How to properly caulk a log house - video. Caulking and insulation of the log house. Materials and technology Tools and technology

Caulking a log house is an important stage in the construction of a residential building

During the construction of a residential building, bathhouse and other structures, special attention is paid to insulation work. Of course, such work involves financial costs and time, but they are not commensurate with the costs of creating an additional heating system. In rooms built from logs, you can effectively retain heat by sealing the seams and corners of the log house with thermal insulation material. This process is called caulking or caulk.

No construction can do without caulking. The thing is that logs stacked on top of each other form voids and gaps, which, although insignificant, require filling with insulating materials. In addition, a structure made of logs begins to settle and dry out over time, forming hollow areas. Thanks to these cracks, the heated room will lose heat every minute and cool down. Warm air mass, finding itself in conditions of negative temperatures, forms frost that settles in a thin layer on the logs. It is not worth reminding that frost is dampness and humidity that has a detrimental effect on the condition of the tree. That is why the role of caulking cannot be underestimated; all that remains is to understand the caulking technology and the materials used.

How to caulk a log house - work technology

In order for caulking to be of high quality, experts strongly advise carrying it out twice - the first time when the log frame is created, and again a year later, when the frame has partially settled and exposed voids and cracks. Over the next 4-5 years, a third caulking is carried out, fully consolidating the thermal insulation effect.

By the way, the optimal result can only be obtained by caulking from the inside and outside of the building. It should be remembered that such insulation technology involves a slight (only 5-7 cm) rise of the log house. Therefore, most often the room is caulked before the final finishing works. It should be noted that it is with caulking that a slight distortion of the log house can be leveled out.

Important! Caulking work, starting from the lower layers, is carried out along the entire perimeter of the log frame. As noted earlier, laying thermal insulation material can slightly increase the height of the log house, which means that caulking should begin from the lower layers, slowly moving along the entire perimeter of the house. It is enough to break this rule by insulating the walls separately, and you risk becoming the owner of a skewed house or building.

And yet, caulking a house involves following a strict sequence of actions: first of all, external cavities and voids around the entire perimeter must be insulated, then the log house should be caulked indoors. Next, work on insulating the cracks of the next row continues outside, then we return indoors again.

Caulking a log house: methods and features of the process

Experts distinguish between two types of caulking of a log house: small and narrow gaps between logs are insulated using the “stretch” method, wide gaps are often caulked “inside”.

Caulking "stretched"

This method of caulking consists of forming a strand of insulating material, which is then applied to the gaps with fibers across and pushed inward by hand or using a special spatula - a caulk. In this case, the work is carried out in such a way that 4-6 cm of material remains on the surface of the log house. Then a roller is formed from the tow, wrapped in the remaining edge of the insulation, pressed tightly against the crack and hammered securely.

Caulking “set”

This insulation option involves making long strands of tow, which are subsequently wound up. Then, slowly unwinding it, they hammer the tow into the cracks and voids using caulk. With this option, tow caulks are twisted into long strands that are wound into a ball. The ball is used to make loops that are pushed into the voids. It should be noted that all cracks have different sizes and volume, which means you will have to independently adjust the required thickness of the rope using turns or elementary twists.

Important! First, the seal should be driven in at the top of the gap, then at the bottom. In this case, the size of the gaps determines the number of loops driven in. And remember that the seam becomes smooth and neat if it is compacted with a special tool called a “road builder”.

And finally, no matter what caulking method you use, pay special attention to the corners of the building or structure. Angles are the most hard to reach place, requiring caution and careful insulation.

Approach the caulking process with all seriousness and responsibility, since a poorly clogged harness can be pulled apart by the tiles after some time, and the resulting voids will become a corridor for heat leakage.

Now you know the methods and technological features of caulking a log house, which means you will not make mistakes, the consequences of which can be very sad. Insulate your home according to the rules, and your home will be filled with comfort and hospitality.

