Do-it-yourself wooden block house installation

Recommendation points

• Stage 1 – preparation for installation
• Stage 2 – installation of the lathing
• Stage 3 – insulation and waterproofing and vapor barrier
• Stage 4 – assembly of the block house
• Stage 5 – processing and protection

In the first part of our article, we took a closer look at the differences in block house varieties and learned how to choose quality material. Let us dwell in more detail on the intricacies of installation: arrangement of the lathing, the choice of insulation and antiseptic impregnations.

Block house cladding is a reliable and environmentally friendly way of decorating new and renovating old facades. However, do not forget that wood is a rather capricious material that requires a special approach. Therefore, even before starting the installation of the block house, several points should be taken into account:

1. The smaller the covered area, the smaller the diameter of the selected block house should be. Wide planks visually reduce space, especially in enclosed spaces.
2. To achieve a high-quality result when sheathing a new wooden building, you should wait until the house stands up and shrinks. It usually takes about six months from the moment of assembly and installation of the log house – otherwise, during the shrinkage process, the block house may disperse at the seams and it will be necessary to completely redo all the work.
3. The purchased material should be kept for several days in the room where the work will be carried out (if it is planned to cover the facade, then under a canopy). The block house must be acclimatized – to collect humidity and ambient temperature – only in this case there will be no problems during subsequent installation and operation.

Stage 1 – preparation for installation

Before starting the installation of the block house, you need to carry out a number of preparatory work:

1. Prepare the base – treat the walls with antiseptic impregnations (wooden house) or wash off efflorescence and impregnate the stone (brick or block house), putty chips, potholes and cracks.
2. To seal the crowns of a log house (in a log house) – caulk them with tow, jute or linen fiber. You can use special wood sealants to seal the joints. But this method is less reliable and durable – the putty composition sooner or later collapses and loses its properties, unlike jute seals, the fibers of which practically grow together with the tree.
3. To process the block house intended for installation – the surface of the tree is impregnated from all sides with compounds with fire-retardant protection, if necessary, tinted with stains or colored impregnations for wood. It is extremely important to apply the first coat before installing on the walls – this way you can process all hard-to-reach places (spikes and grooves) and avoid drips and streaks.

Stage 2 – installation of the lathing

The main purpose of the lathing is to level the wall and create additional space for laying insulation (if provided). For the installation of a block house, a vertical crate is most often used – the boards fixed on it imitate the surface of a rounded log. Occasionally, when interior decoration of baths and saunas, a non-standard horizontal lathing is used, sewing on it a narrow block-house like a lining.

To obtain an even base for a block house, you must first mark the walls using a level and a plumb line:

1. At the level, pull the horizontal line along the longest wall – first along the top, then along the bottom.
2. In the corners, using a plumb line, pull and level the vertical fishing line (so that the wall is not overwhelmed).
3. Repeat the procedure around the entire perimeter of the building.

The first lathing strip is attached along the vertically stretched fishing line, all subsequent ones are aligned horizontally and vertically. The slats are installed over the entire wall surface, including the gaps between windows, door frames and cornices. The usual pitch for the lathing is about 60 cm (in areas with strong winds – no more than 30 cm).

Most often, a dry timber or a galvanized metal profile is used for lathing for a block house:

	Metal profile	Wooden block
Dimensions	60×27 mm, 50×50 mm (using insulation)	20x50mm, 30x30mm, 50x50mm and others suitable for size
Mount	With the help of additional fasteners – straight hangers – for self-tapping screws	Galvanized nails or screws
Sheathing step	35-50 cm	30-60 cm
Adjustable size	Length only	Can be handled from either side
Load bearing capacity	Average	High
Additional processing	Not required	Fire retardant impregnation for wood
Geometry	No complaints	Depends on the method of production and drying, may have all the defects inherent in wood
Flammability	Incombustible	Highly flammable without impregnation
Strength and durability	High	Prone to decay and attack by tree bugs, can break in places where knots fall
Wall mounting reliability	Average	High (for several turns of a self-tapping screw)

Despite some of the advantages of a galvanized metal profile, a wooden block is much more often used in arranging a batten for cladding with a block house. Wooden material is approximately 25-30% cheaper, and with proper processing it is practically in no way inferior to metal. In addition, such a lathing can be easily adjusted even in finished form – the bars can always be trimmed a little or, on the contrary, increased with thin dies..

