How to caulk a log house. How to caulk a log house - about a difficult matter in simple words

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

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

Materials for caulking

For all the time that a person has been building wooden houses, he was able to compile a list of the most effective heaters, the best of which are natural materials:

• felt;
• red moss;
• tow.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tools for work

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

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

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

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

Gap sealing technology

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

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

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

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

Log houses differ in many ways from log houses. Due to the ideal shape and size, the gaps in the logs are very narrow. But even in this case, caulking is necessary. Although it is no longer possible to manage on your own. You will have to seek help from specialists. After all, you can overdo it and fill small gaps with too much insulating material, and this can cause the walls to skew.

Caulking methods

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

Stretching

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

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

To the set

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

Features of the operation

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

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

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

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

Modern construction receives more and more high-quality materials and technologies. Allowing them to be applied not only to stone and monolithic structures, but also to be used in the usual form of log houses. This gives options for more time for their operation, as well as high-quality decay and destruction of wood. A separate item can also be noted such a process as caulking, which allows you to ensure the tightness of the entire structure being created and an additional process of protection against the penetration of harmful insects and fungi.

In the process of caulking log houses, it is important to choose not only the material and tools, but also to understand the technology of each stage. At the same time, it is practical to combine practical nuances and rules with modern solutions for each of the structures being built.

The complex of works on caulking a log house should be carried out in two stages, combining separate criteria and sequence. These should be works that will allow for rough caulking in the process of erecting walls and partitions. And the process of final caulking of the cracks between the logs after the construction of the entire building.

When implementing the first method, the lower crown of logs is laid, after which the insulation layer is laid out, with a uniform overhang and filling the space for connecting the next crown of logs. Then a new crown is laid. This is done from the very bottom of the erected structure to the last crown of the walls. After that, the hanging ends of the insulation are driven into the gaps between the logs.

Rough caulk option

In the case of using the second method, the process begins after the completion of all installation work and the installation of the last crown. This method allows parallel work on the installation of the roof and the installation of the roofing carpet, performing the process of caulking inside and outside the house. It is important to note here that each of the crowns must be filled with insulation from both sides at the same time, excluding distortion and destruction of the integrity of the structures.

The produced "caulking of the log house" is carried out by driving the insulation between each of the crowns, starting from the bottom of the structure, gradually moving to the upper elements. This method is best performed using tape material, which is placed at the junction of the two crowns and pressed into the structure. At the same time, there is a need to leave the edges hanging down by 5-7 centimeters, for subsequent twisting into rollers and filling the resulting space between the logs.

After the first stage of caulking, there is a need to carry out additional filling of cracks. This is carried out 2-3 years after the construction of the house. Work should also be done from the bottom up, filling all the seams along the perimeter of the building from the inside and outside of the walls.

Used tool for caulking a log house

A properly selected tool for filling the process of filling the joints between the crowns of logs will simplify this process. Combining practicality and the ability to use modern materials and technologies. To do this, you need to choose a high-quality and practical tool, the list of which should include:

• a flat blade made of wood or metal, 5-6 mm thick and with a blade width of up to 100 mm; used for sealing seams and gaps between crowns;
• flat chisel, with a working blade width of 5-6 mm and a thickness of up to 5 mm, made on the basis of metal; used to seal the insulation layer and the material to be laid;
• wooden caulk with a triangular blade having a longitudinal groove, width 1709 mm and thickness from 5 to 7 mm; allows you to form rollers for the final filling of the gaps between the logs;
• metal wedges, with a blade width of 20 to 35 mm; necessary to expand the gaps during compaction and laying of the material;
• wooden hammer, mallet; used for driving sealant into the seams between the crowns.

Caulking tools

Used materials for caulking, advantages and disadvantages of each of them

Forming the correct process of sealing the seams between the crowns of logs, it is important not only to understand "how to caulk a log house" and to use better quality material. It should be a formula that will combine durability and practicality in each individual case and in the selected area of ​​\u200b\u200bhouse structures.

As an interventional insulation, a special rolled material is used, based on flax and jute. It is jute that allows the logs to fit more tightly and create the required conditions for thermal insulation of the entire wall structure. This material for caulking is placed in the groove below the underlying crown and is fixed around the entire perimeter with the help of a construction stapler. Also, due to this type of material, reliable sound insulation is provided inside the entire building, in partitions and external walls.

Materials for caulking

Using jute also has its downsides. It is subject to decay and its service life is significantly limited, in contrast to the use of flax and moss.

