Covering over log (with siding)

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Small Cabin Forum / Cabin Construction / Covering over log (with siding)


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ThisOldCabinNJ Member	# Posted: 3 Apr 2022 10:36am Reply Hi folks, I recently found out the chinking on my butt & pass log cabin contains asbestos. Ok initially this is disturbing/upsetting/etc however after doing some research and some input from yâ€™all, I realized itâ€™s not a bad as itâ€™s made out to be. Iâ€™m considered abating it myself and working very carefully. My local county dump does take ACM (asbestos containing material) waste so thatâ€™s even more incentive. That said, on top of the asbestos issue, a previous owner over the last century had treated the exterior of the logs with some sort of creosote oil or coating. I know itâ€™s creo because the dang siding smells like a railroad bed. If I could still buy creosote, Iâ€™d slap on a coat and call it a day but due to it being a major carcinogen, I canâ€™tâ€¦and Iâ€™m concerned at how to safely remove it. Sooooo, Iâ€™m considering the worst thing a log cabin can endure: covering over the beautiful log exterior with some form of a furring strip and sheathing/siding. And by siding I mean something natural and rustic like cedar shake. Has anyone had to do this and if so, can someone point me in the right direction? My concerns are how to properly side over the log and not have the log rot because of trapped moisture, etc. Im thinking this is a last resort because I love the log siding and preparing for the worst.

spencerin Member	# Posted: 3 Apr 2022 11:33pm Reply Just my 2c - I read about creo after reading your post, and it seems like for it to be true risk you have to be exposed to it for long periods to time. If it's on the outside, it's an old coating, and you're not living there full-time, I wouldn't be as concerned about it.

Brettny Member	# Posted: 4 Apr 2022 09:32am Reply Asbestos chunking that's falling appart and creosote filled logs...at what point do you cut your losses and replace each wall with a framed wall with log siding? Are the logs in good shape?

ThisOldCabinNJ Member	# Posted: 6 Apr 2022 06:07am Reply Brettny, exactly my point. Except cutting losses isnâ€™t exactly an optionâ€¦yet. The asbestos is i think more of a problem than creosote but relatively easy to fix, just requires proper abatement. Luckily most of the old chinking has loosened in the last century so it will practically fall out when Iâ€™m ready. What kills me with the creosote is thereâ€™s no real way to properly remove it. If I could buy fresh creo to continuing coating the logs in, Iâ€™d be set but nooooo they outlawed that stuff too. Itâ€™s a wonderful preservative but now that I canâ€™t get it what do I use that wonâ€™t cause problems? As for safety concerns the creo is only bad when you heat it (basically vaporizing the aromatic hydrocarbons) to make it easier to scrape off. But even then isnâ€™t it still soaked into the log???

FishHog Member	# Posted: 6 Apr 2022 06:14am Reply No idea about this stuff but Our approved creosote substitute 'WOCO Creocote' is a spirit oil-based, effective treatment for exterior wood. It has been developed as a safer (for the user) alternative to original creosote. It is still designed to be used to protect wood against rotting fungi and wood destroying insects on external timbers.Nov 23, 2017 Also some recipes on the net for diy creosote Everyone is different but I wouldnâ€™t let old creosote concern me. With basic Ppe and precautions asbestos chinking removal wouldnâ€™t concern me either I sure wouldnâ€™t cover up my log cabin if the logs are in good shape

gcrank1 Member	# Posted: 6 Apr 2022 10:22am Reply I'd be more concerned about creosote inside than outside.