Stage 3 – insulation and waterproofing and vapor barrier

Often, along with the installation of the block house, additional work is carried out to insulate the facade of the house. Laying protective films and a layer of thermal insulation requires making adjustments to the process of installing the battens:

1. A sheet or roll vapor barrier is attached to the facade. For example, you can use a protective film “Isobond B” – a two-layer material that prevents the accumulation of condensate and protects against fungus and corrosion. The insulating material is laid with an overlap of 100–150 mm, the joints are fixed with tape.
2. On top of the vapor barrier layer, a lathing made of a bar is sewn with a thickness equal to the thickness of the selected insulation. In this case, the step of the crate should be a couple of centimeters less than the width of the insulation – this will avoid unnecessary gaps.
3. Insulation is mounted in the crate, which is additionally attached to the wall with dowel-nails.
4. On top of the insulation with a construction stapler, a layer of wind and moisture protection membrane is attached – for example, “Isobond B”, which gives additional protection from atmospheric precipitation.
5. To create additional ventilation, additional slats are built up on the main crate, to which the block house will be mounted.

The types of heaters are most suitable for cladding with a block house, the comparative characteristics of which are presented in the table:

	Glass wool (mineral wool)	Basalt fiber	Styrofoam	Ecowool
Thermal conductivity, W / m? ° С	0.044	0.039	0.037	0.037
Density, kg / m3	9-13	35	25	35
Sustainability	Contains phenolic resins	Contains phenolic resins	Polystyrene granules	Wood fiber, natural materials
Biostability	Rodents won’t start	Rodents won’t start	Rodents get started	Rodents do not start, stops the growth of fungi that has already begun
Fire safety	Non-flammable, but phenolic binder burns, releasing toxic combustion products	Non-flammable, but phenolic binder burns, releasing toxic combustion products	Combustible, when heated from +80 ° C, it emits poisonous smoke	Hardly flammable, does not emit harmful substances during combustion
Soundproofing	Low	Average	Average	High
Condensation	Formed, requires the use of additional vapor barrier	Formed, requires the use of additional vapor barrier	Formed, requires the use of additional vapor barrier	Not formed. Natural moisture

When choosing a heater, special attention should be paid to its density – thermal insulation with a density below 30-35 after several years of operation practically sticks together, completely losing its protective properties.

It is strongly not recommended to use extruded polystyrene foam in residential buildings – even when used for outer cladding, its environmental friendliness and safety for health leave much to be desired.

Stage 4 – assembly of the block house

At the moment, when installing a block house, several technologies are used that differ in the type of fasteners:

1. Kleimer – a special strip that is inserted into the groove of the board and, using a self-tapping screw, attaches it to the crate.

2. A self-tapping screw or a nail – can be attached in two ways: either by embedding the head in the groove of the block house, or at an angle of 45 degrees. Both options require a lot of experience and skill, since they are fraught with chips and cracks in the board.

3. With the help of a drill, the mounting holes are drilled for screws or nails. After fastening, the caps are recessed and closed with special wooden plugs set on glue. This is the most reliable and inconspicuous mounting option, but at the same time the most painstaking.

For the installation of a block house, it is best to use galvanized or anodized fasteners – this will help to avoid metal corrosion and wood decay in the future..

According to the rules, the installation of the block house begins from the bottom up, while the spike of the board should be on top – in order to avoid excess moisture from entering during operation. It is necessary to leave working gaps for shrinkage and ventilation – 5 cm along the upper and lower border of the facade and a few millimeters between the panels.

During installation, the board is inserted with a spike into the groove and additionally tapped along the entire length for a better connection. After docking, the top panel is fixed to the wall.

To build up a block house along the length, special layouts can be used – thin wooden planks that cover the joints. At the corners, the panels are joined either with a 45 degree cut or using decorative external and internal corners.

Stage 5 – processing and protection

After the initial treatment with impregnations and installation, the block house, like any other wooden material, needs constant protection from the influence of many factors: decay, wood borers, precipitation and ultraviolet radiation. The choice of means and the frequency of processing of the finished wooden facade is determined by the climatic zone. In central Russia, it is enough to renew tree protection with a frequency of 3-4 years..

Now on the building materials market, universal antiseptics are widely represented – protecting and at the same time tinting wood. They are produced on a water or acrylic base. In addition, protective compounds can preserve and emphasize the texture of the wood (azure) or completely paint over it (paints).

For optimal protection of the block house cladding, it is best to use protective tint compounds with the addition of acrylic varnish. Such impregnations are widely available from trusted manufacturers such as Tikkurila, Neomid, Teksturol. Buying cheaper water-based products is like throwing money away: their protective properties “evaporate” literally in a year.