In defending your log home against insect assault, consider pre-treating your logs with a borate-based solution. Derived from the mineral sodium borate, this compound is familiar to consumers as an ingredient in laundry soap and as a fire retardant. Water-based borate wood preservatives have been adapted for log homes during the past 20 years after having proved themselves for more than 50 years in Europe, Australia and New Zealand as effective deterrents against termites, beetles, carpenter ants and wood-decaying fungi. It’s easy to apply, odorless and non-corrosive.
For the best protection, a concentration of the borate solution below the wood’s surface will prove lethal to wood-eating insects by disrupting their digestive process. It also adds protection against the fungi that cause wood rot.
Besides being pre-applied at your producer’s facility, borate products are available for continued protection after the home is built. Spray products are particularly effective in making sure the solution soaks into the wood, especially in hard-to-reach areas.
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