Log buildings have their origins in ancient times. Wood is the warmest material for building a house or sauna. In addition, it is natural, safe and environmentally friendly.
But after the construction of the building, it is necessary to perform another very important procedure - to caulk the log cabin. Why do you need to do this?
- firstly, cauldron insulates the house (bath) as it should;
- secondly, it fills the gaps between the logs, that is, it creates comfort, warmth in your house in any frost;
- thirdly, it prevents the penetration of moisture and moisture into the building.
In the old days, log cabins were caulked with moss. In those days, it was the most reliable and affordable material to insulate your home.
See also: How is aluminum foil used to insulate a bath
In the modern world, the range of heaters that can be used for caulking a log house has expanded much. This includes the following materials:
- Red moss. It was used in the old days, but even now it remains an excellent insulation for a log house. It is good because it does not rot, and also has excellent antibacterial qualities. But there are also several negative points: with its excessive moisture, the wood is rotting. And when dry, it breaks and crumbles.
- Tow. It is very good for caulking a log house because it is an excellent material for thermal insulation. Consists of hemp and flax waste. Tow, like moss, prevents rotting.
- Felt. It is not the best option for caulking. Because it has the lowest strength and the highest likelihood of rotting. It also needs to be impregnated with a special agent to prevent the appearance of moths, which are likely to settle in layers of felt.
- Jute. A material that can be confidently called one of the best for caulking. It is high strength, dense, rot and moth resistant. Has low hygroscopicity. Thanks to caulking with jute, an optimal microclimate will be maintained in the house. It does not accumulate moisture, but gives it back when the wood dries out.
But do not confuse jute with jute fiber. They are completely different in appearance, price and quality. Jute tape is soft to the touch and very pliable. It is convenient to use it for caulking near doors and windows. Sometimes it fits on damp beams.
Jute ribbons can be found in skeins of different thicknesses and widths. Most of the craftsmen prefer caulking with jute, because this is the easiest and cleanest way to insulate a log house. And since it is laid directly on the frame, the work proceeds much faster.
- Flax This modern material is made from linen threads or fibers without the use of weaving. Its characteristics are very similar to jute tape, but slightly stiffer in structure.
Caulking is often done by hand. This is done in 2-3 stages. And this process can be considered very important in the construction of a house or a bath.
The first time caulking is done immediately after assembly at home. But for the seams to be airtight, the first insulation is not enough. After a short amount of time, the log structure dries up and sags. As a result, new holes appear. In winter, heat escapes through them, and outside or inside the structure is covered with frost. And excess moisture is not good for a wooden structure.
Therefore, after 1-1.5 years after the timber dries up and sags, it is necessary to re-caulk. The third time they caulk the log house just before finishing the walls, when the house is completely dry and shrinks, after about 3 years.
How to caulk a log house
Caulking a log house can be done in two ways: stretching and in a set.
- Stretching caulking. If narrow gaps prevail on the log house, then it is better in this case to use the stretching method. It is carried out as follows: cover the gap with a bunch of tow, and stuff it inside with a caulking chisel, until the entire space is filled entirely. This leaves a free edge of four to five centimeters. The roller rolled from tow is wrapped with a free edge. Weaving it, it is hammered between the crowns with a hammer and caulk. The quality of the work done can be checked by pulling lightly on the roller. If he is not stretched out, then the job has been done well. If pulled out, then the gap is not filled enough.
- Caulking into a set. If there are large and wide gaps in the structure, the "set" method is performed. Its essence lies in the fact that the slots are filled with tow, with long bundles wound into a skein. In this case, the thickness of the loop is approximately the same size as the gap. The sealant first of all clogs the top of the gap with a type-setting caulk, and then everything is leveled with the help of the "road builder".
It must be remembered that it is necessary to carry out the caulking correctly, starting from the lowest crown along the entire perimeter, gradually rising up. And this procedure is carried out in parallel, outside and inside. Because if you caulk one wall, then the structure can deform. The same will happen if you caulk only outside.
It must also be remembered that you should not carry out any finishing work inside until the caulking is completed.
See also: How to make forced ventilation in the bath
Particular attention should be paid to caulking cracks in the corners of the house.
If you carefully select the material for caulking, do all the work correctly, then your log house will serve you for a long time and will delight you. Happy construction!
How can you caulk a log house
Moss
Jute
Tow
At what stage can you start caulking a bath
How to calculate tow for a bath
Caulking technology
It is not enough to simply lay the log house during the construction of the bath - you will definitely need to caulk the bath, that is, close the existing cracks and cracks formed after the wood has dried.
How to bury a bath will be discussed in this article.
The caulking of the bathhouse is needed so that it loses a minimum of heat. It is very important to use a well-prepared log house, to lay it correctly and not to forget to lay an inter-crown insulation.
What to choose as a heater - moss, tow or jute, is up to the owner to decide, but it must be mandatory.
The insulation is put in two layers in this way:
- on the lower crown so that the edges of the insulation extend beyond the edges of the bowl by 30-50 mm, the width of the insulation is determined with the calculation of 50-100 mm more than the width of the bowl;
- the second layer of insulation is placed in the bowl of the upper crown, while its edges should also protrude by 30-50 mm.
It should be borne in mind that when laying moss or tow, such material does not need to be tapped.
In the case of tapping it with a hammer or an ax holder, the moss fibers break, and dents appear on the surface of the tree, which after a while can cause the appearance of rotting zones. It is recommended to seal the fibers only with palm pressure. Excess elements in the moss just need to be removed.
