The better to break through the bathhouse. How to properly caulk a log house - video

Have you been told that it is not necessary to caulk a house made of timber, they say, everything fits perfectly there anyway? You can safely send such “woe” specialists home and invite real professionals in construction wooden houses. Like any other, the technology of building houses from timber has its own stages and design features, which invariably includes caulk timber house, even if you are going to do external and internal finishing with insulation in the future. You should not try to save time and money so as not to overpay in the future. If you don’t want there to be constant drafts in your house, curtains to flutter even in calm weather, and over time wet and rotten places in the wood to appear, it is better to complete all the caulking work at home on time.

Is it necessary to caulk a log house and why?

In some sources you can find information that timber house You don't have to caulk it. And the builders who are building your house can say the same thing. They explain this by the fact that, unlike timber houses, in log houses the shrinkage and displacement of wood occurs stronger and more intensely, cracks and leaks appear, so it is necessary to caulk the structure. But houses built from profiled timber practically do not shrink, since the wood is pre-treated. Let's figure out how it actually happens when building a house from timber with your own hands.

timber natural humidity - relatively cheap construction material, for which it is popular in the construction of economy-class houses with subsequent insulation and finishing with siding. Even if you invite the best architect, he will not be able to build a house from such timber without gaps between the crowns and gaps. Moreover, when the timber begins to dry out, and this is inevitable, additional cracks will appear, wider ones, the timber will decrease in size, and it will begin to “twist”. As a result, cracks will appear, due to which the wooden wall will lose its thermal insulation abilities. To avoid such a sad end, the walls must be caulked at least 3 times and thoroughly insulated.

It was invented precisely in order to reduce costs and construction time wooden house. He's passing special treatment in production, due to which it practically does not dry out during operation, and its tongue-and-groove connections are perfectly calibrated to the nearest millimeter. The beams fit together as closely as possible, and 5 mm insulation is placed between the crowns, which is located between the interlocking parts. Despite the seller’s assurances, the house made of profiled timber still shrinks, as the timber finally falls into place under the weight of the structure. In addition, the properties of wood strongly depend on the region of growth, climatic conditions and storage conditions. No one can guarantee that absolutely all the timber you purchased is the same High Quality. As a result of building movements, the timber may shift slightly and the insulation may become wrinkled. Even if no gaps appear after shrinkage, and this option is possible, still those gaps that are located in the inter-crown space outside and inside the house accumulate moisture, and since the place itself is very secluded and vulnerable, mold and rot can form in it.

Caulking of a timber house is necessary in order to insulate wooden walls, completely filling with natural insulation and sealing the gaps and cracks between the timber and in the corner joints. This guarantees tightness, no heat leaks through the walls, drafts and icing of the timber outside the building, which occurs when warm steam escapes through the cracks and settles as wet frost on the surface.

How to caulk a timber house

To summarize, the material that can be used to caulk a house must meet the following requirements:

• Have low thermal conductivity.
• Be immune to temperature and humidity fluctuations, and easily withstand wind.
• So that insects and pathogenic fungi (mold) do not grow in it.
• Be an absolutely environmentally friendly material, otherwise the whole point of building a wooden house is lost.
• Be relatively durable (not lose properties for at least 20 years).
• Be breathable.
• Be hygroscopic, i.e. when you need to absorb moisture, when you need to give it away.
• And the most important thing is to be similar in its properties to wood.

Due to the fact that our ancestors caulked their houses hundreds of generations deep on their own, materials that have been tested and tested by thousands of years of successful practice have survived to this day. They can be called traditional materials.

Moss- most best material even today for caulking wooden buildings. This is sphagnum moss - a bog plant that can be red, white or brown. Subsequently, peat is formed from it. Neither of modern materials cannot compare with moss, it is so durable and environmentally friendly. You can travel through old abandoned villages, look at the houses: the logs have almost rotted, and the moss is still in excellent condition. Moss is simply irreplaceable as an interventional sealant: it is antiseptic, antibacterial and medicinal properties. Sandwiched between wood, it suppresses the development of putrefactive bacteria and mold fungi, due to which the wood lasts longer. Moss easily allows air to pass through itself, which, passing through it, is saturated with healing vapors, so the atmosphere inside the house becomes healing. Moss is hygroscopic, which means it smoothes out changes in humidity. In general, moss has no drawbacks, except for one thing - it is not so easy for them to caulk, otherwise no one would invent or look for anything new.

