Text: Maru Hautala
Tips: Tikkurila
Painting log surfaces causes headaches for many log home builders. The whole idea of a log house is ruined if you choose the wrong, non-breathable paint for the surface. For this reason, translucent treatment agents – oils, waxes and various pigmented protections – are common on the inside surfaces of log houses. However, painting is possible and in this post, we have compiled tips on the right products to preserve the breathable surface of the log.
Honka Markki’s painted white interior walls bring freshness and timelessness to the house.
Lastu Log paint provides coated, light-coloured log surfaces
Tikkurila’s new product, Lastu Log paint, is the answer to many log builders’ paint challenges. Developed for interior log surfaces, the full-matt, breathable paint is suitable for solid logs as well as various wooden panels.
One of the benefits of Lastu Log paint is that it can also be used for old log surfaces. Lastu Log paint does not need a separate primer and, thanks to its unique composition, it also effectively prevents the bleeding of knots. Unnecessary layers of paint should be avoided on log surfaces and Lastu Log paint sticks firmly to the surface of the log to avoid this.
You can tint Lastu Log paint with a choice of light colours from the Feel the Colour card. There are cold colours as well as warm and earthy light colours. Beautiful white is a rather pure white shade Paper F497, though it easily looks “too white” alongside industrially painted mouldings and doors. Beautiful grey / beige white tones include Feather F487 and slightly warmer Brie F457.
The light shades of the Feel the Colour colour card feature delicious warm and cold shades of white, beige and grey like Paper F497 Feather F487 and Brie F457.
Dark and colourful
If you prefer dark shades, you might want to opt for a translucent Paneeli-Ässä Log Protection, which has more colour options than the Lastu Log paint range. The Translucent interior colour card will help you to find, among other things, different shades of brown and grey to create an atmospheric, cosy space.
The dark log surfaces create a dramatic, cosy atmosphere that is perfect for holiday homes.
For a more opaque finish, apply several layers of translucent shade over the log surface. In translucent shades, the final colour is always influenced by the colour and porosity of the wood and the number of times it is applied. So it is worth doing a test patch!
It is a good idea to leave the log surfaces calm, earthy in tone and opt for bolder colour options for plasterboard surfaces, as in this gorgeous young family’s home. Even in log houses, partitions are often constructed of plasterboard and these surfaces are easier to re-treat, for example, according to changing trends.
In a colourful log home for a young family, light log surfaces provide a neutral background to bold colour choices such as the stunning green effect wall (N448, Bonsai)
Checklist for painting for interior log surfaces:
- Remember to take into account the breathability of the log when choosing a paint.
- Tikkurila’s Lastu Log paint breathes and does not need a separate primer. It also prevents the bleeding of knots and is effective in coating previously treated log surfaces.
- Be sure to always treat exterior logs with the recommended products so that the logs can breathe outwards.
- Have fun with colours on the plasterboard surfaces where it is easier to change the colour and there is no need to unnecessarily add several coats of paint to the log surface, for example, due to changing trends.
