Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Log Home Chinking vs Caulking

Chinking Joint Design for Log HomesWhat is the difference being caulking and chinking? We hear this question all the time. They are somewhat interchangeable in application- to some degree- but there are differences. Modern caulking and chinking are both flexible sealants that are used to seal log homes. Historically, chinking and daubbing were a myriad of material put between the courses of logs to fill the gaps and keep out the weather. It may have been any combination of mud, manure, straw, horsehair, moss, or whatever the local environment provided. Gradually that was replaced with a mortar mixture, often applied over wire mesh or other hardware to keep it in place as the mortar dried and cracked. Now we have modern, synthetic log home chinking and caulking. When properly applied, these elastic sealants will stretch and move with the wood to maintain a bond and keep water, weather, and pests out of the home and keep the heat inside during winter months. Following its history, modern chinking is a textured sealant that simulates mortar but stretches like caulking and is most often put over a backer rod between the logs. Caulking can also be used to seal the lateral joints of logs when a subtle, non-chinked style is needed, and it’s also used with backer rod to keep water out of log checks and to seal all other gaps around doors, windows, and other spaces.

At Schroeder Log Home Supply Inc., we believe in the importance of using the right product for the job, and that means using quality sealants that are designed to bond and be elastic for the best performance with log and wood. Brands we carry are Big StretchCaulking, CheckMate2, Conceal Textured Caulking, Energy SealCaulking, Log Builder Caulking, Manus-Bond Caulking, WoodsmanCaulking, Log Jam Chinking, Perma-Chink, and Sansin Timber-TecChinking. Contact us to help decide which may be best for your situation, or to get a color card to determine the best match to your wood finish.

Questions on maintaining the legacy of your wood structure? Give us a call- 1-800-359-6614

Pickup in store - or ship to your door -in whichever woods your cabin dwells.

 Schroeder Log Home Supply, Inc. 

1101 SE 7th Avenue

Grand Rapids MN 55744

1-800-359-6614

 


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