How to properly caulk a log house. Do-it-yourself caulking at home from a log house: tasks, stages, working tools and materials

In order to get a perfectly warm log house for permanent residence, it is not enough to mount it correctly. It is also necessary to fill all the gaps between the logs with high quality, so that heat losses overcome the house as little as possible. Not everyone knows how to properly caulk a log house, and therefore the performance of insulation work sometimes leads to a distortion of the house (in the worst case) or simply to rotting of wood and insulation (at best).

About how to properly caulk log cabins from moss video and general recommendations on other types of insulation in our material below.

Materials for caulking a log house

You can caulk a wooden frame with various materials. Fortunately, the construction market today offers a wide selection of them from natural to synthetic and semi-synthetic. The most popular are the following types:

• building moss. May be called "sphagnum" or "cuckoo flax". This type of insulation was used by architects in ancient Russia. The qualities of moss as a heater are priceless and undeniable. Sphagnum is highly resistant to moisture. It seems to shrink with the tree in case of waterlogging of the latter and simply takes all the moisture into itself. In addition, moss is of no interest to birds, moths and other insects. And this means that all the material for the caulking will remain in the place that the master determines for him. Moss "sphagnum" and "cuckoo flax" does not burn, does not rot and is an excellent natural antiseptic for wood for many years.

Important: you can buy building moss in any volume at specialized points of sale.

• Construction tow. This type of material also works well in tandem with wood when caulking walls. Produce tow from the remnants of flax and hemp grass. Tow is also a natural material that protects wood from moisture and cold.
• jute fiber in the form of a tape - advanced natural-type materials for caulking walls. Jute is made from a shrub that belongs to the linden family. And linden, as you know, copes well with cold and moisture. Jute is able to somewhat moisten the log when it dries out excessively, but it does not take moisture from the tree when the humidity in the house is 80%. It is convenient to lay a jute tape between the crowns, and also stuff it into the cracks when re-insulating the house.
• Lnovatin. They produce insulation from flax fiber in the form of a wide tape. According to its technical characteristics, lnovatin is similar to jute. It is convenient in laying between the crowns and when caulking "in a stretch".
• Felt. Unsuccessful type of insulation for a wooden house. Felt is prone to rotting between logs, and if excessive moisture gets on the walls, the felt will not only lose its insulating qualities, but also spoil the tree from the inside.

Tool to get the job done

To properly caulk a log house, you need to use special tools. Otherwise, the insulation will lie superficially in the cracks, which will lead to the formation of cold bridges. Most professionals use special caulks made of steel or metal. The first one is better. You can also make wooden caulks from dense woods - beech, walnut, oak. At the same time, it is desirable that the tool has a rubberized handle for ease of work.

Important: the caulking tool should not have a sharp blade, otherwise the insulation may be damaged during caulking. For the same reason, you should avoid notches on the surface of the tool. The insulation in this case clings to the teeth and breaks.

The main type of tools for caulking:

• Stacked caulk. It is a flat kind of chisel with a blade width of 10x0.6 cm. It is used for stuffing seams between logs with insulation.
• Crooked caulk. The same chisel, but curved. It is used for caulking the corners of the house and rounded cracks. The width of the blade in this case is half that of a type-setting caulk.
• Caulker "Roader". It has a fork-shaped shape and is used for caulking cracks using the “stretching” method. The blade here has parameters of 170x15 mm. Depending on the width of the gap, you can use a wide, medium or narrow caulk.
• The caulk is broken. It has a wedge-shaped blade 30-35 mm wide. Such a tool is used to expand narrow gaps and fill them with insulation.
• A mallet is used to help all types of tools. With the help of such a rubber hammer, the seal is pushed into the slots.

Work performance technology

In order for a log house to be insulated with high quality, the insulation must be laid in several stages. First, roll insulation or building moss is laid out between the crowns in such a way that it protrudes 5-6 cm beyond the edges of the log. In this case, a tape insulation such as jute or flax fiber is fixed to the tree with a construction stapler. By the way, you can do the same with moss.

