Installation of windows in a wooden house is very different from the same process for houses made of stone or brick. For example, task openings made of timber or logs most often have a quarter on the outside, and not on the inside.
What you should know about shrinkage?
The main difference between wooden houses is that they shrink after the material dries. This moment is essential during the installation of a window in an old wooden house. If you need to put it, you need to do it in a bare opening, which will certainly be crushed and deformed by shrinkage.
The shrinkage of a wooden house depends on the factors presented:
- type of material;
- when materials were prepared (summer or winter);
- time of day (afternoon, morning or evening);
- environments where the forest sprouted from which the wood was obtained (field, swamp);
- density and resin content;
- material dimensions;
- humidity indicators;
- building parameters.
Maximum shrinkage occurs in log cabins made of ordinary wood,smaller parameters for round logs, profiled timber, glued laminated timber.
Wooden house - living house
Such a house is a constantly moving structure, unlike stone or concrete structures. In this regard, the installation of PVC windows in a wooden house is carried out not in the opening, but in a pre-prepared box, which acts as a link between the wall and the window. Such a box can be called a casing, a pigtail, a linden, and so on.
What is a pigtail?
This is a simple box made of four or sometimes three thick boards, which is eventually placed inside the opening.
The purpose of this design is that it is not affected by vertical movements of the walls, it easily fits in the window opening due to the fact that it is not attached to the beam with any self-tapping screws, nails or other fasteners. It is installed using grooves in the side posts, which are mounted on spikes at the end of the logs. To seal the pigtails, you don’t even need to use foam, it will be enough to take tow, jute or other soft insulation.
Shrinkage gap
It is worth noting that a significant free space must be left above the pigtail, which is calculated for the maximum possible shrinkage of the material. After the first few years after the construction of the building, such a gap will slightly decrease to a minimum, however, the upper log in the opening will not press and deformpigtail, if you calculated everything correctly. Thanks to this, shrinkage will not affect the state of the structure in any way and will not be able to harm the window that you place in it.
How much clearance do you need?
If you want to install plastic windows in an old wooden house, which has long ended the shrinkage process, then while disassembling the window block, you will certainly notice one detail: they were made according to the same principle as the casing design described here. They were not nailed to the logs, but were fixed using spikes on the sides.
There are several methods for mounting pigtails:
- t-shaped: a hole is created inside the end of the log for the groove where the profile is placed;
- U-shaped: the spike must be cut at the end of the log, and the groove is created in the side of the casing.
Preparing the opening before installation
Before you start cutting out an opening for a window, you must first mark it out using a level. The window should be set in strict accordance with the levels on all planes, so that the pigtail should also be placed as accurately as possible regarding the given level.
When installing windows in a wooden house, you need to carefully consider all calculations so as not to redo the work twice. The lower crown in the opening must be sawn in such a way that the result is a horizontal surface.
The size of the opening must be determined based on the parameters of the plastic window, the thickness of the casing, and the size of the gaps. Calculations are being madevisually.
Installation of pigtails
This process starts from the windowsill. After it comes the top, under which you need to substitute the side racks, stringing them with the help of grooves on the spikes. The parts of the pigtails can be fastened together with self-tapping screws and, if you wish, process the joints using a sealant. Gaps in the casing can be filled with simple tow, but do not overdo it too much so that your parts do not arch.
The gap at the top needs to be plugged using some kind of soft insulation, like holofiber. This is best done after the outer trim and window have been installed.
Features of installing windows in a wooden house
The window is placed in the opening, carefully watching to align it with the front edge of the pigtail. The window does not have to be turned inside a third of the wall thickness, as is required in panel or brick buildings, because wood has a lower thermal conductivity.
It is worth noting that with a small wall thickness in wooden houses, placing the window deep into the opening, we will have to reduce the already narrow window sill as a result. The ledge, which will turn out from the outside, will need to be additionally closed and treated with a sealant. According to the measurements obtained from the thermal imager, the profile itself is the main conductor of cold into the room.
Drawing pigtail for obshikvi
It is best to install the window frame on the jamb using self-tapping screws. Their size should be such that they are completelypassed into the body of the structure, but did not begin to go inside the wall. Using a 5-6 mm drill, we make holes inside the frame. Self-tapping screws, the length of which will be greater than the width of the pigtail, should not be used, because as a result they will be screwed into the log, which is unacceptable.
If all the preparatory work was carried out using a level, our frame should be placed perfectly evenly along the shovel. That is, the leading edge will be parallel to the plane of the window, no significant distortions will be visible.
Waterproofing treatment
When installing windows in a wooden house, before you start filling the gap between the window and the pigtail, you need to decide what kind of waterproofing will be used to process the mounting seam from the outside. Many people know that the two main deterrents of foam are sunlight and moisture. If the seam can be covered from the sun's rays with the help of platbands, then with waterproofing everything is somewhat more complicated. It must meet two established criteria: do not allow water to enter the room, and also not prevent moisture vapor from escaping. What's more, proper waterproofing must be resistant to prolonged weathering.
All the described requirements correspond to materials such as PSUL (waterproof vapor-permeable tape), as well as STIZ-A sealant. This is a one-component, white-tinted acrylic sealant that is used to treat the outer layers. Its main advantage is its excellent adhesion tomain building materials like concrete, plaster, foam concrete, brick, concrete, wood.
