How to properly caulk a bath from a bar. Do-it-yourself caulking at home from a log house: tasks, stages, working tools and materials When can you caulk raw bath round timber

The safety of a log bath building to a large extent depends on the choice of what and how to caulk the bath, the ability to correctly identify future problems with the crowns, and the ability to work with the tool. First of all, you need to know which interventional insulation to choose for the bath. You can, of course, give up and seal the joints with silicone, but this will only aggravate the situation. It’s better to do a full-fledged caulking of the bath with your own hands.

Why you need to caulk a bathhouse

Masters usually answer such a question simply - so that the log house does not rot and fall apart. Without a sealant, a log box becomes a cold, eternally creaking hut. If you do not caulk the bath and close the seams hermetically, then the supporting surfaces of the crowns will rot in a year or two and the log house will simply “sit down” or fall on its side to the north.

In addition to choosing how to caulk a log bath, it is important to do the job correctly, so we will try to understand the tools used, the tool and the rules for caulking a bath.

For high-quality sealing of seams you will need:

• Investment jute, linen tow or any other type of sealant with a fiber structure, proven over the years;
• A set of tools - a wooden hammer, a stuffed spatula, a wedge knife and a hook for stripping a seam or an electric strobe;
• Brush with stiff bristles;
• Joiner's measure.

Advice! There are few tools, but all of them will be required for work. The first time they can be rented. After the first practical experience appears, it becomes clear how to properly caulk a bath, then you can buy a good set or make it yourself.

If there is a desire to close the seams with a sealant, since there are quite a lot of different brands and types for the needs of the bath, then in this case no tool other than a nozzle gun for a tube with a liquid polymer is needed at all. It is possible and necessary to seal the joints with sealant for the log cabin in one day, the technology requires laying the pasty mass in two passes with a difference of no more than four hours. Any violation of the process can lead to peeling of the sealant, while it is possible to caulk the log cabin of the bath in a couple of days with interruptions.

Choosing a stuffing material

Traditionally, seams and joints between wooden parts are sealed with a moisture-resistant, durable and necessarily easily deformable material. Interventional insulation for a bath can be made from:

• Synthetic fibers of polypropylene, for example, in the form of a tape of woven and non-woven structures;
• Organic fibers, primarily jute cords and linen tow;
• Natural plant fibers from certain types of moss for the bath.

Note! Sometimes there is a problem of choosing what is better than moss or jute for a bath or trying to determine before starting work what is better to caulk with synthetics or organics. You need to choose based on the degree of shrinkage of the log cabin of the bath and the size of the seam between the crowns.

What is better moss or tow for a bath

Today, both materials are recognized as the most durable and reliable of all traditional fiber seals. In both cases, the decisive factor is not even the appearance, but the quality of the preparation of the material.

Moss is recognized by all masters as a universal tool for sealing crowns. Most often they try to caulk the bath with red or white moss. Plant bundles are harvested 2-3 weeks before the start of work. Before caulking the bath, remove debris and dry the moss under a canopy, periodically turning over and shaking the layers.

The organic mass should remain slightly moist. After drying, the fibers turn into a springy and strong structure, like a wire.

Caulking walls with moss is not difficult, you just need to correctly measure the amount of material and the force of hitting the blade with a hammer. The easiest way is to caulk the seams immediately on a new log house, after assembling the walls of the bath. After shrinkage, after a year and a half, the procedure will have to be repeated with the same material.

Note! Often, the masters who undertook to caulk the walls of the bath tell stories about the bactericidal properties of mosses, the ability of the plant to germinate and completely fill the gap between the crowns.

In fact, the compactor can bloom and turn green only if the birds dragged seeds and grass in the spring. If you caulk with organic matter, then the sealant can easily become a source of problems, from the appearance of fungus to green sprouts. Therefore, moss for a bath still needs to be able to prepare for caulking. Overdried - the material becomes brittle and does not hold well in the gap, too wet moss is very difficult to caulk into the seam.

How difficult is it to caulk the walls of the bath with tow

Tow or bundled, combed flax fibers are safer than moss or jute. Due to the soft and thin structure, working with linen material is more difficult than with any other seals. Tow is convenient to caulk the seams on the walls of the bath from cylindering. Interventional gaps on chopped buildings turn out to be too large, so the fiber has to be folded into several loops. Technologically, this does not affect the quality, but it can seriously delay the caulking process in time.