A more familiar and long-used material for caulking a log house is the usual moss. There are two types of moss, red and white, it is used depending on the growth in the region where it is. In this case, the resulting do-it-yourself caulking of a log house is considered more environmentally friendly and combines only natural materials and raw materials, without the use of machine processing of the material and preparing it for use for sealing.

But a significant disadvantage of using moss is the difficulty of finding building materials on the market in different regions. What gives benefit in the direction of choosing the usual flax.

Step-by-step technology and the process of ongoing work on caulking a log house

Today, there are several technologies that allow you to qualitatively seal and caulk the seams and gaps between the crowns of logs. Each of them uses separate materials and tools.

Stretching caulk

The combination of practicality and consistency of this technology allows the use of both jute and familiar moss. This technology allows you to distribute the material evenly along the entire length and perimeter of the building under construction at the stage of installation of each of the log crowns. At the same time, this option of work is considered more productive, since it does not require additional use of a tool, but only a high-quality layout of the material for caulking. Of course, each of the masters has his own method and the amount of material placed in the existing groove between the logs, but there is also a limitation - the material must hang 5-7 cm on both sides of the log. This is in the case of using moss. And in the case of using tape material, it should fit snugly around the entire perimeter of the logs and have an overlap of 5 cm with the previous spreading roll.

It is also worth noting that this incorporation is carried out in two stages, this is at the time of the installation of the walls and with the subsequent clogging of the remaining material after the construction of the walls.

Caulker in a set

When implementing this technology, it will be important to understand that if there are wider seams and gaps between the crowns, then the use of jute cords is indispensable. This method will allow you to practically and efficiently fill the existing space, evenly and gradually placing the material in the existing grooves.

For each of the crowns, gaps can be additionally embroidered, parallel from both sides into the walls, followed by filling with jute. After that, the seams can remain open or where additionally sealed with decorative wood plaster.

Seal knots and joints in corners

When carrying out the process of sealing corner elements or joining walls, it is important to fill each of the sections in parallel, using the same sealant as when sealing straight wall sections. But here it is important to frame the corners correctly and beautifully, without leaving jagged edges or excess material, since the load in these areas is much greater than on straight lines along the perimeter of the walls. It is necessary to hammer the applicable material as tightly as possible to prevent spillage and additional compaction under the weight of wood.

Cost and price range for the work performed on caulking a log house

The cost for the work performed can vary from 60 to 150 rubles. Prices for caulking are calculated per 1 running meter. At the same time, each of the masters takes into account not only the practicality of the material used, but also the technology being implemented, depending on the resulting seam between the logs or the customer's desire for the materials used.

The height of the structure is also taken into account, which will require additional time for the installation of scaffolding and scaffolding. The price increases from the height of the building to 1.2 - 1.5 meters. It is calculated taking into account the number of crowns up to a given height from the foundation of the building. At the same time, it is worth considering the number of nodes and indirect sections of the walls that are available in each individual project. It also increases the cost of the work. But each of the regions of Russia has its own gradation, taking into account the demand for this type of construction and the availability of appropriate material for caulking.

City	Price
Moscow	from 70 to 100 rubles.
St. Petersburg	from 70 to 100 rubles.
Kazan	from 70 to 90 rubles.
Rostov-on-Don	from 90 to 120 rubles.
Krasnodar	from 60 to 100 rubles.

The caulking of any wooden bath must be carried out in two stages: after the completion of construction and after a year of shrinkage. For work, the same insulation is used, which is laid between the links during construction. Traditionally, baths are used for caulking: moss, felt, tow, hemp. Readers will learn how to properly caulk a bath with their own hands, what tools are needed and the intricacies of the work, having studied the article to the end.

In any case, you will have to caulk the bath. The main thing is to do the job carefully.

When assembling the bath box, a heater is laid between each log or beam. But wood shrinks regardless of chamber drying material or natural humidity. When shrinking, space appears between the logs, so it is necessary to caulk the bath for the first time to seal the seam and the second to eliminate the gaps that have formed.

It is easier to caulk a log cabin with the help of special tools: a caulk and a rubber mallet or mallet. If there is no caulk, then you can use a regular chisel.

What material is better to caulk a bath?

For caulking a log cabin, a steam room uses natural heaters: moss, hemp, tow, felt. All materials are available, but each must be prepared in its own way.

Preparing moss for caulking

Seam insulation with moss is a traditional method used by our grandfathers. Moss can be collected independently or purchased ready-made at a hardware store.