Tow made of flax fibers It is used as a sealant and sealant everywhere, but for caulking - mainly in regions where flax grows and where there are no swamps where moss could be stocked. No one produces tow specifically; it is waste from the production of ropes, cords and linen, or tweezing and stripping after cleaning flax fibers. Tow has some antiseptic and bactericidal properties, but to a lesser extent than moss. Therefore, in some cases, tow is treated with resins to increase resistance to high humidity. These resins can be natural, i.e. tree resin, then this material can still be called environmentally friendly, but petroleum products are also used for impregnation, then tow no longer has anything in common with natural materials. Tow contains a large number of fires, which will shake out during the first years of operation of the house, so caulking will need to be repeated several times.

It is very similar to tow, only its fibers are coarser, so they are sometimes confused. Hemp is not afraid of temperature changes and high humidity, so it can be used even in very humid regions. These properties are due to the high content of the polymer lignin, which is also found in any wood to bind cellulose fibers. Hemp does not lose its properties even after getting wet, therefore it is resistant to rotting.

Among the modern materials for caulking, the following can be distinguished:

A foreign product, it is imported to us from China, India, Egypt and other countries with a tropical climate or heavy rainfall. It is produced from the shoots of the jute plant of the Malvaceae family. Jute fiber is very durable, not affected by mold, putrefactive bacteria, not interesting to insects and birds, hygroscopic, i.e. easily accumulates and releases moisture, allows air to pass through. Jute contains about the same amount of lignin as wood, so their properties are similar and together they are a perfect pair.

Jute is produced both in fibers and in strips of different widths. Tape jute insulation very convenient to use for laying between the crowns of a timber house. In addition, pure jute compacts evenly. These advantages more than cover the price of this material.

In addition to materials made from fibers, felt insulation materials (inter-crown felt) are also used for caulking:

Jute interventional insulation consists of 90% jute and 10% flax. But it is better to monitor this ratio, since there is jute felt consisting of 70% jute and 30% flax, which significantly worsens its properties.

Linen felt also called Eurolen or flax wool. It is a needle-punched material made from highly purified flax.

Flax-jute felt consists of jute and flax in a 1:1 ratio.

Fully jute modern insulation materials are considered the best, since they interact perfectly with wood and shrink evenly, while other materials with the addition of flax worsen the properties of the insulation. The more flax, the worse the properties.

When to caulk a log house

Work on caulking a house is carried out in several stages, this is due to the fact that the timber dries out gradually, the house sinks under its own weight. The largest shrinkage occurs in the first year and a half after construction, and every year it is less and less. Experts say that after 5 - 6 years, shrinkage practically stops.

First time a log house is caulked immediately after construction. During the construction process, insulation is laid between the crowns, and after the entire house is erected, the gaps between the beams are filled with caulking material, but not too tightly.

Second caulk is carried out a year and a half after the completion of construction of the house. The house will already have settled, so it is necessary to caulk tightly, leaving no gaps or hanging material.

Third time Caulking work will have to be done again after 5 - 6 years, carefully filling all newly formed gaps and cracks and adding material where it accidentally spilled out or was pulled out by birds.

If it is planned to cover the outside of a timber house with siding, then the third caulking is not performed, but the first two must be completed. There is no need to rush and save on something for which you will later have to pay much more.

Do-it-yourself caulking of a timber house

Caulking is a very responsible and labor-intensive process, despite some monotony of the operations performed. Not many construction crews agree to do caulking work; they simply don’t know how to do it and are afraid of ruining it, which is why they recommend not caulking at all. We have already discussed why you should not listen to them.

But there are teams and entire organizations that deal with caulking professionally. The price for caulking a timber house depends on the stage of work and amounts to a certain amount per 1 linear meter of each crown. The average cost of caulking is 50 - 60 rubles. for 1 m.p. And caulking corner joints can cost up to 200 rubles. for 1 m.p. At a separate rate, caulking will be carried out with a decorative rope (rope), which decorates appearance caulked walls and prevents birds from pulling out the material. By the way, it is customary to pay for the material separately. If you are offered to perform caulk work for 25 rubles. m.p., you should not agree, since the work will be done extremely poorly.

If you want to do all the work yourself, then stock up on patience, material, tools and subsequent information.

How to caulk a timber house with jute

Jute, as a material for insulating a log house, is gaining wild popularity. It is often used in the construction of the house itself.