Linen tow, due to the small amount of non-drying oils remaining in the fabrics, has the best damping qualities of all possible seals, both natural and synthetic. Sauna tow is very well suited for sealing corner locks, especially hand-cut ones. When shrinking, it does not emit frightening squeaks and sounds, the process itself occurs without any complications.

The only drawback is the low durability of flax fiber. In a log house, tow caulk will last up to 5 years, in a sauna the fiber burns out in 2-3 years.

jute fiber

The mechanically combed stalks of jute hemp Jute Tassa give a tough and at the same time strong fiber, which is used not only as a sealant on the walls of the bath, it is an ideal material for containers and technical fabrics. Jute is produced in the form of coils, ribbons, cords, which allows you to caulk cracks on the walls of the bath many times faster than when using tow and moss.

Technical jute has only two drawbacks:

• High hygroscopicity;
• Susceptibility to rotting with prolonged soaking.

Jute for a bath is interesting because in the process of shrinkage it ideally fills the interventional space, especially if the log house is built from chopped logs. In this case, you only need to caulk with jute fiber and a cord.

If, according to the project, the bath building is planned to be lined with decorative trim, the jute rope will simply rot in a couple of years. Tapes are laid to seal the crowns of a new log house, it is good to finish the open surfaces of the walls of the bath with a rope.

In fact, jute occupies an intermediate position between dense and hard moss and soft linen tow.

Synthetic materials

In addition to natural fibers, a bath can be caulked with more modern materials, for example, a composite cord, consisting of half of polypropylene threads and wool fibers. This type of caulking ensures that the seal is firmly held even when the gap expands.

Caulking with synthetics is much more difficult, in addition, polypropylene burns out and crumbles under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, so it is best to use seals made from natural materials for a bath.

Stuffing technology

The process itself looks easy. In theory, it is necessary to caulk the crowns of a successfully built bath twice, immediately after construction and upon completion of the shrinkage processes. In practice, caulking is done every three years, especially if the log has not been polished and cylindered.

First of all, before caulking the bath, you need to inspect the seams, check and release the joint line from the old burned-out sealant. If the gaps of the interventional space of the bath are supposed to be caulked with a cord or cord, then you will first need to measure the maximum drawdown of the crowns with a caliber.

This is done in order to determine the uniformity of shrinkage of the bath building. If on one side the sealant is pinched and pressed, and on the other side it fell out of the slots, then before caulking the box, it is necessary to determine the reasons for the uneven settlement of the log house. At the same time, we specify the required thickness of the rope made of jute or linen hemp.

Seal material with tape

The easiest way is to caulk the bath with a tape seal. After measuring the slots, it becomes clear what width the tape should be used in this section of the log house. One end of the roll is fixed in the gap at the corner, the sealing strip is carefully unwound along the wall without twisting, a margin of 20-25 cm is left and cut off.

The ribbon laid out on the slot is carefully tucked into the gap so that the material does not sag and is not stretched. Caulking starts from the widest edge, using a hammer and a wooden spatula with a rubber tip. The ribbon is inserted into the slot with light blows. It will be necessary to make 3-4 passes so that the sealant evenly and completely comes butt between the crowns.

It will be necessary to caulk three or four pieces of tape before the desired density of the seam can be achieved.

Note! In this way, the gaps around the entire perimeter of the crown are sealed before it is possible to move to the next higher level.

If you caulk the entire wall at once, then one edge of the log house can rise by more than the thickness of the log, which will lead to a break in the upper rows of the bath.

Caulker joints tow

The procedure for sealing the interventional space with bundles of fibers, such as tow or linen yarn, looks a little more complicated. After cleaning the seam between the logs, the future place of laying the tow is overwritten with a mixture of formaldehyde, alcohol and linseed oil. It is possible to impregnate individual cords with a disinfectant mixture before laying them in the bath wall.

You need to caulk the wall of the bath in the same sequence as when using the tape. If the thickness of the seam is small, then the material can be laid immediately by folding cords 2-3 mm thick from the fiber. A tightly twisted roller of tow applied to the gap, without blows, is gently crushed with a spatula into the gap.

For the next pass, a thicker cord is rolled from the tow, about 3-4 mm, this time the seam must be caulked with effort. For the last pass, a thick rope is rolled up, sometimes up to 8 mm. The material is hammered into the slot so that the edge protrudes above the line of the bath crowns by no more than 3-4 mm.

If there are wide cavities between the crowns, they are caulked with additional ropes twisted from tow with a lubricant from any elastic rubber-based glue. In the same way, cracks in the logs of the walls of the bath are hammered. The repaired areas are additionally rubbed with acrylic paste.

