# How do I protect logs that I'll be using outdoors?



## Masterjer (Nov 6, 2012)

We had a recent windstorm and I had 10 full grown douglas firs come down. Luckily, only an old kid's playhouse got crushed. I now have close to 2,000 linear feet of logs, and now that I have firewood to last me a lifetime, I'd also like to use some of the logs in an outdoor natural play area. What steps and or products should I use to make the wood last a long time? I'd like to arrange the logs vertically in different heights to create a climbing structure similar to the photo below. It looks to me like in the photo that the logs were counter-bored and probably lag screwed together, which is what I intend to do. I'd appreciate any advice for preserving the logs and also for securing the structure.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

Wood that's in contact with the ground is a "no-no" and will absorb moisture readily and rot. Fungus and microbes like to play in moist soil and will enter the wood in the end grain. You have two choices, elevate the wood off the ground or seal the ends so well that moisture can't enter or both. Pressure treating can be done to wood that has been cut down like yours by certain lumber mills, but the cost may be prohibitive, I donno?


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## Masterjer (Nov 6, 2012)

Thanks woodnthings. I agree that ground contact must be dealt with appropriately. I have seen play structure like this at parks and want to replicate it at my house. A good sealer is a must, and I have seen products like a liquid latex that promise to seal wood very well against ground contact and moisture wicking. Is a spar urethane the right product to coat the logs with after I seal the ends against water intrusion?


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

There are quite a few methods for preventing wood rot:










This concludes that the soil composition plays a big role in the rotting/decay process:


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## pieterpietersen (Mar 2, 2021)

i made a barn made out of hardwood, it rains alot here so i needed to get hardwood and no mdf or something like that.
if you would like to know where i got the hardwood:
wood


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## yomanbill (Jul 7, 2020)

An "old kids playhouse" is called a woodworking shop isn't it?

How well does this stuff work in ground contact situations? Anything that stinks that bad ought to work great


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