Before caulking a timber house, you must first properly lay and secure the timber. Insulation is always laid in the inter-crown space with a layer of at least 5 mm. Even if the beam is profiled, jute must be laid between the tenon and groove. But its width depends on the shape of the tongue-and-groove system. The simplest option is when the lower beam has a surface convex with a crescent, and the upper one has the same notch (somewhat reminiscent of a joint of logs), in which case the space between the crowns is completely filled with insulation, and its edges remain hanging 4 - 5 cm on each side. More difficult option profiled timber, when it is impossible to lay the insulation with a continuous carpet, then it is laid only in the middle, and the external and internal cracks are then caulked separately.

If the house is made of timber with natural humidity, then the thickness of the inter-crown insulation should be 10 - 15 mm.

Important! Caulking must be done from top to bottom. In this case, first one crown is caulked completely outside, then inside, and only then they move on to the second crown. It is better if the work is carried out by 4 people simultaneously on 4 walls. This is necessary to ensure that the house does not warp. After all, after caulking is completed, it will rise by several centimeters, from 5 to 15 cm.

Let's consider the option when the insulation hangs 4 - 5 cm between the beams. The caulking technology is very well shown in the video example. Using a caulking tool (tool), the jute is tucked underneath and lightly pushed into the gap. Then it is gently, but more forcefully pushed in the upper part, and finally - in the middle. A rubber or wooden hammer(mallet), which is used to gently hit the caulk.

If, after the work has been completed, loose cracks are still observed, then additional caulking is performed.

Let's consider the option when the gaps between the crowns are not filled (the insulation is located somewhere in the middle of the beam). The work will be exactly the same as with additional caulking.

Usually the gaps between the beams are quite narrow, so this caulking method is used: a rope as thick as the gap is twisted from jute fiber and hammered into the gap with a mallet.

There is another way - “stretching”. Separately taken fibers of jute are laid in fibers across the beam and pushed inward with a spatula or caulk until the gap is completely filled. We leave the remaining ends of the material hanging, it should be about 5 - 6 cm. Next, take a little more jute, roll it into a ball (roller), which is wrapped in these hanging ends and pushed into the gap.

Important! How can you check whether it’s enough to push the insulation in or if you still need to add a little more? If it fits into the gap between the crowns kitchen knife by 15 mm or less, then the caulking was completed successfully. If the knife goes further, then material should be added.

When large cracks are formed, use the “set” caulking method. Long strands of jute are twisted and rolled into a ball. Loops are then made from the ball and pushed into the cracks until they are filled.

After all caulking work is completed, the house is loaded and, if possible, used for a whole year. In winter, it will be possible to check for the presence of cracks using the so-called “hares”. These are pockets of frost on the outside of the wall. If you find them, mark the place, this means that there is a leak here warm air from home. A year to a year and a half after the first caulking, a second caulking is carried out, the house is carefully inspected, insulation is added to those places where it has spilled out or frayed, where the cracks have widened, where the timber has warped, and also in places where there are “hares”.

Only after repeated caulking can you begin external and interior decoration Houses. Even if it assumes 100 mm mineral wool and a ventilated façade.

You can caulk a timber house with other materials. But there are some exceptions. For example, only a house made of non-profiled timber can be caulked with moss, since this material is laid and completely fills the inter-crown space, which is absolutely impossible if the timber has a tongue-and-groove system. The work itself on caulking a house is complex and painstaking, although from the outside it seems painfully simple. If you are not confident in your abilities, invite a specialist.

Caulking a timber house: video - example

Caulking a log house raises many questions for beginners. You should first decide when to insulate the bathhouse and which heat insulator is suitable. You can caulk the cracks in the building with your own hands without the help of specialists. Let's consider the nuances of this process.

Content:

The insulation of a log bathhouse is carried out using the caulking method. To do this, a heat insulator is driven into the inter-crown gaps. This is necessary to prevent condensation and, as a result, wood rotting. Caulking a bathhouse is a long, labor-intensive and painstaking process. The first time the building is caulked is during the construction phase or immediately after it. The second time is after a year or two, when the logs shrink and additional cracks appear. The third caulk is made 5–6 years after construction. This is exactly the period that must pass for the final shrinkage of the structure.

Choosing material for caulking a log bathhouse

You can choose natural material or artificial. The main thing is that it must be different low performance thermal conductivity, odorless, environmentally friendly and resistant to temperature changes. For selection optimal insulation The thickness of the timber also affects.

