Insulate a log house. We warm the old wooden house with our own hands

September 6, 2016
Specialization: a professional in the field of construction and repair (a full cycle of finishing work, both internal and external, from sewerage to electrics and finishing work), installation of window structures. Hobbies: see column "SPECIALIZATION AND SKILLS"

At first glance, figuring out how to insulate a log house is quite simple. Such structures themselves have a good energy-saving potential, because they will be quite warm and without additional decoration.

On the other hand, if you do everything right, then the savings on heating will be enormous. Walls with high-quality thermal insulation retain heat very well, and in the summer heat they do not allow the room to heat up. So we can reduce the cost not only for the purchase of fuel, but also for air conditioning.

In this article I will talk about my experience of complex thermal insulation of a house made of logs. In addition, as additional information, I will give a few tips from other masters - I was able to evaluate their effectiveness, as they say, “live”, but I have not yet applied it myself.

Exterior finish

Step 1: Cleaning and caulking

Works on the thermal insulation of a building made of logs can be divided into two processes: interior and exterior decoration. If finances allow, then it is worth hiring two teams that will work in parallel. But if you plan to insulate yourself with your own hands, then you should start with the outer skin.

Before proceeding with the actual insulation, it is worth putting the log walls themselves in order to the maximum. The better you perform this stage of work, the more durable the design will turn out. In addition, by repairing the joints between the crowns and repairing the cracks in the logs, we will insure ourselves against drafts caused by blowing.

I work like this:

1. Using a grinder with a wire brush attachment, I clean the outer surface of the logs. I do this in order to remove all loose wood fragments, pieces of bark, etc. - in general, everything that sooner or later will fall off anyway.
2. Then, in calm weather, I pass with a candle inside the house, and by the deflection of the flame I find areas where the blowing will be the strongest. Of course, you need to caulk all the seams, but it is better to know where you have to put more sealing material.

If an already inhabited house is being insulated, then it is best to look for places to blow through in winter. As a rule, frost bands form on the outer walls opposite such points - their appearance is caused by flows of warm air leaving the heated room.

1. To perform caulking, I choose a dry warm day. To fill the seams, I use jute fiber and tow, but moss can also be used. The latter option, by the way, is highly hygroscopic, so it can be used to normalize the humidity regime.
2. The very process of sealing the interventional joints is quite simple: with the help of a wooden spatula and a heavy hammer, I hammer the fibrous material into all the cracks, applying efforts until the laid fibers begin to actively spring.
3. I put a polymer cord into the cracks of the logs, which I fix with a sealant. This technology allows you to stop the expansion of the crack and reduce heat loss through the gap formed in the wood.

After completing the caulking and repairing the cracks, I carefully cut off the excess fibers protruding beyond the plane of the wall. Then I treat the logs with antiseptic impregnation, applying it in several layers. After sheathing, the wood will be in a warm and rather humid environment, which can provoke its decay under the influence of bacteria or the development of fungal colonies.

In addition to the antiseptic, I would also advise using a fire retardant - a composition that reduces the combustibility of wood. The price of processing will not increase much, but we will increase the level of fire safety at times.

At the final stage, I apply a special sealant to the ends of the logs, which closes the pores. Let this part of the wall be hidden under the skin, but still additional protection against cracking will definitely not be superfluous.

Step 2. Arrangement of a ventilated facade

Insulation of a log house from the outside can be carried out according to several schemes, but from my point of view, the best solution would be to equip a ventilated facade. So we will not only reduce the heat loss of the building, but also be able to normalize the microclimate, providing natural ventilation of the walls, which means unhindered removal of excess moisture.

The ventilated facade is a multi-layer structure, which is fixed directly on the load-bearing walls. I do it according to the following algorithm:

1. I begin work with the installation of a frame of bars with a section of 50x50 mm. I attach the bars either to the walls themselves, or to wooden support blocks, or to steel brackets. The choice of fastening method depends on the thickness of the insulation to be used: we need the distance between the outer plane of the crate and the wall to be equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of the heat-insulating plate.
2. The step of the lathing bars also depends on the dimensions of the thermal insulation: I usually make it equal to about 57-58 cm: then mineral wool of a standard width of 60 cm enters the frame cell with little or no deformation, but at the same time it is perfectly kept due to natural elasticity.

1. I insert the insulation, cut to size if necessary, into the cells of the frame, additionally fixing each panel with several dowels with a dish-shaped neck. For external thermal insulation, it is best to take mineral wool, since polystyrene foam and polystyrene foam almost do not allow air to pass through, which can lead to an increase in the level of humidity in the room.
2. Very often I am asked whether it is necessary to close the heat-insulating layer with something. The answer is simple: absolutely! To protect against moisture and blowing, I use a special membrane with a vapor permeability index of at least 1400 mg, attaching it with staples directly to the crate.