If, deciding on the best way to caulk a bathhouse, the choice fell on tape insulation, then you can fix it with a construction stapler.
In this case, it is important how to pierce the bath, as you can harm the material.
Damage to the wood from the stapler will be minor, but this will allow the material to fix properly. It is best to lay out the insulated crowns together, so that the log can be taken from both sides and slowly lowered without damaging the insulation.
How can you caulk a log house
There are natural materials for caulking and artificial ones.
The first include tow, hemp, jute, moss and so on. The latter include industrial sealants. Sealants are easier to work with and quick to apply. As a rule, in order to reduce their consumption, a cord is laid in the gap between the crowns, and the sealant, which is distributed with a special spatula before hardening, is applied already on top of it.
However, sealants have a number of disadvantages:
- Some brands are afraid of exposure to ultraviolet rays - this leads to their destruction. This disadvantage can be eliminated by hiding the joints of the sealant under the slats.
- Some of them, after curing, create a monolithic material that interferes with the expansion or contraction of wood, for example, due to weather, which can lead to the destruction of nearby fibers.
In order to prevent this fact, it is better to purchase elastic sealants.
You can learn more about how to operate with a sealant by watching the available video. A simple tablespoon will work well for dispensing sealant.
If, when determining how to caulk the bathhouse, you chose a sealant, then carefully study the instructions and make sure that it can be used with exactly the type of wood from which your log house is made, that it is suitable for your region, and also has with all the necessary characteristics.
It is advisable to use a synthetic sealant for a log bath, if it is used to close the caulked crevices. After double caulking the log house with tow, moss or jute, they wait until the log house finally settles down and acquires working dimensions.
Each of the natural materials for caulking has its own positive and negative qualities, and preparatory measures are required in any case.
Moss
Moss is considered the most common time-tested material for caulking. It has been used for hundreds of years. Currently, there are many other materials, but all of them have slightly worse characteristics. True, the new materials are easier to operate, besides, they have such positive qualities as antibacterial properties and special resistance to decay.
Before caulking a log bathhouse with moss, it must be dried, and right before use, soaked. This action will give the moss fibers elasticity. The moss is laid out in a layer and leveled so that its ends hang down from both sides of the bar. After laying out all the logs, the excess moss fibers are shortened, and what is left is wrapped and set into the cracks.
Thus, the first stage of the log caulking is carried out. Further stages of caulking will be continued after half and one and a half years.
Jute
Recently, builders are increasingly wondering how to caulk a bath with jute. With that, we mean roll material. Jute fiber has excellent thermal insulation properties and contains natural resin binders. Jute is practically not afraid of moisture, and very rarely falls into disrepair due to decay.
Even in high humidity conditions, it does not get wet.
Jute comes in several varieties:
- Jute tow.
During the production of this material, the fibers are not broken, but combed, aligning them in the desired direction. Such preparation of the material allows it not to lose all its properties. Nevertheless, jute is not very convenient for caulking, because it is hard, has a low density, caulking has to be carried out several times due to material shrinkage, the impossibility of obtaining a tight seam the first time and taking it to the nests by birds.
- Jute felt.
This material is based on 90% torn jute fiber and supplemented with 10% long flax fibers. The result is a dense and flexible material that is much easier to work with. But if he has a short fiber length, he can get confused and fall out. When choosing jute, it is worth choosing a material with a fiber length of at least 20 mm to obtain maximum elasticity. The short material will not have the desired properties, it will either fall out or be blown out by the wind.
Another disadvantage is the fact that a mole can start in it. In this regard, it is recommended to impregnate such material with a composition from moths and from decay before laying.
- Flax jute... It is a composite tape material, half of which is made up of soft flax fibers, and the remainder is hard jute fibers.
This material is interesting to many builders, but it also has disadvantages, such as a tendency to rot and moth damage. That is, like the previous material, this one also needs to be treated with mixtures against rotting and pests.
Tow
This material is a waste generated after the primary processing of natural fibers.
Caulking of logs is carried out with jute, hemp and linen tow. The properties and quality of such a material is determined by the raw material, the length of the fibers and the level of their purification. During production, tow is pressed into blocks. To use it, you need to pull out a strip of material from the block, twist it into a bundle and put it in a seam.
Although, it is easier to use the tow sold in rolls.
In general, it is not very convenient to work with tow, since it is very difficult to get an even seam. When caulking a log house, due to the high rigidity of the material, it is difficult to obtain a tight seam from the first approach. You have to resort to a second process.
If you determine how to properly caulk a bath, choosing between moss and jute tow, then we can confidently say that it is better to choose moss, since it does not breed fungus and bacteria.
At what stage can you start caulking a bath
If the frame was laid on moss or tow, pieces of material of different lengths protrude between the crowns.
In this case, you can proceed to the initial caulking: trim off excess fibers, hide the rest in the seams. You should be careful not to rush, adhering to the rules of caulking. If the blockhouse was laid on a tape insulation, then further operations are not needed.
The first caulking is carried out about 6 months after the construction of the walls of the log house. During this period, almost all moisture will leave the logs, new mother-in-law will be visible, and most of the crowns and corners will sit down.
After that, you can start installing doors and windows.
Further caulking is carried out after 12 months.