After the house settles and sits down, new cracks form. It is through them that heat loss will occur. In addition, the heat leaving the house, in contact with wood and low temperatures outside, will form perspiration (moisture). That, in turn, is transformed into frost, which will destroy the log. That is why additional caulking of new slots and packing of a peeking seal between the crowns is required.

The third caulk can be done after 2-3 years, when the house is completely seated and all possible cracks will be open to the master.

Caulking methods

Warming "stretching"

This method involves filling narrow cracks and gaps. It is good for caulking houses from rounded logs, since the gaps here are minimal. At the same time, you should be careful with the caulk of such a log house. There is a risk of overfilling the slots, which will lead to distortion of the crowns, and, accordingly, the walls.

So, stretching insulation is performed in this way:

• As soon as the edge of the insulation 5 cm long remains, a new bundle of insulation is taken and its edge is woven with the remaining end.
• The resulting plexus is hammered into the slot and in this way they continue to caulk all the gaps.

Important: the quality of the caulk can be checked by pulling on the remaining end of the insulation. If the material comes out freely from the gap, the job has not been done correctly. If the insulation remains in the gap, then everything is done soundly.

Caulker "in a set"

This method is used to fill large gaps. Here it is necessary to wind the insulation into a skein. Then, loops are made from the resulting fiber and the slots are stuffed with them. Moreover, first they caulk the upper part of the gap using a stuffing tool, and then hammer the loops into the lower part of the gap using the “road builder” tool. It is worth knowing that the thickness of the insulation loop must correspond to the thickness of the existing gap in the log house.

Important: when working with a mallet, it is worth remembering that there should be one hammer blow per blade width. Do not be too zealous, otherwise there is a risk of overfilling the cracks, which will lead to a warp of the house.

There are also a number of general requirements that should be observed when caulking a log house. By following them, it will be possible to avoid gross errors in the work:

• So, you need to start re-caulking at home from the lower rims, because when you stuff the insulation in the crack, the house will rise by 5-15 cm.
• It is necessary to fill the gaps alternately from the outside and from the inside of the house. That is, first they fill the slot of the lower crown from the outside, and then they go inside the log house and fill the gaps of the same crown from the inside. This technology will help maintain the evenness of the walls of the house.
• It is best to use natural heaters for caulking. Synthetics blocks the breath of the tree.
• If moss is used for caulking, then it should be treated with a special solution of soap and oil in a ratio of 200:500, mixed with a bucket of water.
• Warming of the house must be carried out in dry weather at a temperature of + 10- + 20 degrees Celsius.
• In addition, a lack of insulation is just as bad as its bust. It is necessary to strictly monitor the amount of fiber in the loops so that their width matches the width of the gaps.

Remember, properly done work is the guarantor of a warm and comfortable home even in severe frosts.

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

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

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

Log Caulking Material

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

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

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

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

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

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

Technology of caulking log house with jute

To perform the caulking we need:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Video instruction for caulking log house with jute:

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

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

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

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

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

• Kiyanok
• Konopatok

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

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

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

Caulking log house with a rope

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

Caulking a log house with a rope, stages:

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

Warm seam technology

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

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

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

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

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

This technology has a number of advantages:

It is done only once.

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

Makes your home much warmer.

Resistant to temperature extremes, not afraid of moisture.

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

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

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.

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

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

1 way

Perform the laying of the lower row of logs on the base.

Then the insulation is spread on top so that the ends of the material hang evenly on both sides. Next, a second crown is laid, and again a layer of insulation. So repeat to the very top of the log house. After all the work on the construction of the log house is completed and the roof is installed, the protruding ends of the sealant are hammered into the gaps between the bars with the help of caulks.