1. The next stage is the construction of the counter-lattice. Here, it seems to me, there will be enough bars with a section of 30x30 mm. We stuff the bars on the frame over the windproof membrane so that they form a perfectly flat plane. It is the counter-lattice that will make our facade ventilated, providing a gap between the insulation with waterproofing and the outer skin.

1. The final stage is the installation of the skin. To optimize costs, you can sheathe a log house with vinyl siding, but I would still recommend using either a false bead or a blockhouse. In the second case, by the way, the appearance of the building will practically not change, but the energy-saving characteristics will increase by an order of magnitude.

After completing the skin, you can take the time to finish the "finishing":

• treat wood paneling with antiseptics and fire retardants;
• trim window and door openings by installing platbands;
• close the plinth with a special one on a polyurethane foam backing, etc.

And when all these works are completed, you can go inside, or rather, go up to the roof: it is from there that we will begin the next stage of thermal insulation.

Interior decoration

Step 3. Roof and ceiling insulation

Insulation of a log house from the inside (however, like many other finishing works) should be carried out moving from top to bottom: in this way, already finished areas will be subjected to much less stress. It is these considerations that I am guided by, starting the thermal insulation of the building from the attic.

In a one-story house with an unused attic (more precisely, if the attic is used only as a warehouse), one can limit oneself only to warming the floor. But still, I would advise you to insulate the roof slopes. As a rule, this operation allows you to reduce the overall heat loss of the building by about 10-15%, which, in terms of money saved on heating, will be very noticeable.

We work like this:

1. Even at the stage of installation of the roofing material, we lay a waterproofing film on the rafters. This layer is necessary, because when wet, the effectiveness of almost any insulation is significantly reduced.
2. Further, from the inside, in the gaps between the rafters, we lay mineral wool slabs. The best choice is Rockwool Roof batts or similar products focused specifically on roofing.

1. Next, in order to avoid condensation, we block the insulation with a vapor barrier membrane - it will protect the mineral fiber from getting wet.
2. On top of the vapor barrier we stuff a counter-lattice of slats, on which we attach the skin. An unused attic can be sheathed with plywood or OSB boards, but it’s still worth spending money and ennobling the room with lining.

Now I will tell you how to insulate the ceiling from the inside:

1. With the first layer on the draft ceiling, hemmed from below to the floor beams, we lay a vapor barrier membrane. It will become a barrier to moisture vapor rising from the top of the living space.

1. Further, in the intervals between the floor beams, we lay heat-insulating plates. We try to place them with a minimum number of gaps, and blow out all the gaps with self-expanding polymer foam (polyurethane or liquid foam).
2. Instead of plates based on mineral fiber, you can use ecowool - cellulose insulation, which is sprayed onto structures using a special compressor.

1. On top of the floor beams, we lay the flooring from the boards, forming the floor of the attic or attic room. At the same time, we make sure that there is a gap of at least 15–20 mm between the flooring and the heat-insulating material for effective air exchange.

Step 4. Thermal insulation of the walls

The question of whether it is necessary to insulate the walls of a log house from the inside should be decided at the planning stage. It is quite possible that the external thermal insulation will be enough - then it will be enough for us to put in order the internal joints between the crowns and process the logs themselves with a protective and decorative composition.

Sheathing with one layer of lining can also help - wooden boards themselves “keep” heat quite well, so we are guaranteed additional energy savings.

If it is necessary to radically reduce heat loss, then we cannot do without high-quality thermal insulation:

1. We caulk the walls (if this has not been done before), and then we process them with fire and bioprotective compounds.
2. On all bearing surfaces we fill a crate of wooden beams (by the way, we also process it with antiseptics and fire retardants).
3. Then we mount the sheathing from plate materials or lining. We assemble the skin in parts, starting from the bottom up.
4. As the frame is sheathed, we fill the gap between the wall and the material fixed on the crate with ecowool. Loose cellulose insulation is blown into the cavity under pressure, making sure that there are no large voids behind the skin.

1. After the completion of the insulation, we finally sheathe the walls, and then carry out the finishing - we putty the walls of slab materials and paint them or paste them with wallpaper, sand the lining and either varnish or impregnate them with stains / oils for natural wood.

Instruction for internal insulation also allows the use of mineral fiber boards. They are mounted in the cells of the crate, followed by overlapping with a vapor barrier membrane and sheathing with clapboard or similar materials.

Step 5. Floor insulation

Finally, we have one more step left - floor insulation. Here it is best to start working with the soil base itself:

1. We carefully tamp the soil inside the foundation, after which we fill it with a sand or sand and gravel cushion with a thickness of 20 to 40 cm. We thoroughly compact the bedding.
2. We lay a waterproofing membrane on top of a pillow of sand and gravel. It is also possible to perform concrete footing by filling the surface of the poured layer with a liquid mortar based on cement M150 - M200.

