A creosote coating was revealed on the concrete slab beneath the old floor insulation.

Ellinoora Kuusela and her partner are renovating a log house built in 1926. They initially wanted to remove the creosote coating in the ground floor structure, but concerns about the strength of the thin concrete slab changed their plans. They chose TKR encapsulation, with guidance provided both by telephone and on site.

Ellinoora first noticed the house by chance as she drove past. It was empty, unheated and rather austere, yet it still made an impression on her. A few months later, she left a note in the letterbox. The following day, the phone rang.

The sellers had thought no one would take on the renovation any more. Ellinoora and her partner decided otherwise. During the renovation, the interior was stripped back to the log frame. The ground floor structures were also opened up to repair the lowest logs and remove the old insulation, among other tasks.

Creosote was discovered before the house was purchased

On her first visit to investigate the house, Ellinoora recognised a familiar smell in one corner of the main room. An opening made in the floor revealed a creosote coating on the concrete slab beneath the insulation. They therefore knew about it before deciding to buy the house.

The creosote was investigated further, and the initial plan was to remove the coating. As the renovation progressed, however, it became clear that the concrete slab was very thin and uneven in places. The renovators were concerned that grinding or sandblasting would make the slab even thinner.

The concrete slab and beams between the basement and the living area had just over 60 square metres of surface to be treated. Once the coating was exposed, its strong smell forced other work to stop. An alternative to removal was needed.

Flexibility and low odour were priorities for the coating

Ellinoora compared products from different manufacturers and called to ask about their properties. It was important to her that the coating could accommodate small movements in the structure and was suitable for application over the existing creosote coating in this particular house. They also wanted to avoid adding a material with a strong smell to the structure.

After comparing the options, they chose TKR. Encapsulation meant leaving the creosote coating in the structure and coating its surface. This avoided the need to remove the creosote coating by abrading the thin concrete slab.

A site visit gave confidence to continue the work

TKR’s telephone advice service gave Ellinoora information about the product and how to use it. Askhab Khataev also visited the house to see the project and went through the use of the coating with her.

“Askhab’s visit was really helpful and much needed! Afterwards, I felt completely confident about continuing the work,” says Ellinoora.

After the insulation had been removed, the surface was vacuumed and washed to remove dust. Cleaning the uneven substrate took time. The coating was applied by hand, with careful attention to small recesses. Askhab’s advice to mix small batches proved useful as work progressed slowly over the uneven surface.

With good instructions, Ellinoora found the product straightforward to use. Ease of use did not remove the need for careful work, however. Including preparation and cleaning of the substrate, she estimates that the work took around two weeks, although they were not working full days. Three coats were applied in total.

Encapsulation is complete and the renovation continues

In her video, Ellinoora says that the smell of creosote disappeared after the first coat. The coating work was nevertheless completed with three coats. In her October 2026 interview, she confirmed that the encapsulation was complete.

“The smell of creosote has completely disappeared from the living spaces.”

The next stages of the renovation are new ground floor joists and insulation. Work on the house continues, and Ellinoora wants to encourage others to explore their options after discovering hazardous substances.

“I would definitely encourage and advise others not to lose heart, even if hazardous substances are found in the structure.”

At first, she too thought removal was the only option. Her most important advice to other renovators is therefore to ask for help and find out which solutions are suitable for their own project.

Explore the repair options for your project

The suitability of encapsulation, surface preparation and the work itself are always planned for each individual project. TKR helps identify a suitable coating system. The change in smell reported by Ellinoora is a customer’s experience of this particular project; observations about smell alone do not establish the technical effectiveness of the repair.