It is resistant to UV radiation, weathering, deformation due to temperature and can be used even at low temperatures as low as -20°C. The main disadvantage of the material presented can be called the fact that it is very difficult to find it in small containers, and it does not always make sense to buy a large bucket right away. Unless you are installing multiple windows at once.
The order of work is as follows: we foam the window, as soon as the foam is completely dry, we remove what sticks out from the outside, only after that we process the cuts with a sealant using a spatula.
PSUL is a self-adhesive tape made from butyl rubber. It consists of a pro-diffusion membrane and a sealant, which is located on one side or both at once. You can find it on sale in the form of rolls of various widths. To install plastic windows in a wooden house with your hands, it will be enough to choose a tape with a width of 70 millimeters. When using waterproofing tape, it must be properly oriented during placement.
To determine this, you can simply blow on it from one side and the other, the main thing is to remove the paper first. Due to the fact that a membrane is located inside the tape, air can only enter in one direction. The part with which the tape cannot be “blown through” is street.
It doesn't matter where you start: you put the tape first and then the foam, or vice versa. It is important to take into account the fact thatthe foam will expand as it dries, which means it will stretch the tape like a bubble. This can significantly place after, when the platbands will be placed. Moreover, she can even rip it off the window and the pigtails.
If you first place the tape, then you must immediately fix the trim on it and only then process it with foam. Another plan: foam everything, wait until it is completely dry, cut off any excess parts and immediately place the tape on top so that the foam sections are not exposed to prolonged weathering.
This tape is very similar to foam rubber and is impregnated with a special composition, which has vapor-permeable and waterproofing qualities. On sale, it is found in a compressed form, twisted into a roll.
It is also worth choosing a tape that expands by only 30 millimeters. It must be placed not outside the profile, but to its end near the front edge. This must be done after the frame is fixed inside the opening, but before the foaming process. It will be much more convenient to process the frame with tape before installation, when it is still on the floor, however, in this case, the installation of windows in a wooden house will need to be done at a fast pace, because in just a few minutes the tape will expand and interfere with normal work.
It is worth treating the mounting seams with foam after the tape has expanded and covered the gaps. However, the same problem that was with waterproofing can occur: when the foam dries, it can squeeze out the tape. To prevent this, use platbands. Installation costwindows in a wooden house largely depends on what type of sealant and waterproofing you will use in your work.
Window vapor barrier
Inside the foam should also not be open, otherwise moisture or air from the room can get on it. To create an internal vapor barrier, you can use special tapes or acrylic sealants.
The tape must be used before the process of foaming to the ends of the frame with a thin strip. As soon as you treat the areas with foam, remove the protective paper and stick the tape on the pigtail. While the foam under the tape has not had time to harden, it is recommended to immediately put the window sill and fix the starting profile along the edges of the frame. Otherwise, a tape that has swollen from the foam may interfere with this.
Finish inside
Now you can move on to installing window slopes in a wooden house. This process is practically no different from the same work in panel or brick houses. In our case, everything is somewhat simpler: you don’t need to make holes for the slope, but simply fix everything with self-tapping screws immediately into the pigtail.
Moreover, there is no need to additionally insulate the slopes inside using foam or similar materials. For reinsurance, it will be enough to foam the inner surfaces of the casing with a small strip, and then put a slope. Wood does not freeze as hard as brick and concrete, so no more is needed.
Pigtail as slopes and window sill
Feature of installing a plastic window in a wooden house in this wayis that you can significantly save on the windowsill, win more time, and also get a more attractive final result. In order to do this, you will need a quality woodworking machine so that the casing elements are cut as evenly as possible. The cost of installing windows in a wooden house is not always affordable for everyone, so this solution will be a good choice.
It is important to accurately calculate the size of the window and the jambs, carefully assemble and place the pigtail in the opening exactly according to the level. The gap inside will have the shape of a rectangle, and each side of the outer edge will be in a single plane without any distortions. To be correct in size, it is best to first create and install a pigtail, only after that take measurements and place an order for a plastic window.
What is the price of installing windows in a wooden house?
Over the past few years, plastic windows have significantly replaced metal or wood structures from the market. This is due not only to their cost, but also to the quality of production, as well as reliability during use. In this regard, more and more people do not hesitate long when choosing the type of window in their home. Moreover, at the moment you can find a wide variety of profiles that have different fittings, designs and more.
Of course, a wooden window will look beautiful in a wooden house. However, you can always choose such a design for the future PVC window that few people will notice the difference. In addition, the installation costplastic windows in a wooden house are much smaller and require less work than for a wooden relative.
Price list for window installation:
- decoration of a window opening from 170 rubles per m.p.
- kosyachka – 540 rubles per m.p.
- window installation - 1500 rubles per square meter;
- installation of a window sill from 320 rubles per m.p.
- slope design from 430 rubles per m.p.
- installation of the ebb from 165 rubles per m.p.
- platbands from 220 rubles per m.p.
- varnishing of window structure elements from 120 rubles per m.p.
Design Tips
When processing the inner surface of the casing, you can use a large number of different options, such as color, texture, and so on. After the installation of plastic windows in a wooden house has been completed, you can simply sand all surfaces and varnish them. Moreover, you can use a stain of a suitable color to make the casing look more harmonious against the background of a window or walls. However, there is another interesting option, which will be more costly. You can brush the surface, make it look antique. This method is very popular nowadays.
The process is that all soft fibers are removed from the surface of the wood using a wire brush. As a result, the surface loses its smoothness, becoming more embossed. Next, you need to clean it from fibers and pile and give it a final gloss.