1. The next layer is expanded clay or perlite. We pour the granular material with a layer of 40 cm or more so that the top edge of the bedding is just below the top edge of the log.
2. We block the expanded clay layer with waterproofing material - glassine, polyethylene or a special membrane. When installing this layer, be sure to leave the edges of the log free (about 10-15 cm on each side) - it is in these areas that excess moisture will come out of the wood.
3. Next, we mount a rough floor covering from boards or thick plywood.

Naturally, the technology of floor insulation in a log house described by me is not the only one possible. In some cases, it would be more expedient to first hem the rough flooring to the lags from below, fixing it with cranial bars, and lay a slab insulation with waterproofing on top of the flooring.

In any case, at the final stage, we need to treat the wooden parts of the floor with an antiseptic and fire retardant - only after this treatment can the room be operated without risk.

The cost of finishing materials

Performing thermal insulation work on a scale of the whole house is a very costly project. Accordingly, in order for us not to be left without money halfway through, the budget must be planned in advance.

The volume of the purchase depends primarily on the area of ​​​​your house and the list of planned works, but nevertheless, preliminary calculations can be made right now. To do this, you can use the table in which I entered the current prices for some heat-insulating and finishing materials:

Material	unit of measurement	Average cost, rubles
Mineral wool ISOVER plaster facade, 1200x600x100 mm	pack of 4	1400 — 1700
Insulation ROCKWOOL 800x600x50 mm	pack of 4	650 — 800
Jute seal 10 cm	m.	8 — 10
Moss for caulking	bag 10 kg	300 — 450
Bituminous mastic	20 kg	350 — 500
Dali universal antiseptic	5 l	450 — 600
Woodmaster Ksd, fire retardant composition	10 l	550 — 600
Impregnation Pinotex Impra	10 l	4800 -5200
Polyfoam facade PSB-S 25, 1000x1000x50 mm	sheet	170 – 220
Expanded polystyrene sheet, 1250x600x50 mm	sheet	180 – 220
Wooden beam for the frame, 6 m	PCS.	90 – 180
Dowel plate 100x10 mm	100 pieces.	250 – 350
Windproof membrane for walls ROCKWOOL	70 m2	1500 — 1700
Vapor barrier film Technohaut B-70	70 m2	670 — 750
Sliding bracket for ventilated facade	PCS.	25 -35
Vinyl siding, 3500x205 mm	PCS.	120 – 450
Larch block house, 22x90 mm	1 m2	650 — 1200
Ecowool	1 m2	From 1700 to 3000 depending on blowing technology

Naturally, only the basic materials necessary for complex thermal insulation are indicated here: the prices for auxiliary elements and fasteners should be clarified additionally.

Conclusion

Having understood how to insulate a log house from the outside and inside as efficiently as possible, and successfully implementing such a project, we will be able to significantly reduce housing maintenance costs.

And since fuel is not getting cheaper, everyone should think about modernizing the building. To do this, you should carefully read the explanations in the text part of the material, study the proposed video, and also ask all your questions in the comments to the article. And only armed with all the necessary information, you need to get to work!

September 6, 2016

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Insulation of a log house from the inside is usually a necessary measure: most often it is used if the owner, for some reason, does not want to cover the facade of a wooden building with insulation boards, plaster and other materials. Many wooden houses look very beautiful, and their facades are a real work of art. If you do not want to hide their natural beauty, you can try to protect the building from the cold with the help of internal insulation, although this solution will not always be beneficial.

Pros and cons of outdoor insulation

Often there are heated debates about whether the log house is insulated from the inside. Most professionals agree that such a solution is undesirable: due to the internal location of the insulation, the walls will freeze in winter, and the dew point will be between the logs and the insulation.

This will lead to constant condensation, and due to the increased humidity, the logs will quickly begin to rot. In order to prevent the destruction of the house, it will be necessary to pre-treat the logs with antiseptics, and still the risk of decay remains.

However, this point of view also has its opponents. Many argue that the insulation of the log house walls from the inside does not cause significant harm to the building, since in the middle lane the logs rarely freeze through completely, in addition, the amount of condensate will be very small. This type of insulation has several other advantages:

• Warming a log house inside does not require much labor, and it is quite possible to cope with it yourself. Outdoor work often requires the installation of scaffolding or the involvement of special equipment, and even one person can easily cope with internal insulation.
• After insulation, the owner will be able to use a variety of finishing options for the house: walls can be sheathed with panels, drywall, and other materials.
• Almost any type of wood darkens over time, and interior decoration with wall cladding with insulation and finishing materials will allow you to close the logs, and the room will always have a beautiful view.

True, it is worth considering one more minus: internal insulation reduces the useful area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe building, so it will be appropriate only in a house with large rooms.

How can you insulate a log house from the inside?

There are several methods by which you can insulate a log house from the inside. The simplest of them, but quite effective - the insulation of the seams.

