Wiring, painting and all that good stuff!

[Deedee]

I have had a look at the log house photos on the link and I have tried hard to see obvious wiring in homes where the room is all logs. Where do you hide? Also, has anyone seen any rooms painted white or off white and if so how did it look? I am trying to conceptualise our log cabin before we come over to do the course and then get a reality check of how unrealistic I am LOL

[StressMan79]

wiring can be put any number of places...in the floor, between logs, etc. Some jurisdictions make one easier than the other...you may need conduit, you may not. I understand that floor mounted receptacles are spendier than wall mounted ones.

FWIW.

and are you suggesting painting LOGS? I'll paint some sheetrock on non load bearing walls... but not my logs. That is why I built with them to begin with!

-Peter

[blane]

Wiring can be a bit tricky to hide but can be done with some forethought by running switches between the t&g and floor joists by routing a groove in the joist and dropping the wiring out where you want your light.
You can hide wiring behind the RPSL and run wiring in the gaps of your logs before chinking and as Peter said you may have to use conduit there. I priced the floor receptacles and they run about 50 dollars apiece as opposed to 8 dollars for wall mounted. I have never seen anyone paint their logs but the sheetrock for divider walls are painted. White walls make a nice contrast between the wood and sheetrock and that is what we plan to do.

[Deedee]

I have had a look at the log house photos on the link and I have tried hard to see obvious wiring in homes where the room is all logs. Where do you hide? Also, has anyone seen any rooms painted white or off white and if so how did it look? I am trying to conceptualise our log cabin before we come over to do the course and then get a reality check of how unrealistic I am LOL

dont panic not paint all the logs! my niece is very feminine and she said the logs look too manly so i said well maybe they can be painted in her bedroom and we dont want plaster board all over the place so was just a query if anyone else has done it :cool:

[Deedee]

Wiring can be a bit tricky to hide but can be done with some forethought by running switches between the t&g and floor joists by routing a groove in the joist and dropping the wiring out where you want your light.
You can hide wiring behind the RPSL and run wiring in the gaps of your logs before chinking and as Peter said you may have to use conduit there. I priced the floor receptacles and they run about 50 dollars apiece as opposed to 8 dollars for wall mounted. I have never seen anyone paint their logs but the sheetrock for divider walls are painted. White walls make a nice contrast between the wood and sheetrock and that is what we plan to do.

thanks thats all logical and makes sense :D

[loghousenut]

dont panic not paint all the logs! my niece is very feminine and she said the logs look too manly so i said well maybe they can be painted in her bedroom and we dont want plaster board all over the place so was just a query if anyone else has done it :cool:

Deedee,

Remember, half those logs were once female trees. It'd be a shame to think of all of them as masculine. Couldn't your niece sleep in a frilly canopy bed with pink lace and leave the logs to bask in their masculine/feminine glory. That's how I do it and it works just fine for me.

I don't know. Painting the wall logs would be kinda like shaving the slime off of a banana slug... It just don't seem like a normal thing to do. Then again, I suppose if you build it, you oughta be able to gussie it up however you see fit. Let's argue about painting the wall logs after you have the rafters up.




PS... Don't worry about the wiring. It's covered in class.

[John W]

LHN said, 'Couldn't your niece sleep in a frilly canopy bed with pink lace and leave the logs to bask in their masculine/feminine glory. That's how I do it and it works just fine for me."

Waiting to see the picture of him sleeping in his frilly canopy bed.

[happyquilter]

OK, here is femmy & pink, with a DEER! What could be better? Just use your imagination to picture log walls in the background.


805

I honestly think this room would look better with natural colored log walls. The white ones create an uncomfortable glare. As for the deer, you could fill the room with those white lit up Christmas reindeer and put big pink bows on them. That would be very fun and quite amazing in a girls log home bedroom.

Shari

[blane]

Yuk, from a mans perspective. Maybe if the head was hanging from the wall and pink camo curtains and canape it would be ok:) I am planing on buying a pink rifle for my daughter if the helps before you start hating me.
OK, here is femmy & pink, with a DEER! What could be better? Just use your imagination to picture log walls in the background.


805

I honestly think this room would look better with natural colored log walls. The white ones create an uncomfortable glare. As for the deer, you could fill the room with those white lit up Christmas reindeer and put big pink bows on them. That would be very fun and quite amazing in a girls log home bedroom.

