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The process for restoring your home is a 5 step process:
 Step
1: The most important and most overlooked step is wood
surface preparation. Proper wood surface preparation includes
blasting the exterior of the home using a ground up walnut
media, or using a chemical stripper to remove the failed finish
on decks and roofs. Walnut blasting uses a ground walnut media
with the consistency of fine light sand, but much lighter
in weight. The walnut media blasting technique is a log home restoration
industry standard and provides the client with an environmentally
safe and effective means of removing failed finishes from
the wood surface. Walnut blasting also removes fungus, dirt
and wood discoloration in order to bring back the original
look and feel of the wood. Upon completion of blasting, the
entire surface area of the blasted wood is hand sanded using
an orbital sander and 60 or 80 grit paper. This step is the
most difficult and time consuming in the process!
 Step
2: Protect the windows and doors from overspray. Mask
and tape all the windows and doors to minimize overspray of
preservative and stain. For decks and roofs, protect plants
and vulnerable surfaces with plastic tarps.
 Step
3: Preserve the wood. A 10% solution of a boron derived
wood preservative called “borate” is applied using an airless
sprayer. Borates have been used successfully for decades in
New Zealand, and England as an anti-fungal (rot), insecticide
and mildecide. This preservative has a powder consistency
and is dissolved in water, then applied using an airless sprayer.
The borate provides great protection and is a must for preserving
your wood for many years!
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