Home Services Log home refinishing

Log home
refinishingChewelah, Colville, Spokane and across eastern Washington and north Idaho.

Media blasting, rot repair, chinking and stain, run by in-house crews out of Chewelah. Most of what this company does, and the reason people drive past three painters to call it.

Get an estimate Call (509) 285-9139

40/70 glass

Fine blast media

Sashco Log Jam

Chinking system

Messmer's UV Plus

Standard log stain

In house

Log crews, not subs

What the job actually is

Take it back to clean wood, then build the finish up again

Most of the log homes we are called to have had something brushed over the top of a finish that was already failing. It buys a season. The only fix that holds is taking the wall back to bare, sound wood and starting again, and that is what most of this work is.

The jobs in the showcases are typical. A waterfront home at Loon Lake with UV damage through the south elevation. A cedar home at Seven Bays where a Behr water seal had let go and the siding had gone grey. A heavily weathered log home at Mead. In each case the finish came off with glass media, the bad wood came out, the joints were re-chinked and the stain went back on in coats.

What makes a log wall different from siding is that every log is its own piece of timber. Species, how it was milled, which face took thirty years of afternoon sun. They do not blast the same and they do not take stain the same, which is why a crew that treats the wall as one uniform surface ends up with a finish that fails in patches.

Mike has run this side of the business since he trained on the Zero Failures system and bought his first blaster. Three years after that, log work was the majority of the company. There are five coating crews now and the log crews are employees.

On the wall

Back-brushing stain so it goes into the grain, not over it

Blasting under containment with 40/70 fine glass

Sashco Log Jam chinking between stained logs

Amber tone on a restored log wall, Mead WA

★★★★★

Mike Bellevue and his team at Chewelah Painting have been maintaining and refinishing the logs on my log home for years. Mike has an impressive knowledge of the various products and techniques needed to care for log homes. He has consistently recommended the best options to protect the logs while preserving their natural beauty.

Matt Robinson

Google · December 2024

★★★★★

My log home had not been maintained properly and needed some TLC. They removed all the old stain, applied new stain, painted the trim and chinked my log home. Crew was so friendly and considerate of property and cleaned up every scrap of garbage.

Kallin Baumann

Google · October 2022

Questions we get

Blasting or chemical stripping. Which do you use?

Blasting, in almost every case. Forty-seventy fine glass on a pot blaster takes the failed finish off without burning the wood, and it leaves the grain open so the new stain can soak in. Chemical strip has a place where blast media cannot be contained, near open water for instance, or where the logs are too soft to take it. Which one you are getting is written into the scope.

How long does a log home refinish take?

A single storey home with a sound substrate is usually one to two weeks. A two storey lodge that needs lift access, rot repair and a full re-chink runs three to five. Weather moves it. The crews work the job through rather than starting a second one halfway.

Will you match the tone that is on it now?

Usually yes, and often we can do better than it ever was. Once the wall is blasted back to clean wood we can put samples on the actual logs, because the same stain reads differently on pine than on cedar and differently again on a south wall. Pick the tone off the house, not off a chip.

Do you do the carpentry, or do I need a second contractor?

We do it. Mike is a carpenter by trade and the carpentry work is in house. Rotten log sections get cut back to sound wood and a matching log is let in as part of the same job, so there is no second mobilisation and no gap in the schedule.

How do I get an estimate?

Ask for one here or call the office. Someone comes out and walks the building with you, and what comes back is a written scope listing what is included. Exterior log work runs roughly April through October here, and spring slots are usually booked over the winter.

Washington State contractor registration CHEWEP*779P6, active and in good standing. Bonded $15,000 and carrying $1,000,000 general liability. Bellevue General Contractors, Inc.

Get a written scope for your log home

Tell us where the building is and roughly how long since it was last done. Someone comes out and walks it with you.

Get an estimate Call (509) 285-9139

Related services

Log home chinking Log home media blasting Deck staining and sanding

Log Home Refinishing

Log home refinishing in Chewelah, Colville and Spokane. Media blasting, rot repair, chinking and stain by in-house crews. L&I CHEWEP*779P6. Free estimates.

Most of the log homes we are called to have had something brushed over a finish that was already failing. It buys a season. The fix that holds is taking the wall back to bare, sound wood and building the finish up again, and that is most of this work. The job runs in four stages. Forty-seventy fine glass on a pot blaster takes the failed finish off without burning the wood or leaving sander swirl, and it leaves the grain open so stain can soak in. Where a log is punky the bad section is cut back to sound wood and a matching log is let in, by our own carpentry crew rather than a subcontractor and a second mobilisation. Joints are chinked with Sashco Log Jam over backer rod and the checks on upward faces are sealed so water stops sitting in them. Stain goes on sprayed and back-brushed by hand, usually Messmer's UV Plus. Recent jobs include a waterfront log home at Loon Lake with UV damage through the south elevation, a heavily weathered home at Mead, and restorations at Elk and Inchelium.

Reviews

Take a look at what your neighbors are saying about us.

