Caulking of a log house is the filling of gaps between the logs of the crowns and in the cuts of the corners during the construction of the building and after its complete shrinkage. Competent performance of such work allows you to avoid deformation of the walls of the house, insulate it and protect the living space from external negative influences (wind, precipitation, low temperatures, etc.).

Caulking at home can be performed using various materials and working tools. However, such work should only be carried out by experienced professionals. Qualified craftsmen will be able not only to caulk a log house at the most affordable price for everyone, but also to ensure the maximum quality of this work.

When is the caulking of the log house carried out?

Timber caulking is a mandatory process before any finishing work. The work is carried out in two stages. At first, filling the grooves between the logs is required to be carried out directly during the assembly of the walls. Next, caulking at home should be done after the log house has completely shrunk. As a rule, it takes from one to two years for the walls to fully shrink. The price of a log cabin caulk depends on:

• the height of the walls and the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe house;
• material used to seal the gaps between the frame;
• the quality of the wood from which the walls are built.

If you want to caulk a log house, the price of which is quite affordable by the standards of the modern construction market, it is best to trust real professionals who are able to perform work of any complexity at the highest level.

Materials for caulking a log house

Log cabin caulking, the price of which is determined by the craftsmen immediately after inspecting the scope of work, must be carried out from the outside and inside of the walls. This approach to work will provide maximum moisture and wind protection of residential premises. Various materials can be used for caulking timber. So, the most in demand is tape and interventional linen, jute sealant. With its use, you can easily caulk houses of any size.

Caulking, the price of which also depends on the quality of the sealant and the ease of working with it, can significantly increase the service life of the building and the quality of life in it. If you want to caulk a house, it is best to turn to professionals. Experienced craftsmen will be able to perform rather monotonous and time-consuming work with the highest quality. The price of a caulk in this case will be your investment in the durability of a wooden house.

Caulking the walls of a log house is a laborious process, which, if its technology is followed, will ensure the preservation of heat in the house in cold weather. Detailed analysis work sequence, right choice the tool and material presented in this article will help you do the insulation of the seams with your own hands.

Tools

The main tools for caulking seams are spatulas (caulking) and a mallet. Blades are made of wood or steel. The wood of the caulk must be softer than the material of the logs, otherwise marks will be left on the walls. Over time, the working surface of the wooden caulk becomes shaggy, then it is replaced with a new one.

Metal caulks are used for corner cuts, where it is especially important to fill the interior of the bowl. With a mallet, gently tapping on the caulk, they compact the insulation roller and move it inside the seam.

Material selection

For insulation and sealing of joints in log walls, natural material (moss, jute, tow, etc.) and modern artificial polyurethane foam, polyethylene foam, mineral wool and other interventional heaters are used.

moss sphagnum

Moss has been preferred in the past for insulating log joints. Sphagnum, cuckoo flax (red flax) were laid in the seams of the log house. Sphagnum moss was fluffed up and laid across the logs in several layers (5-10 cm) with hanging up to 5 cm from the seam. Flax cuckoos were placed along the crown and also in several layers (5-10 cm) with overlapping joints.

Before laying, the moss is soaked, and it dries already in the wall structure. Absorbing moisture, moss quickly gives it away and does not rot. According to its natural qualities, it is a very good antiseptic, therefore it also protects wood from biocorrosion. Its disadvantages include the complexity of a uniform device along the thickness of the seam.

jute rope

Jute fiber is made from the jute plant, which belongs to the linden family. Jute caulk insulation is stronger, more durable and moderately hygroscopic. Even at high room humidity, for example, in baths, jute absorbs no more than 20% of moisture.

Tow

Tow is a tangled linen fiber. It is made from the waste obtained from the scutching and wrinkling of flax. It should not contain impurities, a small amount of bonfire (lignified part of the stem) is allowed. Tow for caulking can only be used dry, soft and without a putrid odor. The interventional seam of tow should be 0.8-1.2 cm.

Hemp

Previously, hemp was also used for caulking log cabins. It was obtained by prolonged soaking of hemp stalks in running water (up to 2-3 years). It is distinguished by the strength of the fibers, resistance to decay and exposure to sunlight. Today, hemp products are also presented in assortment. building materials.

Modern materials

The use of artificial materials for caulking seams is becoming more widespread. These include mineral wool fiber, polyethylene foam, interventional sealants. Their advantages are: bio- and moisture resistance, elasticity and vapor permeability, which is important for wood. Self-expanding sealing cords seal the seam almost perfectly.