2 way

Caulking begins after the installation of the roofing system on the frame. Insulation (best of all, tape) is applied to the seam of the bottom row and, using a tool, is stuffed into the gaps between the logs along the entire length, leaving hanging edges 5-7 cm wide. Then these edges are tucked in, a roller is formed from them and hammered into the seam. Repeat the procedure in the next row and so on to the top of the structure.

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

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

There are two ways of caulking - "in a set" and "in a stretch". The first is used to eliminate wide gaps between logs, the second is usually used for primary caulking, when the gaps are still narrow.

To work, you need tools - a set of caulks, a road builder and a mallet. As a rule, metal caulks are used, although many craftsmen make their own from hardwood.

Name	Description	What is it used for
	Flat metal or wooden spatula. Blade width 100 mm, thickness 5-6 mm	The main tool for sealing gaps between crowns
	Flat chisel with a blade width of 50-60 mm and a thickness of up to 5 mm	It is used for sealing joints in corners and rounded sections of the log house
	Caulking triangular shape with a longitudinal groove along the blade. Width - 170 mm, thickness 8-15 mm	Tool for forming even rolls from twisted strands of sealant
	Thick and narrow wedge up to 35 mm wide	Expands narrow gaps, which provides more convenient filling with insulation
	wooden hammer	Used for stuffing the sealant with wooden caulks

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

Materials for caulking

The following materials are used as interventional heaters:

• red and white moss;
• tow;
• felt;
• jute;
• lnovatin.

Material type	Description
	Environmentally friendly material with antiseptic properties. With independent procurement of raw materials, the cost of warming the log house will be minimal. It is collected, as a rule, in late autumn, when there are no snails and fewer insects in it. Immediately after collection, the moss is sorted out, clods of earth and debris are removed, and slightly dried. It is not necessary to dry strongly, otherwise the stems become too brittle and unusable. Purchased moss must be soaked before caulking to facilitate styling. Pros: durability, low thermal conductivity, resistance to temperature changes, environmental friendliness, antimicrobial properties, low cost. Cons: Difficult to find commercially, requires bird protection, requires pre-treatment before laying
	The tow is suitable for the primary caulking of the log house and for sealing the crowns after shrinkage. It is made from flax fibers, and depending on their quality is divided into bale and roll (tape). Roll consists of shorter and stiffer fibers, which makes it difficult to drive between the rims. Tape tow is better in quality, softer and more convenient for caulking. Pros: has low thermal conductivity, does not electrify, is highly absorbent and dries quickly, has bactericidal properties. Cons: the complexity of laying, unaesthetic appearance of the seams after caulking.
	Until recently, natural felt was widely used in the insulation of log cabins. Now its composition is supplemented with synthetic and vegetable fibers, which significantly improve its individual properties. And yet, felt insulation without additives has a number of advantages: it has high vapor permeability, does not let in odors, provides good sound insulation, has low thermal conductivity, is easy to use, and environmentally friendly. Cons: prone to rotting, easily damaged by moths
	Traditional heaters are increasingly being replaced by materials such as jute. It is produced in the form of fibers, ropes of any thickness, as well as in the form of a tape. Ribbon jute is soft and pliable, evenly compacted, used for both primary and re-caulking. Jute fibers and ropes are more convenient to use after shrinkage of the log house. Pros: it is durable, it is not damaged by moths and other insects, it does not rot, it provides a favorable microclimate in the building. Cons: the material quickly caking, short service life.

Tow prices

Primary caulking "in stretch"

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

They take a large bunch of moss and lay it with fibers across the log so that the ends of the fibers hang on both sides by 5-7 cm. The next bunch lies close next to each other.

The fibers must be evenly distributed over the surface, forming a layer of the same thickness. Wood should not shine through the moss, so make the insulation layer thicker. It is better to put in excess than not to report, because a thin layer will not be able to effectively protect the seams from blowing.