During this time, the frame will be completely stable, so that all the flaws found can be eliminated. Based on the selected material, the quality of the work performed, you may need a new caulk in about 5 years. Sometimes, due to negligent construction work or if insulation was not laid between the crowns, the caulking must be repeated several more times, every year.
How to calculate tow for a bath
Before caulking a bath with tow, you should decide on the required amount. The tow shrinks quite well, so it is consumed quite heavily. Perhaps no one can say the exact figure. This is because a lot of nuances affect this: the material of the log house, which grooves are cut in them.
If the grooves were made by hand, then, often, the consumption of tow will be large.
In addition, the consumption increases if a sanded log was used, rather than a rounded one. Less material will be spent on the bar, although in this case its amount will be determined by the parameters of the bar, the depth and the number of cracks that have arisen during the drying process.
Caulking technology
Before caulking a bathhouse, you need to study the basic rules of this process.
In fact, caulking a log house is quite easy, but it takes a lot of time, and you also need to be patient. One person will need about 10 days for a bath with dimensions of 5 × 4 m, spending 7-8 hours daily.
At the same time, you need not to overdo it when laying insulation, since this fact leads to the fact that the frame becomes higher by 15 cm or more.
The basic rules for caulking include the following points:
- First of all, they proceed to the lower rim, moving along the entire perimeter.
First, the outer part of the building is processed, after which they proceed to the caulking process from the inside. Only after that you can move on to the next crown.
- During caulking, special attention should be paid to the corners, because in such places, as a rule, there are the largest cracks.
- If this is the initial caulking, then first of all sagging material is picked up, bent and shoved into the slot.
The better to caulk a house from a log
You can resort to any tool when you need it. The process is carried out in stages - after the meter has been processed, they move on to the next section.
- On the same site, you can use a caulk, and a hammer or a wooden mallet, the latter is much easier to work with. The caulk is beaten off until it begins to spring.
- Following the sealing process, cracks may appear in which fragments of insulation are embedded. If tow was used, a tourniquet of a certain thickness is rolled up from it, or a fragment of a specific length is detached from the tape, which is also driven in with a caulk and a mallet until a springy effect is achieved. This operation is repeated until all the gaps are filled, after which you can proceed to a new area.
Like any other part of construction work, caulking requires certain skills from the master.
Proceeding from the fact that there will be quite a lot of such procedures, after a while they will definitely be formed. Over time, along with which you will gain experience, you will notice all the new inaccuracies that were made at the initial stages of work.
You can easily eliminate them, bringing the work to almost perfect. Actually, the one who does nothing does not make mistakes, therefore it is possible to dig a log house with proper quality even without sufficient experience.
As for the caulking of a log house from a rounded log, there are advantages and disadvantages. It would seem that the blockhouse is also made of wood, what are the differences, except for its picturesque appearance and simplicity in the design process. The fact is that the rounded logs of log cabins are more susceptible to the influence of environmental factors than log cabins from ordinary logs, since the structure and integrity of the logs is broken.
The caulking of log cabins from rounded logs according to the technology does not significantly differ from the insulation of ordinary log cabins with tow, but there are still some differences:
- Since the rounded logs are of almost perfect shape, small gaps remain between them, unlike conventional log cabins.
- For a log house from rounded logs, you will need much less insulation for caulking, which is an indisputable advantage.
- The process of caulking log cabins from rounded logs is more complicated than caulking conventional log cabins, since the gaps between the logs are smaller and thinner and they need to be well insulated by carefully laying with tarred tow or a modern sealant on an acrylic rubber base.
- In the process of caulking a log house from a rounded log, it is necessary to have a lot of experience in this type of work, since, taking into account the minimum dimensions of the seams, there is a high risk of overfilling the inter-row insulation, and this can lead to a distortion of the log house.
Therefore, it is best to invite a professional for this job. After carrying out a high-quality caulking of a log house from a rounded log, a roller of insulation - jute tape or flax - should be like punching with a linen rope or jute rope.
When caulking, special attention should be paid to the joints between rounded logs, since the most vulnerable places in such log cabins are the joints between logs in corner locks.
If they are poorly pierced, in winter, large problems associated with heat loss may arise because of this.
How to caulk a log house correctly
Cold air will penetrate into small, at first glance, corner joints and cracks, significantly lowering the temperature in the house, and it is rather difficult to identify such places. That is why such strict requirements are imposed on the caulking of a log house made of rounded logs.
Even the smallest cracks and crevices should be clogged with insulation as tightly and efficiently as possible, and caulking should be performed not only outside, but also inside the log house. Although, in high-quality rounded logs, there are almost no gaps, either outside or inside.
Caulking with a "roller" is considered the most optimal for a log house from rounded logs, since its quality and efficiency are much higher. To check how well it is carried out, it is enough to determine its rigidity.
It should be firm to the touch and cannot be pulled out with your hands, even if you try very hard. If the caulk passed this test, it means that the work was done really well, the house will keep heat well, and even with temperature drops, the insulation will not dry out and fall out.
The greatest advantage of rounded log cabins is that after professional caulking the house does not require any additional insulation.
Wood has long been known for its excellent thermal insulation properties, but a village has to work hard to fully experience the warmth.
It is necessary to carefully close the cracks between the logs, thereby isolating the rooms from ice ice.
How to make a log house correctly
Unfortunately, without this additional procedure, it is impossible to achieve a normal microclimate in a wooden house.
Our ancestors came up with an effective way to deal with uninvited "windy" guests. To do this, write down the rope with your own hands: after the structure of the trailer in the house of the room is tightly packed with insulating material on a natural basis (for example, moss, hemp, yarn).