For caulking use:

1. Lnovatin. It is environmentally friendly and has high heat-protective properties. Absorbs moisture and releases it. Attach the tape with a construction stapler. Among the shortcomings we can highlight short term service (up to three years). To prevent insects from infesting, it is treated with a special chemical solution. This has a negative effect on the atmosphere of the steam room.
2. Hemp, linen, jute tow. Eco-friendly material. It is popular due to its thermal insulation and antiseptic properties. However, it absorbs moisture, and therefore its service life is up to three years. After which it is very difficult to remove it from the inter-crown gap. It is more convenient and faster to lay combed tow.
3. Jute. Durable, moisture-resistant, environmentally friendly, heat-insulating and rot-resistant material. It is produced in several types. Jute tow is not dense and hard enough. Laying takes a long time and must be done several times. Jute felt is dense and flexible. Before caulking, you need to treat it with a solution to prevent rotting and the appearance of moths. Flax-jute has all the disadvantages of flax wool. Therefore, it is not recommended for insulation.
4. Forest, white and red swamp moss . It has been used for several centuries due to its antiseptic and bioactive properties. It does not rot, does not promote the proliferation of microorganisms, quickly absorbs moisture and is environmentally friendly. The only drawback is the difficulty of installation. When choosing moss, pay attention to its moisture content. It should not be completely wet or too dry. Before caulking, the moss is moistened. The procedure for such insulation must be repeated 6 months after construction and after a year and a half.
5. Hermetic composition. Working with such material is easy and convenient. It can be selected according to the color of the log house. It is produced in different types. The soft sealant is squeezed out of the tube into the gap. A cord made of foamed polyethylene is pushed into the inter-crown space and opened with varnish. The briquettes are also pressed into the gap with an electric sealing gun. One of the disadvantages is the transformation of the material into a monolithic substance. When the logs are deformed, it damages the fibers. This can be avoided by using flexible sealants.

Methods for caulking bath walls

To insulate a log house yourself, you will need a mallet, a road builder and a set of caulks - type-set (with a narrow nose), broken (to expand the seams), curved (curved). It is better to choose tools made of wood to prevent damage to the logs.

There are two methods of caulking a bath:

• Stretch. We hammer a strand of insulation with one side into the gap. We bend the other side and tamp it inward.
• Recruitment. Strand thermal insulation material We put 1.5 cm thick into loops and hammer each one across the gap with breaking caulk. We compact the top with a road builder.

Technology of caulking baths with moss

You can reliably caulk a log house using moss (from 16 thousand rubles), vegetable oil, water, soap.

The process of insulating a bath is carried out in the following sequence:

1. Making a solution. Dilute vegetable oil (0.5 l) and soap (200 grams) in a bucket of water.
2. Wet the moss in the solution.
3. We twist the ends of the heat insulator into a kind of roller and compact it tightly into the gap.
4. We apply a spatula to the insulation and tap it with a mallet.
5. We start caulking from the bottom seam. We process it around the perimeter of the bathhouse and only after that we begin to caulk the second one.

Instructions for caulking baths with tow

To prevent insects from infesting the insulation, it must be treated with a disinfectant solution. To caulk a log house with tow, you will need an antiseptic (formalin), water, tow (from 40 rubles per kilogram).

Thermal insulation occurs step by step:

• We make a formaldehyde solution (antiseptic).
• Soak the tow in it for 30 minutes.
• We drive the insulation into the inter-crown gap using tools.
• Tap the spatula with a mallet to compact the material as tightly as possible.

Method of caulking baths with jute

This is the caulking method. First you need to decide on the type of jute. Then prepare it for insulation. To caulk the log house as efficiently as possible, we will need jute (about 6 rubles per linear meter), resin or bitumen (if we use jute felt), formaldehyde (if we use jute tow).

The process should follow the following sequence:

1. We prepare the material for work. If necessary, soak it.
2. We twist the jute into strands and hammer them into the inter-crown gap of the bottom seam.
3. We caulk the edges.
4. We straighten the seam using a road builder.
5. We move on to each tier sequentially.

Please note that before work you need to clear 2-3 cm of space around the chimney pipe. When insulated, the structure rises to a height of about 10 cm. Therefore, it can damage the masonry.

Caulking the log bathhouse with synthetic sealant

Caulking work using sealants is carried out quickly. The main thing is to choose best option material. We will need a sealing cord, sealant (about 200 rubles), a brush or spatula for smoothing, and a mounting gun.

We insulate the log house in stages:

• Place sealing cord into the gaps and cracks.
• We fill all the cracks around the perimeter with sealant in layers. To do this we use a mounting gun.
• Carefully apply the mixture to the corner cuts.
• Spray all the inter-crown seams with water.
• Smooth out the sealant using a spatula or brush.
• Remove excess from the beams using a damp cloth.