Conclusion

Before caulking a bath, it is best to practice on a small area in order to assess how correctly the embedding is performed, and at the same time measure how high the top log of the crown rises. With too much effort, the log house can rise by 10-15 cm, on a soft sealant the walls quickly settle into place, on a hard synthetic material, the shrinkage process can take several weeks.

Buildings from logs take their origins from ancient times. Wood is the warmest material for building a house or bath. 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 house. Why should this be done?

• firstly, caulking insulates the house (bath) properly;
• secondly, it fills the gaps between the logs, that is, it creates comfort, warmth in your home in any frost;
• thirdly, it prevents the penetration of dampness 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 in order to insulate your home.

See also: How aluminum foil is used to insulate a bath

In the modern world, the range of heaters that can be used for caulking a log house has expanded greatly. This includes such materials:

1. 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 several negative points: with its excessive moisture, the wood rots. And when overdried, it breaks and crumbles.
2. Tow. The log house is very good for caulking because it is an excellent material for thermal insulation. Consists of hemp and flax waste. Tow, like moss, prevents decay.
3. Felt. It cannot be called the best option for caulking. Because it has the lowest strength and the highest probability of decay. It also needs to be impregnated with a special agent to prevent the appearance of moths, which are likely to settle in the layers of felt.
4. Jute. A material that can be safely called one of the best for caulking. It is high-strength, dense, resistant to decay and moths. It 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 away when the wood dries up.

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 is laid on damp bars.

Jute ribbons can be found in skeins of different thicknesses and widths. Most craftsmen prefer jute caulking because it 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.

1. Lnovatin. 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 made immediately after the assembly of the house. But for the seams to be airtight, the first insulation is not enough. After a short amount of time, the log structure dries out and sags. As a result, new holes appear. In winter, heat comes out through them, and outside or inside the building is covered with frost. And excessive moisture is not good for a wooden structure.

Therefore, after 1-1.5 years after the beam dries up and sags, it is necessary to re-caulk. The third time they caulk the log house immediately before finishing the walls, when the house is completely dry and sits down, after about 3 years.

How to caulk a log house

Caulking a log house can be done in two ways: stretched and in a set.

1. Stretch caulking. If narrow gaps prevail on the log house, then it is better to use the stretching method in this case. It is performed as follows: a gap is covered with a bundle of tow, and stuffed inside with a chisel-caulk, until the entire space is filled. At the same time, the edge of four to five centimeters is left free. A roll rolled from tow is wrapped with a free edge. Intertwining, it is hammered between the crowns with a hammer and a caulk. The quality of the work done can be checked by pulling lightly on the roller. If it doesn't stretch, then it's a job well done. If pulled out, then the gap is not filled enough.
2. Caulking into a set. If there are large and wide gaps in the structure, the “set-up” method is performed. Its essence lies in the fact that the cracks are filled with tow, long bundles wound into a skein. In this case, the thickness of the loop is approximately the same in size as the gap. First of all, the top of the gap is clogged with a sealer with a type-setting caulk, and after that everything is leveled with the help of a “road builder”.

It must be remembered that it is necessary to carry out the caulk correctly, starting from the lowest crown around the entire perimeter, gradually rising up. And this procedure is carried out in parallel outside and inside. Because if you carry out the caulking of one wall, then the structure can be deformed. The same will happen if you caulk only outside.

It is also necessary to remember that it is not necessary to 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 building!

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

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.

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

Recently, builders are increasingly wondering how to caulk a bathhouse with jute. With that meant rolled 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 the previous material, this one also needs to be treated with mixtures against decay 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 confidently say 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.

  The better to caulk a log house

  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.
• Following the compaction process, gaps may appear into which fragments of insulation are inserted. If tow was used, a tourniquet of a certain thickness is rolled up 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.

As for the caulking of a log house made of logs, there are advantages and disadvantages. It would seem that the frame is also made of wood, what could be the differences, except for its picturesque appearance and simplicity in the design process. The fact is that round 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 are broken.

Caulking of log cabins from logs does not differ significantly in technology from the insulation of ordinary log cabins with tow, but there are still some differences:

1. Since rounded logs are almost perfectly shaped, there are small gaps between them, unlike ordinary log cabins.
2. For a log house made of logs, you will need much less insulation for caulking, which is an indisputable advantage.
3. 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 tarred tow or modern acrylic-rubber-based sealant.
4. In the process of caulking a log house from rounded logs, it is necessary to have extensive experience in this type of work, since, taking into account the minimum dimensions of the seams, there is a high risk of overfilling the interventional insulation, and this may lead to a warp of the log house.

