Houses made of timber have a lot of features that distinguish them from buildings made of other materials. One of them is that after the completion of construction, the house begins to dry out. This process is inevitably accompanied by a change in shape and the appearance of gaps between the crowns. These holes open the way for cold air from the street, which, when meeting with warm air from the house, forms condensate. As a result, mold and even rotting can occur in the premises.
Shrinkage is a natural process and therefore cannot be prevented. Even logs and beams that have passed drying according to all the rules will definitely shrink. The only thing left for the owner is to fight the formation of cracks. It is for this purpose that caulking is carried out - a necessary procedure, during which the gaps that have arisen between logs or beams are manually closed.
Materials for caulking
For all the time that a person has been building wooden houses, he was able to compile a list of the most effective heaters, the best of which are natural materials:
- felt;
- red moss;
- tow.
But before proceeding with the caulking of the log house, it is necessary to prepare the selected material in a special way.
Red moss was used by our ancestors. It has not lost its relevance in our time. If you decide to opt for this traditional material for warming a house or a bath, then you need to learn how to properly caulk a log house with moss. Moss has rot resistance and antibacterial properties, but if it gets too wet, then after caulking the wood will begin to rot.
Very dry moss also has its drawbacks - it will not work to make a caulk with it, because it will definitely crumble and break. To become usable, it must be moistened. The main disadvantages of this insulation are associated with difficulties in laying it on the bars. This problem is easily solved by mixing moss with tow.
Tow is one of the most popular building materials. This excellent thermal insulator is made from flax and hemp waste. Tow, like moss, perfectly protects the tree from decay.
Felt cannot be called the most suitable material for caulking a log house. The reason for this is that it is more prone to decay than all other heaters and has very low strength. In addition, before use, the felt must be soaked in formalin or another agent that can protect against the appearance of moths. Otherwise, after some time, a large number of moth larvae can be found in the felt, which will happily eat this heat insulator.
In the construction of log houses and bathhouses, not only traditional, but also modern heat-insulating materials are used, the most famous of which are jute and lnovatin.
Jute is a modern insulation, which is made from a shrub of the linden family. The material has a lot of positive qualities - high strength, density, resistance to moths and decay, low hygroscopicity. Jute is not able to absorb wood moisture, but gives it well when the wood dries.
In room, where is the humidity maintained at a fairly high level (from 80% and above), jute insulation will effectively perform its task. Staying dry, jute not only perfectly protects the tree from decay, but also insulates the log house, maintaining a healthy microclimate in the house.
In stores you can find another material with a similar name, which is often identified with jute. We are talking about jute fiber, which has little in common with jute and differs from it not only in appearance, but also in quality and cost.
Jute tape is soft to the touch and highly pliable. It is used mainly when sealing the crowns of log houses, as well as around doors and windows in combination with various impregnations. It is also used to seal gaps and cracks in wood and concrete. It can also be laid on wet bars.
Manufacturers produce jute tape in coils of different thicknesses and widths. Professional builders have this material is very popular, because, according to their words, this is the easiest and cleanest way to insulate. A significant advantage of this material is the ability to quickly perform caulking, since the insulation can be immediately laid on the log house.
Lnovatin differs from jute in its composition. For its manufacture, only flax fibers are used. However, this does not prevent it from demonstrating the same performance properties as jute tape, although it is more rigid in structure. In stores, lnovatin is offered in the form of rolls, which makes it very convenient. for stretch caulking.
Tools for work
Before you start caulking a log house, you need to resolve the issue with the log caulking tool.
For the insulation of log houses, devices made of metal and steel are used. Some owners perform this operation with homemade devices made from oak, walnut or beech.
Particular attention should be paid to the handle of the tool, which should be made of embossed rubber. The tool intended for caulking must have a non-sharp blade, otherwise there is a risk of damaging the insulation used. In addition, the tool must not have roughness, otherwise the material may catch on them and be removed from the gap.
For stuffing the insulation use a tamping hammer - a mallet.
Gap sealing technology
Caulking a log house is a simple technological process that you can do yourself. This is one of the important stages of building a house, which involves a number of stages.
Caulking begins with closing gaps in the walls of the house at the stage of its assembly. Primary insulation is not able to completely eliminate all seams. Indeed, upon completion of construction, a house made of timber undergoes shrinkage and drying out, which inevitably leads to the appearance of new gaps.
With the onset of cold weather, precious heat begins to come out through them, which negatively affects comfortable living. In the bath, because of this, the temperature in the steam room quickly decreases. In addition, the heat escaping at low temperatures causes frost to form on the outside of the façade. This excess moisture negatively affects the condition of the wood.