Seam caulking technology

The whole process of caulking log walls can be divided into two stages. During the assembly of the log house, the first stage is performed. The insulation is spread over the top of the mounted log. For the convenience of caulking, a tape made of felt is used, the raw material for which can be flax, jute, hemp.

The overhanging ends of the seal after the installation of the logs are simply wrapped into their joints. The caulking of the log house seams is carried out in two ways: “in a stretch” and “in a set”. During the construction of a log house, the “stretch” compaction method is most often used. To do this, the free edges of the insulation are rolled up with a roller, which is pressed into the seam. The width of the roller should be 1-2 cm.

In the case of fibrous loose insulation (moss, tow), when folding the roller, it is important to select adjacent hanging ends, constantly twisting them with the previous ones to obtain an even and durable seam.

“In the set” the seam is usually sealed with the second caulk, which is done after the building shrinks (after 1-2 years). The walls of logs give draft due to the compression of the insulation in the seams and the shrinkage of the forest.

When the ends of the insulation are not enough to create a roller or the seams are too wide during the initial caulking, the “in set” method is used. To do this, a tourniquet is prepared in advance from the selected sealant, you can use a ready-made rope or rope of the required thickness. Loops are made into wide seams from the bundle, which are hammered into the space between the logs to the required compaction.

The work on caulking a log house always starts from the lower crown and is carried out along the entire perimeter of the seam. First, the outer side of the pairing of logs is compacted, and then the inner. You can move on to the next crown only when the entire previous one is caulked.

The tourniquet or roller is fixed in the seam with the help of a caulk, which first taps the upper part of the insulation, then the lower and only then the middle. If necessary, use a mallet hammer, hitting it on the end of the caulk handle.

During the sealing of the log joints, it is necessary to constantly check the horizontalness of the logs and the verticality of the walls. It would seem that a simple compaction process may well distort the position of individual parts of the house structure, move them from their original place or lift them.

Secondary caulking

Modern technologies for protecting the connection of logs in a log house provide for sealing the seam (warm seam). The advantages of this solution for seams in wooden houses are:

• plastic;
• durability;
• resistance to sunlight and environmental influences;
• high thermal insulation properties;
• vapor permeability;
• biostability.

Sealing of seams is made as repeated caulking. The technology of the “warm seam” device mainly consists of the following steps:

1. Preparation of the surface of the insulated seam. To do this, clean the logs at the place of work from dust, dirt, grease stains. The sealant may not adhere to walls coated with varnish, wax, or any oils. It is better to test the adhesion of the sealant to the treated surface of the log before starting work.
2. Installation of a sealing cord, for example, made of extruded polyethylene. It cannot be glued to the wall, it is simply inserted into the seam.
3. Application of sealant. Before starting to cover the cord and part of the logs with sealant, the wooden surface is moistened. You can stick masking tape on both sides relative to the seam to ensure the same width of the coating. The sealant is applied, depending on the packaging, either with a spatula or with a mounting gun. The layer thickness is allowed not less than 4 mm, but not more than 10 mm.
4. Seam formation. The seam is smoothed and formed with an appropriate spatula within 15 minutes after the application of the sealant. You can then remove the masking tapes. Excess substance is cleaned with a damp cloth or sponge.

Patience and thoroughness of work on caulking will be fully justified by the durability of the structure and warm walls at home, so that you do not have to subsequently close up cracks. Choice effective way warming the seams of the log house and a sufficient amount of material for this will significantly reduce the cost of heating in the cold.

Just laying a log house during the construction of a bath is not enough - you will definitely need to caulk the bath, that is, close the existing cracks and cracks formed after the wood has dried. How to caulk a bath will be discussed in this article.

The caulk of the log cabin of the bath is needed so that it loses a minimum of heat. It is very important to use a well-prepared log house, lay it correctly and do not forget to lay interventional 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 placed 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, while the width of the insulation is determined with the expectation 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, tapping such material is not required. If it is tapped with a hammer or an ax handle, the moss fibers are torn, and dents appear on the surface of the tree, which after some time can cause rotting zones. It is recommended to compact the fibers only by pressing with the palm of your hand. Extra elements in the moss just need to be removed.