We’ve worked with Mike and the crew at Chewelah Painting quite a bit over the years, and they’re a solid outfit. They know their trade, show up, work hard, and take pride in what they put their name on. Being in the trades and seeing so many others, we know good work when we see it, and these guys do good work. Mike is pretty particular about the finished product, and he doesn’t call it done until it’s done right. That says a lot in this industry. We’ve always had a good experience working alongside Chewelah Painting and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.
Darren from Chewelah Painting did an awesome job painting our home trim (we are unable to climb ladder to keep up on the house painting). He also painted the trim on our shop. Job was completely done in 2 days! I definitely will refer others to your business! we are very pleased. Thanks bunches 💓 Karen McQuarrie
Darren, at Chewelah Painting, got the job done quickly. (We are not able to be on ladders to keep up with maintenance on our home.) Darren did an amazing job April 20 and 21st, 2026! We are so pleased with the beauty 😍! We definitely will refer others to your business! We admired how you paid attention to detail on the trim. Awesome blessings! Karen McQuarrie
Karen McQuarrie
Highly recommend these folks. Very professional, great attention to detail, on time, and our home has never looked so good. From scheduling to clean up, awesome. Thank you Chewelah Painting!
TURBINE SURGEON
These folks did a great job for us. Absolutely wonderful work, great attention to detail, on time, and our house looks beautiful. Thanks to everyone involved, from scheduling to clean- up. We recommend them first.
This company did a fantastic job! They were professional and went above and beyond for me. My mom had another paint company come to her house and the paint job was horrible! Chewelah Painting cost a bit more than hers, but, it was flawless! Thank you so much!
Sonya Benhardt
This company did a fantastic job! They were professional and went above and beyond for me. My mom had another paint company come to her house and the paint job was horrible! Chewelah Painting cost a bit more than hers, but, it was flawless! Thank you so much!
Great job, friendly employees, on time and beautiful result! Reasonably priced in great communication, which seems hard to find. Painted my 3000 square-foot shop with a pro industrial paint.
Luke Clausen (Luke Clausen Fishing)
The work was timely, workmen kind and professional, and they cleaned up after the work was done. They re-stained and replaced the rotten logs on the house, repainted and made the deck structurally sound, and put in a sliding glass door. I’m very happy with the improvements. I would definitely use them again.😊😊😊
Jill Shagool
What a great experience! Both inside & out painted with high quality paint. The actual painting was masterful. No overpainting, no blemishes. Just a smooth, beautiful job. Good communication on all levels. The painters were very professional, on time and worked hard. It was worth it to pay a bit more and get a higher quality, frustration-free job that will last for years. Thank you Chewelah Paint.
Leeanne Shannon
I recently purchased some property that really needed a good paint job. After everything was done, I could not be happier. They painted my home with a very high quality paint and it looks amazing. The company is first class and they delivered on their promise. I greatly appreciate this company.
Sondra Jennings
Fast and made that job look far to easy! Very nice people, and get the job done right! I was really worried about painting the ceiling around my 350 gallon saltwater tank, and he taped it all off perfectly! Not one coral lost and I can’t explain how happy that made me! I will definitely call them back! Thank you, Chewelah painting
Carrie A King
We are beyond pleased with our entire experience, from the quotes they provided, and the quality of work that was done, and the time frame they were able to start and complete the work. They also did excellent repair on some of our exterior beams on the house that were trashed by the weather, and restained the back of our barn and it's gorgeous. Very happy and I've referred them to all of our friends. We also received three quotes and they were by far the most reasonable and pleasant.
Jacqui Leonard
I used Chewelah painting after a friend referred them. Their company did a great job on my large log home project. The crew was polite and really cared about the work. It turned out great and would highly recommend.
Dean Hanson
The job was amazing! The individual who painted was pleasant too. Very down to earth and enjoyable to chat with about what we wanted. Overall a great experience.
Patrick Sager
Got the job done fast and efficiently. Would recommend!
chris young
Amazing job and the attention to the details was fantastic! Our home, shop and tiny cabin/office look great!
If you are looking for great communication, professionalism, attention to detail, pride in their workmanship and all around awesomeness…Chewelah Painting is who you want!! They will take great care of your needs!! We are beyond words happy with our log home after Chewelah Painting! Thank you guys, you’re awesome! 😎
Mike and his guys are the best! Straight forward estimates, showed up on time and completed the job when they said they would! Highly recommend this company!
Jeff Neilson
Chewelah Paint did an awesome job restaining our house and garage. It had been 15+ years since last stained by us. We swore then we would leave the next time to the professionals; and we are glad we did. We contacted Chewelah Paint for a bid and they promptly sent out Mike M within a week to give us an estimate. Mike was very thorough in explaining to us the condition of our wood and the process of pressure washing with a product that would both clean and brighten the wood prior to staining. His estimate included the full scope of work which included painting the trim, staining soffits and sanding and refinishing the tongue and groove cedar in the breezeway. When we learned the estimate also included the attached garage we were sold. The owner, Mike B emailed us a contract to review, we signed, sent deposit and they started our project within the next few weeks. The painters, Sam and partner, were very professional yet friendly. They explained what the plan was for each day. They were conscientious with taping and masking off the working area and always cleaned up before they left. After initial pressure washing and drying, they came back and finished the project in 8 days and it looks fantastic! We have had so many compliments on how great the house looks and as we sit on our back deck we love how bright, fresh and uniform the house is! (and we didn’t have to lift a finger) We highly recommend Chewlah Paint for your project too. Gloria B
Gloria Bauer

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Log homerefinishingChewelah, Colville, Spokane and across eastern Washington and north Idaho.