Moss for caulking is one of the most environmentally friendly materials.

The price of moss is from 250 rubles, so it's cheaper to collect in the forest. The collected moss is laid out under a canopy and left to dry for 1-2 weeks. It is necessary to mix the moss every 2-3 days so that it does not rot. Using damp moss will cause mold and wood decay. But it is necessary to monitor drying, as overdried moss will be fragile and difficult to work with.

Moss Pros:

• Profitability (you can dial for free in the forest).
• Natural, which means that environmental friendliness is not violated.

The material has more disadvantages:

• It becomes brittle when dry.
• It is difficult to caulk a bath.
• Afraid of moisture and mold.
• Short-lived.
• It burns well.

Choosing moss to caulk a log house is necessary only as a savings. From the point of view of practicality and durability, it is better to pay attention to something else.

Preparation of felt for caulking

Felt is a natural material based on wool. But modern felt may be composed of smoked fibers. Moreover, the composition is: 60% wool and 40% artificial fiber, 70% artificial fiber and 30% wool. For a bath, they choose completely natural or with a high content of wool felt. The fact is that natural material does not burn, but simply smolders. Artificial felt is flammable.

Felt for bath caulking is suitable natural or with a small addition of artificial fibers.

Before work, the felt must be treated with a formalin solution, it will not allow moths to get divorced in the wool. After spraying, the felt is hung out in the sun and dried thoroughly.

The main advantages of felt include:

• Naturalness.
• Caulking a log house is easy.

• Natural material is afraid of moisture and rots.
• Mice and birds love to use felt to build their nests, and pick the material out of the crevices in the log house.
• The high price of natural insulation.

Preparing tow for bath caulking

Tow does not need to be specially prepared before work. But moths and other insects like to settle in natural material, so the tow is impregnated with any protective compound, for example, formalin.

Tow for bath caulking can be bought in bales.

The main advantages of using tow:

• Low price.
• Natural material.
• Ease of operation.

• Afraid of moisture.
• Over time, it may begin to rot.
• Mice settle in heaters.

Tow is an alternative to moss, since the price of the material starts from 70 rubles.

Jute and flax fiber for bath caulking

Modern insulation options: jute and flax fiber can also be used to caulk a log house. But despite the manufacturer's assurances about the naturalness of heaters, most of them contain artificial additives. They make jute and flax fiber durable, but environmental friendliness is reduced.

Yuan jute is sold in the form of a ribbon.

Natural jute is made from bast wood of the linden family. Jute has high strength, durability and resistance to moisture. Water, falling on the material, does not linger on the jute fibers, but quickly disappears.

Flax fiber is made from flax waste. The material performed well on construction sites. Does not rot and does not absorb moisture. But there are pitfalls, sellers offer the buyer flax wool instead of flax fiber. The materials are similar in composition, but batting has 40% artificial fiber. You can distinguish one from the other by color, lnovatin is light, and the fibers of natural insulation are darker.

Produced in the form of tape, cord. To caulk the log cabin of the bath, tape jute or flax fiber is used.

It is necessary to caulk the log cabin of your bath with a heater that meets your requirements and capabilities.

Caulking a bath is necessary in two stages:

• immediately after the installation of the box;
• after shrinkage of the bath.

It is difficult to re-caulk a log house from a profiled beam, since the lock will not allow the work to be carried out efficiently. Therefore, it is better to take a material with a profile chamber-drying or glued. So, shrinkage will be minimal and you won’t have to caulk again. All other types: a log, a simple bar, cylindering must be re-caulked. You need to work with special tools, as shown in the video:

Tools for the job

To caulk a log house, various types of caulking are used:

• typesetting;
• curve;
• broken;

A mallet (mushkel) is also needed. The tool is used to strike the caulk during work. The mallet can be replaced with an ordinary rubber mallet. We need a road builder, the tool helps to align the seam after punching with caulks.

What subtleties you need to know when caulking a bath

You need to caulk the walls of the bath from the bottom up around the entire perimeter. Moreover, the work is first done by caulking one row from the inside and outside, then the second, etc. The fact is that when caulking, the bath rises by 5–15 cm. If you do not work consistently, then the structure will warp. By caulking the bottom groove along the entire perimeter, outside and inside, then the second, the bath structure will rise smoothly and evenly.

Caulking baths start from the bottom, around the perimeter.

It is necessary to take care of the chimney before caulking the log house. The pipe is released at the junction with the ceiling and roof or removed for a while so as not to be damaged.