Atlincabin Member	# Posted: 6 Apr 2022 11:21am Reply My opinion as a geologist/mineralogist: The asbestos is not an issue if left in place. And it depends on what kind (mineralogically) of asbestos it is. Long-fiber asbestos is more benign than short-fiber. In any event, the major hazard with asbestos is inhalation and lung damage. You could do more damage to yourself by pulling the stuff out (and breathing it while doing so) than by leaving it in place. And there are a number of studies that show the vast majority of asbestosis cases occur in people that worked in the industry, i.e., were breathing the stuff daily for years. If it were me, I would just leave it in place, or carefully (with respiratory protection) remove and discard it as necessary.

snobdds Member	# Posted: 6 Apr 2022 12:26pm Reply I have a rental place in town that is a log cabin built by a railroader in the 30's. It's very nice and over built, may be the best built building I've ever seen, no expense was spared. The only problem was he slathered the place in creosote that he probably got from work. You can still buy the stuff, but you have to have special certifications to buy it. I wanted the creosote gone so I paid to have someone come in and sand each and every log. I knew the guy under big the job, so I gave him a bonus at the end. He used a big 7in grinder with a big flap disc on it. It looked beautiful after a sanding a new Sherwin Williams solid stain. Don't ruin a log cabin with siding. It can be saved.

ThisOldCabinNJ Member	# Posted: 6 Apr 2022 02:45pm Reply Quoting: FishHog Everyone is different but I wouldnâ€™t let old creosote concern me. With basic Ppe and precautions asbestos chinking removal wouldnâ€™t concern me either Thank you all for pushing me back from the edge (metaphorically speaking). People i am around only fuel the "unsafe" conditions and then I overthink and panic... After dumping a lot of $ to buy the property (with cabin - and I'm in NJ if that says anything), the initial discovery of Asbestos was very upsetting. I should have had the foresight to check the chinking before buying the property. The creosote issue is more of a concern as to what do I put over top of the creosote that will stick/not peel/not trap water/etc. I'm not overly concerned about the health risks as it sits but having to remove the creo does create concern more for breathing in the vapor if say heating it to scrape it off. Something I read suggested using MEK to help melt off the creo which in and of itself, MEK is probably just as bad. Oh well, just need to PPE the heck out of myself... For what its worth, the inside logs are at least shellac'd or varnished, not creosoted. There is a little black jack roofers tar inside where the previous owner tried to "fix" some of the chinking but its only in a small area. Unfortunately all the chinking inside is in bad shape...meaning its loosened itself up over the last century so to properly seal the logs to be weather tight, it needs to be removed/replaced properly. For what its worth, the asbestos is only 1-2% (not that that isn't bad, but it could be worse) and is the chrysotile type which the internet tells me is the short-fiber and can possibly work itself out of the body if inhaled leaving a less change of scaring/mesothelomia/et.al... regardless, PPE and some common sense and I think I just might make it! anyone know where you can actually get creo with or without special certification? just curious. I doubt I'd be able to get certified.

fiftyfifty Member	# Posted: 7 Apr 2022 08:10am - Edited by: fiftyfifty Reply The concerns about asbestos and creosote being carcinogens are both highly overblown. The asbestos fibers need to be floating in the air and breathed in in significant amounts, over long periods of time, to be any risk. Asbestos products need to be in bad condition (fraying, crumbling etc) in order to even release their fibers. If that is the case, your choices are to add more chinking to entomb the asbestos, or if it is too far gone, remove it. No need to treat it like something radioactive, removing every last bit, because remember the residue will be entombed by the new chinking material. This can be done yourself if you wear the proper respiratory equipment. If the creosote is on the outside of your building, there is no problem. Whatever it has left to off gas (not much) will be released to the outside air. Slap some sort of oil-based product over it, and stop worrying. It will not "trap moisture" or cause rot. ETA: what I mean by oil based product, is some sort of oil-based stain. Probably anything would work. I would choose a color very similar to the existing creosote (dark blackish brown) because I am lazy and because I think it would look nice. I would buy a quart, and just slather it on in a test area. It think it will soak in to the parts of the logs that need it, and if it doesn't soak in perfectly to the parts that have thicker creosote, who cares? It is about the same color anyway. Just go for it, and don't overthink this.

Brettny Member	# Posted: 7 Apr 2022 10:19am Reply Seams like he alreaty has a handle on the chinking. Why not just use typical log home oil based stain on the exterior of the logs? Do you have a picture of it's current state?

gcrank1 Member	# Posted: 7 Apr 2022 01:25pm Reply How about using odorless mineral spirits, brushed on, to soften and spread the 'sote to the thin spots, letting that dry well and topcoat with a 'log home' oil based treatment?