All this makes it necessary to carry out repeated caulking after shrinkage of the walls of a wooden structure already 6 months after the completion of construction work. During this time, the timber has time to dry by 90%. The time required for shrinkage depends on several factors - the quality of the material, the time it was harvested, humidity and weather conditions. Complete shrinkage of the structure is completed in 3 years. The final third caulk is carried out before finishing the walls, when the log house will completely shrink.
Log houses differ in many ways from log houses. Due to the ideal shape and size, the gaps in the logs are very narrow. But even in this case, caulking is necessary. Although it is no longer possible to manage on your own. You will have to seek help from specialists. After all, you can overdo it and fill small gaps with too much insulating material, and this can cause the walls to skew.
Caulking methods
Caulking of log cabins is carried out using two main methods: in stretching and in a set. Sometimes they are used at the same time. Each of them allows you to use tow as a heater.
Stretching
This method of sealing gaps is used for narrow gaps in a log house. A small amount of tow is applied to the gap, and then stuffed inward using a chisel and caulk. But during this operation, it is necessary to leave 4-5 cm of the free edge. A roller created from tow is wrapped in the remaining free edge, as if intertwining them, after which they are driven into the gap between the crowns with the help of a caulk and a hammer.
I would like to draw attention to the fact that during the twisting of the roller, you need to capture nearby strands. If this is not done, then the roller will simply fall out of the slot. You can make sure that the caulking was done with high quality, if you slightly pull the roller. The work is considered to be done correctly if the roller remains in the same place. If, as a result of such actions, you managed to pull it out, then this means that the gap was not completely filled.
To the set
This method of caulking is mainly used for sealing large and wide gaps. First you need to prepare long bunches of tow, form skeins of them, and then dial the loops that fill the gaps. The loop must have a thickness comparable to the size of the gap to be sealed. First you need to fill the gap with insulation up, helping yourself with a typesetting caulk, and then proceed to sealing the bottom, using the “road builder” as a tool.
Features of the operation
Although caulking a log house is a time-consuming process, it justifies the effort spent. Provided that it is carried out correctly, the log house will last at least 8 years. But this work must be carried out in accordance with a certain algorithm.
When caulking a log house, you must be extremely careful, trying not to miss the slightest section. Don't hit too often with a hammer. One blow should be made per blade width. Therefore, it is best to walk along the row again so that the insulation does not overfill.
The technology of building log houses has a lot of nuances. One of them is that after the completion of construction work, the house cannot be considered ready for operation. After that, shrinkage occurs with it, which is a natural process and takes from 6 months to three years. During this time, new gaps appear between the crowns of the log house, which must be eliminated. It is for this that each owner needs to perform a caulk.
In order to qualitatively close up new cracks, it is necessary not only to choose the right tool for caulking, but also a heater. Considering that many different materials are offered in stores, it is important for the owner to get acquainted with the features of each insulation in order to avoid problems both during work with the material and after filling the gaps.
Caulking is a slang word that refers to the process of caulking the walls of a wooden house. It came from the name of the tool for sealing gaps and crevices in the frame of a wooden structure - caulking.
Tools used for caulking
Caulker is a wooden spatula. It is made of hardwood and looks like a blade with a pointed end and a handle. Blows on the shoulder blade mallet- It is also made of solid wood. Beats with a mallet should be applied until the material begins, as it were, to spring, that is, to the maximum possible density. Builders call this state - "before the ringing." Gradually adding insulation, they achieve complete filling of the sealed seam.
Attention! We do not sell tools, we are engaged in caulking log cabins.
By using flat caulking(A) Caulk gaps and grooves. Its blade is 100 mm wide and 5 mm thick. For sealing in corners and rounded places use a special crooked caulk(B) - its width is also 5 mm, and the blade is narrower, about 50 - 60 mm. To upset strands of tow and give them the shape of a roller, apply road builder(G). The width of its blade reaches 170 mm, and the thickness is from 8 to 15 mm. A groove 10 mm deep is made along the length of the blade. It is more convenient to have three road builders - for grooves of different sizes: wide, medium and narrow. By using caulking(B) with a wedge-shaped blade 30 mm wide, widen narrow grooves, which makes it easier to insert heat-insulating material into the gaps. mallet, mushel, beater(D) - all these are the names of a wooden hammer with which they hit the caulk.
General requirements for all types of caulks - their blades should not be too sharp so as not to cut the applied heaters. There should be no roughness on them, which could catch on the inserted materials and accidentally move out of the groove.
Some nuances of caulking
The wooden structure is caulked in several stages. The first stage is caulking the structure immediately after the roof is erected. In order for a wooden house to be warm and windproof, it must be caulked from the spirit of the sides - external and internal. It is very important to correctly insulate the building. Caulking starts from the lower crown and around the perimeter of the entire building, a sealant is laid in the gaps. Then they move on to the next seam and so continue to work on the insulation of the building to the very top.
