
But websites can help – enter “interactive chinking color swatches” into an Internet search engine. When it comes to questions of design there is no substitute for viewing firsthand. This ensures that there is enough chinking product between logs to accommodate the movement in the wood.

An industry guideline suggests chinking of no less than one-sixth the diameter of the log. Typically, chinking product is applied in widths from 1/2 inch to up to 4 inches. And your chinking can nearly disappear altogether with a shade that matches the wood.Īnother consideration when selecting a chink color is the width of the chink itself. If you’re looking for less contrast, a medium shade will merely outline logs. Light colors also showcase the shape and pattern of the logs. A light color chink will give a traditional mortar look and brighten a cabin’s interior. “When I chink a home I often hear the comment, ‘Now it looks finished,’” says Hofrichter.Ĭhinking now comes in a variety of colors to help homeowners achieve their design goals. Some may just want the look of a chinked house and the opportunity to add another color to their log home – outside and in.

“Often a number of the joints between logs will open from settling and allow air and insects to enter.”īut just as often chinking is done for style. Mike Hofrichter, a chinking specialist based in Washington State, explained that there are many reasons to go ahead with chinking in a structure that was built with scribed logs. However, even if a log home is of the “chinkless” variety, meaning that the logs were shaped with a scribe to fit snugly together, chinking may still be desireable. What look do you like?Ĭhinking is a must in certain styles of homes where there are gaps between the logs and a sealant is necessary to fill the resulting spaces. Now that there is a variety of chinking choices, it’s also a design element.

The filler used between logs to keep heat in and pests out, chinking is traditional and functional. You may not have given chinking a lot of thought.