All Finishing work carried out after thermal insulation. The structure rises, and therefore can damage the cladding.

The bath caulking technology is shown in the video:

For high-quality insulation of a log house, it is necessary to carry out both external and internal caulking. If you choose the right material and follow the step-by-step instructions, then all the work can be easily done independently, even without relevant experience.

Caulking a log house with your own hands is a rather complicated and tedious task. This is filling between timber or logs of the walls of a house with fibrous insulating materials, for example, tow, felt or moss, as well as other insulating materials.

When erecting the walls of wooden houses, inter-crown insulation is laid between the beams or logs, but it does not fill all the cracks and spaces. The process of shrinking a new log frame lasts for 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 to caulk it should be about 5 years after construction.

How to caulk a log house correctly? Even in such simple work, beginners often have questions.

You should start caulking with lower crown log house and fill it completely, without moving to another crown. Only after finishing the caulking of the lower crown should you move on to the next one. 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.

• Stretch - the insulating material must be stretched along the fibers and inserted into the gap using a special tool. The gap should be filled completely, but pieces of tow should be left protruding 5 cm on both sides. Roll the insulation into a roller, wrap it around the remaining ends and stuff it into the gap using caulk.

• In a set - in this case, from the material wound into a ball, you need to collect loops and seal the cracks with them until they are completely filled. If the spaces between the beams are wide, then this method will suit you better than the previous one.

When caulking a log house with your own hands, special attention should be paid to the corners of the log house. It is inconvenient to carry out work there, so it must be done with special care.

Caulking of a log house made of timber.

Caulk timber walls follows along the perimeter, starting from the bottom. You cannot caulk one wall and leave the rest. After all, the timber rises a little and the walls turn out to be of different heights.

When caulking wooden log house made of timber, it may be that there is no gap at all and there is no way to insert the insulation there. Look on the other side of the gap, from the outside, there is a wide gap there.

Caulking of a log house made of rounded logs.

From walls built using ordinary or rounded timber, the insulating material on the outside very quickly erodes. Therefore, it is very important to carry out high-quality caulking of a house made of rounded timber. But you shouldn’t overdo it here either; if you pack the insulation too much, you can tear the logs apart from each other. First, it is carried out from the outside, and then inside the log house.

Do-it-yourself caulking of log walls is carried out first from the outside and only then from interior wall. All walls of the log house should be caulked, otherwise the walls will warp. You will need more material for a log house than for a timber one.

Even when subsequently finishing the external facade of the house, it is necessary to caulk the outside. This will not only insulate the room, but will not allow moisture to accumulate in the spaces of the walls and rot the logs. So, whichever finishing material you haven’t chosen, you can’t do without caulking a wooden house.

• Jute insulation.

Jute insulation material is by far the most common insulation material, having successfully replaced traditional tow. Jute is imported from India and China. In terms of its characteristics, it surpasses all similar materials and is cheaper in price. Therefore, caulking a log house with jute is an excellent option for insulating a house.

Detailed video of the correct caulk:

Caulking a log house is a painstaking process that requires patience and great effort. Everything matters here: the tool, the quality of the material, the sequence of work. Without the appropriate experience, not everyone can properly caulk a log house, so first you need to familiarize yourself with the technology, study caulking methods, and choose the right inter-crown insulation.

Caulking of a log house is carried out in two stages - immediately after construction and after some time, when shrinkage occurs. Primary (or rough) caulking can be carried out in two ways: with laying insulation during the process of assembling the walls or performing one-time work upon completion of construction.

1 way

Lay the bottom row of logs on the base.

Then the insulation is spread on top so that the ends of the material hang evenly on both sides. Next, lay the second crown, and again a layer of insulation. This is repeated until the very top of the log house. After all work on the construction of the log house is completed and the roof is installed, the protruding ends of the seal are driven into the gaps between the beams using caulking.

Method 2

Caulking begins after installation roofing system to the log house Insulation (preferably tape) is applied to the seam of the bottom row and, using a tool, is pushed into the gaps between the logs along the entire length, leaving hanging edges 5-7 cm wide. Then these edges are folded in, formed into a roller and hammered inside the seam. Repeat the procedure in the next row and so on until the top of the structure.

The second stage of caulking is carried out after shrinkage of the log house - after 1-2 years. The selected insulation is applied to the cracks between the crowns and driven tightly inside. You should always start work from the bottom row, and be sure to do it along the perimeter of the log house.