Such processing will completely close all the cracks, and the building will be reliably protected from drafts. In addition, it makes it possible not to close the logs, and the interior of the house will be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Sealants are used to insulate the seams: manufacturers today can offer compounds based on rubber, silicone, and acrylic. In addition, you can use eco-friendly flax or tow insulation for caulking seams. Filling the seams is carried out with a thin sharp tool along the entire length of the log, special attention should be paid to the joints of the logs.

If you choose the right insulation for caulking, the house will not lose its environmental friendliness. Modern materials pass water vapor well, so they will protect the house from the cold, but allow the walls to “breathe”.

There is another method of insulation - wall cladding with insulation boards, followed by installation of the finishing layer. For this, mineral wool is most often used; previously, foam plastic was a common option.

Today, its use has been practically abandoned due to its low vapor permeability. In addition, the walls are insulated with foam, polyurethane foam or other polymeric materials.

How is internal insulation carried out?

Work on the creation of an internal insulation layer is carried out in several steps:

Important! All work on the insulation of a log house can be carried out no earlier than one year after the completion of construction. During this time, shrinkage should be completed, and the house will take its final dimensions. If you install the crate earlier, it can be seriously damaged during shrinkage.

If the work is carried out correctly, the house will acquire reliable protection from the cold, in addition, it will be possible to maintain its beautiful and original appearance. As log houses gain more and more fans, there are more and more various means for safely insulating houses.

Log houses are also in demand today, despite the emergence of new building materials. The fact is that the tree perfectly retains heat and regulates the humidity in the room, while wooden houses are environmentally friendly. But it happens that with the onset of winter, the owners of log houses are faced with freezing walls. Consider how to properly insulate a log house with your own hands and show a detailed video instruction at the end of the article.

It happens that with the onset of cold weather, the owners of country houses are faced with drafts. Old log houses often require serious measures to insulate the walls and, first of all, you should deal with the caulking of a log house. So the question arises, how to independently perform the insulation of a log house, which ones are best used for walls in work.

Owners of houses made of chopped and rounded logs, like the owners of brick private houses, are faced with drafts. Without due, it will blow on the legs from the floor, and the house will quickly cool down if the gas or electricity is suddenly turned off in winter. The conclusion from this is simple - a log house should be properly insulated, and work should begin from the underground.

Insufficient thickness of logs is the main reason for the cold in the house in winter. For a temperate climate with low humidity, logs of 200 - 250 mm will suffice; for regions with cold winters, logs with a diameter of 400 mm should be used. In the next chapter, we will consider which heat-insulating materials are best used for a log house if a private house has already been built, but there is no proper comfort.

To retain heat in a residential building, it is necessary to insulate the house from logs. To do this, it is necessary to insulate the roof of the house, process and sheathe the outer walls, finish the slopes of the windows and the front door, etc. Make sure that the columnar foundation and the basement of the house are well insulated, and it is also necessary to make the heating in a private house more efficient.

Materials for warming a log house

For wood, it is better to use natural heaters - in the attic you can lay expanded clay or sawdust mixed with earth. Log cabin caulking is produced with moss or jute - a flax-based insulation. It is undesirable to use tow, because the material quickly absorbs moisture. Expanded clay can be used to fill the floor or basement, you can make a warm floor by laying extruded polystyrene foam plates.

If standard procedures are still not enough and the house is cool, then you can not do without additional insulation of the walls of a log house. The heat-insulating material must be vapor-permeable (quickly give off excess moisture that it has absorbed from warm air). If the building is insulated from the outside, then the material must be moisture resistant, environmentally friendly and fireproof.

How to insulate a log house from the outside

It is desirable to protect the house from the cold from the street. Thus, you protect the walls of the house from freezing, and when installing a ventilated facade, moist air will freely exit the wooden structures and thermal insulation and ventilate through the ventilation gap. If the house has just been built, then insulation should be started only when the log house sits down. Otherwise, all structures may be damaged.

Log house caulk

Before warming the log house, it is necessary to carefully caulk the walls with moss or jute. These materials are able to quickly release all the accumulated moisture into the environment. All work should be carried out only in dry and warm weather. The interventional insulation is pushed between the logs with a special spatula and rammed until the material enters. Logs can be additionally treated with an antiseptic.

Ventilated facade device

Log house insulation is best done using the technology of a ventilated facade. This design will allow the log house to “breathe” and release excess moisture into the atmosphere. To visually see the entire process of installing a ventilated facade using siding, we have added a video - instructions from a Russian manufacturer of basalt thermal insulation. Here are the main stages of warming the facade of a wooden house:

1. Caulking the log house and treating the walls with an antiseptic;
2. Installation of the crate with a step equal to the width of the insulation;
3. Laying thermal insulation on the facade between the guides;
4. Installation of a windproof film over the entire structure;
5. Stuffing the crate for the ventilation gap and installation of siding.