If tape insulation is used, the installation is much easier and faster: the tape is rolled out along the crown and fixed with staples of a construction stapler. When the tape ends, the new segment is overlapped by 5 cm so that there are no gaps at the joints. After the entire row along the perimeter is covered with insulation, the installation of the second crown is performed.

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

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

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

If during the construction process the insulation was not laid between the logs, caulking is performed in the manner described above, only more material will be needed. It must be applied to the seams with fibers across. The longitudinal arrangement of the fibers will not provide the desired density, the material will not be able to firmly fix itself and will constantly crawl out of the grooves. When choosing a tape compactor, make sure that the width of the tape is several centimeters greater than the thickness of the log. Too short edges are difficult to tuck, respectively, the quality of caulking will be low.

1. The edge of the tape is laid on the ground near the corner of the log house and retreat along the wall, unwinding the roll. You can’t stretch the material, it should just lie in an even strip on the ground. It is very important that the tape does not twist during the unwinding process. Having reached the second corner, the roll is also left to lie, nothing is cut off yet.

   

2. They return to the beginning of the tape, take it by the edge and put it over the seam. With a caulking blade, the tape is pressed in the middle, leaving the edges to protrude by 5-7 cm. In this way, the entire interventional seam passes.

   

   We insert the insulation into the seam

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

   

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

   

Caulking prices

caulk

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

Start from the edge of the lower crown:

• clear the gap, removing chipped chips and debris;
• unwind a small amount of cord, fold it in the form of loops and push it into the gap with a caulk;
• seal the loops first at the top of the gap, then at the bottom;
• impose another strand on top, now without loops, and level with a road builder.

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

For a decorative log house, a jute cord can be hammered along the entire length of the seams.

Caulking corners

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

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

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

Step 2 As soon as the insulation is a little fixed, they begin to tuck the protruding edges and hammer them deeper into the cracks.

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

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

Video - How to caulk the corner of a log house

Caulking a log house with sealants

The caulking of the log house with special sealants is gaining popularity, which are easy to apply, give the seams a very aesthetic appearance and reliably protect against blowing. If the log house is made of rounded logs or glued beams, and jute is laid as a heater between the crowns, only sealant and foam polyethylene tow can be used. The sealing of the seams is carried out not earlier than the shrinkage of the log house.

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

Step 2 A primer-primer is applied along the perimeter of the seams with a brush or sprayer. If the work is carried out in winter, the primer must be chosen on a rubber basis, in the summer - on a water basis.

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

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

Step 5 After sealing all interventional joints, remove the outer layer of the film so that the sealant hardens. At the end, the joints are covered with a colorless varnish or a tinting composition is applied, depending on the color of the sealant.

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

If the logs for the log house were harvested by hand, more uneven gaps form during shrinkage. Here, one sealant and a polyethylene cord will not be enough. In such cases, caulking is performed in the traditional way, after which the seams are closed with a sealant. After such processing, the need for subsequent caulking disappears.

Video - How to caulk a log house

The caulk of a wooden house is an important step in warming the finished building using natural or synthetic heat insulators. Here, every detail matters: the right working tool, high-quality insulation material, work performance technology. Not all homeowners are aware of how to correctly seal interventional gaps and joints in order to reduce possible heat loss, avoid distortion of the house structure, and prevent rotting of wood and heat insulator.

What is the caulking of the log house for?

Thermal insulation of a log house contributes to the preservation of heat in the premises, prevents the deformation of wood and a decrease in its operational parameters. Modern heaters are durable, practical and safe, therefore they provide high-quality caulking of wooden buildings.

Caulker felling solves the following tasks:

• eliminates cold bridges and reduces heat loss at home;
• corrects structural defects in the structure;
• eliminates various flaws in external and internal corners, crowns, door and window openings;
• makes the house more attractive and reliable;
• increases the life of wood.

