Time to time we need to update log cabin's exterior. Facade is the main side of the log house attracting glances and telling about the owner. The changes of house appearance depends on budget you are going to spend. Painting is cheap and one of the most popular way to renovate wooden buildings. Here you will find some useful tips how to paint your timber house facade, the main steps of surface preparation, painting works and ideas how to make beautiful front appearance.
Preparation:
* At first you need to determine the state of the building. If you're going to repaint the old wooden surface, than you should remove a former and detached layer of paints with a scraper. Scrub the gross surface with a sandpaper until it becomes matt. Later clean the dust with a brush and if its necessary – change worn wooden details to new.
* Brand new surface have to be impregnated firstly with material for protection against mold and humidity excess. You have to do this all as soon as possible. It is always better to choose a colorful measure for impregnation, because it provides better UV protection.
* If there is mold on the surface, wash it with special measure. Every manufacturer adds the instruction how to use this lack material and you can find it in almost every building store.
* Nails have to be covered with primer for metal. Rusty nails should be scrubbed firstly and only then covered with primer. But it's always better to use ones made of stainless metal.
Remember, that late spring and summer are best seasons for painting, because appropriate temperature is from 15 to 28 degrees above zero. It is not recommended to paint in the late evening (dew can make lusterless surface) and direct sunlight.
Painting:
It seems very easy to paint wooden surfaces: you just grab the brush, soak into the paint and lubricate boards. Do not act like that. There are some rules of painting you should know:
* Stir up the paint with a clean stick before using (stir occasionally during staining)
* If you are not sure about paint color, then try it on a small place of the surface.
* Better results will be achieved by stirring only one board (or a log) along its texture.
* Windows, doors and other wishing places should be covered with film or tape to protect against splashes.
* Use only good quality measures. Brush should not leave bristles and paints coat the surface evenly.
* Surface have to be covered twice. In this way, real paint color becomes more visible.
* Put the brush tightly into polyethylene bag if you are going to use it the next day.
The Colors and Combinations
Outside appearance is such important as inside. It can say a lot about the householder. Everyone wishes to make house exterior more different than the neighbors. There are some useful tips you need to know before painting your log cabin:
* When choosing paint color for house exterior you need to pay attention to the surroundings firstly. Any environment already has its own color, so house exterior can integrate and enrich or clearly stand out from the surroundings.
* Every detail such as roof, chimney, fence, gutters, handholds, window's frames, doors and other visible elements can not be forgotten. You can achieve the integrity of these parts, or just highlight every single detail.
* If your log cabin has unique architecture, than building volumes can be separated with different materials and colors. The first and the second floor, pedestal, roof slope can be separated with different color. In this way, emphasize the horizontality of the facade (lowering or extending it). House exterior can be divided graphically or with colors, without reference to the architectural solution, however the means of expression should be used rationally.
* Color matching is not only a finding of similar and close colors. They can be combined nuance or contrast principle. Green will be close to yellow and blue, because they are next to each other in the color spectrum. Blue and orange, yellow and purple, red and green are contrasting. Opposite colors highlight each other and become more brighter.
* There are many color shades that matches closely. They not only passes each other, mixes, but also has lots of brightness-darkness, intensity gradations. Achromatic colors, such as black, white and various shades of grey also should be mentioned. This group is the entire visible spectrum mixture, that perfectly fits with other tints.
* The intensity of color is determined by material's texture. Every type of wood has its own natural color and tree-ring pattern. The texture is given during the processing. If the surface is rough – the color will be darker. A very smooth surface can glitter.
When you already know all these steps, you can look for wishing design ideas, or let to experiment yourself with exterior. Log cabin should be repainted every 4-5 years, so there is always a possibility to change the appearance of the dwelling. Properly prepared and painted log cabin is not only beautiful, but also long lasting building, that will serve more than hundred years.
