Caulking is a process of compacting a log house with special materials like tow or moss. It may be other options with a fibrous structure. You can also use thermal insulation, which acts as an interventional insulation. In this case, we are talking about polyurethane foam or flax jute fiber.
As soon as the log house is laid, it is still impossible to caulk it, because it must settle well. Therefore, you should not be led by the offers of developers who have a desire to earn. They may advise to caulk the building immediately, but this should be done only after six months or more. After the log house has shrunk, work can begin on compacting the tibiofibular space. You need to move from the bottom up. You should start from the lowest crown.
Sequence recommendations
One seam is caulked first. In this case, it is necessary to move along the perimeter of the log house. First, work is done outside, and then - inside. It is impossible to separately carry out caulking of each wall, otherwise the log house may be repainted. The same applies to a separate caulking of the inside and outside, which can cause dangerous deviation of the walls vertically.
If you are faced with the question of how to caulk a log house, then you should know that in the process you need to monitor the walls so that there are no distortions. It will also be bad if, after completion, the log house rises to a whole crown. This will cause logs to fall out of locks or dowels, so these consequences are best avoided.
Advice from experts on material selection: moss
Moss is an environmentally friendly material that has healing properties. It is able to withstand drying and temperature changes. Moss, although it absorbs moisture, does not rot. It has tonic and antimicrobial properties, so it is ready to last long enough.
If you are wondering how to caulk a log house, then you should know that moss has been used for the described purposes since ancient times. Today it cannot be called the best, but some bath owners use only it.
Some subtleties
When laying, you can use moistened material. In this case, after shrinkage of the log house, it will become homogeneous and turn into a dense mass that fills the cracks and cavities. In this case, the caulk is no longer required. Experienced builders, however, do not recommend attaching special importance to the historical experience of using moss, because such a finish is expensive.
Worth itwhether to use tow
Before you caulk a log house, you must pick up the material. They can be tow, but its use is accompanied by certain difficulties. When the log house shrinks, the tow gradually gains moisture and begins to rot, turning into dust. Over time, this insulation has to be cleaned out, and then caulked and filled the devastated cavities again. This can take a lot of time and effort.
Expert opinions on whether to use sealants
Many owners of baths and wooden houses are wondering how to caulk a log house. On sale today there are sealants that cost more than tow, but have their own advantages. Experts believe that such tools are great if the log house is assembled from logs.
Sealant is also suitable for semicircular grooves. If a jute cloth was laid between the logs, then the sealant is also suitable. But if the log house was made with a chainsaw, and the groove has a triangular shape, it is necessary to fill the voids with natural materials. Using sealant combined with tow, you must caulk twice. When full shrinkage occurs, the seams must be sealed.
To save the sealant, a heat-insulating cord is laid in the grooves. For joints of different widths, different sealants should be used. This technology has one indisputable advantage, which is that the seams are neat and light, and the riskthere will be no need for re-caulking.
When to choose tape insulation. Work technology
If you are going to caulk the log house from the outside, then you can use tape insulation, which ensures ease of work. The tape is cut into separate strips. You will have to go to one of the ends of the log house and put the tape on the ground, unwinding it. After that, you need to move to the other end. The tape does not cut off, it is important to ensure that it does not twist.
One of the main conditions is the lack of tension. The material must be relaxed. After that, you should return to the beginning and raise the thermal insulation, starting poking from the end. It is necessary to place the layer between the crowns, using a tool that was selected depending on the gaps.
As soon as you get to the end, you need to leave a margin of 20 cm. Only then the tape is cut, using well-sharpened scissors. If you are going to caulk a log house at home, then at this stage you can completely lay the tape inside. However, it is necessary to act gradually, otherwise the material will fold.
Caulking should be carried out in several stages until the tape disappears between the logs. It is necessary to push the tape inward diagonally. After that everything repeats. About two or three ribbons should enter between these same crowns. Everything will depend on the density. The caulking will take 4 times more insulation than was used during the initialstyling. This applies only to external insulation. By all the rules of manipulation, you will have to repeat inside.
If the insulation stuffing has become dense like wood, then you can be sure that the caulking was successful. Experts advise using 10 mm jute. The thicker the material, the better.