Caulking materials

Having realized the need for caulking, think about how best to caulk the log house. Not long ago, builders used moss, tow and felt for insulation, but they all have significant drawbacks: they absorb moisture, rot and collapse.

Today you can find more modern insulation materials: jute and linen batting made from natural ingredients and having excellent technical parameters.

Let's take a closer look at them

Jute

Jute insulation- this is material of plant origin, brought to us from India, Kazakhstan and China. Jute fiber is durable and reliable, has good spinning properties and low hygroscopicity. As studies show, when the ambient humidity increases to 80%, jute will absorb no more than 20% of moisture, but will remain dry to the touch.

Jute fiber, which manufacturers so temptingly recommend purchasing, is very inferior to pure jute in quality and reliability: felt made from flax and jute can rot over time, its strength is low, and its thermal insulation leaves much to be desired. In addition, jute fiber is a favorite delicacy of moths.

Lnovatin

Lnovatin- this is an insulation material made from flax production waste and supplied in the form of a tape intended for laying in a log house. The composition of flax wool includes the smallest flax dust with short fibers. In terms of density, this insulation is no different from jute, but the fibers are stiffer and more elastic.

These are all the main points that can help you correctly and effectively insulate a residential building, bathhouse or other structure.

As it may seem, caulking is a simple task that any unprepared person can do. However, caulking is a rather labor-intensive process that requires experience and specialized skills, so not every average person will take on the task of insulating cracks and gaps, which takes time and effort. They often turn to specialist teams for help.

That is why caulking is considered a rather expensive service, however, despite the high cost, few home owners decide to carry out insulation on their own. Most often they resort to the help of a team of specialists.

We think that watching a video revealing the features of the process of caulking log houses will be very useful and relevant for those who are just planning or are already constructing a bathhouse, residential building and other structures made of natural wood.

To get rid of the gaps between the crowns and close the cracks formed during the shrinkage of the log house, apply caulk: this is the only way to retain heat inside the log house. You can use different materials for work, but the technology is the same. How to caulk a log house correctly? What's best to use for this?

What is the best way to caulk a log house? The work can be done using both natural and artificial materials. The latter are much more convenient to use, and the process takes very little time, but they have several significant disadvantages.

Natural

These include moss, tow, jute, flax wool, hemp and others.

Moss

Caulking a log house with moss has been done for a long time, and even with the advent of modern materials they did not refuse him. This is explained by its unique properties: it not only retains heat well, tolerates sudden temperature changes, removes excess moisture without rotting, but also has antimicrobial and even healing properties.

Tow

The technology using tow is considered one of the most complex. As the log house dries out, the material will become damp, which is why it will begin to rot over time. Therefore, after drying out the house or bathhouse, the old tow is cleaned out, and then the log house is caulked again.

Jute

Moisture resistant, environmentally friendly and durable material, excellent heat retention. Due to its ability to absorb moisture, it has a fairly short service life (about 3 years). Jute that has become unusable is not easy to remove from the cracks between the crowns, so it is rarely used.

There are several types of material:

Jute tow. When producing this type of insulation, the fibers are combed to give them the desired direction. The tow obtained in this way retains all the properties of jute, however ready material not very convenient for work: rigid, and at the same time not too dense. The process of caulking when using the material becomes more complicated - the work has to be carried out in several stages (during the initial laying, the required degree of density cannot be achieved).
Flax-jute. A mixed material consisting of equal amounts of flax and jute fibers. It is popular among builders, but needs protection from insects: before use it is treated with anti-moth and anti-rot agents.
Jute felt. The material, 90% jute and the remaining 10% flax fiber, has the density necessary for work, but at the same time remains flexible. The ease of use of felt makes it optimal choice. When purchasing a material, you should choose one whose fibers are longer than 2 cm - it is more elastic and flexible. The only drawback is that it can be damaged by moths, so before laying the felt, it is treated with a special protective impregnation.