Then the wooden cottage was completely protected from the weather, and the insulated seams adequately played the role of a protective "jacket".
Until now, the ancient technology is still in the process, only the tools and materials for the work have been improved.
The builders systematized this process by developing two algorithms for constructing poles.
Do you always need to remove the frame?
Wood house building is now much easier, because workers do not perform manual primary processing of logs and do not receive polished, dry and adapted dimensions of the building material. Whereas an agricultural family used to occupy a log layout for several years, a modern, elegant eco-house literally grows in a few weeks.
Let's take a look at all the ways to build a wooden house in a wooden house and indicate whether each of them needs manure.
- Manual magazine wipers
- Rounded Beams Logs
- Laminated veneer log house
This is a long-standing way to build a timber house and is still popular with enthusiastic antiquity fans.
Its complexity lies in the long problematic selection of approximately the same thick trees and the subsequent manual adjustment of the required size.
Not many people choose such "hard work", but in the end they get an exact replica of an ancient Russian farmhouse.
Loggers should be familiar with all carpentry work.
Traditionally, outside the house, the facade remained wavy, but for the interior walls, the rays were processed so that the rooms had smooth smooth surfaces.
During construction, workers are forced to constantly compensate for the distortion of the curtain curtain due to the non-flying shapes of the workpiece. A number of repairs and functions form a natural material that results in the interior allowing for an increase in shrinkage (up to 25%!), So they must be especially precise with insulating gaps.
Konopatka's diary is carried out twice and, if possible, even three times: for the first time - immediately after the construction of another - 1-1.5 years after the preservation of the field building, and the third - 3 years after the completion of construction.
The sticks used during operation are installed at the factory.
On lathes, the workpieces are fastened with a fastening mechanism, and then crushed by a treadmill to a certain depth. In addition to the automatic adjustment, the material is thoroughly dried and treated with a protective impregnation (against insects, fire and water).
This produces full round logs of the same diameter, in which the collected grooves are often cut at the mill.
Collect items, easy, there is no need to constantly adjust the crown to each other so that the workers involved in the assembly of the house may not have full skill in carpentry skills.
Handbag defenders have a rounded diary that has lost its geography. This means that, depending on the perfectly smooth piece, you cannot figure out where the north is, the more the stress-resistant side and some of the stronger layers of wood are lost.
But these disadvantages are not so painful in the reputation of building materials, as they provide a record speed of construction of a wooden house.
This hive is carried out only 1-1.5 years after its conservation, since the building is subject to slight shrinkage (6-8%).
The working slots are carefully covered with thermal insulation material, but recirculation can be completely avoided (depending on the quality of the substrate used).
For the construction of a wooden house, special squares are used, consisting of glued lamellas of the same thickness (2-5 pieces). During the production process, the material is thoroughly dried and treated with protective agents and adhesives with properties that must meet strict environmental requirements (DIN, EN, 204) and water resistance (level D4).
In the factory, one side of the beam is attached to the sealing surface and builders should only ensure that the joints of the logs are sealed.
This greatly speeds up the process of assembling a wooden house, and low-skilled workers can also participate in the construction.
Advice from the master!
Due to low shrinkage values \u200b\u200b(up to 2%), casings with glued beams should not get stuck. The building can be populated immediately, walls, ceilings and floors can be decorated with decorative sheeting.
After the installation of the log house, there are still many works to be done, including caulking the bath. This must be done in order to close the gaps between the timber or logs and insulate the walls. Without proper caulking, the bath will be blown out, and the heat will quickly leave the room. In addition, logs or beams will soon become unusable, cracked and damp.
You can easily caulk the bath with your own hands, since this process is not very difficult. But it is important to choose the right materials and carefully follow the technology. Let's find out how and the best way to caulk a bath from a log or a bar.
Features of caulking bath
It is important to perform this procedure correctly, otherwise installation errors will cause the walls to be skewed or the appearance of serious cracks and cracks. This is a simple process, but rather long and monotonous. Therefore, you need to be patient! Caulking is done six months after the installation of the log house, when the main part of the shrinkage of the tree has passed. After this caulking, windows and doors can already be installed.
If a second caulk is needed, the procedure is performed one year after the first one (1.5 years after the installation of the log house). Depending on the quality of the work and the material, another caulking may be required in 4-5 years. In any case, this procedure is very important for wooden buildings.
Bath caulking performs the following useful functions:
- Reliably closes cracks and gaps in wooden walls between crowns and ceilings, logs and crowns, in window and door frames;
- Eliminates cracks in a wooden frame that form during shrinkage. Caulk prevents overgrowth and new crevices;
- Strengthens the heat-insulating qualities of wood and retains heat indoors for a long time, which is especially important for a bath;
- Protects the room from wind penetration, internal wooden walls - from the negative effects of moisture;
- Seals gaps in an already built house or bathhouse.
Natural and synthetic types are distinguished among the materials for caulking. Natural jute, tow and moss are traditional remedies that have been used for a long time. Industrial sealants are used from modern artificial materials. Each tool is distinguished by its pros and cons, and which one to choose is up to each owner to decide. Also, among the tools for caulking, you will need a hammer, a 20 mm chisel and a rubber mallet.