   Therefore, it is best to invite a professional for this work. After carrying out a high-quality caulking of a log house made of rounded logs, a roller of insulation - jute tape or flax wool, should resemble a punching with a linen rope or a 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 caulked, in winter this can cause big problems associated with heat loss.

How to properly caulk a log house

Cold air will penetrate into small, at first glance, corner joints and cracks, significantly lowering the temperature in the house, and it is quite difficult to identify such places. That is why such stringent requirements are imposed on the caulking of a log house made of logs.

Even the smallest cracks and crevices should be filled with insulation to the maximum tightly and efficiently, and caulking should be done not only outside, but also inside the log house. Although, in high-quality logs there are almost no gaps left, neither outside nor inside.

The most optimal for a log house made of rounded logs is considered to be “roller” caulk, 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 hard to the touch and impossible to pull out with your hands, even if you try very hard. If the caulk passed this test, it means that the work was carried out with a really high quality, the house will retain heat well, and even with temperature changes, the insulation will not dry out and fall out.

The biggest advantage of 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 for the full experience of warmth, a village must work hard.

It is necessary to carefully close the cracks between the logs of the log, thereby isolating the rooms from the icy ice.

How to make a log house

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, record the rope with your own hands: after the trailer structure in the house of the room is tightly packed with natural-based insulating material (such as moss, hemp, yarn).

Then the wooden cottage was completely protected from the weather, and the heat-insulated seams adequately played the role of a protective “jacket”.

So far, the ancient technology is still in the process, only the tools and materials to work have been improved.

The builders systematized this process by developing two algorithms for constructing poles.

Is it always necessary to remove the frame?

Wooden housing construction is now much easier because workers do not manually pre-process the log and do not receive sanded, dry and adapted building material sizes. Whereas an agrarian family used to take several years on a log layout, a modern, elegant eco-house literally grows within a few weeks.

Let's look at all the ways to build a wooden house in a wooden house and indicate if each of them needs manure.

• Windshield wipers from hand magazines

This is an old way to build a wooden house, which is still popular among enthusiastic fans of antiquity.

Its complexity lies in the long and problematic selection of approximately the same thick trees and subsequent manual adjustment of the required size.

Not many people choose such "hard work", but in the end, they get a replica of an old Russian farmhouse.

Masters involved in logging should have a good knowledge of all carpentry work.

Traditionally, on the outside of the house, the façade remained undulating, but for the interior walls, the beams were processed so that the rooms had smooth smooth surfaces.

During construction, workers are forced to constantly compensate for curtain wall distortion due to non-flying billet shapes. A number of repairs and features form a natural material that results in the interior allowing for increased shrinkage (up to 25%!), so they must be particularly accurate with insulation gaps.

Konopatka's diary is held 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.



• Round beam logs

The sticks used during operation are installed at the factory.

On lathes, the workpiece is fastened with a fastening mechanism, and then crushed by a treadmill to a certain depth. In addition to the automatic fit, the material is carefully dried and treated with a protective impregnation (against insects, flames and water).

This produces full round logs of the same diameter, in which the collected grooves are often cut to the mill.

Assemble items, easy, no need to constantly adjust the crown to each other, so that the workers involved in the assembly of the house cannot be fully skilled in carpentry skills.

Handbag protectors have a rounded diary that has lost its geography. This means that, depending on the perfectly smooth piece, you can't figure out where north is, the more stress-resistant side and some of the stronger layers of wood are lost.

But these shortcomings are not so painful in the reputation of building materials, since they provide a record speed for the 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 recycling can be completely avoided (depending on the quality of the substrate used).

• Log house made of laminated veneer

For the construction of a wooden house, special square-shaped squares are used, consisting of glued lamellas of the same thickness (2-5 pieces). The material is carefully dried during the production process and treated with protective agents and adhesives with properties that must meet stringent environmental requirements (DIN, EN, 204) and water resistance (level D4).

At the factory, one side of the beam is attached to the sealing surface, and builders only need to seal the log joints.

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 small shrinkage values ​​(up to 2%), hulls with glued beams should not get stuck. The building can be immediately occupied, walls, ceilings and floors can be decorated with a decorative protective coating.

logs are laid with insulating material. It can be hemp, felt, tow or dried moss.

In order to seal the junction of the logs even better, caulking is carried out, driving in the sealing material with the help of special tools.

What is the best way to caulk a log house?