Insulation of the facade of the house with mineral wool for siding

The windproof film and vapor barrier will protect the insulation from getting wet, but will freely pass moisture from the thermal insulation layer to the outside. For better ventilation between the vapor barrier and the outer skin of the facade, a ventilation gap of 20-30 mm should be left. Vents should be arranged at the bottom and at the top so that air flows from below under the skin and takes away excess moisture from the surface of the film.

How to insulate a house from a log from the inside

This option should only be used in extreme cases. Builders are against the fact that the insulation is mounted from the inside of the room. When insulating walls from the inside, you may encounter the problem of condensation and mold between the wall and the thermal insulation layer. Inside the house there will be more than enough standard measures to insulate the floor on the ground floor, the attic floor and the slopes of the windows.

Floor insulation in a log house

To make the floor on the first floor warm, it is necessary to lay basalt insulation between the lags or pour expanded clay. A draft floor of boards is laid on the logs, on which linoleum or laminate is laid. If this is not enough, then blind areas should be made at home. It will not be superfluous to make independent insulation of the basement of the house with foam plastic or thermal panels.

Attic insulation in a log house

If you decide not to equip the attic, but simply insulate the attic floor, then first you should lay a waterproofing film, and lay the insulation on top with a layer of at least 250 mm. If an attic is equipped in a private house, then you need to insulate the roof with mineral wool with your own hands. The ceiling between floors should also be insulated with mineral wool to improve the sound insulation of rooms and premises.

Owners of new houses, including wooden houses, think about keeping warm even at the design stage. But buildings with a long service life simply need to be insulated and the facade updated. Therefore, this issue is always relevant.

Wood is a short-lived material, even the most durable tree species cannot boast of a long service life. Constant exposure to moisture, temperature fluctuations and other negative factors lead to:

• violation of the integrity of the structure;
• the appearance of drafts in the premises;
• loss of external attractiveness;
• skew of the supporting structure as a result of rotting material.

After the appearance of such shortcomings, it is not comfortable to stay in the rooms of the old house, especially during winter periods, since it is necessary to spend a lot of effort to create a warm microclimate. In some cases, it is simply impossible to get rid of drafts. This is due to mistakes made at the design stage.

Modern technologies of construction and processing of materials make it possible to treat logs with antibacterial and water-repellent impregnations. Such actions allow you to extend the life of the wood.

What steps need to be taken before thermal insulation?

Before proceeding directly to the installation of a heat insulator, a number of actions are performed that will stop or slow down the process of wood destruction, as well as reduce heat loss. To do this, do the following:

1. Carefully inspect the outer walls.
2. Remove decayed areas.
3. Close up deep flaws on the log with patches.
4. The gaps between the details of the wall are caulked.
5. The prepared base is treated with antiseptic solutions.

It would be useful to cover the wood with antiseptic compounds that resist the development of fungus and mold. Some also protect against insects. Such measures will help maintain the strength of the supporting structure much longer.

Basic requirements for a heat insulator

When choosing a warming material, pay attention to such nuances:

• The vapor permeability coefficient is the same as that of wood or higher. Wood perfectly passes steam, so that moisture does not accumulate in the insulation, it must have the same characteristics.
• Inertness to the development of fungus and mold.
• Fire safety. Wood is flammable and burns quickly. Such buildings always have a risk of fire, therefore it is better to choose a heat insulator that does not burn well or does not support combustion.
• Plasticity and flexibility. For high-quality arrangement of thermal insulation, the material is tightly attached to the outer wall. Since a log house does not have an ideal plane, an appropriate insulation is selected.
• It is important that the heat insulator does not accumulate moisture.

If you choose the material according to such criteria, then the created insulation system will last a long time and help reduce heating costs.

What materials can be used?

Having studied all the above criteria, it becomes clear that for the insulation of a structure from a log house, the following are suitable:

1. Mineral wool - any kind will do (glass, basalt or stone mineral wool). The material does not burn and does not rot. Mold also does not settle on the surface of this insulation. The main thing is to follow the safety rules in the process of doing the work with your own hands.
2. Ecowool - the material creates a single layer and at the same time covers all the irregularities, therefore it is great for warming a wooden house. In addition, it is environmentally friendly, since it is created from waste paper.
3. Bulk insulation - they were used by our ancestors. These include expanded clay, sawdust, slag. For thermal insulation of vertical surfaces, it is necessary to build an additional wall, which, together with the supporting structure, forms a cavity where the material is placed.

• polyurethane foam;
• polystyrene and expanded polystyrene;
• penoplex;
• mounting foam;
• various types of sealants.

These materials do not have the necessary characteristics that are important for the insulation of a wooden house. From a breathable construction, they create something reminiscent of a greenhouse. The rooms become warm, but at the same time moisture accumulates and air stagnates.

How to insulate a log house from the inside?

Internal insulation of residential buildings is extremely rare. This option significantly reduces the usable floor space. But this is not the only drawback.