Natural materials for caulking
The oldest and most proven method is caulking a bath or at home with moss. It is an environmentally friendly and safe material that will retain the natural properties and aesthetics of a wooden structure. It effectively resists the negative effects of bacteria and prevents the formation of fungus or mold, quickly absorbs moisture and does not rot. However, it is not very user-friendly. Moss is ideal for baths and filling cracks in a wooden house.
Jute treatment is also well suited for a bath, as this environmentally friendly material preserves the natural properties and safety of wood. This fiber is characterized by high strength, thermal insulation, resistance to moisture and decay. Roll material with a smooth structure can be easily laid between the crowns. However, jute often becomes a breeding ground for moths, so it is recommended to treat the material with a moth repellent before use.
Tow is a waste after the primary processing of natural fibers from jute, flax or hemp. This is a very difficult and inconvenient material to work with. In addition, when the log shrinks, it gains moisture, rots and turns into dust.
As a result, this dust has to be cleaned and caulked again. Among the advantages of tow, we note the environmental friendliness and safety of the fiber, high antibacterial and thermal insulation properties. However, due to its complexity and fragility, tow is not recommended to be used for caulking a bath or at home.
Sealants
Modern sealants have flooded the construction market for a long time. These are quick, convenient and easy-to-use tools that are well suited for independent work. However, in this case, it is important to choose high-quality sealants from a reliable manufacturer, since some do not tolerate exposure to sunlight and wind.
As a result, they lose their useful properties and are blown out. In addition, some types of sealants may dry out the wood fibers. To avoid this, use elastic products (acrylics) that contract or expand with the wood.
At the same time, sealants have a lot of advantages, including not only easy and quick installation. Such products are characterized by high thermal insulation qualities, resistance to moisture, cold and temperature extremes. A warm joint with the use of acrylic sealants is in special demand today. The composition of such a tool includes rubber, which gives elasticity and prevents small hidden cracks from cracking further.
Acrylic sealants are safe and environmentally friendly, so they are great for treating a wooden bath or at home. They do not emit toxic substances and allow the wood to “breathe”. These products can withstand high temperatures, do not have an unpleasant odor, and are distinguished by quick and easy finishing. They do not allow wood to rot and come in a wide range of colors. Read more about acrylic sealants and warm joint technology.
Features of caulking with different materials
If you are using moss, the material must first be completely dry and wet again before use. To do this, soak the material for 30-60 minutes and squeeze thoroughly. The soaked moss is laid out between the crowns in an even layer so that the ends of the material stick out on both sides of the log or bar. After that, too protruding and long parts of the material are cut and tucked into the slots of the log house. After a year, they must do the second caulking.
When using tow, it is better to choose rolled tow, as it is easier to use. If you chose tow in blocks, a strip of material is pulled out of the block and a tourniquet is twisted, which is then laid in a seam. Take jute with a fiber length of more than two centimeters. Short fibers are easy to spill out and blow out.
Caulking with natural materials is carried out in two ways. The "stretching" method assumes that the material is divided into separate strips and laid in the gaps between the crowns. The insulation remaining outside is rolled into a roller and driven into the groove. The “stacking” method involves separating the fibers into strands and wound into a ball, and then pushed into the gaps between the logs or beams.
When choosing a sealant, a heat-insulating cord made of polyethylene or jute fiber is first laid in the cracks. This will reduce the consumption of fixed assets and increase the thermal insulation properties of wood. And then a sealant is applied over the cord in a wet state with a layer thickness of 4-6 mm.
Then the layer is leveled with a spatula or spatula, and the remains are cleaned with a rag. The sealant is left to dry for two days, while it is important to protect the seam from moisture. You will find detailed instructions for use on the packaging of each product.
Sauna caulking technology
- Before starting work, the logs or timber are cleaned of dust and dirt. You can close the wooden surface with construction tape or masking tape so that the insulation does not get on the walls of the log house;
- Start with the lower rim and move around the perimeter of the bath first from the outside, then process the lower rim around the inside. Only then move on to the next crown! Each crown should be caulked in turn, without skipping the rows;
- Pay special attention to the corners of the bath, as in these places there are a large number of cracks and large gaps;
- In the process, carefully monitor the evenness of the walls of the log house and check how the insulation is laid down. The material should lie tight, even and not form bubbles;
- Never use polyurethane foam for caulking a wooden bath or at home! It violates the naturalness and environmental friendliness of materials, reduces the service life of the insulation;
- After finishing the work, check the quality of the work. To do this, try removing the material or piercing it with a sharp object. If you can take out a whole strip or go through the insulation with a sharp tool, the work was not done well.
When laying insulation, it is very important to follow the technology, otherwise improper actions will not allow you to get maximum efficiency from caulking. The room will be purged, and the caulking itself will have to be repeated every two to three years. In addition, mistakes can lead to distortion of the walls, rotting of a log or timber, and lumber falling out of the locks!
To avoid potential problems and get quality work, contact the professionals. Masters of the company "MariSrub" will reliably and promptly perform caulking and insulation of the log house or bathhouse. We carry out a full range of services for the construction and decoration of wooden structures.
The complex of works includes the manufacture of lumber and the creation of a project, installation of a log house, installation of a roof and foundation, installation and connection of utilities, and finishing. We carry out high-quality insulation and caulking of a log house, sealing joints!
Do-it-yourself caulking of a log house is a rather complicated and tedious business. This is filling between the timber or logs of the walls of the house with fibrous insulation materials, for example, tow, felt or moss, as well as other insulation.
