FINISHING A HOUSE FROM A LOG
Wooden houses are a very popular structure in Russia, because our homeland is rich in timber, which is processed into construction material. Log houses look beautiful and are the most durable and reliable. But many owners of private log houses have questions regarding the decoration of their home.
Owners of log houses should avoid materials not obtained through natural means, such as: plastic panels, linoleum, siding, etc. Synthetic fillers and impregnations reduce the environmental benefits of wood, and this is an important advantage wooden house.
It is better to give preference to natural finishing materials. You can do it like this: natural form, and with the use of design ideas.
Natural finishing materials:
woody. These include imitation timber, lining, block house, parquet and cork;
drywall. More often used in finishing ceilings.
Finishing log house inside they begin after all communication circuits have been laid and construction is completed. Work begins with the ceiling, to preserve other coverings, then the walls are finished, and lastly the floor.
The ceiling, consisting of beams and boards, is usually completely covered if this is provided for in the interior idea. For its finishing, wooden lining “calm” or imitation timber is ideal. We recommend covering all this with primer and paint in order to leave its original appearance. You can also use plasterboard, and with a ceiling height of 1.5 m, stretch ceilings can be used.
Ceilings in a house made of logs (imitation timber) - photo
Walls wooden houses sanded and then caulked with jute to avoid heat loss and blowing. Seams can also be sealed using a special sealant using the “Warm Seam” technology.
Walls made of logs, for finishing with plasterboard or gypsum board, can be installed immediately metal carcass, leaving air space between the wall and the sheet.If desired, the walls and ceiling are covered with colored paint, but the wood already looks stylish and beautiful, just apply colorless varnish, oil or wax.
The walls of a wooden house made of logs do not need cladding; it is enough to sand, caulk and paint. To hem the roof overhangs, you can use lining, imitation timber or plastic soffits.
In addition to an attractive appearance, finishing a house made of logs from the outside will give:
Increased heat and sound insulation in the room;
Increases the longevity of the home by eliminating environmental impacts;
Beautiful exterior of the room and magnificent design of the exterior;
Rounded log after sanding, caulking and painting - photo
Painting a house made of rounded logs is done in three layers, the first layer is an antiseptic primer, and then two layers of paint.Care should be taken to paints and varnishes had the function of increasing the protective properties of wood.
Log houses are quite easy to build, they have a very interesting and unusual look. But in order for the building to serve for many years, it is necessary that the finishing log walls was of high quality.
Very rarely carried out exterior decoration. This can ruin the appearance of a residential building.
Interior decoration wooden houses made of logs, not too complicated, the main thing is to adhere to certain rules. Everything can be done with your own hands, especially since the materials for these purposes are very practical.
The wood that is used for construction is initially prepared. It is dried for several months and then treated with antiseptic and fire-fighting agents.
These measures must be taken, since wood is exposed to a variety of insects and is very easily flammable.
Materials for finishing log houses:
Each of these types is very popular in finishing a wooden house. They are practical and durable. They are also characterized by easy installation.
The interior decoration of a log house can be made with wooden lining. Caulking is done first.
What it is? This is the sealing of all existing gaps between the logs.
It is made using flax thread or moss. This material should be tightly recessed into the cracks.
Wood construction will probably always exist. There is a very good atmosphere in such buildings, and the appearance of a well-built house, according to the most conservative estimates, is attractive. Decorating the inside of a wooden house is a separate topic with many nuances: wood is a special material, the characteristics and properties of which should be taken into account. About technical and technological features finishing work in a wooden house and let's talk.
On a “fresh” log house, you can begin finishing work no earlier than the main shrinkage has passed. If the log house is made of laminated timber, it should take 3-4 weeks. For all other types of wooden houses, the period is calculated in months, and sometimes years. Exact time shrinkage depends on the initial moisture content of the raw materials, climate zone and construction time. That's how difficult it is. In any case, it’s not worth starting finishing sooner than a year later, or at least 10 months later. During this period of time, active shrinkage of the wood occurs, logs and beams decrease in size, and the insulation laid between the crowns is crushed. If you attach the trim before the main processes have completed, it will fall off or become warped. Everything will have to be removed and redone. So there's no need to rush. Moreover, there will be enough work: you need to achieve tightness of the joints, and this is not easy. Careful competent caulking is needed.
Typically, the main caulking of a log house takes place in two stages. Primary - a few weeks after installing the log house, and secondary - after about six to eight months. Each time the cracks are clogged with insulation - jute, tow, sometimes moss. It is done immediately both outside and inside, otherwise the house will warp. Therefore, they walk around the perimeter of the building, caulking alternately, each crown, now from the outside, now from the inside. Work begins from below, from the lowest row of logs or beams.