Shari

[JeffandSara]

Deedee--

I'm a dark-wood person, myself, but I know that a few years ago, it was popular with some folks to stain their logs with very light/semi-transparent white stains. Obviously, if the actual wood of your logs is dark, you'd have to use a semi-transparent stain to lighten up the look, because just pressure-washing/corn-cobbing/sanding (none of which I recommend, personally, anyway) can't make it lighter than it IS. ;) But if you were really determined (or your niece was) to have lighter log walls, something like one of these would certainly be one way to get there. (I've never used Cabot, so this isn't a recommendation, either... just a nice variety of stain color examples to give you the idea. :) )

http://www.cabotstain.com/colors-and-finishes/families/Semi-Transparent-Colors.html

Do definitely attend class, and good luck with your plans/visualization. :)

Sara :D

[Deedee]

Deedee,

Remember, half those logs were once female trees. It'd be a shame to think of all of them as masculine. Couldn't your niece sleep in a frilly canopy bed with pink lace and leave the logs to bask in their masculine/feminine glory. That's how I do it and it works just fine for me.


I don't know. Painting the wall logs would be kinda like shaving the slime off of a banana slug... It just don't seem like a normal thing to do. Then again, I suppose if you build it, you oughta be able to gussie it up however you see fit. Let's argue about painting the wall logs after you have the rafters up.




PS... Don't worry about the wiring. It's covered in class.

LHN you just dont seem like the pink lace kinda guy to me, but who knows you might have a bit of FranknFurter from the Rocky Horror Picture Show in you! dont forget what happens in the log house stays in the log house!!! :rolleyes:

[Deedee]

Deedee--

I'm a dark-wood person, myself, but I know that a few years ago, it was popular with some folks to stain their logs with very light/semi-transparent white stains. Obviously, if the actual wood of your logs is dark, you'd have to use a semi-transparent stain to lighten up the look, because just pressure-washing/corn-cobbing/sanding (none of which I recommend, personally, anyway) can't make it lighter than it IS. ;) But if you were really determined (or your niece was) to have lighter log walls, something like one of these would certainly be one way to get there. (I've never used Cabot, so this isn't a recommendation, either... just a nice variety of stain color examples to give you the idea. :) )

http://www.cabotstain.com/colors-and-finishes/families/Semi-Transparent-Colors.html

Do definitely attend class, and good luck with your plans/visualization. :)

Sara :D

Thanks Sara, was def thinking of more a white/off white wash to soften and am planing on the first course of 2013. I am dreading coming to the US in winter. I know Vegas is meant to be hotter than other parts but somehow end of Jan (if they have one planned) will be mighty chilly, but worth it!

[Deedee]

OK, here is femmy & pink, with a DEER! What could be better? Just use your imagination to picture log walls in the background.


805

I honestly think this room would look better with natural colored log walls. The white ones create an uncomfortable glare. As for the deer, you could fill the room with those white lit up Christmas reindeer and put big pink bows on them. That would be very fun and quite amazing in a girls log home bedroom.

Shari

Thanks for feedback Shari, did I mention she is 27 LOL we will work out a compromise. i am busy sorting out some land i have my eye on in 2 different states. its becoming all about the logs!

[Deedee]

and are you suggesting painting LOGS? I'll paint some sheetrock on non load bearing walls... but not my logs. That is why I built with them to begin with!

-Peter

You guys are like Grizzly Adams! LOL now if i was planning to stencil every log with pictures of puppies, butterflies and flowers I could understand the revolt haha i know its a man thing..

[loghousenut]

You guys are like Grizzly Adams! LOL now if i was planning to stencil every log with pictures of puppies, butterflies and flowers I could understand the revolt haha i know its a man thing..

Hey Deedee... Just thought you oughta know that 20 years ago we built a 20x30 log cabin for the Grizzly Adams movie, "Grizzly Mountain". You'll have to sit through too much of a really bad movie to catch a glimpse of it but I can pretty much guarantee that there'll be no painted puppies or pink bedrooms in the film.

[Christofori]

Couldn't your niece sleep in a frilly canopy bed with pink lace and leave the logs to bask in their masculine/feminine glory. That's how I do it and it works just fine for me.

Sorry loghousenut, but that's an image I could have done without! :p

[Timber]

dont panic not paint all the logs! my niece is very feminine and she said the logs look too manly so i said well maybe they can be painted in her bedroom and we dont want plaster board all over the place so was just a query if anyone else has done it :cool:

just tell her there pre-painted...brown

[Mosseyme]

Leaving the logs more natural is not just a man thing. I can't imagine ever painting my logs. I have enough trouble painting lumber.

[loghousenut]

Mrs. Me,

You are my kinda Gal.

[panderson03]

I agree with Ms Mossey, despite what LHN has to say about it :) will have some very colorful paint on the drywal though. In my opinion, there's such a thing as too much natural log :) can't wait to get to that point!