How to caulk a house from a bar and cracks in a log house

Recommendation points

• Longitudinal cracks in wood
• Slots at the junction of a calibrated bar
• Slots at the junction of logs

What to do if cracks appear along the logs, beams or block house? What materials are there for their embedding and how to use them correctly? Is it possible to do it yourself? You will find answers to these and many other questions, as well as professional advice in this article..

A hundred years ago, a log house was the most popular option for housing construction. In our forest-rich area, mansions and huts have been built from time immemorial with the help of an ax and a saw, shifting hand-hewn logs with moss. The craftsmen achieved perfection in working with wood, but the rapid progress gave people new materials, made it possible to calibrate the timber and cylinder the logs. Today houses made of timber or logs are “eco-friendly antiquities” available to most. However, the tree remained a tree and the problems that the owners faced hundreds of years ago are still relevant today. Only the ways of solving them have changed. This is what will be discussed.

Interesting fact.How was the tower different from the hut? The hut has only one floor. Everything that had more than one floor was called a tower.

Longitudinal cracks in wood

What you should know in advance when choosing a wooden house:

1. With all its natural advantages, the tree retains its natural disadvantages – hygroscopicity, susceptibility to decomposition, oxidation of the outer layer, twisting, drying out, shrinkage, etc..
2. For all the cases listed above, there are modern “antidotes”.
3. The log house requires constant maintenance during operation. Different works are carried out at different intervals (1/3/5/10 seasons).
4. A house made of a log or a bar will retain enough heat only in a mild winter (up to -15 at normal humidity). To live in a colder period, you will need insulation, or enhanced heating.
5. The tree is afraid of wind, moisture and sun. Therefore, the ideal place for a wooden house is the natural environment (woodland).
6. Wood has the highest fire hazard of all building materials (for walls).

For more information about the construction of log cabins, read the articles: “Choosing a log house for a wooden house”, “Do you want a good house? Choose: timber or log “,” How to build your dream house – glued laminated timber, material features “.

So, all the nuances have been taken into account, the house is built or purchased and we are ready to deal with all the problems, bringing the appearance and operational properties to perfection.

Due to the fibrous structure, the log or timber has defects that extend longitudinally. A transverse crack or dent is extremely rare if the material is overloaded or decayed. In such cases, the log is not subject to repair, but full or partial replacement..

Longitudinal cracks by their location in the structure (direction) are divided into:

1. Direct. Approximately coincide with the axis of the log (bar).
2. Spiral (uneven). Not aligned with axis.
3. Segmental. Uneven fiber transition cracks.

In all cases, one chosen method is used. As a rule, this is insulation and subsequent sealing of the sinus. This combined method is the simplest and most affordable today. It is suitable for cracks with an opening width of 5 mm or more. Smaller defects are sealed with a special sealant. The described method is perfect for a block house..

Question.Why not seal all cracks with only sealant?

Answer.This will be very expensive due to the high consumption of sealant. At the same time, its thermal insulation properties are an order of magnitude lower than insulation.

What you need:

1. Heat insulating filler. It can be a special thermogut or just a strip of foam rubber.
2. Sealant, professional gun.
3. Knives, scrapers metal.
4. Manual spray bottle with water.
5. Pieces of foam rubber, rags.

Attention! Before starting work, make sure that the wall material is dry (normal humidity). Treat the internal cavities with an antiseptic.

Operating procedure:

1. We clean the edges of the crack from sawdust, loose wood, chips.

2. We fill the cavity with a thermogut (foam rubber). Remains outside? -? cracks on the sealant.

Attention! If you are using foam rubber, you should not tamp it hard. Any insulation in a compressed state loses its properties. Termozhgut is not subject to crushing.

3. We put the sealant in the bosom.

4. Smooth the sealant around the edges with a foam rubber brush so that a continuous smooth surface is obtained. For the best effect, you can wet the sealant with water from a spray.

Attention! Do not do this with your finger. The quality will be low, but the risk of getting a splinter will be high.

5. Remove the remnants of the sealant from the surface with a rag.

6. The holding time for further processing is indicated in the instructions.

The choice of a sealant is the most critical part of this work, if you do it yourself or the “problem of a good craftsman” is solved. An experienced specialist will advise on the appropriate option himself. Most of these products are universal – suitable for any type of work. “Internal” sealants, as a rule, differ slightly in price from “external” ones. The firms producing them have in the assortment of related products – thermogut, felt.