With each caulking, the frame rises by 5-7 cm. Then, under the force of gravity, it gradually settles. The compacted inter-crown insulation reliably covers the cracks. The quality of this work is very important: it not least determines how warm the house will be.
Finishing work begins inside the wooden house after the frame has settled after the second caulking. To determine whether the process is completed or not, the height of the walls is periodically measured. If there are no significant changes within two to three months, we can assume that the main processes have passed. It's time to start decorating the inside and outside of the house.
If the log house itself has an attractive appearance, it is rarely sheathed. In this case, it makes sense to reduce the cost of interior finishing: sand the log or timber and tint it. Only the floors should be varnished: the varnish will prevent abrasion of the wood. And it is best to cover the walls and ceiling with tinting antiseptics or paints on water based. They do not paint over the texture of the wood, but only give it a tint, better showing the pattern. You will still have to use antiseptics to maintain the attractive appearance of the wood.
If the log or beam is normal, the caulking seam looks bad, it is sealed with a twisted cord, and the walls are finished in the same way - sanded and tinted. Everything also looks good, and the cord in the groove serves as an additional guarantee against drafts.
Ugly seams from caulk can be sealed with cord - it looks attractive, and even prevents drafts
If the frame is so crooked or old that sanding will not help, you will have to make the interior decoration of the wooden house from lining, wall panels, drywall or other material.
For any of these materials, it is better to make a lathing: this way you can level the surface of the walls. In addition, behind the sheathing there is space for free air circulation. IN wooden house this is important because only dry wood does not rot or turn black. Free air circulation between the finishing material and the wall will maintain their normal condition.
The sheathing in a house made of timber or logs is done in the same way: you need to remember that it must “float” so that the finishing does not fly off
The distance behind the sheathing is also used; it must be made in non-flammable pipes, so you need a fair amount of space for it. If necessary, you can put insulation there if your house is cold. If you spend little on heating and the house is warm, it’s better than nothing additional materials do not use: no insulation, no vapor barrier. The wood itself does an excellent job of maintaining stable humidity in the house, and extra layers only upset the balance.
Not everyone likes attaching trim to the sheathing: if an animal or insects settle behind the sheathing, it is difficult to get rid of them. In this case, you can level the surface of the logs by removing the protruding parts and nail the finish to this surface. Perfect flat surface difficult to achieve, but possible. The gaps between the finishing material and the wall, which in this case still exist, were once covered with clay. It will both provide thermal insulation and protect against drafts. Technologically this is incorrect, but they do it too.
Whatever materials are used for cladding the walls of a wooden house inside, there should be a gap of at least 2-4 cm to the ceiling. For a “young” log house, this is insurance against shrinkage. For the old one - a gap to compensate for changes in the geometry of the wood. She breathes all her life: sometimes she gains moisture and swells, sometimes she dries out. The gap under the ceiling will allow the wood to easily expand or shrink, without consequences for the finish. If this is not done, then either cracks will appear or the finishing will bend/rip out. To prevent the gap from “hurting the eye”, close it ceiling plinth. It is only nailed to the stream, it is only leaned against the wall. In this case, all movements will be invisible.
Lining is the leader among finishing materials. It is used both inside and outside the house, only with different treatments (impregnations and paints are used for exterior or interior work). It happens different types. It's about not only about different breeds wood or different board widths. There are also different profiles: smooth, wavy, imitating timber or log house. There are several options in the photo below.
To decorate the inside of the house, use thin lining: 1.5-2 cm is enough. It costs less and will perform its functions. The slats can be placed horizontally, vertically, or at an angle. From combinations of all these directions you can get amazingly beautiful panels, but this is a labor-intensive task.
When nailing the sheathing or planks, you need to remember about the shrinkage of the log house and the ability of the wood to swell and shrink. Near the floor and ceiling, do not nail the trim and sheathing tightly; leave 2-4 cm to compensate for these expansions.
Both the walls and the ceiling are finished with lining. In both cases it looks more than decent, and such finishing is relatively inexpensive. It’s cheaper (and easier to do) to just cover it with plywood and stick wallpaper. By the way, this is a popular finishing option. country house inside economy class. With a sufficient level of execution, this method can be used to decorate premises not only in dacha version. The only objection is the glue that is used to make plywood. But if you take it in emission class I (approved for use in children's institutions), then probably nothing terrible will happen.
Previously, they weren’t particularly worried and nailed the lining into the face (in front surface) through. At best, they used nails without heads or finishing nails (their heads are very small). Sometimes the caps were covered with wood putty and sanded, sometimes the screw holes were covered with pins. This is for the most fastidious and demanding of quality finishes.