You cannot caulk one wall first, then the second, and so on. In addition, each row is caulked both from the outside and from the outside. inside to avoid distortions in the structure. The insulation raises the frame by 5-10 cm, and its uneven distribution contributes to the vertical deviation of the walls. In some cases, the log house is caulked for the third time - 5-6 years after construction. During this time, the wood completely shrinks and new gaps form.

There are two ways of caulking - “set” and “stretched”. The first is used to eliminate wide gaps between logs, the second is usually used during primary caulking, when the gaps are still narrow.

To work, you need tools - a set of caulking tools, a road worker and a mallet. As a rule, metal caulks are used, although many craftsmen make them themselves from hardwood.

Name	Description	What is it used for?
	Flat metal or wooden spatula. Blade width 100 mm, thickness 5-6 mm	The main tool for filling gaps between crowns
	Flat chisel with a blade width of 50-60 mm and a thickness of up to 5 mm	Used to seal seams in corners and rounded areas of a log house
	The caulk is triangular in shape with a longitudinal groove along the blade. Width - 170 mm, thickness 8-15 mm	Tool for forming even rollers from twisted strands of compaction
	Thick and narrow wedge up to 35 mm wide	Widens narrow gaps, making it easier to fill with insulation
	Wooden hammer	Used for filling the seal with wooden caulks

The caulking blades should not be sharp, otherwise when driving the material they will cut it. Pay special attention to the surface of the blades: if it is rough, the insulation fibers will cling and be pulled back out of the seams.

Caulking materials

The following materials are used as inter-crown insulation:

• red and white moss;
• tow;
• felt;
• jute;
• flax wool

Type of material	Description
	Environmentally friendly material with antiseptic properties. If you independently procure raw materials, the costs of insulating the log house will be minimal. It is usually collected in late autumn, when there are no snails and fewer insects. Immediately after collection, the moss is sorted, lumps of earth and debris are removed, and slightly dried. There is no need to dry it too much, otherwise the stems will become too brittle and unusable. Purchased moss must be soaked before caulking to make installation easier. Pros: durability, low thermal conductivity, resistance to temperature changes, environmental friendliness, antimicrobial properties, low cost. Cons: difficult to find on the market, requires protection from birds, requires pre-treatment before installation
	Tow is suitable for the initial caulking of a log house and for sealing the crowns after shrinkage. It is made from flax fibers, and depending on their quality, it is divided into bale and roll (tape). Rolled fiber consists of shorter and stiffer fibers, which makes it difficult to stuff between the crowns. Tape tow is better in quality, softer and more convenient for caulking. Pros: has low thermal conductivity, does not electrify, is highly absorbent and dries quickly, has bactericidal properties. Disadvantages: labor-intensive installation, unaesthetic appearance of seams after caulking.
	Until recently, natural felt was widely used in the insulation of log houses. Now its composition is supplemented with synthetic and plant fibers, which significantly improve its individual properties. And yet, felt insulation without additives has a number of advantages: it has high vapor permeability, does not allow odors to pass through, provides good noise insulation, has low thermal conductivity, is easy to use, and is environmentally friendly. Cons: susceptible to rotting, easily damaged by moths
	Traditional insulation materials are increasingly being replaced by materials such as jute. It is available in the form of fibers, ropes of any thickness, and also in the form of tape. Tape jute is soft and pliable, compacts evenly, and is used for both primary and repeated caulking. It is more convenient to use jute fibers and ropes after shrinkage of the log house. Pros: it is durable, not damaged by moths and other insects, does not rot, and provides a favorable microclimate in the building. Cons: the material cakes quickly, short service life.

Prices for tow

Primary caulking “stretched”

The whole process is divided into two stages - laying insulation between the logs during the construction of a log house and the caulking itself. The insulation is laid after installation of each crown. If moss is used, it should be slightly damp.

Take a large bunch of moss and lay it in fibers across the log so that the ends of the fibers hang down on both sides by 5-7 cm. The next bunch lies close together.

The fibers must be evenly distributed over the surface, forming a layer of equal thickness. The wood should not show through the moss, so make the insulation layer thicker. It is better to put too much than not to add, because a thin layer will not be able to effectively protect the seams from blowing.

If used tape insulation, installation is much easier and faster: the tape is rolled out along the crown and secured with staples construction stapler. When the tape runs out, the new piece is overlapped by 5 cm so that there are no gaps at the joints. After the entire row around the perimeter is covered with insulation, the second crown is installed.

