I am on my second log home–sanding every inch inside and out using a four-and-a-half inch grinder/sander. By FAR the best sanding disk I have found (and I had a big pile of used disks of many styles and sizes from doing my research) is frequently called a flap disk. It looks like a series of one-inch pieces of sand paper glued to a standard round sanding disk. Most building supply stores carry a 60 grit which works for the really rough work. Lowe’s in Montana carries a 120 grit which is about perfect for finish work on logs. Use it for a short time on a throw-away board to take the coarse effect off.

Also, find a sander paper cleaner/eraser. They look like the light colored eraser that crumbled away from grammar school days. I found one at Harbor Freight Tools. On a saw dust filled disk, with grinder/sander running, carefully apply the eraser until the sandpaper is clean.

With a flap disk and the eraser, I’ve been able to sand more than eight hours.

We prepared no less than 16 panels for each stain we tested and the results shared in the report are an average of the results from all the panels. We generally tried to show in the brochure itself the best performing panel for each competitor in order to be as fair as possible to all the companies whose products we tested.

In addition, we continue to have many of those panels out there in our “back yard” doing longer-term testing. No results yet, but stay tuned.

Thank you for your blog and the opportunity to share information. Sashco is always looking for opportunities to better educate the log home community and appreciate blogs like yours that allow us that forum.

Thanks for the additional information. I downloaded your report and as you stated, “This study clearly shows there truly is a big difference in the quality of stains, so it just makes sense to spend a little more money per pail for a stain that will retain its original beauty much longer”.