Sealing of joints in a log bath

Sofia Orlova

Anatoly good day! I took a friend to help. Finishing work to do. Bath from prof. Beam one box a year as on adjustable piles. Is it necessary to clog the gaps between the bars or winds of moisture protection will be enough to put under the lining

Answer:

Sealing joints in a log bath is inevitable. For a year, the shrinkage of the log house took place, and it's time to start. To keep the maximum heat inside the wooden bath, especially in the cold season, the joints and joints will have to be carefully caulked. Otherwise, it will be difficult to achieve the desired temperature inside the log house. A large percentage of heat loss through unfilled gaps between the bars.

How to close the gaps between the boards in the bath, or between the logs? The choice of material for the cauldron depends on the willingness to spend time and money.

1. For longer and more expensive than others, preference will be given to natural fillers - hemp hemp, linen tow or jute fiber. But these products are at least not problematic to purchase. Another natural option than repairing the seams in the bath between the logs is moss (a number of researchers recommend, in particular, wet sphagnum). Here the question already arises of extracting moss in sufficient quantities to close the cracks in the bath. Natural materials are sometimes impregnated with a liquid solution of gypsum or cement, but dry caulking is also allowed without these additives. The main requirement is the density, ramming of the material inside the gap.
2. If you are looking for how to seal the seams between the logs in the bathhouse, among the sealants presented in the hardware store, pay attention to the market expansion. Previously, sealing joints between the logs involved covering the slots with mortar using a spatula. And now there are sealing tapes that stick on top of the gap, and protect the log house from heat loss.
3. Before applying sealant in one way or another, we hammer the seams with a cord of foamed polymer. Because under the synthetic sealant, it makes no sense to put expensive natural aggregate.

The main thing, choosing how to close up the cracks in a wooden bath, do not make caulking with mounting foam, as recommended on a number of resources and forums. Filling material assumes elasticity.