Lnovatin

Insect repellent material is processed chemicals, therefore it cannot be called environmentally friendly. The service life of the insulation is up to 3 years; it is attached to the frame using a construction stapler.

Synthetic

The use of ready-made compounds - sealants - will cost significantly more than if you caulk a log house with tow. However, they are much easier to work with. Usually, in order to reduce the consumption of a synthetic product, it is used together with a natural one (for example, a cord). First, the cord is sealed into the gap, and sealant is applied on top, leveling the layer with a scalpel spatula.

Among the disadvantages of sealants:

A number of synthetic products are destroyed by exposure sun rays– over time it begins to crumble and falls out. To protect the substance from damage, strips are installed on the seams, which protect the sealant from ultraviolet radiation.
Some compositions, after drying, harden into a dense solid mass, due to which the wood, which contracts and expands depending on humidity and air temperature, begins to collapse. It is recommended to use only flexible sealants.

Methods for caulking the walls of a house or bathhouse

Caulking and insulation of a log house can be done using two methods:

Into the set. Suitable for wide crevices. For work, use jute, tow or hemp. The selected material is divided into strands and wound into a ball.
Stretch. In this case, the heat-insulating material is divided into strips and driven into the cracks.

General rules

The initial caulking of a timber house is carried out approximately 6 months after assembly. During this period, most of the moisture contained in the timber will disappear, cracks will appear on the wood, and cracks will appear in the structure itself.

The next time the work will need to be carried out another year. By this point, the structure will have completely settled, and it will be necessary to eliminate the cracks and crevices that have arisen over the past months.

If everything is done correctly, the third time will be needed only after 5 years. However, if technology is not followed, the need to eliminate cracks may arise annually. To ensure that the caulking of a timber house is done correctly, it is worth watching a video with advice from experienced craftsmen.

Work starts from the bottom. Sequentially caulk the lower crown around the entire perimeter from the outside, then inside the log house. After that, they move on to the next one, acting in the same way.
Typically, the largest cracks form at the corners, so caulk in these places should be especially careful.
First, the material is fixed in the crack over an area of about 1 m, then the hanging parts are folded in and tucked inside. Using a mallet, the insulation is firmly hammered into the gap until the material begins to spring back. When everything is done, move on to the next section.

Caulk with moss

To work you will need:

pre-dried moss;
water;
soap;
vegetable oil.

Work order:

Add 200 g of soap and 0.5 liters of oil to a bucket of water. Mix thoroughly.
Place dry moss in the prepared liquid. Wet fibers will become elastic.
Take a strand of material, twist it into a roller, and insert it into the slot. They compact well.
Using a spatula and mallet, firmly hammer the insulation into the gap.

For the initial caulking of a log house using moss, it is recommended to use the “stretch” method, all subsequent ones – the “set” method.

Using tow

Over time, insects may infest this type of insulation, and in order to protect it, the tow should be treated with a disinfectant.

You need to prepare:

tow;
formalin (it will act as an antiseptic);
water.

Caulking a house made of profiled timber using tow takes place in 4 stages:

Formalin is diluted with water to obtain a disinfectant solution.
All the prepared tow is placed in it and left for half an hour.
Having taken out and squeezed out the material, they drive in the tow, divided into strips, using the “stretch” method. The insulation is compacted using a spatula and a mallet to achieve maximum packing density.

Caulk with jute

This material is laid using the “set” method.

Depending on what type of material is chosen, you will need:

the jute itself;
bitumen or resin (for felt jute);
formalin (for jute tow).

Work order:

The tow is soaked in a formaldehyde solution.
The material is rolled into strands and filled into the cracks of the lower crown.
Using a tool, push in the hanging edges.
Using a groove, level the position of the insulation layer.

Important! When processing the area around the chimney pipe, you need to leave about 3 cm of the surface untouched.

Caulking with sealant

Caulking a timber house using sealant is the fastest way. To work, you will need the synthetic material itself, a cord for filling the cracks, a special spatula for smoothing the seams (you can use a narrow spatula), and a mounting gun.