You can caulk, as we said a little higher, with felt, moss, tow or hemp. Choose the material that is more accessible to you.

It should be remembered that each of them requires preliminary preparation.

If you decide to punch a bath with moss, as it has been done for centuries in Russia, then the moss must first be dried. Wet moss can lead to rotting of log logs, and too dry (overdried) will crumble.

If you opted for felt, then do not forget to soak it with a solution of formalin or any other substance that prevents moth breeding. Otherwise, you run the risk of soon finding a lot of moth larvae eating felt with pleasure.

The same applies to the package.
After impregnation, felt or tow should be dried.

Recently, many people prefer to use materials such as jute and lnovatin when building a bath.

Jute is a heater which is made from a jute tree (linden family). Its distinctive features are high strength and very low hygroscopicity. Even at very high relative humidity, jute insulation remains almost dry.

Lnovatin has recently received no less popularity. This is a material obtained from flax production waste and produced in the form of tapes, which are convenient to use in construction.

Logging tools

In order to make caulking more convenient, special caulks have long been used.

Most often, the following are used: a type-setting caulk, a crooked caulk, a road builder, a broken caulk and a mallet, which is used to strike caulks.

You can see what they look like in the picture below.

Where to start caulking a log house?

Like any of the works in the construction of a bath, caulking also has its own nuances that you should know before you start caulking a log house with your own hands.

As a result of caulking, each of the walls becomes slightly higher (from 5 to 15 cm). Therefore, it is impossible to caulk the walls in turn, so that the log house does not warp.

Caulking starts from the bottom groove between the logs and goes along the perimeter of the entire bath. After that, they go to the groove, which is higher, and also caulk it around the entire perimeter, after which they go higher. So all the walls will rise evenly and the frame will not warp.

If by this time the stove has already been installed, then in order not to damage the chimney, you should temporarily free up some free space around it in the ceiling and roof of the bath.

Methods for caulking a log house

When caulking a log house, they most often caulk “in set” and “stretched”.

Caulker "in set"

"Vnabor" usually caulk wide grooves and slots. To do this, the sealing material is twisted into long strands 15-20 mm thick and wound into a ball.

Filling the free space between the logs, the material is compacted with caulks.

First, along the upper edge, then along the lower, after which they are passed by the road builder.

Caulker "stretched"

Insulating material with this type of caulking is applied to the groove or slot and pushed inward by hands, after which its edges are tucked and forcefully clogged with caulking inside.

In the video below, you can see how the caulking of the log house is correctly performed after shrinkage (click on the triangle to play):

Now you know, how to properly caulk a log house during the construction of the bath. Next time we'll talk about how to properly polish the log house.

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Many are already looking at wooden houses in the form of a log house. After all, they look beautiful and quite warm inside. Indeed, during the construction of a building, insulation is laid between the crowns of logs, this gives additional confidence in the quality of the log house.

But several years pass and after the complete shrinkage of the house, all kinds of cracks and crevices appear. This not only makes the house cold, but also spoils the appearance. In addition, uncovered cracks are the places where mold and rot will appear first of all, which will later lead to damage to the building.

To prevent this from happening after the shrinkage of the building, the caulking of the log house is carried out. There are several ways of this procedure, depending on the material chosen, in this article we will consider them.

Log Caulking Material

Caulking log house can be produced in various materials. If during the assembly of the building, insulating jute was used and its ends protrude properly, then this will be enough to perform the necessary manipulations as described below and you will not need additional material.

If no insulation was used during the assembly of the log house or its ends do not protrude from the slots, you will have several options regarding the choice of material.

The oldest way is caulking with moss. Although it is time-tested, today there are many modern materials that have better qualities for this purpose.

Tow is also very often used for these purposes. To make the quality of work as good as possible, you need to choose jute tow. It will lay down evenly, and it is easier to work with it.

Caulking with a rope is often used, while it is recommended to use a jute or linen rope.

Recently, the so-called warm seam has been increasingly used. This is the result of new technologies that are rapidly moving especially in the construction industry.

Technology of caulking log house with jute

To perform the caulking we need:

• Small hammer - 300 - 400 gr.
• Chisel 20 mm.
• Caulker blade or wide chisel
• rubber mallet

The caulking of the log house should be done after the building settles and shrinks. Previously, during assembly, a jute insulation must be laid between the crowns. The caulking process consists in turning the jute with a spatula from top to bottom and then compacting it in the groove between the logs. In this case, light blows of the hammer on the shoulder blade are made. You will get a tucked up strip of jute in the form of a rope, which is very practical.