Simultaneously with the outer side of the structure, the inner side should also be caulked. When insulating the outer and inner walls in turn, the walls may deviate vertically. At first glance, caulking seems to be a fairly simple construction operation, but in fact it is a complex, time-consuming work, on which the quality of the built house largely depends.
The second time caulking is performed after the house has given the initial, main shrinkage. Usually this happens in a year or two, depending on the type of material from which the structure was built, the degree of its humidity, and some other factors.
After 4 - 5 years, in order to achieve the final effect of thermal insulation, it is desirable to repeat the work of caulking the building.
A pigtail will help protect the building from the undesirable consequences of natural shrinkage. It will save window and door openings from deformation, and the sealant, laid between the logs or beams and the casing itself, will additionally insulate the building.
In order for all the necessary work to be done soundly and efficiently, it is best to seek help from a team of specialists. Professional employees of the Konotopets.ru company, having invaluable many years of experience working with wood, will perform the necessary construction operations with high quality and with full responsibility.
Caulking walls takes time, patience and care. Of course, it is easiest to entrust such work to professionals, but if for some reason you want to do it yourself, you need to get special tools and familiarize yourself with all the stages of the process. We will tell you about both of these today.
What tools are required for caulking?
We will immediately make a reservation that caulking of walls can be carried out “in a set” or “in a stretch”. Each of the methods has its own specifics and requires the use of slightly different tools. But let's talk about everything in order. So, you will need:
- Flat shovel. Its working part should end with a thin wide blade, it should be perfectly smooth and not too sharp. Since with its help we will push the caulking material deeper, when pulling out the blade, the insulation should remain in place and not cling to the work surface. A tool that is too sharp will cut through the material instead of compacting it. We need several such blades: one with a wide blade and one with a narrow one, at least.
- Crooked caulk. The tool is needed for ramming the insulation in hard-to-reach places: these are the ends of the house and the places of rounding, if we are talking about working with a log house made of logs.
- Mallet. This is a wooden hammer that needs to be hit on the handle of the spatula for high-quality tamping of the insulation inside the seam. Caulking experts use mallets made from different types of wood to work with different types of wood, but this issue is not too fundamental.
- Road builder. The tool is designed for stretching caulking, it is a wide fork-shaped object, the width of the notch of which is selected in accordance with the size of the groove. Professionals also, as a rule, have several road builders.
- Breaker caulk. A wedge-shaped blade used to expand too narrow grooves.
All of these tools can be made from wood, metal, or a combination of these materials. Which ones are better?
Wood or metal?
By and large, this is a matter of individual preferences: whoever finds it more convenient to work, that one uses it. But in general, it is believed that metal tools are more expensive, but more durable, while wooden ones are more practical and cheaper, but their service life is not so long.
Before moving on to the technology of using tools for caulking, let's dwell on such an alternative method as using a puncher to ram the insulation into the seams.
The only plus of caulking with a perforator is speed. However, the result of the work will turn out to be so poor-quality that not a single professional builder will even seriously consider this method of sealing the seams. In addition, when caulking with a perforator, the risk of wood damage is very high, which will entail the need for additional repair work.
Caulking technology
Let's start with the fact that it is necessary to carry out caulking in the warm season, first outside and then inside the building. In addition, work should begin from the lower crown and insulate the seam around the entire perimeter, and only then go higher. Now let's talk directly about the process itself.
The first thing to do is to remove chips, dirt and dust from the seams. To do this, you can use a vacuum cleaner. Too narrow grooves are best expanded at this stage, after which they are thoroughly cleaned.
You need to caulk without haste, carefully and carefully, without leaving a single millimeter of untreated space. At the same time, only one blow with a mallet should fall on one blade width.
You can check the quality of the result by pulling the insulation roller: if it does not move, everything is done correctly; if it is pulled out, you will need to repeat the steps described above.
When the caulking of the walls is finished, it remains to complete the last stage of work - sealing the seams.
Sanding and surface finishing
This is not just a decorative procedure that will give the structure an aesthetic appearance, it will help protect the wood from the negative effects of the environment. To perform it, you will need a grinder (belt or disc, it doesn’t matter) and nozzles for hard-to-reach places. If the latter are not in your arsenal, you can use sandpaper.
So, we process the surface with a grinder until all roughness, dirty and damaged places are completely removed through which harmful microorganisms (mold, fungus, etc.) can penetrate. After that, we apply any protective coating - oil, varnish or paint. When it dries, the work can be considered completed.
If you are not ready to spend so much time and effort on caulking, then you can resort to a more modern way of insulating the seams - seal them with acrylic sealant or contact a company that provides repair services for wooden buildings.