Caulking a log house is a must-do job for anyone wooden house: his weak point are the joints between the logs, through which precious heat escapes and cold air penetrates. Caulk helps fill cracks heat-insulating material and solve the problem, but after a certain time the procedure has to be repeated.

Types of insulation

The issue of thermal insulation of a house must be resolved before construction: the best option There will be wide jute ribbons that are laid between the logs when laying the crowns. This is the most convenient solution, as it helps to completely close the joints and protect the house from the cold.

The main interventional materials used in construction:

After construction, the material protruding beyond the boundaries of the logs must be tucked into the seams: this process is called caulking. It is repeated: first, the joints of the logs are filled after the first six months, when shrinkage may cause gaps to appear between them. Then - a year after construction, and then every few years as needed.

Work methods and tools

A properly selected tool for caulking a log house will help simplify and speed up the work; it will make it possible to solve the problem much faster. You will need a set of caulking tools - tools with pointed ends, which are used to tuck the insulation into the cracks. Also in the process, a mallet is used - a wooden hammer, with which moss, tow, jute fiber or something else is hammered into the cracks.

Despite all the apparent simplicity, this work requires experience and accuracy: too strong an impact can move the logs, and the gap will only increase. Inaccurate blows can lead to unsightly chips on a log wall, so it is advisable to use a wooden rather than a metal spatula, which is difficult to cause serious damage to the surface.

There are two main traditional technologies for caulking a log house with your own hands:

Stretch. The insulation is applied to the groove, then it is first pressed with your hands, and then pressed in with force using tools.
Into the set. The method is used to seal large cracks: strands are twisted from the material, which fill the empty spaces, after which the insulation is clogged with caulking.

Both methods require great precision and patience. Therefore, it is so important to choose the right insulation material, which will not have to be changed in a couple of years.

Detailed step-by-step instructions

The easiest way is insulation with jute tape. It is already ready to use, no need to cut it. The process looks like this:

The process is completed when the insulation itself becomes as dense as wood, only then is it effective protection by cold. In the future, you will have to constantly inspect the condition of the walls in order to identify damage and eliminate them in a timely manner.

It is much easier to work with modern sealants than with the usual traditional materials and tools. The seams are carefully filled with a paste-like composition using a special syringe gun, and no voids are left. However, if the gaps are very large, it is recommended to first lay a sealing cord in them, and then use a sealant.

Many companies offer a service such as caulking a log house: the price for the work depends on its volume and urgency, as well as on the material used. On average, the cost of specialist services is 50–100 rubles per linear meter, so the total amount depends on the size of the building. But we must not forget that the costs will be offset by fuel savings in the cold winter.

Caulk with moss

In caulking with moss, the main thing is no longer compliance with technological subtleties - in this respect it is much simpler than caulking with fibrous materials - but the preparation of material. More precisely, purchasing. Forest and swamp building moss goes on sale, but self-harvesting of tree moss is possible only in certain places very remote from civilization, and self-harvesting of bog moss in most developed countries is prohibited and punishable by law: in recent decades, the extremely important role of swamps as moisture accumulators and regulators has been revealed natural processes. In addition, mosses actively accumulate many useful and harmful microelements; swamp moss is a natural filter for radionuclides. By caulking with moss collected yourself, you risk not only infecting the frame with rot, mold and pests, but also yourself and your loved ones, which is no better.

The best moss for caulking is bog sphagnum, or cuckoo flax, pos. 1 in Fig: it never wakes up in buildings and releases substances that protect wood from damage. But it is impossible to caulk with bright green fresh sphagnum (item 2) - on the contrary, it will overheat and ruin the frame. You need to caulk with moss (both swamp and forest), dried until it withers without rotting, pos. 3. This moss is sold in bags (item 4). It must be stored in them until use, not allowing it to dry out completely: moss that is still slightly alive is suitable for caulking. Dried gray or brown building moss (item 5) is not caulk, but an insulating material. By the way, very good.