If, deciding on the better to caulk the log cabin of the bath, 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 gain a foothold. 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. The first include tow, hemp, jute, moss, and so on. To the last - industrial sealants. Sealants are easier to work with and apply quickly. As a rule, in order to reduce their consumption, a cord is laid in the intervention gap, and the sealant, which is distributed with a special spatula before solidification, is already applied 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 drawback can be eliminated by hiding the sealant seams under the slats.
• Some of them, after hardening, 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. To prevent this fact, it is better to purchase elastic sealants.

You can learn more about how to operate with a sealant by viewing the available video material. A simple tablespoon is perfect for distributing the sealant.

If, when determining how to caulk a bath, 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 all the necessary characteristics.

It is advisable to use a synthetic sealant for a log bath if it is used to close caulked cracks. After double caulking the log house with tow, moss or jute, they wait until the log house finally sits down and acquires working dimensions. Next, a cord is inserted into the seams and covered with sealant.

Each of the materials of natural origin 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 they all have slightly worse characteristics. True, new materials are easier to operate, besides, they have such positive qualities as antibacterial properties and special resistance to decay.

Before caulking a log cabin from a log 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 timber. After laying out all the logs, the excess moss fibers are shortened, and what remains is wrapped and set into the cracks. Thus, the first stage of caulking the log house is carried out. Further stages of caulking will continue after half a year and a half.

Jute

V Lately builders are increasingly wondering how to caulk a bathhouse with jute. With what is meant roll material. Jute fiber has excellent thermal insulation properties, it contains natural binder resins. Jute is practically not afraid of moisture, and very rarely becomes unusable due to decay. Even in conditions of high humidity, it does not get wet.

Jute comes in several varieties:

• jute tow. During the production of this material, the fibers are not torn, but combed, aligning them in the right direction. Such preparation of the material allows them not to lose all their properties. However, jute is not very convenient for caulking, because it is hard, has a low density, caulking has to be done several times due to shrinkage of the material, the impossibility of obtaining a tight seam the first time and pulling it away by birds to nests.
• jute felt. This material is based on 90% torn jute fiber, and is complemented by 10% long fibers from flax. The result is a dense and flexible material that is much easier to work with. But if it has a short fiber length, it can stray 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. 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 moths can start in it. In this regard, it is recommended to impregnate such material before laying with a composition from moths and from decay.
• 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 of interest to many builders, but it also has disadvantages, such as a tendency to rot and moth damage. That is, like 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 feedstock, the length of the fibers and the level of their purification. In the production of 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 lay it in a seam. Although, it is easier to use tow sold in rolls.

In general, it is not very convenient to work with tow, as 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 get a tight seam from the first approach. You have to repeat the process. If you determine how to properly caulk a bath, choosing between moss and jute tow, then you can say with confidence that it is better to choose moss, since fungus and bacteria do not breed in it.

At what stage can you start caulking a bath

If the frame was laid on moss or tow, parts of material of various lengths protrude between the crowns. In this case, you can proceed to the initial caulking: cut off the excess fibers, hide the rest in the seams. It is worth being careful and not rushing, adhering to the rules of caulking. If the log house was laid on a tape insulation, then further operations are not needed.

The first caulk is carried out somewhere 6 months after the erection of the walls of the log house. During this period, almost all moisture will leave the logs, new cracks will be visible, and most of the crowns and corners will sit down. After that, you can begin to install doors and windows.

Further caulking is carried out after 12 months. During this time, the log house will completely settle, so that you can eliminate all the flaws found. Based on the selected material, the quality of the work performed, a new caulk may be needed somewhere in 5 years. Sometimes, due to negligent construction work or if insulation was not laid between the crowns, the caulk has to be repeated several more times every year.

How to calculate tow for a bath

Before you caulk the bath with tow, you should decide on the amount you need. The tow compresses quite well, so it is consumed quite heavily. Probably no one can say the exact number. This is because a lot of nuances affect this: the material of the log house, what grooves are cut in them.

If the grooves were made by hand, then, often, the tow consumption will be large. In addition, the consumption increases if a skinned log was used, and not rounded. Less material will be left on the beam, although in this case its amount will be determined by the parameters of the beam, the depth and the number of slots that have arisen during the drying process.

Caulking technology

Before caulking the log cabin of the bath, 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 besides, you need to be patient. For a bath with dimensions of 5 × 4 m, one person will need about 10 days, spending 7-8 hours daily.

At the same time, one should not overdo it when laying the insulation, since this fact leads to the fact that the log house becomes 15 cm higher or more.