So, the log house has been erected, the roof has been installed, and the walls can be caulked.

The procedure for caulking and sealing cracks after shrinkage of a log house

It is more convenient if the insulation is tape, then forming a roller out of it is much faster. When twisting the material, it must be slightly stretched along the seam, which promotes greater compaction and uniform distribution of the insulation. Sometimes the thickness of the roller is not sufficient to fill the gap, then they take additional strands and wrap them in the hanging ends of the material. After this, the thickened roller is driven into the gap.

If during the construction process insulation was not laid between the logs, caulking is performed in the manner described above, only more material will be needed. It is necessary to apply it to the seams with the fibers across. The longitudinal arrangement of the fibers will not provide the required density; the material will not be able to be firmly fixed and will constantly crawl out of the grooves. When choosing a tape compactor, make sure that the width of the tape is several centimeters greater than the thickness of the log. Edges that are too short are difficult to tuck, and therefore the quality of caulking will be poor.

1. The edge of the tape is laid on the ground near the corner of the log house and retreated along the wall, unwinding the roll. The material cannot be pulled, it should simply lie in an even strip on the ground. It is very important that the tape does not twist during the unwinding process. Having reached the second corner, the roll is also left lying, nothing is cut off yet.

   

2. Return to the beginning of the tape, take it by the edge and apply it over the seam. Using a caulking blade, press the tape in the middle, leaving the edges to protrude by 5-7 cm. In this way, the entire inter-crown seam is passed.

   

   Insert insulation into the seam

3. Measure out another 25-30 cm of tape and only then cut it off the roll. This reserve will allow you to hammer the grooves more tightly without adding insulation.
4. Now, little by little, straightening and tucking the edges of the material, they begin to caulk the seam. The tape should completely disappear into the gap between the logs along with the reserve.

   

5. As a rule, one layer of tape is not enough for high-quality filling, so everything will have to be repeated two or even three more times.
6. The finished seam should protrude from the grooves no more than 3-4 mm and be of uniform thickness.

   

Prices for caulk

caulk

If the gaps between the crowns are very wide, caulking is used “in a set”. For these purposes, tow, hemp ropes or jute cords are used. Long strands are formed from tow and wound into a ball. Finished cords or ropes are also wound into balls for convenience.

Start from the edge of the lower crown:

• clear the gap, removing loose chips and debris;
• unwind a small amount of cord, fold it into loops and push it into the gap with caulk;
• seal the loops first in the upper part of the gap, then in the lower part;
• put another strand on top, now without loops, and level it with a road maker.

Further along the seam, the strands are laid in one layer until the next gap. The more densely the voids are clogged, the better insulation. Try not to leave hanging fibers: firstly, they spoil the appearance of the wall, and secondly, the seal can be pulled away by birds. Having finished caulking the first row, they move on to the second, and everyone repeats in exactly the same way.

To make the log house decorative, you can hammer a jute cord along the entire length of the seams.

Caulking corners

The corners are caulked separately after the work on the walls is completed. It is also more convenient to use tape insulation here.

Since the seams between the logs at the corners have a semicircular shape, you will need a curved caulk.

Step 1. The tape is positioned vertically. Take it by the edge, apply it to the corner seam and press it inward with caulk. They step back a little and drive the material into the gap again.

Step 2. As soon as the insulation has been secured a little, they begin to tuck the protruding edges and drive them deeper into the cracks.

Step 3. After filling and leveling the top seam, move on to the second. The material must be constantly straightened and stretched a little so that it lies more evenly.

This is how the entire corner is sequentially compacted. The seams should not protrude more than 5 mm, otherwise the appearance will be sloppy.

Video - How to caulk a corner of a log house

Caulking a log house with sealants

Caulking of log houses with special sealants, which are easy to apply, give the seams a very aesthetic appearance and reliably protect against blowing, is gaining popularity. If the log house is made of rounded logs or laminated veneer lumber, and jute is laid as insulation between the crowns, you can only use sealant and a rope made of foamed polyethylene. Sealing of seams is carried out no earlier than shrinkage of the log house occurs.

Step 1. The joints between the logs are cleaned of dust and clogged debris and wiped dry with a rag.

Step 2. A primer primer is applied along the perimeter of the seams using a brush or sprayer. If work is carried out in winter, the primer should be rubber-based, summer time- on the water.

Step 3. After the primer has dried, a rope of foamed polyethylene is inserted into the seams, the diameter of which is selected according to the width of the gap.