Preparation of tools
Before starting the described work, you will wonder how to caulk a log house from logs. You must prepare a spatula with which you can press the material inward. The handle will need to be tapped with a wooden mallet. These tools are used for stretch caulking. The grooves are compacted as follows: it is necessary to make a strand from the tow, which is substituted for the slot or groove, and then gradually pressed inward.
If you are wondering how to caulk a log house with tow, then you should know that there is also a technology in the kit. It is suitable for filling wide gaps and grooves. To do this, it is necessary to twist strands from the tow, the diameter of which is 2 mm. A set of loops is made from them, which are stuffed inside.
Beginning home craftsmen often think about how to properly caulk a log house with tow. If you are also one of them, then you can choose the Chinese alternative as a tool, which is inexpensive, but has a fairly acceptable quality. But it is better to refuse to use a solid tool, because in this case you will encounter dents and chips. The main instrument is calledcaulk, which should be soft. You can also make it yourself. On sale you can find wooden caulks with curved edges that penetrate deep into the seam very easily. However, they require skill to use.
Estimate for works
Before caulking a log house from a log, many owners of such real estate evaluate their own budget. Some, based on the results of such calculations, decide to carry out the work on their own. If you do not have relevant experience, you can use the services of specialists.
Usually they make an estimate for the work. You can independently calculate the approximate costs, depending on what material underlies the walls, as well as taking into account the size of the building. If the building was erected from chopped logs, then for 1 linear meter on one side you will have to pay 75 rubles. With this in mind, estimated costs can be determined. If you have a 6 x 6 m building available, then for one crown on one side of one wall you will have to pay 450 rubles. If there are 10 crowns in the bath (usually just such an amount is enough to create ceilings 2.2 m high), then 4,500 rubles will go to one wall. In order to caulk the same wall from both sides, you will have to pay 9,000 rubles. For insulation with an interventional sealant of all walls on both sides, you will pay 36,000 rubles.
Drawing up an approximate work plan
After you figured out the better to caulk a log house, you can proceedto drafting a plan. Taking into account the fact that the walls will shrink for several more years, it will not be possible to avoid gaps and cracks in them. The first time caulking is carried out after and during the construction of the bath. The work process will be time-consuming and painstaking.
Insulation for the second time is done in a year. During this period, the logs will be exposed to the external environment, because of this, the material may be deformed. The gaps that appeared in the process of this will need to be caulked again. If you do not know how to properly caulk a log house, then you should also know that you will have to seal the walls a third time. This will be done after five years of construction of the log house. During this time, the house will finally settle, and the material will take on its final shape.
Caulking must be produced according to the scheme. The gaps are closed first on the lower crown, while it is necessary to follow the length of the perimeter of the house. As soon as one row is sealed, you can begin to insulate the second crown.
Using jute for caulking
Only at first glance it may seem that caulking with jute is a fairly simple task. In fact, this work is very painstaking. If you are a beginner, then the instructions below will help you. If you decide to work in stretch, you should know that this method is suitable for walls with barely noticeable gaps. This is true for log houses.
Insulation should be collected in separate pieces and pushed with a spatula. Part of the insulation should hang down. A roller is formed from the remnants, which, with the help of a chisel, is necessarypush into the cracks. If you do not know how to properly caulk a log house, then you should know that there is also a method in the set. It is more suitable if there are wide and deep gaps. According to this technology, a tourniquet is rolled up from the insulation. You can create it ahead of time. With the help of a chisel, the material is hammered into the holes. The harness rolls up on the go. This way you can control its thickness.
Slots across the entire surface of the wall will be different, so it is important to ensure that the seam looks neat. This method of sealing gaps involves driving jute into the upper part of the slots, only after that you can proceed to the lower ones. In order to ensure accuracy, the seam must be sealed with a special road sealer at the end.
Subtleties of work
Jute is laid on each link, and fastening can be done with a stapler. Caulking is carried out in two stages. However, the second may not be needed. If you want to know how to caulk a log house with jute, then you should know that you can use this material not only outside, but also inside.
It is better to do such work before finishing, because the walls can rise by 15 cm. You need to follow strictly along the perimeter. If you have to work with a chopped log house, then you need to purchase jute, the thickness of which is 1.5 cm. For a log bath, 5 mm material is used.
In closing
Since the fashion for the construction of baths and houses made of wood has returned to Russia, it has become relevant againcaulk question. The purpose of such work is to eliminate the gaps between the bars. Such manipulations bring warmth into the building and allow you to create a reliable barrier to cold.