Today, even this method is considered not the most aesthetic: the traces can still be seen. To make sure nothing is visible, secret methods are used:
Both of these methods require patience and accuracy: thin, small nails are used, and they must be nailed in such a way as not to damage the front surface. To make it easier, you can hit not with nails, but with staples from a construction stapler. Staples are taken with a narrow back and long legs, made of stainless steel with sharpening. Although there are models of staplers that “shoot” nails with a very small head. For fastening the lining - just right. Self-tapping screws are also used. A comparison of the two methods is made in the video.
There is one caveat. If you bought the lining that was not chamber dried (its humidity is 7-8%), it will gradually dry out. Gaps will appear between the planks and you will either have to put up with them or re-nail all the planks. Sometimes two or three times. There is no way to avoid this. You can only choose a profile in which the cracks will be invisible (the “Softline” and “Standard” profiles in the figure in the previous section). In this regard, you need to think carefully about how best to secure the lining for the first time: it will have to be removed. Therefore, it is advisable to make it so that it is not difficult and so that it does not collapse. Here everyone decides for themselves: for some it is more convenient to work with self-tapping screws, for others with nails. Both methods are not ideal (it is difficult to pull out nails, and you need to drill a hole under the head of the screw), but both are acceptable.
Sometimes it becomes necessary to connect the lining to a wall made of logs. Difficulty may arise due to the fact that the wall has a non-linear shape. You can outline it using a small piece of lining, to which a simple pencil is attached. Having placed the plank and moving it along the wall with a piece of clapboard with a pencil, transfer the shape of the log onto the plank. By carefully cutting along the intended line, you can achieve an almost perfect match.
Decorating the inside of a wooden house with wall panels gives a completely different stylistic result. This finishing material is made from different materials with different textures:
They come in typesetting or panel form. Stacked - long thin elements connected to each other according to the tongue-and-groove principle. Lining is essentially also wall panels. It’s just that it has long been used as an independent category of finishing materials. Panel wall panels differ in geometry - they have comparable length and width.
Everything is usually assembled onto a sheathing (like lining), the bars of which are filled taking into account the dimensions of the chosen finish. This material is loved by designers: materials, texture and color solutions allow you to realize a variety of ideas. Such interior decoration of a wooden house can be very expensive - made of leather - or cheap - MDF panels. But the appearance is quite decent.
If, according to the technology, wall panels must be laid with glue (gypsum, for example), then backing boards - plywood, gypsum fiber board, etc. - are attached to the sheathing (you remember that in a wooden house it needs to be made floating). The slabs are installed on this substrate with glue. An example is shown in the video.
The technology for working in a house made of wood or another material is no different: the frame is assembled, and drywall is attached to it. Only, as in the case of sheathing for lining, you need to leave gaps near the floor and ceiling. The only condition: this type of interior finishing of a wooden house is possible only after complete shrinkage (at least several years must pass and the house must be heated). Gypsum is a fragile material and with significant changes it will simply tear. The only option that will allow you to ignore them to some extent is to make a floating frame, attaching the profiles to the walls not rigidly, but leaving freedom of movement. Then the frame will settle on its own, and the drywall will remain in place.
Using what and how to make a floating sheathing for fastening rigid finishing materials (plasterboard, foundations) ceramic tiles etc.) watch the video.
Another feature of finishing a wooden house with plasterboard: all joints, seams and corners must be glued with a polymer reinforcing mesh. It will prevent the formation of cracks in the most problematic areas (or slow down their formation). If you need to line a house made of timber with plasterboard inside, but you really don’t want to lose precious centimeters of space due to the installation of profiles, you can do it as in the next video. There are some good tips.
If a house made of timber or logs has stood for several decades, first of all you need to assess the condition of the wood. To do this, remove all the trim and “pick” at all suspicious spots - darker or darker light color, differing in structure or texture. This can be done with a screwdriver, chisel, even a knife. If the wood is dense throughout, there are no signs of destruction, everything is fine, you can begin finishing. You may need to first impregnate walls and other structures with a protective impregnation to protect the wood for several more decades. But not all owners of wooden houses agree to chemical treatment, so it’s up to you to decide.
If the wood crumbles due to your efforts, you need specialist advice. It is necessary to determine what caused the damage - insects, fungi or microorganisms - and what measures need to be taken. Then the damaged pieces or elements are replaced, Special attention paying attention to the treatment of adjacent areas with antiseptics and protective impregnations.
After assessing or “treating” the wood, you can begin to update its appearance. The interior decoration of an old wooden house is no different from those described above. The only reason is that shrinkage is not worth taking into account: there is no longer any significant progress. So from this side everything is somewhat simpler.
A wooden frame made of logs or timber, placed under the roof, must stand for at least 6 months before finishing work begins. During this period, the structure will undergo the main shrinkage, and subsequently the height of the walls will change as a result of drying out wood material will not fundamentally affect the appearance and functionality of the house.
A log house that has stood for six months, a year or more should be carefully inspected. If the installation was carried out in violation of technology (for example, instead of wooden dowels the crowns were fastened with nails), large gaps may arise between the crowns. IN difficult cases It is better to disassemble the frame and reassemble it.