The main rules of caulking include the following points:

• First of all, they proceed to the lower crown, moving around the entire perimeter. First, the outer part of the building is processed, after which they proceed to the process of caulking from the inside. Only then can you move on to the next crown.
• When caulking, special attention should be paid to the corners, because in such places, as a rule, there are the largest gaps.
• If this is the initial caulk, then first of all, sagging material is selected, folded over and stuffed into the slot. You can use any tool as needed. The process is carried out in stages - after the meter is processed, they move on to the next section.
• On the same site, you can use a caulk, a hammer or a wooden mallet, the latter is much easier to work with. The caulk is beaten off until it begins to spring. After that, they move on to a new site.
• Following the compaction process, gaps may appear into which fragments of insulation are inserted. If tow was used, a bundle of a certain thickness is rolled from it or a fragment of a specific length is disconnected 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 slots are filled, after which you can move on to a new section.

Like any other part of construction work, caulking requires certain skills from the master. Based on the fact that there will be quite a lot of such procedures, after a while they will definitely form with you. Over time, with which you will accumulate 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 almost to the ideal. Actually, the one who does nothing does not make mistakes, therefore it is possible to caulk a log house with the proper quality even without sufficient experience.

Houses made of timber have a lot of features that distinguish them from buildings made of other materials. One of them is that after the completion of construction, the house begins to dry out. This process is inevitably accompanied by a change in shape and the appearance of gaps between the crowns. These holes open the way for cold air from the street, which, when meeting with warm air from the house, forms condensate. As a result, mold and even rotting can occur in the premises.

Shrinkage is a natural process and therefore cannot be prevented. Even logs and beams that have passed drying according to all the rules will definitely shrink. The only thing left for the owner is to fight the formation of cracks. It is for this purpose that caulking is carried out - a necessary procedure, during which the gaps that have arisen between logs or beams are manually closed.

Materials for caulking

For all the time that a person is engaged in construction wooden houses, he was able to compile a list of the most effective heaters, the best among which are natural materials:

• felt;
• red moss;
• tow.

But before proceeding with the caulking of the log house, it is necessary to prepare the selected material in a special way.

Red moss was used by our ancestors. It has not lost its relevance in our time. If you decide to opt for this traditional material for warming a house or a bath, then you need to learn how to properly caulk a log house with moss. Moss has rot resistance and antibacterial properties, but if it gets too wet, then after caulking the wood will begin to rot.

Very dry moss also has its drawbacks - it will not work to make a caulk with it, because it will definitely crumble and break. To become usable, it must be moistened. The main disadvantages of this insulation are associated with difficulties in laying it on the bars. This problem is easily solved by mixing moss with tow.

Tow is one of the most popular building materials. This excellent thermal insulator is made from flax and hemp waste. Tow, like moss, perfectly protects the tree from decay.

Felt cannot be called the most suitable material for caulking a log house. The reason for this is that it is more prone to decay than all other heaters and has very low strength. In addition, before use, the felt must be soaked in formalin or another agent that can protect against the appearance of moths. Otherwise, after some time, a large number of moth larvae can be found in the felt, which will happily eat this heat insulator.

In the construction of log houses and bathhouses, not only traditional, but also modern heat-insulating materials are used, the most famous of which are jute and lnovatin.

Jute is a modern insulation, which is made from a shrub of the linden family. The material has a lot of positive qualities - high strength, density, resistance to moths and decay, low hygroscopicity. Jute is not able to absorb wood moisture, but gives it well when the wood dries.

In room, where is the humidity maintained at a fairly high level (from 80% and above), jute insulation will effectively perform its task. Staying dry, jute not only perfectly protects the tree from decay, but also insulates the log house, maintaining a healthy microclimate in the house.

In stores you can find another material with a similar name, which is often identified with jute. We are talking about jute fiber, which has little in common with jute and differs from it not only appearance but also in terms of quality and cost.

Jute tape is soft to the touch and highly pliable. It is used mainly when sealing the crowns of log houses, as well as around doors and windows in combination with various impregnations. It is also used to seal gaps and cracks in wood and concrete. It can also be laid on wet bars.

Manufacturers produce jute tape in coils of different thicknesses and widths. Professional builders have this material is very popular, because, according to their words, this is the easiest and cleanest way to insulate. A significant advantage of this material is the ability to quickly perform caulking, since the insulation can be immediately laid on the log house.

