Log Chinking 101: What are Backer Rods?

Care for your log house is the major concern that you should be dealing with if you do own one. Just like any other houses, log cabins should be taken care of so that it will last for years. Log chinking is one the basic things that you can do to make your house beautiful and preserve its aesthetic beauty. There are lots of chinking materials readily available in the market, manufactured by different sealant manufacturers.



Backer rods are synthetic foams used as bond breakers so that there would be spaces that chinking won’t stick to. These are placed between logs prior to chinking or caulking. In the long run, chinking will free itself from the backer rods as the logs shrink or expand. It can also be used as insulation.

Backer rods comes in various sizes and types to suit particular needs. There are round, triangle and trapezoid shapes. Generally, there are two kinds of backer rods available in the market – the closed cell and the open cell types.


Closed cell backer rods are polyethylene round foam commonly used for smaller joints range, and have higher insulation capacities compared to that of open cell backer rods. Chinking compounds will not stick to closed cell backer rods, thus allowing free movements in logs and chinks.


Open cell backer rods are softer and more pliable types compared to closed cell backer rods, and can be compressed to fit various diameters of gaps. These are much easier to install, and are breathable thus requiring less time for curing. These are generally designed for interior use. However, these types do not possess good insulation properties compared to closed cell backer rods.


Knowing the right type of backer rods to use is one of the keys in achieving the success of log chinking. If you want to gain more knowledge regarding excellent log house care and which chinking materials are best to use, you can check out several sites in the Internet.