The work is carried out in two stages - the primary caulking and the main one. It should be noted that the caulking of the log house is carried out only after the shrinkage of the house, for this it must stand for at least half a year.

Primary caulking is done without strong compaction, especially in those places where the logs have not yet sat down in their place. In such places, the jute is tucked in without compaction, while making sure that there is room for further shrinkage of the logs. Log cabin caulking, its technology is not very complicated, so we will consider it in detail below.

Caulking is necessarily performed sequentially - from the bottom up. First of all, the lower groove will be caulked along the perimeter of the building, then the second groove, etc. It is important to do everything around the perimeter, otherwise the caulking of a separate wall can cause the building to skew. You also need to consider that the higher we climb, the less we need to seal the grooves with jute. And the uppermost two or three grooves are tucked only with the help of a spatula, without hammer blows, this is done in order to avoid the slightest compaction of the jute.

The fact is that the log house will shrink for at least another five years, so the upper crowns will eventually crush the jute tightly themselves.

In a log house, the ends are the weakest point, due to the cut out bowls, so you need to caulk carefully, without undue effort.

The second caulking, the main one, is carried out together with the finish, where the caulking of the log house is carried out more tightly. It is advisable to carry out this operation no less than one and a half years from the construction of the building. During this time, the log house will shrink almost completely and you, without fear, will be able to install windows and doors, conduct electrics and install plumbing.

Periodically, you need to inspect the log house for cracks, especially after a hot summer. After all, even a small gap can lead to rotting wood.

Video instruction for caulking log house with jute:

This method is not the best today, because there are already many other modern materials that allow you to perform this procedure faster and better. But if you still decide to use moss for caulking, first of all you need to choose it correctly.

So, moss called "cuckoo flax" or it is also called "red flax" is suitable for caulking a log house. It has long fibers, brownish brown, with hints of red. "White moss" is also used, or its correct name is "sphagnum moss". This moss is very soft, like cotton wool. It has excellent antiseptic and bactericidal properties. A wood pest will never start in it, moss also kills all spores of the fungus. Both of these plants are often referred to as building mosses.

During the construction of the log house, it is laid between the crowns of logs as a heater. In the future, using moss, you can caulk it. This is done twice, the first time immediately after assembly, the second after some time has passed when the house shrinks. It can take from one and a half years to two, or even more.

Previously, before caulking, the moss must be dried. And already before the process itself, it must be moistened with water, otherwise it will crumble upon physical contact.

Caulking a bar with moss requires special tools, you will need:

• Kiyanok
• Konopatok

A caulk is a small spatula made from the same wood as the log house. This is done so that upon physical contact with the logs they have the same hardness, which will avoid leaving marks on the log house.

A mallet is a small wooden mallet used to strike a caulk. This allows you to push the moss into the cracks with more force and fill the free space more densely.
As in other technologies, they begin to make caulking from the very bottom, passing the entire perimeter. This approach will avoid the possible distortion of the building. First, the crown passes from the inside, and then from the outside.

If "cuckoo flax" moss is used, it is formed in the form of a tape up to 10 cm thick, laid parallel to the log and the gap is tightly caulked using the above tools. When used, white moss is fluffed up a little, the laying is done perpendicular to the log, so that the fibers hang down somewhere by 5–10 cm. Then they make a caulk with the same tools.

Caulking log house with a rope

The technology of using a rope for caulking is not much different from the above methods. The only thing to add is that this material should be treated more carefully, because it is used not only for warming the house, but also for decoration, so even slight damage is unacceptable.

Caulking a log house with a rope, stages:

• The places where the rope will be laid must be cleaned and even washed if possible.
• Treat the log house with antiseptic properties, it is desirable that they have fire retardant properties.
• We make a punching rope log using tools. This work is done carefully, make sure that the cord does not twist. Also make sure that the depth of driving is the same everywhere.
• As with other materials, work is carried out from the bottom up around the entire perimeter.
• The undoubted advantage of using jute rope is its decorative component.

Warm seam technology

Before applying this method, the seams where this technology will be applied must be cleaned. Especially if the cracks are painted with varnish or other materials.

Further, viloterm must be laid in cracks and cracks - this is a material in the form of a cord made of foamed polyethylene. Note that the cord should be about a third thicker than the gap. This material not only insulates the log house, but will also reduce the consumption of the sealant used.