When erecting the walls of wooden houses, a mezhventsovy insulation is laid between a bar or a log, but it does not fill all the cracks and spaces. The process of shrinking a new log house takes a long time, about five years, so you need to caulk a wooden house several times. The first time this procedure is carried out immediately after the construction of the log house, the second time - after 2-3 years and the last time it should be drilled about 5 years after the construction.
How to caulk a log house correctly? Even in such a simple work, beginners often have questions.
Caulking should start from the lower crown of the log house and fill it completely, without moving to another crown. Only after finishing the caulking of the lower crown, you should move on to the next. This rule must be followed if you do not want your walls to warp.
Caulking methods.
Caulking can be done in 2 ways. You should choose the one that suits you best.
- In stretching - the insulation material must be stretched along the fibers and inserted into the gap using a special tool. The gap should be completely filled, but on both sides you should leave pieces of tow sticking out 5 cm. A roller is rolled up from the insulation, wrapped in the remaining ends and stuffed into the gap with caulking.
- In the set - in this case, from the material wound into a ball, you need to collect loops and seal the slots with them until they are completely filled. If the spaces between the bars are wide, then this method will suit you better than the previous one.
Caulking of a log house from a bar.
The lumber walls should be caulked along the perimeter, starting from the bottom. You can't bury one wall and leave the rest. After all, the timber rises a little and the walls are of different heights.
When caulking a wooden log house from a bar, it may be that there is no gap at all and it is impossible to push the insulation there. Look from the other side of the gap, from the outside, there is a wide gap.
Caulking of a log house from a rounded log.
From the walls, erected with the help of an ordinary or rounded timber, the insulating material erodes very quickly from the outside. Therefore, it is very important to carry out high-quality caulking at home from a rounded bar. But you should not overdo it here either, with excessive blocking of insulation, you can tear the logs from each other. First, k is carried out from the outside, and then inside the frame.
Do-it-yourself caulking of log walls is carried out first from the outer and only then from the inner wall. All the walls of the log house should be dug, otherwise the walls will be skewed. More material for a log house will be needed than for a squared one.
Even with the subsequent finishing of the external facade of the house, caulking from the outside should be mandatory. This will not only insulate the room, but will not allow moisture to accumulate in the gaps of the walls and rot the logs. So, no matter what finishing material you choose, you cannot do without caulking a wooden house.
- Jute insulation.
Jute insulation material is by far the most widespread insulation material, which has successfully replaced the traditional tow. Jute is imported from India and China. In terms of its characteristics, it surpasses all similar materials and is cheaper at prices. Therefore, caulking a log house with jute is an excellent option for warming a house.
A detailed video of the correct caulking:
Correctly chosen sealant and insulation will improve the properties of the structure of a wooden house and will help preserve the wood. One of the most important stages in the construction of a log house is the insulation of seams, gaps and openings in other words - caulk.
We seal and insulate the log house
The specificity of wood as a building material is that under the influence of moisture it changes shape, size and volume, i.e. logs in a log house are constantly in motion, and cracks are formed in the walls through which heat "leaks" from the house. Various types of sealant are used for sealing joints.
Previously, seams and openings were caulked with dry moss, tow (linen and hemp), bast fiber, felt, etc. Over time, new natural materials have appeared: jute fiber, flax, flax, mineral wool.
Caulking quality comes first
Must meet a number of requirements, namely:
- to provide reliable protection of the house from blowing out (to have sufficient density and elasticity so as not to contribute to the formation of cracks during the operation of the house);
keep warm (have low thermal conductivity); - be able to absorb and release moisture depending on changes in humidity both outside and inside the room, similar to the tree itself;
- restrain the development of microorganisms;
- be durable (preserve their physical and chemical properties and not be destroyed by natural factors);
- do not contain substances harmful to human health.
For a house made of ordinary timber and rounded logs, it is recommended to use insulation with a thickness of 10 mm.
Ideal material for caulking - natural
Gaskets made of natural materials are ideal as insulation between joints. They are usually produced in the form of bales or ribbons. Kippah is a traditional form, but tape seal is more convenient: it is distributed faster and more evenly across the “front of work”. The width of the belts is selected depending on the type of timber or log from which the house is being built. The main materials from which the sealant is created are jute, flax, hemp (hemp fiber) and moss.
Tape seal for log caulking
Tape seal (linen-jute)
Swamp moss
Sphagnum moss - a natural material that is not subject to decay, hygroscopic and has good bactericidal properties. "Collecting" houses "on the moss" has been widespread in Russia since ancient times.
Warming of a wooden frame is carried out simultaneously with the erected walls: a sealant is laid on each crown in layers.
The so-called red moss was popular. In the absence of it, cuckoo flax (forest moss) was used.
Jute fiber
Jute - from the linden family. Its golden color is closest to the color of wood. Jute fiber is the undisputed favorite among inter-row seals. In the process of wall shrinkage, the jute is evenly compacted. It is not susceptible to decay, absorbs and gives off moisture depending on environmental conditions, as wood does. Jute is not affected by moths and is not carried away by birds. Mixed products are also used as a mezhventsovy sealant: jute and flax-jute felt.
The use of a tape seal not only insulates the log house, protects it from blowing, but also speeds up the assembly of the log house
Carefully choose a non-uniform, low-density compactor - a sign that the material is the result of recycled jute or linen bags, i.e., poor quality.