Note: It is impossible to caulk with rock and ground moss - particles of the substrate with germs of wood pests will certainly remain in it.

Procedure for caulking with moss

They caulk with moss before winter. In the spring, when it gets warm but not dry yet, the hanging festoons are checked (see below) and the green ones are plucked out. Then the scallops are tapped into the grooves. It is very important to prevent the caulk from drying out: if the moss begins to crumble under the caulking tool, the entire caulk will never be intact, and every 2-5 years you will have to re-caulk, and the entire log house will not stand as long as it can. A year later, the building is checked and, if it is split, a secondary caulk is carried out with the same (!) moss.

Sphagnum moss is laid out in the grooves when assembling the log house as a mountain (item 1 in the figure below), because It cakes heavily under pressure. The festoons of bog moss should hang abundantly from the grooves, pos. 2. Immediately after assembling the frame, moss is added to the remaining cracks (shown by arrows in position 2), tamping the top with oblique wooden caulk. Quite easily reviving tree moss, on the contrary, is laid out sparingly but tightly so that there are no empty cracks, pos. 3. Its festoons should protrude from the grooves of the assembled frame for approx. half the palm of your hand, but not hanging down, pos. 4. Hanging ones (shown by an arrow in position 4) are cut off.

Instead of moss

In coastal areas you can find durable log buildings, caulked instead of moss with damask - sea grass eelgrass or eelgrass thrown ashore by storms. Kamka also good insulation and in this capacity it is now sold dried, but caulk can only be done with damp, fresh stone. But caulking with damask turns out to be excellent: it releases salts into the tree, making it unsuitable for pests, and releases iodine into the air in the room. Which, as is known, among others useful properties, promotes the removal of cumulative poisons and radionuclides from the body. They caulk with damask like moss, with some differences: they take it apart into flat strands and lay them out in the grooves of the log house in a herringbone pattern without gaps so that the ends hang down half a log. Upon completion of the assembly of the log house, the ends are tapped into the grooves with wooden caulk.

Synthetics and sealants

Synthetic caulking is used in combination with rough jute tape, or, for “aesthetics,” with twisted white jute rope. The rough tape is placed in the grooves of the log house under caulking with sealants without wings, flush with the edges of the groove. If the logs have a Finnish groove, then the edges of the tape should lie exactly on the longitudinal cuts in the log under the edge protrusions of the groove of the upper log.

Sealants for wood are chemically neutral polyurethane: silicone is less compatible with wood in terms of mechanical and physico-chemical properties (in particular, in terms of the thermal expansion coefficient TCR), and is destroyed under the influence of even very weak acids. In turn, the silicone solvent - acetic acid - spoils the wood, so do not try to replace special sealants for wood with ordinary construction ones. Synthetics are used to caulk mainly log houses made of laminated logs and timber - their estimated service life is the same as that of glue joints of laminated lumber.

Caulking with sealants is done quickly and simply: the initial composition is squeezed out of the tube into the groove, pos. 1 in Fig.. When it has set, the seams are puttied on top with a finishing compound to match the wood, pos. 2.:

There is also an “ultra-modern” method of caulking log houses built without rough caulking at all: cuts are made along the seams, strands of self-expanding polyethylene foam are inserted into them and sealed with wood-like sealant, pos. 3. In essence, this is no longer caulking, because This method is suitable for buildings made of lumber without shaped grooves, assembled on dowels and impregnated with water repellents (water-repellent impregnations). In addition, it is only suitable for selected chamber-drying materials that are completely dried and settled. And then what will happen with warping from moisture during operation - we’ll wait and see: in practice, “caulk-free caulking” has so far been used for no more than 10-12 years.

