home Stains
There are essentially two types of log home stains available on the market today:
- Film-Forming Finishes
- Penetrating Finishes
What are the pros and cons of each of these types of log home finishes?
Type of Log Home Stain
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Pros
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Cons
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Oil based (Alklyd) Log Home Stain
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Widely Available, Wood grain visibility, UV Protection, Non Porous, Easy application
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Trap Moisture, Brittle, Can't Breathe, Weather Quickly, Coat build-up over time, Blistering if moisture is present behind finish, High Maintenance
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Latex based Solid Color Log Home Stain
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Widely available, Breathable, Flexible, Durable, High UV Protection, Porous, Easy application, Low maintenance, Long life
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Won't prevent decay if conditions are favorable, Short Shelf Life
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Semitransparent Acrylic Latex based Log Home Stain
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Widely available, Breathable, Flexible, Durable, High UV Protection, Wood grain visibility, Porous, Low maintenance, Long life
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More difficult to apply than oil based stains and solid color stains, Short Shelf Life
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Log Home Varnishes
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Allows for natural look of logs, Widely available
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High maintenance, prone to Cracking, Peeling and Blistering, Requires recoating every 1-2 years, Partial UV protection
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Oil based Semitransparent Log Home Stains
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Penetrates into wood, Wood grain visibility, Breathable, High UV protection
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Perform best on roughsawn, weathered, or course textured wood, Compatibility issues with most log home sealants due to waxes found in most penetrating finishes, Doesn't have a furniture grade finish look (dull), must apply second coat before first coat dries in order for stain to penetrate wood
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What types of log home stains work the best?
So we have all this helpful information on the types of log home stains but which log home stain is the best?
It is hard to say which one is the absolute best because there are many factors that ultimately decide how well or long a log home stain will perform. Some of these factors are:
- What season the logs were cut (winter cut logs only)
- Proper surface preparation
- Environment surrounding building
- Moisture content of logs
Of these factors none are more important than proper surface preparation of the logs 
before applying a log home stain. If the surface of the logs have not been prepped properly none of these log home stains will perform as they state they will. This is why it is important to only hire a qualified log home restoration expert to work on your log home! They will have the knowledge and expertise to work with the products available in on the loo home market today to ensure your investment is protected well into the future.
While we cant say which log home stain is the best we can recommend which type of log home finishes we feel perform exceptionally well and keep maintenance costs down throughout the years if proper surface preparation is done before and during any finish or sealant application. In our opinion film forming latex based waterborne log home finishes like PermaChink are best bang for your buck!
While PermaChink finishes aren't the cheapest out there they seem to require the least amount of maintenance based on our 22+ years of experience restoring log homes and log cabins of ll sizes and shapes. They also offer an unmatched 5 year warranty on their log home stains when applied properly and maintained accordingly.