Installing insulation inside shifts the dew point towards the main structure, which leads to the accumulation of moisture in the wood and its rapid destruction.

It is enough to isolate the floor, roof and ceiling from the inside. This will significantly reduce heat loss and will not lead to negative consequences. Each element of the structure has its own characteristics of the installation of insulation.

Thermal insulation of roofs and ceilings

Any work inside the house starts from above. Thus, the treated surfaces are not subjected to mechanical damage and stress. So let's start with the roof.

1. To begin with, a waterproofing membrane is laid. It will protect the insulation from getting wet, precipitation.
2. Further, the space between the rafters is filled with mineral wool slabs. Make sure that the material lays down tightly, but evenly. The gaps will become cold bridges, as will the protruding areas.
3. From above, the insulation is covered with a vapor barrier film, which will protect the insulator from moisture from the premises.
4. If the attic is not residential, you can close the mineral wool with OSB boards or plywood. For living rooms, wooden lining or other breathable finishing material is suitable.

Now let's start protecting the ceiling from heat loss. Perform such insulation from the side of the attic.

• They start with a vapor barrier membrane, it will cover the insulation from the fumes coming out of the rooms. It is covered with a draft ceiling, that is, boards stuffed on beams.
• The selected material for thermal insulation is laid on top. Make sure the layer is flat and even.
• Protect the insulation with a plank floor in the attic. A ventilation gap of 1–1.5 cm is left between the insulating material and the boards.

Wall insulation

Professionals generally do not recommend insulating the walls of a wooden house from the inside. But if for some reason it is not possible to do this from the outside, then all internal work is carried out strictly according to the instructions. The correct implementation of all actions will not reduce the technical characteristics of the wood.

1. Check the crowns of the log house. If you need to update or add material that was used for caulking.
2. Treat the walls with antiseptic impregnations and fire retardants (substances that protect against fire).
3. A frame is made from wooden bars treated with the same protective compounds.
4. On the frame we fix the lining or slab material for interior wall cladding.
5. Mineral or ecowool is chosen as a heater. The heat insulator plates are laid on the wall, protected by membranes from both sides to the sheathing. The cavity is filled with ecowool as the wall is sewn up.

At the last stage, the treated surfaces are decorated. The lining is polished and covered with paints and varnishes. Plates are puttied, rubbed, wallpapered or painted.

Floor

To protect your home from the cold, they also insulate the floor. To do this, perform the following list of actions:

• Careful requirement of the soil inside the foundation.
• Laying sand or a mixture of sand and gravel with a thickness of 20-40 cm.
• Backfill seal.
• Installation of waterproofing. A special membrane is laid on the previous layer.
• Another layer of backfill insulation is gravel or perlite. Thickness from 40 cm. The material does not reach the upper edge of the lag by 2-3 cm.
• A layer of waterproofing film.

Be sure to leave free sections of the log so that the wood can freely pass air.

How to properly insulate from the outside?

External insulation of the house is much better than the internal one. Thus, the moisture that has penetrated the material from the interior will quickly come out and be weathered. To do everything right, it is better to hire a professional team, but you can do everything yourself.

To begin, prepare the base:

1. Remove overhead structures.
2. Remove dirt and stains.
3. Clean the rotten areas, if necessary, apply a patch.
4. Cover the walls with protective compounds.

Log wall caulk

Next, the joints of the logs are processed. In these places, gaps most often appear after long-term operation of buildings. This is due to the fact that the material dries out and shrinks. To seal such cracks use:

• tow;
• harness;
• roll heaters;
• hemp;

These are natural materials that densely fill the gaps formed, but at the same time do not reduce the vapor transmission capacity of wood. The insulation is laid on a log at the place where the gap appears and pushed in with a caulk - a special pointed tool.

Ventilated facade device

One of the options for external thermal insulation of a log house is the arrangement of a ventilated facade. This design allows air to circulate freely between the decorative layer and the insulating material, removing excess moisture. At the same time, the insulation remains dry and retains its functions longer.

To make a ventilated facade, follow this plan:

1. Waterproofing installation.
2. Frame installation. To do this, use a wooden beam measuring 20 * 20 or 40 * 40 mm. The elements are fixed vertically or horizontally, depending on which facing material will be used in the future. The distance between the bars is slightly less than the width of the insulation.
3. In the cavity between the bars and the wall of a log house, a tape insulation (basaltin or jgut) is pushed in.
4. Heat insulator installation. Pay attention to how tightly the material fills the gaps between the bars.
5. From above it is necessary to protect the insulation with a waterproofing membrane. It is fixed with a counter-lattice. It will form a ventilated gap.
6. Next, proceed to decorate the facade. For this, siding, a wooden block house, facade tiles and other materials intended for installation on a frame are suitable.

