Fantastic Repair, Finishing, and Restoration Services for Log Homes and More
We’re a family team with years of experience, dedicated to helping you keep your home looking great and standing strong. Whether you need to finish, restore, or maintain your log cabin, timber frame, or post-and-beam home, we’ve got you covered with top-quality service and care.
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The CabinSmiths Difference
We treat your home as if it is ours. Mindful of plants, furniture and landscaping, we don't move about the property as bulls in a china shop. We are respectful with regard to communication and noise. We work diligently, without wasting precious time. And, we clean up after ourselves.
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Peace of Mind
We listen. We aren’t a one-trick pony with one solution to all projects. While we have our preferences, our know-how and customer-centered approach have led us to creative solutions, work estimate options, and ultimately, just what you want for your home right now.
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Consultation Services
Call us for a free consultation.
We will schedule a visit to your property, discuss your needs and preferences, and provide a quote for incomparable services.
252-883-6632
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We are Smiths of Our Trade
Each of our services is performed with integrity. Our work is not “just” to blast - and wash - and chink - and stain, but to perform high-quality services using top-notch products and techniques that bring value to the lives of our clients through craft and invaluable experience.
New Home Finishing
Are you building your cabin and need it prepped, stained, and sealed by a professional to protect and beautify it? Want to make sure your manufacturer’s warranty sticks? We can schedule directly with you or with your contractor to help you get your new home move-in-ready on time.
We use top-quality products such as Perma-Chink Systems and Sashco Inc.. We don't cut corners on labor because your home is a dream-come-true, a legacy, and an important investment. Your home will be protected against the elements and insects with layers of the perfect products chosen for your specific home and climate. It will shine with the color and finish that reflects your preference and style.
Our knowledge of stain products and how they interact with different wood species, our experience with log & timber frame home styles, and our understanding of climate factors & invasive critters inform our recommendations and techniques.
Log Cabin Repair
Damage to your home’s logs, timbers and sealants can be brought about by insects, water, fire, and sun exposure. Rotted logs, mold, or insect damage can really compromise the integrity of your home’s structure, beauty, and weatherproofing.
With a free site visit, The CabinSmiths will assess the damage and provide you with an estimate for repair services including sanding or media blasting dark, sunburned facades; addressing infestations with insecticides and fillers; timber, post, log siding, partial log or full log replacement due to rot; re-chinking and re-caulking for closing air and water gaps; and more. We can also fix gouges and missing pieces of log ends using an epoxy system with advanced technology.
Once we’ve completed the timber and log restoration, preservatives and protectants will help keep things from getting damaged again. We may also have further recommendations considering your home’s circumstances in order to help mitigate future problems.
Media Blasting
Media blasting can transform your tired and ragged timbers or los to a fresh, new surface for re-staining. If your structure has a failing stain product, has not been well-maintained for years, if you’d like to change colors, or want switch from paint to stain, media blasting is a solid way to go.
What is it? Media blasting is a process of cleaning and preparing the surfaces of your home for refinishing. It involves propelling moderately abrasive materials at high speeds to remove previous coats of stain and paint, as well as other accumulated deposits. It evens out the "complexion" and surface of weathered logs, providing a fresh new base to stain.
We use only eco-friendly media such as super-fine crushed glass which has no negative affects to your home or landscaping and is safe for pets and children. After media blasting, we hand-sand any areas that were roughed up by the media a little too much. Then we apply a borate product, primer, stain, and finish coat.
Media blasting is the ideal way to completely refresh the look and maintenance of your log or timber home.
Chemical Stripping
When your log home needs a fresh start, there are certain situations where chemical stripping is preferred over media blasting.
Chemical stripping can leave your logs more smooth than media blasting, with the grain and texture intact as it always has been, so it is a great option when this is a priority.
Also, we may recommend chemical stripping homes clad in log siding, but it all depends.
We use non-hazardous products such as S-100 and StripIt by Perma-Chink Systems. These products are environmentally friendly, water-based solvents that remove both oil and water-borne finishes from logs, siding, and decks. They won’t darken or discolor the wood, corrode or discolor metal surfaces, or harm chinking or sealants. These are applied by spray or brush as a gel and simply rinsed off.
Power Washing
Using a high-quality wood cleaning agent, dirt and grime are washed away from the walls of your house so they are refreshed and primed for insect treatment, a new clear-coat, or whatever is next.