The sealant is applied with a gun, and immediately leveled with a spatula. The recommended sealant thickness is 4 to 6 mm. Moreover, the adhesion area with the tree should be at least 4 mm. from each side. The sealant hardens for no more than a day, so at this time it must be protected from precipitation. For this purpose, you can use plastic wrap. Complete hardening of the substance will occur in about 48 hours at a temperature of 23 degrees. After curing, the sealant turns into a rubber-like substance, so your log house will be protected as well as possible.

Now, after complete drying, you can smooth out the seam, remove its excess and paint over with acrylic based paints.

Caulking a log house in this way can only be carried out after shrinkage of the log house. Outside, this work can be done after about a year, and inside the house only after the season with the heating turned on.

This technology has a number of advantages:

It is done only once.

Protects against ingress of water, which prevents the appearance of mold.

Makes your home much warmer.

Resistant to temperature extremes, not afraid of moisture.

It is easy to use, which allows you to significantly speed up the caulking of timber.

A beautiful appearance that allows you to veil even the shortcomings of the building itself.

Putting a log house from a log or timber is far from the whole task. It is also necessary to properly caulk this log house: close up the gaps between the crowns and the cracks that form during the drying of the wood. This is done so that the log cabin of the bath loses as little heat as possible. The quality of the assembly of the log house is determined by how the crowns were laid. It is important not only to correctly cut out the bowls and grooves - between two rows of logs or beams, it is imperative to lay interventional insulation.

Insulation is laid at the stage of log assembly

What it will be - moss, tow or jute - is up to you, but such a layer must be present. When folding a log house from logs, it is necessary to lay the insulation in two layers:

• on the lower crown so that the edges of the insulation protrude beyond the edges of the bowl by 3-5 cm, the width of the insulation, in general, is taken 5-10 cm more than the width of the bowl;
• a heater is also placed in the bowl of the upper crown, its edges protrude beyond the bowl also by 3-5 cm.

Please note that when using moss or tow, you do not need to “tap” the material. When tapped with a hammer or an ax butt, the moss fibers break, and dents form on the wood, which are directed across the fibers. Such damage can lead, in the future, to the development of foci of decay. It is enough just to compact the fibers with the palm of your hand, leveling and probing the layer, if large foreign objects come across (cones or sticks are often found in moss) - just remove them.

When using tape insulation, you can fix it with a construction stapler - wood damage from staples is minimal, and the material is held securely. It is advisable to lay the “insulated” crowns together, so that the ball can take the log from both ends and lower it overthrow so as not to move the insulation.

All materials for caulking can be divided into two main categories: natural (tow, hemp, moss, jute, etc.) and industrial sealants. Sealants apply faster and are easier to work with. Usually, to reduce the consumption of sealant, a cord is placed in the gap between the crowns, and only then, a sealant is applied over it, which, when wet, is leveled with a special spatula.

Synthetic sealants have a number of disadvantages:

• some of them do not tolerate exposure to ultraviolet radiation - when irradiated, they lose their properties, crumble and are blown out by the winds. The problem is solved by strengthening the strips that will close the seams from ultraviolet radiation;
• some sealants for log cabins form a monolith upon drying, which, when the wood expands / contracts (depending on weather conditions), interferes with the process and contributes to the destruction of adjacent wood fibers. For this reason, it makes sense to use elastic sealants.

The video shows how to use Eurotex acrylic sealant for wood.

As a tool for leveling and removing excess sealant, you can use a regular tablespoon.

If you decide to use one of the sealants, carefully read the instructions and description, make sure that it is compatible with the type of wood from which the log house was built, can be used in your region (temperature regime) and has the necessary qualities.

The use of sealant is justified in the case when it is used to seal caulked cracks: after double caulking of the log house with tow, moss or jute, the log house shrinks completely and acquires operational dimensions, after which a cord is laid in the seams, and then sealant is applied.

Natural materials for caulking also have their advantages and disadvantages, in addition, each of them needs a certain preparation.

Moss

The most proven material for bath caulking is moss. It has been used for over a century. Today, many other materials have appeared, but they have not surpassed moss in performance. New (especially tape materials) are more convenient to work with. This is indisputable, but the qualities of moss remained unattainable for them. Chief among them is the ability to resist bacteria and high resistance to decay.

Moss is first dried, then moistened again before use. This restores elasticity to the stems. The soaked moss is laid out in an even layer so that its ends hang down on both sides of the log / beam. After the completion of the collection of the log house, too long stems of moss are cut, everything else is tucked up and tucked into the slots of the log house - the primary caulking of the log house is made. Behind her, after six months and after a year and a half, there are repeated caulks.