Let's return to caulking, which is still caulking, albeit synthetic. Finishing compounds darken when dry, so they are selected to match the wood using test strokes on the container. But in the light, the finishing synthetic caulk fades and the walls of the log house take on the appearance shown in pos. 4. Some people, since such “decoration” cannot be avoided, order caulking seams to be glued or filled with white twisted cord. How much this adds “aesthetics and respect” to the building is a matter of taste of the owner. And there is no arguing about tastes. Moreover, about the tastes of people who believe that natural wood needs additional “improvement”.

It is much more practical to use synthetic caulk to seal gaping cracks in logs, pos. 5 in Fig. On top of the sealant, the cracks are filled with any wood putty for exterior use, and the entire structure is rejuvenated. The putty has to be renewed every 2-3 years - it also fades in the light - but this doesn’t last long, it’s not difficult and inexpensive.

The final touch - sanding

Caulking has not yet completed the construction of the log house until it is ready for flooring, installation attic floor, roofs, installation of windows, doors, partitions, for finishing and equipment - the log house is desirable, but the inside must be sanded. Especially - chopped from wild logs, debarked by hand.

Sanding a frame with sandpaper is extremely time-consuming, tedious, and this damages the outer most resistant layers of the wood. The log house is sanded manually using a universal grinder with nylon brushes. Worse - grinder with them; drive is too powerful. But the main thing here is still brushes for sanding wood, see video review:

Video: review of nylon brushes for sanding logs

Sanding a log frame with a brush is actually a controversial issue: the brush removes the bead of caulk, see figure..

In order to get perfect warm log house For permanent residence, it’s not enough to mount it correctly. It is also necessary to qualitatively fill all the cracks between the logs so that heat loss overcomes the house as little as possible. Not everyone knows how to properly caulk a log house, and therefore insulation work sometimes leads to the house being skewed (in the worst case) or simply rotting the wood and insulation (in the best case).

How to properly caulk moss log houses video and general recommendations on other types of insulation in our material below.

Materials for caulking a log house

You can caulk a wooden frame various materials. Fortunately, the construction market today offers a wide selection from natural to synthetic and semi-synthetic. The most popular types are:

Construction moss. May be called “sphagnum” or “cuckoo flax”. This type of insulation was used by architects back in ancient Rus'. The qualities of moss as insulation are priceless and undeniable. Sphagnum is highly resistant to moisture. It seems to get along with the tree if the latter is waterlogged and simply takes all the moisture into itself. In addition, moss is of no interest to birds, moths and other insects. This means that all the material for caulking will remain in the place that the master determines for it. Sphagnum moss and cuckoo flax moss do not burn, do not rot, and are an excellent natural antiseptic for wood for many years.

Important: you can buy building moss in any quantity at specialized sales points.

Construction tow. This type of material also works well in tandem with wood when caulking walls. Tow is produced from the remains of flax and hemp grass. Tow is also a natural material that protects wood from moisture and cold.
Jute fiber in the form of a tape - an improved natural type material for caulking walls. Jute is made from a shrub that belongs to the linden family. And linden, as you know, copes well with cold and moisture. Jute is able to somewhat moisten the log when it dries out excessively, but at the same time it does not take moisture from the tree when the humidity in the house is 80%. It is convenient to lay jute tape between the crowns, as well as stuff it into cracks when re-insulating the house.
Lnovatin. Insulation is produced from flax fiber in the form of a wide tape. According to their own technical specifications Linen wool is similar to jute. Convenient for laying between crowns and for stretch caulking.
Felt. Unsuitable type of insulation for a wooden house. Felt is prone to rotting between logs and if excessive amounts of moisture get on the walls, the felt will not only lose its insulating properties, but will also damage the wood from the inside.

Tool for getting the job done

To properly caulk a log house, you need to use special tools. Otherwise, the insulation will lie superficially in the cracks, which will lead to the formation of cold bridges. Mostly professionals use special caulks made of steel or metal. The first one is better. You can also make wooden caulks from dense woods - beech, walnut, oak. It is desirable that the tool have a rubberized handle for ease of work.