When is the caulking

The caulking of a wooden house is carried out in several stages, and this is due to the gradual shrinkage of the wood. Maximum shrinkage takes place during the first 18 months after the completion of construction work and stops after 5 years.

1. The first stage of caulking is performed after the assembly of the log structure. In this case, when building a house, thermal insulation material fills the space between the logs so that the edges hang freely on both sides. After installing the roof structure, the insulation is hammered into the connecting seams between the crowns.
2. The second stage of insulation is carried out 1.5 years after the completion of construction work and preliminary shrinkage of the house. The insulating material is laid tightly enough to hide all the gaps and cracks.
3. The third stage of caulking is carried out after 5 years, when the shrinkage process of the log house is considered to be fully completed. All existing defects between the logs are filled with insulation.

Important! For a log house, all three caulking is carried out, and for a house made of timber, which will be lined with siding on the outside, the third stage of caulking is optional.

Materials for caulking

For caulking timber or logs, it is better to use natural heaters with the following characteristics:

• hygroscopicity,
• resistance to temperature changes,
• breathability,
• environmental Safety,
• ease of installation.

These heaters include:

• moss (red and white),
• tow,
• lnovatin,
• jute.

Moss

The safest and most practical material with excellent antiseptic properties. It provides reliable protection of wood from rotting and biological damage.

Moss (sphagnum) is a reliable material for sealing interventional joints: it passes air well and quickly absorbs excess moisture, prevents the development of pathogenic microorganisms and fungi, and as a result increases the service life of wood.

Moss is resistant to fire and decay, therefore it is able to maintain its performance characteristics for a long time. High cost is the only drawback of such material.

Self-procurement of raw materials will significantly reduce the cost of thermal insulation of a house made of logs or timber.

Before caulking the walls, the pre-treated moss must have a suitable moisture level - not excessively dry or wet.

Tow

A practical and safe material that is used for caulking crowns after complete shrinkage of the log house. It is made from hemp, jute and linen fibers.

Sold in pressed bales or rolls. Tow in bales has short and stiff fibers, which complicate the process of driving interventional seams. High quality tape tow has long, elastic and soft fibers.

This material has low antiseptic properties, is susceptible to high moisture, and therefore requires additional treatment with protective impregnations or paints.

The main disadvantages of the insulation include the complexity of laying, the unattractive appearance of the treated seams, and the short service life.

Lnovatin

A natural material for caulking wooden houses, which is produced by pressing short flax fibers into ribbons. Lnovatin has high heat-insulating and moisture resistant characteristics. Such insulation is able to provide reliable protection of wood from rotting and mold damage.

Lnovatin is used for sealing seams between crowns with fixation on metal staples.

Jute

The most high-quality and durable tape insulation for caulking houses made of logs or timber. The material has high heat-saving properties, is not susceptible to rotting and mold damage. Even with prolonged exposure to moisture, jute fiber remains almost dry.

Jute is used for primary and secondary thermal insulation of the house. It has high strength, wear resistance, elasticity and practicality. It fits into interventional seams with fixation on staples.

The only drawback of the material is its high cost.

Caulking tools

If natural materials are used for thermal insulation of a wooden house, then before caulking, prepare:

1. Kiyanku. A small wooden or rubber mallet for laying insulation with wooden caulks.
2. A dial-up caulk. A spatula with a metal or wooden base, blade width 10 cm, thickness 0.5 cm. This is the main tool for caulking log crowns.
3. Crooked caulk. Curved chisel with a flat blade 5 cm wide and 0.5 cm thick. Used to fill fillet joints and gaps in rounded sections of a building with insulation.
4. Road builder. Triangular blade with a special longitudinal groove. Blade width - 17 cm, thickness - from 0.8 to 1.5 cm. The tool is designed to fill gaps of equal width.
5. Breaker caulk. A narrowed wedge-shaped blade up to 3.5 cm wide, which allows you to widen the intervention gaps for the convenience of laying heat-insulating material.