There are two ways to caulk a bath:

• in a set;
• stretched.

Let's consider each in more detail.

Bath caulk in a set

Caulking into the set is necessary when sealing large gaps and grooves. The selected material is twisted into a bundle of 15–20 mm and, for convenience, wound into a small ball. The tourniquet is substituted for the gap and hammered with a caulk and a mallet, as in the photo.

Caulker in a set and stretched.

First from above, then from below. Align everything with the help of a road builder.

Caulking bath stretched out

The insulation does not need to be twisted into a bundle. It is simply stuffed into the gap between the links, and then pierced with a mallet. Perform work until the insulation stops interfering between the logs of the log cabin of the bath.

It is necessary to caulk the log house slowly, carefully closing up every crack. Places where it is difficult to hit with a tool are simply foamed with mounting foam.

We answered the question of how to properly caulk a bath using various methods. After the log cabin of the bath has finished caulking, it must be sanded and coated with protective compounds. We'll talk about this next time.

Putting a log house from a log or timber is far from the whole task. You also need to know how to properly caulk this log house: close up the gaps between the crowns and the cracks that form when the wood shrinks. This is done so that the log cabin of the bath loses as little heat as possible.

Basic principles

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 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.

Laying moss when assembling a log house

When using tape insulation, you can fix it with a construction stapler - damage to wood 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.

How to caulk a log cabin of a bath

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.

When caulking, it does not fit to have a scalpel blade on hand. The working part of the tool is made of hardened carbon steel

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, when dried, form a monolith, 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.

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 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.

Not aesthetic but practical

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 /
jute tow
In the manufacture of this material, the fibers are not torn, but combed, giving them the necessary direction. With such processing, jute retains its properties to the maximum extent. But for caulking, such material is inconvenient: it is hard and not dense enough, it is quite difficult to work with it, caulking has to be done several times: firstly, the birds pull the fiber into nests (the material is natural), and secondly, it shrinks, compacts ( due to rigidity, it is not possible to immediately achieve the required density of the seam at once).

jute tow

jute felt
This is a material consisting of 90% torn jute fiber and 10% long linen fibers. The material is dense and flexible at the same time. It is much easier to work with it, but with an insufficient length of fibers it tends to stray and fall asleep. When choosing jute for caulking, pay attention to the length of the fibers - only fibers over 2 cm will provide the required elasticity. Material made from shorter fibers will compact and lose most of its properties, and short fibers simply spill out or are blown out by the winds. Another disadvantage is that this material often becomes a breeding ground for moths. Therefore, before use, it is desirable to treat it with impregnation from moths and decay.

Sauna jute - jute felt

Flax jute
Combined tape material, consisting of half soft linen fibers, half hard jute fibers. This combination appeals to many builders, but this material tends to rot and is often attacked by moths. So, just like jute felt, linen-jute requires treatment from rotting and moths before use.

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.

Tow for a bath

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.

Bath after primary caulking

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 be used to seal the cracks depends on the accuracy of the beam geometry 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.

Properly selected sealant and insulation will improve the structural properties of a wooden house and will contribute to the preservation of wood. One of the most important stages in the construction of a log house is the insulation of seams, gaps and openings in other words - caulk.

We seal and insulate the log house

The specificity of wood as a building material is that under the influence of moisture it changes its shape, size and volume, i.e. logs in a log house are constantly in motion, and cracks form in the walls through which heat “leaks” from the house. For sealing seams, various types of sealant are used.

Previously, seams and openings were caulked with dry moss, tow (linen and hemp), bast fiber, felt, etc. Over time, new natural materials appeared: jute fiber, flax, linen, mineral wool.

Caulking quality first

Must meet a number of requirements, namely:

• provide reliable protection of the house from blowing (have sufficient density and elasticity so as not to contribute to the formation of cracks during the operation of the house);
  keep warm (have low thermal conductivity);
• be able to absorb and release moisture depending on changes in humidity both outside and inside the room, similar to the tree itself;
• inhibit the development of microorganisms;
• be durable (keep their physical and chemical properties and not collapse under the influence of natural factors);
• do not contain substances harmful to human health.

For a house made of ordinary timber and logs, it is recommended to use a 10 mm thick insulation.

The ideal material for caulking is natural

Seals made from natural materials are ideal as interventional insulation. They are usually produced in the form of bales or ribbons. Kippah is the traditional form, but tape seal is more convenient: it is distributed along the "work front" faster and more evenly. The width of the tapes is selected depending on the type of timber or log from which the house is being built. The main materials from which the sealant is created are jute, linen, hemp (hemp fiber) and moss.