A good wash can really brighten your home and reveal a much lighter color underneath, too, using wood brighteners such as Sashco’s CPR or Perma-Chink System’s Wood Renew.
When we power wash, we are sensitive to the effects of "fuzzing", where the surface of the logs looks roughed up. We thoughtfully maintain a pressure that does the job without causing undue damage to your logs and timbers. Keep in mind that some texture is good in order to help stain soak in and for caulk to adhere better, but we will hand-sand areas that need it prior to re-staining or clear coating.
Don’t call a “local power-washing guy” who doesn’t know logs.
Re-staining & Clearcoat
A re-stain can breathe new life into an old home. A new clear coat alone can, as well, and our consultation with you will point to just what your home most needs at the moment.
Once we've washed your cabin and caulked or chinked where necessary, our team tapes off all windows, doors, outlets etc. and sets to work applying stain using both sprayers and brushes. When possible, insect treatments are added into the stain layer. Where applicable, a clear coat is then sprayed, too. As each wall is completed, we clean your windows, too.
Whether your logs need oil-based verses water based stain, one coat or two, clear coat or not, will depend on the original product, the condition of the home, the look you want to achieve, and the elemental conditions your home faces every day.
Caulking & Chinking
Sealants are one of the most important parts of your home’s protection.
During any refinishing job, our team inspects seals around windows and doors, finds areas where caulking or chinking have failed, and looks for checks that can invite water damage over time. We apply caulk where needed, removing old caulk first when applicable.
Love your Appalachian-style cabin? Holes in chinking can obviously affect weatherproofing and allow the elements (or bugs) to come inside. We repair broken and missing chinking, renewing your home’s protection and beauty.
We only use Sashco Inc. and Perma-Chink Systems caulk and chinking products. They are high-quality and chemically designed to flex with the movement of your home’s natural logs.
Maintenance Plans
The CabinSmiths can design a custom maintenance plan to ensure the safety, comfortability, and beauty of your log cabin or timber frame home through the years.
Maintenance for a water-based stain typically requires periodic clear coat re-application (manufacturer’s recommendation is generally every 3-5 years). Oil-based stains vary on reapplication time depending on whether it is a penetrating oil or a film-forming oil. Whatever your type, we’ll give you a custom roadmap for maintaining your home’s stain and sealant system given your home’s climate/environmental factors.
In the in-between, we offer annual inspections with a light wash and touch up of trouble spots. An inspection will ensure that you are “on top of” any new situations that might threaten your home’s protection, including failing sealants, new critter infestations, gutter failure, or the beginnings of log rot.
We want to earn your trust as your go-to team for the regular maintenance of your home, offering you experience, expertise, and peace of mind.
Thermal Imaging
Over time, log homes naturally develop small gaps, cracks, and soft spots. Those might not be obvious at first, but they can lead to heat loss in winter and cool air leaks in summer, as well as moisture issues that can lead to mold or rot.
Using a special infrared camera, we can "see" temperature differences in your home that the naked eye can’t catch. These thermal images help us spot things like air leaks and moisture intrusion—all without tearing into your walls.
Our thermographic inspection service includes:
A full infrared scan of your log or timber frame home
Clear images that show exactly where the trouble spots are
A detailed report with recommendations tailored to you
Guidance on the best next steps—whether it’s sealing gaps, replacing damaged logs, or otherwise.
Integrity, Warranty, & Payment Terms
GUARANTEE
We stand by our work and want you to be as confident in our services as we are. Our workers are either skilled family employees or qualified team members who regularly work with us and know our expectations for quality and care. We are fully insured. We follow manufacturer’s specs and stand behind the warranties on the products we use. And if it’s not right the first time, we will make it right.
ESTIMATES
Estimates include a site visit and are free within our standard service area. We always prefer to see a home firsthand before providing a quote, and don’t mind the legwork it takes to do so. In this way we can be confident that we are offering the best option(s) for your restoration project, and we provide insight we think you’ll find valuable.
CONTRACTS & PAYMENTS
Our legal contract is designed to protect both parties. We require only 30% down and a signed contract in order to secure your place in our schedule. Any change orders after the contract has been signed will be formally written and added to the contract so that you are protected and the work is assured. The balance of the contract, including any change orders, is due upon completion. We accept payment via ACH, check, cash, or credit card.
FUNDING
If you are not sure how to pay for your project, give us a call; we may have ideas to help you finance your restoration with low interest funding.