• Home
  • About Us
  • Carving Catalog
  • Store
  • Contact Us!
  • Recent Works
  • Custom Orders
  • On-site Carvings
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Human Figure
  • Benches
  • Mascots & Signs
  • Cartoon Characters
  • Animals
    • Deer
    • Horses
    • Wolves
    • Dogs
    • Bears
    • Eagles
    • Turtles
    • Owls
  • Super Heroes
  • Religious Carvings
  • More Carvings
  • Carving Care
  • Event Booking
  • FAQ's
  • Chainsaw Carving Classes
RLH Wood Sculptures
'Like' us on Facebook

Carving Care

Tips for your wood sculpture
  • After purchasing your carving, we suggest you go with our 1, 1, 1 plan!  Coat the carving in one week, one month, and at one year and every year after as needed!  It is best to get 3-4 coats on within the first 6 weeks and 2 coats each year.
  • Don't forget to coat the base but NOT underneath the base.  
  • Direct Sunlight and dry places (next to a heater) are not good for a wooden sculpture.
  • Keep your sculpture at least one half inch off of any surface (ground/floor).  Bricks, rocks, coasters etc can be used for this purpose.

The above steps will help reduce the likelihood of large cracks but does not exclude.


Wood Checking (cracking) is a natural tendency of wood, whether seasoned or green, once you cut it, it will begin to check. It occurs because of moisture coming and going; the log breathes. This is due to humidity changes and is in no way considered a defect. If the wood sculpture is kept in a stable environment and is treated well with urethane, it can reduce the likelihood of checking but does not exclude. Logs are a natural element, we can not guarantee their future properties once sold.

When your carving checks, you have numerous options.  Enjoy the beauty of the wood sculpture as a natural element and leave the check.  Or, choose from the options below.

Repairing a check
  • If your carving is painted a solid color, you can use indoor/outdoor caulking to fill the check and easily paint over it to match the existing color paint.  More specifically, 99 cent spray paint from Lowes or Wal-mart can be used, along with Alex Plus Brilliant White, brown, or black caulking from Lowes for $1.28.  I'm sure other brands will also work.
  • If your carving is natural wood color,
    • Wood Putty or Epoxy can be placed in the check and refinished with Stain or Spar Urethane (water-based)
    • Wood Shims, paintsticks or shavings can be placed in the check, sanded smooth, and refinished with Stain/paint or Spar Urethane.
  • Quick fix; reapply stain/color or paint/Spar Urethane in the crack so that it blends in with the rest of the sculpture. 
  • You may also contact us to repair your wooden sculpture for a fee.



Enjoy your wooden sculpture!  It is one of a kind!
Picture
Here is a small bear with a few checks in it.  I just wanted to post this as an example of a nicely dried out log.  We believe this adds character to the sculpture! 


RLH Wood Sculptures
Altoona, Pennsylvania
814-215-6223