Tape seal for caulking log house

Tape seal (linen-jute)

swamp moss

moss sphagnum- the natural material which is not subject to rotting, hygroscopic and possessing good bactericidal properties. "Collecting" houses "for moss" has been common in Russia since ancient times.

Insulation of a wooden log house is carried out simultaneously with the erected walls: a sealant is laid in layers on each crown.

The so-called red moss was popular. For lack of it, cuckoo flax (forest moss) was used.

jute fiber

Jute- from the linden family. Its golden color is closest to the color of wood. Jute fiber is an absolute favorite among interventional seals. During the shrinkage of the walls, the jute is evenly compacted. It is little susceptible to rotting, absorbs and releases moisture depending on environmental conditions, as wood does. Jute is not affected by moths, is not taken away by birds. Mixed products are also used as an interventional sealant: jute and flax jute felt.

The use of a tape seal not only insulates the log house, protects it from blowing, but also speeds up the assembly of the log house

Choose carefully a non-uniform seal with a low density, a sign that the material is the result of recycling jute or linen sacks, that is, of poor quality.

Caulked flax

Linen- affordable and cheap material, has long been used for caulking. Linen is used to produce flax fiber (“euroline”), bast fiber and flax tow. In favorable conditions, the linen sealant will last a long time, while maintaining elasticity.

Fiber caulking can raise the height of a log house up to 15 cm. At the same time, due to the shrinkage of wood and unprofessional caulking, a log house can shrink by 3-5%.

The disadvantages of flax include susceptibility to decay. In addition, the linen seal can be taken apart by birds and rodents and be affected by insects. In addition to 100% flax fiber, flax tow, flax felt (linen felt) and flax jute are used in construction.

The use of a perforator with an appropriate chisel speeds up the execution of caulking

Synthetic materials for caulking

Mineral wool is the most "natural" among its "brothers" created by man. It consists of volcanic rock (basalt) and synthetic fiber, which provides "airiness". The advantage of mineral wool is that when pressed down with crowns, it retains a porous structure and, due to this, retains heat.

The material is laid mainly on a profiled beam - in one row, and fixed with brackets. After assembling the house, the protruding edges of the tape are cut off. Mineral wool is elastic: it is easily restored, filling all the cracks, completely blocking access to water and preventing air flow. Additional caulking after shrinkage of the house is not required.

In addition, mineral wool is devoid of the disadvantages of flax: it does not absorb moisture and does not collapse, does not attract birds, is fire resistant, does not rot and is more technologically advanced.

Shrinkage will occur after caulking

Basic rules of caulking

Caulking is performed simultaneously along the entire perimeter of the log house from the inside and outside, starting from the lowest groove. This is important, otherwise the caulking of one separate wall can lead to the distortion of the entire log house. In the process of drying, the walls usually shrink, as a result of which cracks appear, so wooden houses are also caulked after construction is completed.

Six months after the assembly of the house, the final caulking of the seams with combed tow under the “pigtail” is made.

After 1-2 years, when the log house stands, the final caulking is made with the creation of a “roller”. As a result, the log cabin again rises in height by several centimeters per floor.

The quality of the caulk is checked with a sharp metal object (steel ruler, chisel, nail), which should not penetrate through the caulk. You can drive a nail into a good caulk!

Insulation is placed in the groove of a beam or log in three ways: without bends, with one or two-sided bend. Fastening is done with a construction stapler.

• fibrous mineral wool insulation based on glass wool, glass staple fiber (Ursa, Isover), basalt mineral raw materials (Rockwool);
• closed-cell materials: extruded polystyrene foam (Penoplex), polyethylene foam (Porilex, Plenex, Izolon, Polyfom, Energoflex), rigid sprayed polyurethane foams, polyurethane foam (Makroflex, Panafix, Macrofoam), sealants;
• materials with open pores: expanded polyurethane foams (foam rubber PSUL-Profband).

In the case of using materials from this list, excess moisture accumulates in the thickness of the insulation, causing freezing of the seam, others contribute to the fact that moisture condenses at the junction of wood and insulation ("greenhouse effect"), or both together, which over time causes destruction of a wooden structure from the inside.

Some synthetic insulations are great for brick and concrete houses. But not for wooden housing construction! Sometimes negligent builders use them out of ignorance or selfish intent, as a cheap and easy-to-use material.