Walt's Big Idea --Old Kentucky Logs

Walt Smith should pretty much know just about everything there is to know about logs. Way back before child labor laws, insurance concerns and -- I will presume -- Children’s Protective Services, Walt started working at his daddy’s sawmill in the hills around Corbin, Kentucky. He was about six or seven years old.

I hear that Walt has a different answer every time he is asked about how he got his big idea, but I think it is because he has been around logs long enough to be considered something of an expert. That, plus he was around concrete all day at Antiques and Accents, the antique shop that he built -- and that he and wife, Bobbi, have operated since 1995, located just off I-75 in Corbin, Kentucky. A few years ago, they added concrete statuary, fountains and other concrete items to their inventory. I think he probably got to thinking about logs…and concrete…and concrete logs. The big idea was inevitable.

Early in 2011, Walt’s new company, Old Kentucky Logs was named the second runner up in Kentucky Highland Investment Corporation’s statewide Big Idea Competition. Kentucky Highland is a community development company that partners with public and private investors to create jobs and economic growth in rural Kentucky. There was some significant competition in the 47 initial applications. According to the contest criteria, the proposals were “judged on various factors, including job creation in Kentucky, high-growth opportunity, uniqueness of the idea, ability to communicate the concept with clarity, and the feasibility and ability to generate revenue from out-of-state sources.” As big ideas go, Old Kentucky Logs had to be a pretty impressive one to compete.

An Old Kentucky Log is concrete siding that is an exact replica of a 150 year old hand-hewn log, molded from logs taken from an old Kentucky log cabin. The result is a distinctive detail and authenticity in an Old Kentucky Log that only 150 years of seasoning can give.

_{(Click on the video to see the siding installed. Click on the arrows below the video to get a full page view. Click on the ESC key to go back to normal view)}

The log siding can be installed over a sheathed frame construction or over brick or masonry as long as it is clean so that brick mortar will stick. The mortar is applied to the walls and the logs are held in place using wall tie-ins until set. The steel reinforced logs each weigh around 120 pounds, light enough for two men to carry easily. The dimensions of the logs are approximately 8 feet long by 11 inches wide and 2 inches deep.

There are other benefits as well. Regular log cabins and homes require a bit of maintenance. The homeowner has to worry about moisture, bugs, rot, mold, air infiltration and more, so there is cleaning, caulking, staining and sealing to do at intervals. Old Kentucky Logs are a siding, like brick or faux stone, so most of those maintenance worries are eliminated.

Old Kentucky Logs are giving homeowners a new choice in modern building materials without having to let go of the past. Walt has taken the solid reliability of a hand-hewn 150 year old virgin oak log and given it new life in a quality eco-friendly product that will, like its predecessor, stand the test of time. Congratulations, Walt. That is a big idea.