Wet facade method

If outwardly the building has completely lost its attractiveness, you can use the “wet facade” option. To do this, a heater is fixed on the wall, and then covered with plaster. This method of warming consists of a number of actions:

• Installation of waterproofing.
• Heater fixing. If the walls are even, you can use special adhesive solutions for outdoor use. For made of rounded timber, it is better to fix the material with mechanical fasteners.
• Fixing the reinforcing mesh. To do this, use a plaster solution. It is applied with a layer of no more than 5 mm and fiberglass is applied. With a wide spatula, the mesh is smoothed so that it is buried in the solution. In places where the reinforcing material is visible, add more mortar.
• When this layer dries, another leveling layer is applied, which will hide minor imperfections.
• Further, you can use decorative plasters that form a certain pattern or paint the finished base with facade paint that passes steam well.

Installation of thermal panels

Some people prefer to use thermal panels for a log house. This option immediately insulates the walls and makes them attractive. They are installed as follows:

1. Fastening wooden bars as a crate. The distance between the elements is calculated so that one panel rests on 3 bars.
2. Fixing thermal panels with self-tapping screws or dowels.
3. Processing joints with sealant. At the time of purchase, choose a composition that is suitable for outdoor use.

In the process of sealing the seams, do not forget to leave holes for free penetration of air under the lining, which will help remove excess moisture.

Further measures to protect a residential building from chopped logs

After the wooden house is insulated and finished, you should not leave it unattended for a long time. At least once a year, the skin is checked for integrity, dirt is cleaned. If imperfections from mechanical impact appear on the decorative surface, then you should check whether the insulation and waterproofing are damaged.

In principle, further activities will depend on the chosen decorative material. If it was a wooden block house, then it must be covered with protective compounds. For siding, there are no special requirements.

Plaster requires more complex maintenance. Cracks need to be patched up. If the color has lost its attractiveness and brightness, the surface is re-coated with paint.

The cost of finishing materials

All work on insulation and require large financial investments. The cost depends on:

• The volume of work performed.
• condition of the outer walls.
• Type of heater.
• Quality of waterproofing membranes.
• type of decorative material.
• Additional fasteners.
• The work is carried out independently or by a professional team.

Therefore, before proceeding with the insulation of the facade, they calculate the approximate cost with a margin and compare it with the available budget. Having made calculations in advance, you can be sure that the work will not stop halfway, for lack of funds.

How to insulate an old wooden house from the inside?

It is more economical, and, in general, more efficient, to begin with caulking housing with your own hands.

In square meters, to determine the labor costs of such work, at least, defies logic, as well as for the performer of this type of work, and in particular for the time spent on studying the topic itself.

For the reason that the house can be from a bar 150x150, or 250x250 millimeters, and possibly from logs of THREE hundred millimeters in diameter. If in square meters - then if there is a beam of 150x150, you will have 2 times more seams than in a log house of 300 mm logs.

Once you have decided how much time per day you want to spend caulking logs with your own hands? Then we need to calculate how many per day, without particularly straining, we can caulk the squares. If, it turns out (again, we consider, in square meters, of course) with a beam of 150 mm, we window, in a mediocre mode, 8-9 square meters together, and the cost of this kind of work is $ 8 per square. This is the starting point for entrusting this work to other people or doing it yourself. Well, and so on.

Insulation of an old wooden house from the inside.

The house is old, which means it is necessary to close up all the cracks, without exception, in the floors and windows.

If possible, change old wooden windows to double-glazed windows with selective spraying filled with agronomist. Place seals on the outer door.

Completely change the thermal insulation of the ceiling, before they were covered with any muck from sawdust, up to slag. Basalt can be used for the purpose of thermal insulation of the chimney, this improves draft.

There are other options for how to insulate an old house from the inside. Ecowool plus, cellulose. In addition, flax is similar, according to the formula with a log. Also cellulose, this one is paper, etc.

These heaters, unlike mineral wool-glass wool, are ready to continue to insulate, having absorbed much more moisture.

They are actually excellent at drawing in (and “binding”) and giving back water. That is, the possibility of creating condensate is sharply reduced.

The second positive point is hardboard (or other materials used, the same wood is acceptable), although it is by no means a vapor barrier, however, it has a relatively small ratio of transmission pairs, that is, to one degree or another it will restrain the flow of steam from the room into the insulation . Well, maybe it would be more correct to fill it in 2 layers. Including from judgments of no deflection of the wall.

Of course, there is a limit to everything. The use of these used materials in the absence of a vapor barrier in the bathroom or even in the kitchen will most likely lead to sad results.

The advantage of all this is that you do not need a very thick layer of insulation.

How to do all this, and if there is a desire to insulate further, switch to things in the fresh air. Foam boards, under the filling of the blind area, reduce the heat transfer of the base of the house. To dig a foundation from the outside with a shovel is quite fast if there is a great desire, of course.