Jute

Increasingly, jute is used in the construction of wooden baths and houses. And not just jute fibers, but rolled material. Jute fiber has good characteristics: it has good thermal insulation properties, due to the large amount of lignin - a natural resin that serves as a binder - it is practically not subject to decay and has low hygroscopicity. Even in high humidity, jute remains dry to the touch.

Jute insulation can be of several types:

Tow

Tow - waste that is generated during the primary processing of natural fibers. Tow is used for caulking log cabins from jute, hemp and flax. The characteristics of the material and its quality depend on the feedstock, the degree of purification of the fibers and their length. Construction tow is pressed into square blocks. For use when caulking a log house, a strip of material is pulled out from a common block, twisted into a bundle and placed in a seam. Combed tow, which is sold in rolls, is more convenient to use.

It is inconvenient to work with such material: it is difficult to achieve a uniform layer when used as an interventional insulation, and for caulking, the tow log house has excessive rigidity, which is why it is almost impossible to achieve a tight filling of the seam the first time and it is necessary to periodically carry out repeated caulking. If the choice is between moss and jute tow, then we can definitely say that moss is better for a bath - it has the ability to inhibit the development of putrefactive bacteria and fungi.

When to Caulk a Bath

The log house has been assembled, when is the first time you can caulk a fresh log cabin of the bath? If the frame was assembled on moss or tow, then between the crowns stick out the remains of material of different lengths. In this case, it is possible to produce primary caulking immediately: cut too long fibers, tuck them in and fill them into the seams. There is no need to be zealous about it. These are preliminary works, the purpose of which is to remove the fibers. But you need to do this following the rules of caulking. If the log house is assembled on tape insulation, nothing needs to be done.

The first "serious" caulk is carried out approximately six months after the collection of the log house. During this time, logs / beams will lose most of the excess moisture, new cracks will appear, crowns and corners will basically “sit down” in place. At this time, the first caulk is carried out. After this process, doors / windows can be installed.

The second caulk will be needed about a year after the first. A year and a half has passed since the construction of the log house, the log house has settled down. Now all seams and cracks are checked, all shortcomings are eliminated. Depending on the material and quality of work, it may be necessary, after another five years, to caulk the seams again. But there have been cases (usually this is the result of the work of "shabashnikov") when the correction of caulking errors is carried out for several years in a row. Most often, such a need arises if the log house was folded without interventional insulation.

How much tow is needed for a bath

Any natural material for caulking is compressed many times during laying and a large amount of it can fit into a log house, even with good interventional insulation. No one can say exactly how much tow is needed for a bath: it also depends on what material the log house is made of and how the grooves in the logs are cut. When manually cutting grooves, as a rule, more material is used. Also, a sanded log requires more material than a round log. Less is required for a log cabin, but even here the amount of tow or moss that will go to seal the cracks depends on the accuracy of the geometry of the beam and the depth / number of cracks that appeared during shrinkage.

Caulking rules

Caulking a log house is not a very difficult task, but a long and dreary one. Everything needs to be done thoroughly and slowly, so it takes a lot of time - it took 10 days to caulk a small 5 * 4 bath (one worked for 7-8 hours).

The main thing is not to overdo it in the efforts applied when clogging the insulation, which can lead to the fact that the log house will rise by 15 cm or more.

Rules for caulking a log house:

• • You need to start from the bottom crown, moving along the entire perimeter, first outside the building, then caulk the same crown from the inside. And only after that proceed to the processing of the next crown.
  • When caulking, pay special attention to the corners - there are often the most significant gaps.
  • With primary caulking, you first need to pick up the hanging material, bend it down and fill it into the slot. Use this tool as needed. Perform this operation on a section about a meter long, then move on to the next section.
  • In the same area, with a caulk and a wooden mallet (sometimes a hammer is used, but the mallet does not beat off hands so much), compact the material. You need to hit the caulk until the material begins to spring. Then move on to the next section.
  • After compaction, a gap formed. A piece of insulation is again placed in it. If this is tow, you need to roll a tourniquet of the required thickness from it or tear off a piece of the desired length from the tape. This piece is also hammered with a caulk and a mallet until a springy effect appears. Repeat this operation until the gap is completely filled and move on to the next section.

Like every business, caulking requires certain skills. Since there is more than one such procedure, as a result you will have skills. As you gain experience, you will notice the flaws that you made at the beginning of your activity - here will be a chance to eliminate them. Actually, it is not the gods who burn the pots, but it is possible to caulk a log cabin more or less qualitatively even in the absence of experience.