July 12, 2018
Avoiding Exterior Wall Blushing On a Log Home with Lifeline Advance TopCoat
Spring and fall are often when many log home owners seal and refinish their exterior walls. It's one of those chores that tends to get wrapped up in either spring cleaning, or prepping your log home for the upcoming harsh winter season. If you refinish your log home's exterior walls every few years — good for you. You're helping to extend the life, quality, and exterior beauty of your log home, and you'll have fewer problems with your home in the future. But, if you usually apply a top coat, and you've noticed it turning an odd shade of white from time to time, here's what you need to know.
What is Blushing?
We often have customers who call in to say that their exterior walls have turned an odd color of white recently after applying Advance Gloss or Satin Topcoat in the fall or spring. This process of whitening is called blushing. It's actually very common, and just a result of the temperature outside. This whitening will go away once the weather warms up, but you will have to deal with blushing until it does.Why Does Blushing Happen?
Blushing occurs when you apply Advance Gloss or Satin Topcoat in cooler, wet conditions. As the topcoat starts to dry, rising evaporate meets cool temperatures outside, and condenses on the surface of the coating you've just applied. That moisture is then incorporated into the film of the topcoat, which causes the whitening.How Do I Troubleshoot Blushing?
If you've already applied the topcoat, and your walls have begun to blush, the best thing to do is just wait for warmer weather. It might not look the best right now, but there's nothing inherently harmful about blushing, and your log walls will still reap the benefits of a high quality topcoat like Advance Gloss or Satin. They will still be protected from the elements, you'll just need to wait for a few warm, sunny days to let your topcoat fully cure and dry. Once Advance has cured, any whiteness will go away, and you'll be back to the transparent appearance you were hoping for. If you notice that the blushing is only happening on a few logs (usually those that are well shaded) you might consider using a hair dryer to slightly warm the logs. Use the warm, not hot, setting, and gently warm the logs to try and speed up the curing process. Again, the blushing should go away on its own once you've had a bit of warmer weather to clear it up, but if it's just a few logs, the hair dryer method might get you the finish you wanted faster.How Do I Avoid Blushing in the First Place?
It is totally possible to avoid blushing. The best way to do it is to follow the following steps:-
- Apply the Advance early in the morning. This way you leave the hottest parts of the day for the Advance to dry and cure before the temperature drops again and dew forms on the walls.
- Choose a warm, dry day to apply Advance. The warmer the weather, the more quickly Advance will cure, and the less moisture there will be present to create the whiteness of blushing.
- Make sure to stir the Lifeline Advance thoroughly before applying. Do NOT over-apply the product. Remember, you can expect 800-1000 square feet of coverage per gallon.