Lnovatin differs from jute in its composition. For its manufacture, only flax fibers are used. However, this does not prevent it from demonstrating the same performance properties as jute tape, although it is more rigid in structure. In stores, lnovatin is offered in the form of rolls, which makes it very convenient. for stretch caulking.

Tools for work

Before you start caulking a log house, you need to resolve the issue with the log caulking tool.

For the insulation of log houses, devices made of metal and steel are used. Some owners perform this operation with homemade devices made from oak, walnut or beech.

Particular attention should be paid to the handle of the tool, which should be made of embossed rubber. The tool intended for caulking must have a non-sharp blade, otherwise there is a risk of damaging the insulation used. In addition, the tool must not have roughness, otherwise the material may catch on them and be removed from the gap.

For stuffing the insulation use a tamping hammer - a mallet.

Gap sealing technology

Caulking a log house is a simple technological process that you can do yourself. This is one of the important stages of building a house, which involves a number of stages.

Caulking begins with closing gaps in the walls of the house at the stage of its assembly. Primary insulation is not able to completely eliminate all seams. Indeed, upon completion of construction, a house made of timber undergoes shrinkage and drying out, which inevitably leads to the appearance of new gaps.

With the onset of cold weather, precious heat begins to come out through them, which negatively affects comfortable living. In the bath, because of this, the temperature in the steam room quickly decreases. In addition, the heat escaping at low temperatures causes frost to form on the outside of the façade. This excess moisture negatively affects the condition of the wood.

All this makes it necessary to carry out repeated caulking after shrinkage of the walls of a wooden structure already 6 months after the completion of construction work. During this time, the timber has time to dry by 90%. The time required for shrinkage depends on several factors - the quality of the material, the time it was harvested, humidity and weather conditions. Complete shrinkage of the structure is completed in 3 years. The final third caulk is carried out before finishing the walls, when the log house will completely shrink.

Log houses differ in many ways from log houses. Because of perfect shape and the size of the gap in the logs are very narrow. But even in this case, caulking is necessary. Although here to do on your own won't work anymore. You will have to seek help from specialists. After all, you can overdo it and fill small gaps with too much insulating material, and this can cause the walls to skew.

Caulking methods

Caulking of log cabins is carried out using two main methods: in stretching and in a set. Sometimes they are used at the same time. Each of them allows you to use tow as a heater.

Stretching

This method of sealing gaps is used for narrow gaps in a log house. A small amount of tow is applied to the gap, and then stuffed inward using a chisel and caulk. But during this operation, it is necessary to leave 4-5 cm of the free edge. A roller created from tow is wrapped in the remaining free edge, as if intertwining them, after which they are driven into the gap between the crowns with the help of a caulk and a hammer.

I would like to draw attention to the fact that during the twisting of the roller, you need to capture nearby strands. If this is not done, then the roller will simply fall out of the slot. You can make sure that the caulking was done with high quality, if you slightly pull the roller. The work is considered to be done correctly if the roller remains in the same place. If, as a result of such actions, you managed to pull it out, then this means that the gap was not completely filled.

To the set

This method of caulking is mainly used for sealing large and wide gaps. First you need to prepare long bunches of tow, form skeins of them, and then dial the loops that fill the gaps. The loop must have a thickness comparable to the size of the gap to be sealed. First you need to fill the gap with insulation up, helping yourself with a typesetting caulk, and then proceed to sealing the bottom, using the “road builder” as a tool.

Features of the operation

Although caulking a log house is a time-consuming process, it justifies the effort spent. Provided that it is carried out correctly, the log house will last at least 8 years. But this work must be carried out in accordance with a certain algorithm.

When caulking a log house, you must be extremely careful, trying not to miss the slightest section. Don't hit too often with a hammer. One blow should be made per blade width. Therefore, it is best to walk along the row again so that the insulation does not overfill.

The technology of building log houses has a lot of nuances. One of them is that after the completion of construction work, the house cannot be considered ready for operation. After that, shrinkage occurs with it, which is a natural process and takes from 6 months to three years. During this time, new gaps appear between the crowns of the log house, which must be eliminated. It is for this that each owner needs to perform a caulk.

In order to qualitatively close up new cracks, it is necessary not only to choose the right tool for caulking, but also a heater. Considering that many different materials are offered in stores, it is important for the owner to get acquainted with the features of each insulation in order to avoid problems both during work with the material and after filling the gaps.