Important! All caulk blades should be slightly dull and smooth to avoid damaging the wood and pulling the insulation out of the seams. Before starting work, the tools are thoroughly cleaned with a clean cloth.

Logging caulking technology

The process of caulking a house from a log house is carried out in stages. There are two caulking methods:

• in stretching
• into a set.

It doesn’t matter what method the caulking is carried out at home, all insulation work begins with the lower crown. Next, we will consider how to competently caulk a wooden structure.

Stretching

Stretched caulk provides for the insulation of the seams between the logs with pre-stretched heaters. For this, fibrous and rolled materials are used.

Fibrous insulation

1. Work is carried out from the ends of the lower crown. A small part of the insulation (for example, tow or moss) is applied with transverse fibers to the seam and clogged inward with a type-setting caulk.
2. At the edges, the insulation is rolled up with a small roller and compacted into an interventional seam.
3. Next, a new portion of insulation is used, which is formed into a roller, and the entire caulking procedure is repeated. This allows you to qualitatively seal the seam along its entire length.

Roll insulation

Dense rollers from roll insulation are much easier to get. For even distribution, the material is gently stretched along the entire length of the seam and applied to it across the fibers.

1. The tape is unwound on a flat surface from one of the corners to the opposite corner.
2. Having picked up the free edge, with the help of a caulk, the insulation is placed in the interventional seam so that the free edges hang down by 5 cm. This fills the entire length of the seam.
3. After the seam is completely filled, the tape is cut off from the roll.
4. The rest of the insulation is driven into large gaps between the logs. The insulated seam must have the same thickness and protrude 3 mm beyond the edges of the grooves.

To the set

Caulking in the set allows you to insulate wide and deep gaps between logs. It uses a larger volume of material, respectively, and the quality of thermal insulation is higher. Tow, hemp rope or jute cord is suitable for this.

1. To caulk a log house with jute (the easiest option for beginners), a small amount of material is unwound and folded into loops. Next, each loop fits into the seam with a caulk.
2. Stitching begins at the top of the seam and then continues at the bottom.
3. On top of the laid insulation, an additional strand is applied for better insulation. The material is leveled along the entire length of the seam with the help of a road builder.

If desired, the insulation of the house in this way can be accelerated. In this case, the driving of the heat-insulating material is carried out using a perforator. The tool is used at low speed to prevent deformation of the seam. Also, a pneumatic hammer with a compressor is suitable for laying insulation.

Caulker corners

The corners in the log house are insulated after the completion of the main work.

To do this, it is better to use a roll insulation and a crooked caulk. The process is carried out as follows:

1. The free edge of the tape insulation is applied to the seam located in the corner and clogged with a crooked caulk.
2. After installing the material, its free edges are rolled up and hammered into the seam.
3. All work on laying insulation is carried out from top to bottom. For uniform driving, the material is gently stretched and straightened.

decorative caulking

If the main task of caulking is the thermal insulation of a wooden structure, then decorative caulking is used to decorate insulated interventional seams.

To give the seams of the log house an attractive and harmonious appearance, experts recommend using a rope and a rope made of jute or flax as a finish.

The rope is carefully fixed to the surface of the seam on galvanized nails without hats, driven into logs at a distance of 18 cm from each other. Decorative caulking is also suitable for hiding unevenly dried joints between the crowns and for additional insulation of the structure.

After the completion of the caulking process, the wooden house should be used as much as possible throughout the year. In winter, a check is made for the formation of new cracks and deformation of the laid insulation.

A year and a half after the first stage of caulking, the second stage is carried out. In this case, a thorough inspection of the structure is carried out, heat-insulating material is added where it has deformed or fallen out, as well as where new gaps or distortions of the log house have appeared.

Caulking a wooden house is an important and responsible event that requires a competent approach and compliance with all stages of the technological process. The quality of the work performed depends on the internal microclimate in the premises and the duration of the operation of the house.