It is important to decide on the type of wall decoration outside and inside. Log house in itself it looks decorative and does not require additional finishing. If it is intended to be insulated, it is mounted outer skin With thermal insulation layer– in this case, natural air exchange through wooden walls which provides a favorable microclimate.
Internal insulation for a wooden house is contraindicated, since you will have to install hydro- and vapor barrier mineral insulation or use non-breathable thermal insulation materials made of foamed polymer. Plus, it steals space in the house.
Exterior and interior decoration may be required for a house made of old timber with an unattractive appearance. The outside is usually covered with siding or blockhouse, while the inside walls are finished with clapboard or plasterboard.
Finishing a house made of natural wood includes processing of the log frame protective equipment, protecting the tree from fire, damage by insects and fungus. If the walls are not intended to be covered, they are coated with wood varnish, transparent or tinted, or stain is used suitable color. Treatment will need to be repeated every 3-4 years.
It is important to take care of installing an electrical panel and connecting the house to the electrical network to ensure lighting and power for hand-held power tools.
Typically, a finished log house consists of wall structures, a roof covered with roofing felt, a subfloor on each floor and an attic.
At the first stage, it is necessary to cut out all window and door openings according to the project. It is important to add 6-8 cm in height for each opening for further shrinkage of the log house, which lasts 3-5 years, depending on the characteristics of the material. Grooves are cut into the sides of the openings and casing bars are inserted. If this is not done, the edges of the openings may sag.
At the top of the door and window openings casing boards are installed, the gap between this element and the upper edge of the opening should be 6-7 cm, it is subsequently filled with tow and covered with casing.
If you decide to leave external walls without covering, they are ground from the outside with an angle grinder with a power of no more than 1 kW and a “petal” emery wheel with a grain size of 36-150 units. You will have to remove it from the tool protective cover, if you have to process the curved surface of the logs. It is important to use a respirator and goggles, since a lot of dust is generated during the work.
After sanding the walls, finishing work consists of treating the log house with a fire-retardant compound and subsequent caulking. The walls are tinted (optional), coated 2-3 times with protective wood varnish. Eaves overhangs are also treated and painted.
At the same stage, they begin to decorate the outside walls with a block house or other materials, if provided for by the project.
At the next stage, window and door blocks, install cash. If the structure is wooden and needs painting, it is painted in the chosen color. Next, you should install the drain and finish the base. Make sure that all communications are carried out into the house.
If the house is built on pile-screw foundation, you should first install the basement part to protect the house from freezing from below.
If you plan to install a brick stove, fireplace or powerful floor-standing boiler in your house (in a specially designated room), you need to build a separate foundation. When choosing a location, pay attention to the location of the ceiling beams and rafters so that there are no problems with installing a classic vertical chimney. To carry out the work, part of the subfloor will have to be dismantled.
Next, the internal wiring of communications is carried out and the floor of the first floor is installed with insulation along the joists. The heat insulator is laid on the subfloor between the joists on top waterproofing membrane. The insulation is covered with a vapor barrier membrane, a counter-lattice is stuffed over the joists and a flooring made of boards or plywood is installed - the base for finishing. In wet rooms, a thin screed is used for tiling.
The walls inside the house are sanded and caulked, treated with a fire-retardant compound, tinted and covered with water-soluble varnish. Window trim and sills are installed on the windows and painted if necessary. Laying a twisted cord between the log crowns will add aesthetics to the walls and create additional protection from blowing and freezing.
Wall covering with plasterboard, plastering, finishing with clapboard or other materials, if provided for by the project, is carried out after installing the base of the ceiling, which serves as the floor of the second floor or attic. Next, the ceiling is sheathed with clapboard or plastered. Stacked flooring.
Then the stationary staircase to the top is mounted, processed and painted. The full cycle of interior work is carried out on the top floor. Between the floor joists, mineral wool insulation is laid, protected by hydro- and vapor barrier membranes– it serves as a sound insulator and prevents heat loss.
The roof is insulated, the gables and slopes are finished from the inside, the floor is insulated, the attic or attic flooring is installed, and baseboards are attached.
Electrical wiring in wooden houses, for safety reasons, is carried out externally. The wires are hidden in decorative cable channels, and overhead sockets are installed.
A separate stage is the arrangement of wet rooms. The interior finishing of the log house is carried out after the structure has settled, but wooden structures are constantly changing their geometric dimensions, absorbing and releasing moisture. If you plan to tile the walls, you need to mount a frame made of sheet material, which will be supported on vertical guides using special sliding fasteners.
The finishing of the log house after shrinkage is carried out according to the following principle: first of all, all dusty work is carried out, then finishing work, and at the last stage decorative elements are installed.