One of the important stages in the construction of a building from timber or logs is caulking. Between the crowns of the log house there are gaps and cracks. To provide thermal insulation, they are filled with a sealant. Traditionally, this work is done manually: with the help of a spatula (chisel, spatula) and a mallet.
Work technology
Caulking is performed in 2 stages:
- primary - after shrinkage of the log house (about six months after construction);
- repeated - in a year and a half.
All walls run along the perimeter, starting from the lower crown and ending with the upper one. First, the seams are caulked on the outside, then on the inside. This does not allow the frame to warp.
As a heater, various materials are used (usually natural):
- tow;
- felt;
- jute tape.
The seam is filled with insulation as tightly as possible, knocking it out from above, below and in the center. When hit with a sharp tool, it is important not to damage the log. As a last step, all seams can be treated with a special sealant (from a syringe or gun). By the way, if the logs are rounded, and a jute cloth is laid between them, it is permissible to get by with one sealant.
How to mechanize the process?
Manual caulking takes a lot of time and effort. That is why many try to carry out the caulking of the log house with a perforator. The tool is used as a jackhammer, i.e. in pure impact mode (no rotation). To do this, you need a three-mode model - for example, Hammer PRT650B, Makita HR2470 or Bosch PBH 2100 RE.
Flat metal spatulas or chisels are used as nozzles. However, do not forget that you cannot work in chiseling mode for a long time! After 10-15 minutes of operation, briefly switch to rotation mode. Then the lubricant will be distributed in the cartridge properly.
The second thing you should pay attention to is the correct handling of the perforator. If you press hard on the tool, the chisel can get stuck between the logs. This will reduce the entire effect of using the tool to zero.
Finally
Caulkers, as is often the case, are divided into two camps. Some believe that caulking with a perforator is a successful innovation. Others recognize only manual caulking. In any case, no one bothers to try both methods. And if you are not sure how the caulking of a log house with a puncher is performed, you can search for videos on this topic on the Internet.
Timber houses are durable, strong, beautiful, warm, and not very expensive. But they need an exterior finish. During construction, very small gaps remain between the bars. No matter how hard you try to fit them tighter, these gaps will still remain. They are dangerous because excess moisture penetrates into the house through them, the wind blows. As a result, the building will soon need repairs. To prevent this from happening, the structure must be caulked.
Caulking tool.
Caulking a house from a bar increases the service life of the building, protects it from the negative effects of the external environment, and makes the house warmer. It is necessary regardless of what material it is made of - rounded, glued or profiled timber. The buildings are subject to shrinkage, so after a while the gaps between the logs may increase.
Felt, moss, jute, hemp and tow are used for caulking.
Ways of caulking at home from a bar.
All these materials have common properties:
Felt - linen material in the form of a ribbon. Moss - sphagnum, grows in a swamp, used earlier in villages and villages, you can collect it yourself. Jute is made from the jute plant, which grows in tropical countries. Hemp - hemp fibers. Tow - the remains of flax from the production of ropes, it looks like hair.
Stages of caulking
You can caulk houses from timber immediately during construction or after 6-12 months, that is, after shrinkage of the building, in warm, dry weather. You can plug the gaps in 2 ways: in a stretch - tapes are made from the material, which are rammed into the gaps between the logs; in a set - they make ribbons, wind them into a ball and collect loops from it, and then close the gaps with them.
Caulker at home.
It is necessary to close the cracks not only from the outside, but also from the inside of the building. First you need to calculate the required amount of material: add up the length of all seams, and increase the resulting value by 2-3 times. Timber caulking is done on all walls of the building. It makes no sense to insulate only one, as this will not protect against external influences.
To insulate the gaps between the logs, the following tools will come in handy:
- roulette;
- steel blades of different sizes with a wide and narrow flat blade;
- rubber mallet.
You need to start work from the bottom seam. Moreover, you need to seal it around the entire perimeter of the house, and not just on one wall. You can choose any method of caulking the building. You need to take a piece of material and ram it into the walls with metal spatulas. Where the logs are very closely adjacent to each other, a rubber mallet should be used to tamp. First, the walls are caulked from the outside, and then from the inside. Remember that you need to seal the joints between the bars along the entire length. Be careful and careful, you can accidentally increase the gaps between the logs so that it will be difficult to plug them with a heater.
The process of caulking walls from profiled timber differs from rounded. The first type of logs has a rectangular shape: one side is flat, the other is figured (there are grooves). Many people think that houses made of such material do not need to be caulked, but this is not so. Sometimes the gaps are plugged twice: during construction and after shrinkage. Unlike profiled timber, rounded timber has a rounded shape on all sides, but at the same time, the contact area of \u200b\u200bthe logs is much smaller, so more material will be required for caulking.
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