If the wooden manor is lined with brick, then the brick itself does not allow the log to dry, as it draws moisture on itself, and according to this fact, the wood smolders under it, and conducts heat from the house to the outside much better. As a rule, the insulation separating the basement and the wall (ordinary roofing material) which had previously been transformed into dust.

In addition, one must always be aware of a simple thing! The movement of steam in the wall constantly passes from the building to the outside, that is, to the street, this circumstance is caused by the difference in temperatures in winter, and the air passes and spreads from the street to the house, through the lower part of the wall and out through the ceiling, this is justified by the pressure drop.

If you arrange a vapor barrier from the inside, so that the inner wall does not have the ability to absorb steam from the room and hide the thermal insulation behind it, in this case it will be hot in theory, HOWEVER, it will become sad to live, something like in a thermos, you will feel the difference instantly, and you will never get used to this circumstance.

This version is quite good for a hunting lodge, where you can stop by for the winter holidays to spend the night. He arrived, in three hours he instantly warmed up the house with an air stove or a fireplace and that's it, and after that the head will be ill not only from a hangover.

And besides, according to the economy, you will not win anything! Due to the fact that the wood and the insulation will be closed from 2 edges, the vapor barrier (steam barrier) from the inside, and the brick on the street, the moisture of the wall will still increase, and with it its heat conductivity of the damp wooden wall, in addition, the wood will become more smoldering . Therefore, you need to seriously think about it, do you need it?

If there is no insulated blind area near the building, then it is necessary to make it, preferably waterproof. And if it is, then make sure that everything is in order. The wall will be drier and will be the best heat insulator. In the attic, pour insulation into the ceiling ceiling, without covering it with anything and without putting anything on it.

Of course, expanded or slab vermiculite is better suited for this.

or perlite can be simple dry wood sawdust, however, large expanded clay for the 1st layer (thick layer) and small expanded clay for the 2nd top layer (thin layer) are also suitable, it would be nice to share them, some, in this case not expensive mesh, so that the small one does not wake up down.

In general, foam plastics and mineral wool are not suitable, in general, each of its varieties will require a fundamental brick or concrete wall and plaster on top of it. This is in order to constantly notice whether there are cracks on the wall, or not at all. Otherwise, this is a defect, and it is very unhealthy! By doing this, you will already feel the result!

Then about the walls: if you are doing internal repairs, then use warm plasters, surprisingly, this insignificant couple of cm will also bring results!

What do you need? I think that convenience and economy are in the absence of problems, so convenience is given not by a temperature meter that demonstrates +22, but by the very feeling of convenience, which is formed from numerous conditions.

And here is the main circumstance: - the temperature difference in the room should not be higher than 3 degrees C. And preferably a high temperature simply must not be under the ceiling, but near the floor!

The walls do not have to absorb infrared radiation! The tree itself is very suitable, however, if you plaster with plaster with a significant density, then you will ruin everything, and in this case it will be preferable to use a special warm one.

In this, the insulation of the walls from the inside of the building will be completed. Then come the windows and the door, directly the boiler and the heating system. The main thing is not to rush and keep in mind the priority: spending money on insulation. You are obliged not only to pay a minimum for heating, but also not to shorten the life of the house itself, and medicines for the treatment of the family are also expensive ... Muck in housing is not required!

According to the materials used, they lie like this: the service period is FIFTY years! This may mean that after FIFTY years they will only become, the original properties are deteriorating, or maybe they will become in a year, and after FIFTY years nothing will remain. Here's another: they prefer to indicate the features in the dried state, indicating moisture absorption, and calculate the real result, they give it immediately after a year of operation, guess who? Naturally to ourselves.

In the practice of insulating buildings from timber, customers often address the issue of high heat loss. Because, between the crowns with temperature differences, there are gaps that form bridges of frost, and a brick with a ventilated opening along the facade provides additional air draft, as well as in the chimney. The solution recommended by construction practitioners is the wet application of insulation on the walls, according to the facing skeleton, no less than 50mm and additional precise insulation with kraft paper.

What is very important in this matter, without exception, all the positive features of a wooden building are not violated, experts do not say that this happens everywhere, there are a lot of situations, as well as different buildings.

The old windows were changed to POLYVINYLCHLORIDE windows, that is, plastic ones. URSA material was fixed to the wall, then a base with a metal profile, then Knauf drywall. After this action, puttying, priming and gluing vinyl wallpaper. Thus, the Isospin vapor barrier film was used only in the bathroom and in the restroom. In other rooms, when installing drywall systems, the film was not used. 3 years have passed.

The building is warm, dry, the walls do not fade anywhere and are not covered with mold in any way. For the sake of interest, he removed the window sill and looked at what was inside the log. The beam is dry, the plaster is dry, the old wallpaper is absolutely dry, the URSA cotton wool material is also dry as gunpowder, the cardboard inside is as if it had recently appeared. Thus, here is the result - whether thermal film is necessary or not. I don't know personally. However, as the skill revealed, the walls were dried up from the inside.