Caulking with flax
Linen - affordable and cheap material, has been used for caulking for a long time. Flax is used to produce flax fiber ("Eurolene"), bast fiber and linseed tow. In favorable conditions, linen sealant will last a long time, retaining its elasticity.
Fiber caulking can raise the height of a log house up to 15 cm. At the same time, due to wood shrinkage and non-professional caulking, a log house can shrink by 3-5%.
The disadvantages of flax include susceptibility to rotting. In addition, the linen seal can be scattered by birds and rodents and attacked by insects. In addition to 100% flax fiber, linen tow, linen wool (linen felt) and flax-jute are used in construction.
Accelerates caulking by using a hammer drill with an appropriate chisel
Synthetic materials for caulking
Mineral wool is the most “natural” of its human-made “brethren”. It consists of volcanic rock (basalt) and synthetic fiber, which provides "airiness". The advantage of mineral wool is that when pressed with crowns, it retains a porous structure and, due to this, retains heat.
The material is placed, mainly, on a profiled beam - in one row, and fixed with staples. After assembling the house, the protruding edges of the tape are cut off. Mineral wool is elastic: it is easily restored, filling all the cracks, completely blocking the access to water and obstructing the flow of air. Additional caulking is not required after shrinking at home.
In addition, mineral wool is devoid of the disadvantages of flax: it does not absorb moisture and does not collapse, does not attract birds, is fire-resistant, does not rot and is more technological.
After caulking, shrinkage will occur
Basic rules for caulking
Caulking is performed simultaneously along the entire perimeter of the log house from the inner and outer sides, starting from the lowest groove. This is important, otherwise the caulking of one separate wall can lead to a distortion of the entire frame. In the process of drying, the walls usually shrink, as a result of which cracks appear, so wooden houses are heated even after construction is completed.
Six months after assembling the house, the final caulking of the seams is made with combed tow under the "pigtail".
After 1-2 years, when the blockhouse has stood, the final caulking is performed with the creation of a "roller". As a result, the log house rises again in height by several centimeters per floor.
The quality of the caulk is checked with a sharp metal object (steel ruler, chisel, nail), which should not penetrate through the caulk. You can drive a nail into a good caulk!
Insulation is placed in the groove of a bar or log in three ways: without bends, with one or two-sided bend. Fastening is done with a construction stapler.
- fibrous mineral wool insulation based on glass wool, glass staple fiber (Ursa, Isover), basalt mineral raw materials (Rockwool);
- closed cell materials: extruded polystyrene foam (Penoplex), expanded polyethylene (Porileks, Pleneks, Izolon, Polifom, Energoflex), rigid sprayed polyurethane foams, polyurethane foam (Makroflex, Panafix, Macrofoam), sealants;
- materials with open pores: foamed polyurethane foam (foam rubber PSUL-Profband).
In the case of using materials from this list, excess moisture accumulates in the thickness of the insulation, causing freezing of the seam, others contribute to the fact that moisture condenses at the junction of the tree and the insulation ("greenhouse effect"), or both together, which over time causes destruction of a wooden structure from the inside.
Some synthetic insulation is great for brick and concrete houses. But not for timber construction! Sometimes careless builders use them out of ignorance or selfish intent, as a cheap and easy-to-use material.
Now the fashion for the construction of baths and residential buildings from natural wood has revived. Log cabins have a respectable appearance, are warm and environmentally friendly, which is very much appreciated by modern people. But even such reliable and energy-saving buildings should be additionally insulated in order to feel truly comfortable in them in any weather.
Caulk - what kind of operation?
Since ancient times in Russia, most buildings were built of logs. Such buildings have always been called log cabins. In recent years, interest in them has significantly increased, due to the special operational properties of wooden houses and baths. The construction of log cabins today is offered by many companies. Experienced home craftsmen build cozy dwellings and hot steam rooms from logs with their own hands. In this article, we will not describe the technology for constructing eco-friendly buildings, but talk about how to make them warmer. It's about the rules for caulking wooden structures. Believe me, it will not work to equip a really cozy sauna or a residential building without this operation.
First, let's figure out why you need to caulk a log house? Everything is simple here. During installation, between the logs from which this or that structure is built, there are cracks and voids. It is clear that you cannot leave them. Indeed, through such small, at first glance, gaps precious heat will leave the room. Instead of a comfortable building, we will get a bathhouse or a house blown by all the winds. Caulking allows to solve this problem. It is understood as the procedure for carefully sealing all the gaps between the logs using special tools and materials. All of their varieties will be described below.
Tools for insulating log cabins - unusual, but easy to use
Caulking any log house can be done independently. To do this, you will need to study the technology of the operation and stock up on a special tool:
- 1. A flat trowel made of solid wood or metal. We need to purchase a tool with a blade about 5.5 mm thick and 10 cm wide. This blade, called a flat caulk, is the main device for insulating log buildings.
- 2. A tool, referred to by experts as a road builder, of a triangular shape with a blade of 8–15 mm thick and at least 17 cm wide, along which a special groove is made. This caulk is needed to form even rollers from the strands of the used sealing material.
- 3. The so-called crooked caulk - a flat chisel. The thickness of its working part is 5 mm, the width is about 5.5 cm. The chisel makes it possible to seal the seams on the rounded parts and in the corners of the log structure.
- 4. A wooden mallet (mallet). With it, you can easily fill the seal without worrying that it will deform or collapse. It is allowed to work with ordinary hammers.