Sealants for cracks and joints of logs and beams:

Name, manufacturer	Release form	Unit price, rub.	Consumption, g / linear m *	The cost of processing 1 running. m, rub.
NEOMID Warm House Wood Professional, Russia	Cartridge 310 ml (420 g)	200	70	25
File bag 600 ml (815 g)	360
Bucket 15 kg	5400
EUROTEX joint sealant for wood NPP Rogneda, Russia	Bucket 3 kg	1100	170	54
Bucket 6 kg	2000
Bucket 25 kg	8000
TENAX Tenaplasts, Latvia	File bag 600 ml (815 g)	240	75	52
Bucket 15 kg	3500
Therma-Chink Accent, Russia	400 g cartridge	280	70	28
Tube 900 g	360
Bucket 3 kg	1200
Bucket 6 kg	2350
7 kg bucket	2700
Bucket 15 kg	5800
PermaChink, USA	Cartridge (sample) 325 ml	800	63	110
Bucket 19 l	19000

* – consumption is indicated per 1 meter of a running seam 10 mm wide and 5 mm deep (0.5 cm²)

Question.And yet, what is the difference between thermogut and plain foam rubber?

Answer.Condensation can accumulate in the pores of the foam rubber and eventually destroy the material.

Thermal connectors are made of polyethylene, are universal and can be used with any sealant. Sealing cords of the Energoflex type are the most convenient and popular type of this material. It is produced by different companies, but the name “Energoflex” is used by almost all.

Sealing cords (harnesses):

Name	Manufacturer	Diameter, mm	Price 1 rm. m	Release form
Cord Energoflex	Russia	6	five	Cove 800 m
20	20	Bay 150 m
Belgium	6	6	Bay 1500 m
8	6.5	Bay 900 m
Wood security	Russia	6	five	Box 150-450 m
ten	nine	Box 150-450 m
20	21	Box 150-450 m
Vilatherm “Tilit”	Russia	6	2.9	Packing 800 m
8	3.7	Packing 800 m
20	7.5	Packing 150 m

In houses made of long beams or logs, in addition to natural cracks in the solid wood, horizontal gaps appear at the joints of the elements. Even if the initial installation is done with high quality, it still happens due to natural reasons – wood shrinkage. Measures to prevent problems associated with this phenomenon are taken depending on the material itself.

Next, we will talk about the walls, initially assembled with high quality, without violating the technology.

Slots at the junction of a calibrated bar

It is reasonable to mention here the main advantage of a calibrated bar over a log. The presence of a groove-ridge system on the longitudinal edges of the bar nullifies the possibility of air through passage. However, opening the joint even to a shallow depth allows cold air to pass into the wall in winter, which contributes to the formation of condensation (cold bridge). In spring and autumn humidified air penetrates there. The tree accepts moisture, and oxidation and decay processes can begin.

The modern method of blocking the joints of wooden log cabins looks the same as for cracks. In this case, the same materials are used – sealant and Energoflex cord. Sealing materials for log cabins of different companies are usually labeled with the name “Warm seam”.

Slots at the junction of logs

With a log, the situation is somewhat more complicated than with a bar. Here, in the case of severe shrinkage, air passages can occur. Typically, this problem occurs in homes that have not received prophylaxis in due time. The log dries up, cold moist air enters through the expanded joint, the cushioning material (felt, moss, tow, jute) collapses and erodes. In this case, the load from the crowns in this place is distributed unevenly, which can lead to distortions.

In order to correct the situation, you need to caulk the joint.

Caulking is a dry method of filling joints between wood elements. This procedure has come down to us unchanged after thousands of years: a rope or tow, driven into a gap, has become the mainstay of navigation and wooden housing construction. Previously, for sealing, the material was impregnated with a hydrophobic composition – tar, resin and oils.

When insulating the seams, the capped material is sealed from above with an airtight layer that does not conduct moisture. Therefore, there is no need for additional hydrophobization..

What you need:

1. Paddle with hammer protection.
2. Hammer 500-800 g.
3. Jute, felt, tow.
4. Masking tape (optional).
5. Further – items from the description of crack sealing (except for the first).

Operating procedure:

1. Using a spatula, the material is driven into the joint to a state of elasticity.
2. If desired, the edges of the joint are pasted over with masking tape.

Further points 3, 4, 5 and 6 from the description of crack sealing.

Attention! Cracks should never be caulked. This will lead to increased stress and crack growth. Only a light seal is allowed.

The described sealing materials have a coefficient of (gradual) elongation of up to 4. This enables the tree to “live” and at the same time does not depressurize joints and cracks. They are made on the basis of acrylic, are non-toxic and subject to all types of processing – tinting, grinding, painting. The service life of sealants is usually 20 years or more.