Important: the caulking tool should not have a sharp blade, otherwise the insulation may be damaged during caulking. For the same reason, you should avoid nicks on the surface of the tool. In this case, the insulation clings to the teeth and breaks.

The main type of caulking tools:

Stacked caulk. It is a kind of flat chisel with a blade width of 10x0.6 cm. It is used for stuffing the seams between logs with insulation.
Crooked caulk. The same chisel, but curved in shape. Used for caulking house corners and rounded cracks. The width of the blade in this case is half that of a type-setting caulk.
Road caulk. It has a fork-shaped shape and is used for caulking cracks using the “stretching” method. The blade here has parameters of 170x15 mm. Depending on the width of the gap, you can use wide, medium or narrow caulk.
The caulk is broken. It has a wedge-shaped blade 30-35 mm wide. This tool is used to widen narrow cracks and fill them with insulation.
A mallet is used to assist all types of tools. Using such a rubber hammer, push the seal into the cracks.

Technology of work execution

In order for a log house to be properly insulated, the insulation must be laid in several stages. First, roll insulation or building moss is laid between the crowns so that it protrudes 5-6 cm beyond the edges of the log. In this case, tape insulation such as jute or flax fiber is fixed to the tree with a construction stapler. By the way, you can do the same with moss.

After the house settles and settles, new cracks will form. It is through them that heat loss will occur. In addition, the heat that leaves the house when in contact with wood and low temperatures on the street it will form perspiration (moisture). That, in turn, turns into frost, which will begin to destroy the log. That is why additional caulking of new cracks and packing of the protruding seal between the crowns is required.

The third caulking can be done after 2-3 years, when the house has completely settled down and all possible cracks will be open to the master.

Caulking methods

Stretch insulation

This method involves filling narrow cracks and gaps. It is good for caulking houses made of rounded logs, since the gaps here are minimal. At the same time, you should be careful with the caulking of such a log house. There is a risk of overstuffing the cracks, which will lead to distortion of the crowns, and therefore the walls.

So, “stretch” insulation is performed in this way:

As soon as a 5 cm long edge of insulation remains, take a new bundle of insulation and its edge is woven with the remaining end.
The resulting plexus is hammered into the gap and thus continues to caulk all the gaps.

Important: the quality of the caulk can be checked by pulling the remaining end of the insulation. If the material comes out of the gap freely, then the job was done incorrectly. If the insulation remains in the crack, then everything is done well.

Caulk “as a set”

This method is used to fill large gaps. Here you need to wind the insulation into a skein. Then loops are made from the resulting fiber and the cracks are stuffed with them. Moreover, first they caulk the upper part of the gap using a driving tool, and then hammer the loops into the lower part of the gap using a “road builder” tool. It is worth knowing that the thickness of the insulation loop should correspond to the thickness of the existing gap in the log house.

Important: when working with a mallet, it is worth remembering that there should be one hammer blow per blade width. Do not go too hard, otherwise there is a risk of overfilling the cracks, which will lead to the house being skewed.

There are also a number general requirements which should be observed when caulking a log house. By following them, you will be able to avoid serious mistakes in your work:

So, you need to start re-caulking the house from the lower crowns, since when you fill the insulation into the cracks, the house will rise by 5-15 cm.
It is necessary to fill the gaps alternately from the outside and from the inside of the house. That is, they first fill the gap in the lower crown from the outside, and then go inside the log house and fill the gaps of the same crown from the inside. This technology will help maintain the evenness of the walls of the house.
It is best to use natural insulation materials for caulking. Synthetics block the wood's breathing.
If moss is used for caulking, it should be treated with a special solution of soap and oil in a ratio of 200:500, mixed with a bucket of water.
Insulation of the house should be carried out in dry weather at a temperature of +10-+20 degrees Celsius.
In addition, not enough insulation is just as bad as too much insulation. It is worth strictly monitoring the amount of fiber in the loops so that their width matches the width of the gaps.

Remember, work done correctly guarantees a warm and cozy home even in severe frosts.