In addition, you need to buy two split caulkers - a narrow one and a wide one. The width of such devices, visually resembling a wedge, should be approximately 3.5 cm. Breaking tools are necessary to widen narrow gaps. After using them, the insulation material is much easier to place in gaps and voids.
The working parts of all these tools must be as smooth as possible, and the ends must not be sharp.
A rough surface will not allow you to perform the planned work with high quality, since the fibers of the insulation will cling to the caulking and pull out of the gaps. And too sharp blades will cut the material used for the thermal insulation of the log house.
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We add that you do not need to be afraid of unfamiliar names. Every self-taught master can use the caulking tool.
Caulking materials - assortment for every taste
Thermal insulation of log cabins is carried out by various heaters (by the way, they are usually called inter-crown insulation), both traditional and more modern. The most famous material for caulking is moss. It can be white and red. Our ancestors used it in the construction of buildings from logs. Moss is an environmentally friendly natural material. He possesses:
- low thermal conductivity;
- antimicrobial and antiseptic properties;
- resistance to temperature extremes (this is especially important if we insulate the bath);
- durability.
It is almost impossible to buy moss in building stores. Therefore, if you plan to use it, you will have to take care of the collection and proper preparation of this material yourself. Here you need to know the following. It is advisable to collect moss in November. At this time, there are practically no insects and snails in it. We carefully sort the collected material, throw out rotten particles, remove debris and lumps of soil. After that, dry the moss. Don't overdo it. Overdried moss cannot be used, it becomes too brittle. It is almost impossible to put it in the gaps between the crowns and place it tightly there.
An alternative to moss is tow. It is made from flax fibers. Such material can be tape (roll) or bale. Experts recommend using the first type of tow. It is easier to push the insulation in the form of a tape into the seams. And the heat-shielding properties of rolled products are higher. Bale tow is cheaper. But it is characterized by tough and short fibers. It is very inconvenient to work with such material. Key advantages of tow - not electrifying, low thermal conductivity, affordable price, antibacterial properties. Disadvantages of the material - the insulated seam has an unaesthetic appearance, the laying process is complicated and time-consuming. For these reasons, domestic craftsmen rarely use tow.
10-15 years ago, log cabins were often insulated with natural felt. It is environmentally friendly, easy to use, protects the building from street noise and foreign odors, and has increased vapor permeability. But, unfortunately, this material has two serious disadvantages. First, moths love him very much. She literally gnaws at the insulation. Secondly, the felt is prone to decay.
Jute is devoid of these disadvantages - a pliable, soft material in the form of ribbons and ropes of different thicknesses. It can be matched to any seam. Jute, according to experts, creates an optimal microclimate in a log house. And most importantly, it is enough to simply mount it in the gap between the logs.
If a log house is built by professionals from an ordinary log or from a cylinder, it has a semicircular groove and gaps of small thickness, it is allowed to insulate it with a sealant. This is the most modern and simplest way to insulate wooden buildings. The sealant cannot be used in the presence of large slots in thickness and in cases where the grooves of the structure are in the shape of a triangle. In such situations, there will be no sense from him.
We will protect the wooden building from the cold and winds ourselves
Caulking a bath or a residential building from logs is carried out twice. The first time the insulation is carried out directly during the construction of the log house. We need to lay the selected material after installing each of its crowns. If we use insulation in the form of a tape, the operation takes place with a minimum of time. We roll out the insulation along the crown, fix it with a construction stapler (staples). If it is necessary to lay additional tape, mount it on the previous one with a 5-cm overlap. We cover the installed material with the next crown and repeat the procedure.
If moss is used, it will take longer. We take a bunch of dried material (moisten if necessary), lay it across the log. The fibers should hang 5–6 cm from each side of the log. Then, close to the first, we lay the second bundle. We make a layer of moss quite impressive. The tree should not show through it. The thicker the layer, the better the insulation will be.
The second part of caulking is performed after the installation of all the crowns of the structure and the installation of the roof on it. Re-insulation is needed for any structure, be it a residential building or a bathhouse. The wall insulation scheme is as follows:
- 1. Take a bunch of tow (moss, felt), apply it to the seam between the logs, press the fibers into the gap with a caulking blade. We start work from the end of the building from the bottom row.
- 2. Gently twist the protruding ends of the material. We will have an 8-10 cm long roller. It should be applied to the gap and pushed back between the logs using caulking, leaving only a small tip.
- 3. Weave the next bundle of material into the free end and continue to insulate the frame. The roller cannot be interrupted. Along the entire length of the gap, it must remain intact.
It will take a lot of time to complete such a laborious operation. But then we will get a well-sealed building. And it is possible to reduce labor costs by using not tow or moss, but tape materials. Mounting them is much faster and easier. We simply cut off the piece of tape required in length and proceed to hammering it into the seams. After warming the walls, we proceed to the thermal insulation of the corners of the log house. This operation is also easier with tapes. They are pushed into the gaps with a curved caulk.
Caulking with a sealant is allowed after complete shrinkage of the structure. The procedure for performing such work is given below:
- 1. We well clean the seams between the crowns from debris and dust, wipe them with a dry cloth.
- 2. We treat all joints with a primer (water-based or rubber-based primer) using a spray gun or a regular brush.
- 3. We are waiting for the soil to dry.
- 4. We put a plait made of polyethylene (foamed) into the gaps. We select products that match the width of the seams.
- 5. Apply sealant.
To give the log house an elegant look, we process the insulated joints with tinting or colorless varnish.