Log homes are iconic structures in the Mountain West, their rugged, natural look the perfect complement to our region’s diverse landscapes. Until, that is, their beauty fades, and far more quickly than you’d ever expect.

The main culprit is ultraviolet light. UV light, the same solar rays that cause sunburn, damages wood, too, and it gets worse with altitude: A log home at 6,000 feet suffers the effects of 30 percent more UV intensity than a similar structure at sea level. At 9,000 feet, it’s 45 percent more intensity.

All that extra wear and tear from the sun, augmented by heavy doses of winter moisture, take a toll on log homes. Wood exposed to the sun darkens and greys even as shaded areas hold their color. Sun exposure, often conspiring with water, also strips away protective coatings and may ultimately rot your home’s wood. It happens fast – you can usually see a difference within a year or two of a home’s initial finishing.

The traditional solution is to treat your mountain jewel like some front-porch bench: sand it down a bit and throw on another coat of polyurethane. Within a year or two, of course, you’ll be paying to have it done it again.

Fortunately, there’s a better way ...
The Log Doctor Difference.