Step 4. Apply sealant. They use the composition in tubes, which is applied using mounting gun, in buckets and in the form of a tape. The last option is very easy to use: remove the tape from one side protective film, apply to the seam, press with your hand and roll with a roller.

Step 5. After sealing all inter-crown joints, remove the outer layer of film so that the sealant hardens. Finally, the joints are coated with colorless varnish or a tinting compound is applied, depending on the color of the sealant.

When applying the composition with a spatula or from a tube, the sealant should be smoothed and excess should be removed with a damp cloth.

If the logs for the log house were harvested by hand, more uneven gaps will form during shrinkage. Here, one sealant and a polyethylene cord will not be enough. In such cases, caulking is performed in the traditional way, after which the seams are sealed with sealant. After such treatment, there is no need for subsequent caulking.

Video - How to caulk a log house

High-quality caulking is one of the most important guarantees of its reliable thermal insulation. Neglecting this process is highly discouraged, because what is at stake is the comfort and healthy microclimate of the steam room. But how to properly caulk a log house in order to avoid even the possibility of the formation of voids, which can negate all the thermal properties of the structure? We will look into this in detail further: we will learn the features of materials for protecting a bathhouse - jute, tow and moss, we will get acquainted with the rules and technologies of caulking, and also watch a video of direct work with a log house.

Materials for caulking

Traditional materials for caulking baths made of timber are moss, tow and jute. Let us outline the main features of each of them.

• Moss. Environmentally friendly raw materials with high antiseptic qualities. Advantages: minimal thermal conductivity, high resistance to temperature changes, low cost. Disadvantages: the need for lengthy preparation for work. Purchased moss must be moistened and then dried before installation. If you collect the material yourself, you need to carefully sort it out to remove debris and soil, and also dry it.

Advice. There is no need to completely dry the moss, otherwise it will become brittle and completely unsuitable for caulking.

• Tow. Material with a base of soft but durable flax fibers. Advantages: low thermal conductivity, minimal tendency to electrify, high absorbency, quick drying. Disadvantages: complexity of installation and unaesthetic seams remaining after caulking.
• Jute. Thermal insulation material made of jute wood. Advantages: high strength, minimal hygroscopicity, inertness to rot, resistance to moisture, ease of installation. Disadvantages: rapid caking of the material and short service life.

Materials for caulking

General caulking rules

The main features of caulking baths made of timber:

• Caulking must be done twice: the first - either directly during the process of laying the timber, or immediately after assembling the frame of the building, the second - after the final shrinkage of the log house, that is, a year or two later.

Advice. If you carry out caulking after the construction of the bathhouse is completed, do it before exterior finishing object, because sealing material will raise the frame by 5-7 cm.

• Insulation must be laid on each row of timber.
• Thermal insulation raw materials should protrude 5 cm beyond the boundaries of the log grooves on both sides of the log house.
• Caulking must be done both on the outside and on the inside of the walls of the bathhouse.
• The log house must be processed in a clear sequence: first, close the external voids around the perimeter bottom trim, then perform similar actions on the inside of the building; then go outside again and process the second crown of the frame - repeat the procedure from the inside. Using the same scheme, step by step, protect the entire internal and external surfaces of the walls.

Caulking process

Caulking technologies

There are two ways to caulk a log house – “stretch” and “set”.

The stretching technology is appropriate if the voids between the beams are very narrow - almost invisible. The material is laid as follows:

• form strands of insulation;
• lay the resulting strands across the fibers into the voids of the log house, pushing them with a wooden spatula;
• Tuck the edges of the material (about 5 cm) and use caulking to hammer them into the cracks.

If the voids between the rows of timber are deep and wide, it is advisable to use the “in-set” caulking technology:

• form long strands of at least 15 mm in thickness from the heat-insulating material and wind them into a continuous ball;
• Gradually unwinding the ball, fill the voids of the log house with material, compacting it with caulk;
• To get aesthetic seams, carefully go over the material with a road worker.

Advice. Where the cracks are different sizes, gain the thickness of the filler by turning the strands or simply twisting them into loops. In this case, first close top part voids, and then the lower one.

As you can see, caulking a bathhouse is a painstaking process, the success of which depends on several factors: the quality of the material, the technology of its installation and the sequence of work. To cope with the task and provide a steam room good thermal insulation, carefully consider each of the indicated nuances and be patient, because caulking cannot be rushed.

How to caulk a house made of timber: video

How to caulk a bathhouse: photo