Help needed for log cabin chinking/caulking PLEASE.

[Kev18]

Anyone know of any material I can use? I did alot of research and I came up with a few options, each has there pros and cons.

Best practical option and period correct: Oakum. You lay it inbetween logs and forget about it. Only thing is... Its 40$ for a box of 10, 30inch strips. WAY to much for a small log cabin.

Mortar: Easy but id need to get water there some how and mix it right away. Not very good looking either.

Period correct chinking: Mud,sand,ash..etc. takes forever to make and washes away.

Window caulking expanding foam: great and easy. Except its butt ugly. Not a fan.

So does anyone have any other suggestions?
https://i.imgur.com/7D3PHkV.jpg

[ShooterAZ]

Sashco makes a product called Log Jam, but I'm not really sure how well it would work on logs that aren't de-barked.

http://www.sashco.com/log-home/wood-seal-chinking/log-jam-chinking/

[Shawlerbrook]

Many use moss covered with strips of wood.

[cwtebay]

I've used the small foam rods between the logs then an elastic chinking material called Perma-Chink. Apply it over the foam bats. I believe that your unpeeled logs are going to be a problem as the logs dry. The bark will slip and take any chinking with it. The only way I've seen people do it on the cheap with bark on is with grass / moss and clay. Seemed very labour intensive and somewhat temporary as the clay shrunk and fell out over a year or so.

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[koehn,jim]

Don't know if it would work but I sealed a bunch of drafts out with spray foam. Its easy to use and works.

[Bazoo]

You can use regular insulation and strips of wood on both sides like they do with moss, if money for insulation isn't an issue but getting moss is in your area. For that matter you could do the same thing with strips cut from memory foam pads for a bed top if you happened to have access to a free supply.

[redhawk0]

If its looks you're after go with the mud/moss option...but I can pretty much guarantee that if the pioneers had access to spray foam they would have used it for its ease of use, filling capabilities, and warmth....they wouldn't have cared if its butt-ugly or not....not when its -20* outside with the wind blowing.

redhawk

[Kev18]

I know spray foam is great but its ugly. Atleast if it would be brown or something. Not yellow..

I might try with wood strips. Its because not every log has the same space in-between but il figure something out. thanks!

[redhawk0]

How are you finishing the walls inside...leaving it as wood I'm assuming...maybe pack weather stripping foam in from the outside, give it a little spritz of the spray in foam from the inside...then another layer of weather stripping foam on the inside (kinda like a foam sandwich)....you'd have the look of foam chinking outside...but the added insulating property of the spray foam between the logs.

just thinking out-loud.

redhawk

[Kev18]

How are you finishing the walls inside...leaving it as wood I'm assuming...maybe pack weather stripping foam in from the outside, give it a little spritz of the spray in foam from the inside...then another layer of weather stripping foam on the inside (kinda like a foam sandwich)....you'd have the look of foam chinking outside...but the added insulating property of the spray foam between the logs.

just thinking out-loud.

redhawk

What do you mean weather stripping foam? The only thing I thought of was pink insulating stuff in houses.

[ShooterAZ]

I think he might be referring to foam backer rod.

https://www.acehardware.com/departments/building-supplies/weather-stripping/weather-stripping/5670146?x429=true&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIv_aYo4aY5gIVQhx9Ch2HtAeVEAQYBSAB EgIFHvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Kev18]

I think he might be referring to foam backer rod.

https://www.acehardware.com/departments/building-supplies/weather-stripping/weather-stripping/5670146?x429=true&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIv_aYo4aY5gIVQhx9Ch2HtAeVEAQYBSAB EgIFHvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

That could work. But then again its foam. Another cheap alternative I guess.

[Kev18]

I would like to use strips of wood to cover up whatever material I use. Thing is... How will I secure them? No electricity or compressor is going there. Im in the back of a swamp on top of a mountain. I bring everything by hand. No vehicles.

[lefty o]

http://www.touch-n-foam.com/landscape-foam.html

[redhawk0]

Thanx ShooterAZ for filling in my inarticulate descriptions....you showed exactly what I was thinking....I kinda like lefty_o's landscape foam idea...its dark and wouldn't look out of place on a cabin.

I'll shut-up now...and go away...hahaha

redhawk

[Kev18]

Thanx ShooterAZ for filling in my inarticulate descriptions....you showed exactly what I was thinking....I kinda like lefty_o's landscape foam idea...its dark and wouldn't look out of place on a cabin.

I'll shut-up now...and go away...hahaha

redhawk

Me too... Its not a bad idea. Only to find some over here.

[Kev18]

Also, does anyone know the life span of oakum? Good for life?

[cwtebay]

If oakum doesn't last forever, it lasts a loooong time! As for the wooden chinking strips - brad's work well, but make sure to account for shrinking as the logs move and the strips dry, otherwise they will split and / or they will walk out of the cracks.

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[Kev18]

If oakum doesn't last forever, it lasts a loooong time! As for the wooden chinking strips - brad's work well, but make sure to account for shrinking as the logs move and the strips dry, otherwise they will split and / or they will walk out of the cracks.

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What's Brad's?
I calculated the cost. It would take me around 15 boxes of oakum. So almost 700$. I'm far from rich. Far from spending that much on a cabin in the woods. I really want that stuff tho. You just wedge it in. And leave it.

[cwtebay]

What's Brad's?
I calculated the cost. It would take me around 15 boxes of oakum. So almost 700$. I'm far from rich. Far from spending that much on a cabin in the woods. I really want that stuff tho. You just wedge it in. And leave it.Yes, wedge it and leave it. It shouldn't be nearly that expensive!! I use this stuff by the truck load at work and pay little. It's made by an Amish client who soaks hemp rope in tar. I can pm you who does that. Brad's = brads=small nails. Sorry, auto correct

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[Bazoo]

Secure your strips of wood the old fashioned way, a hammer and nails. Use saplings like cottonwoods or poplar and split them lenghwise and nail them over the gap.

[EMC45]

I would like to use strips of wood to cover up whatever material I use. Thing is... How will I secure them? No electricity or compressor is going there. Im in the back of a swamp on top of a mountain. I bring everything by hand. No vehicles.


This was going to my suggestion. I would say either foam backer rod or spray foam and then the whole works covered with half or quarter round sapling or limb strips tacked into place. They may walk after a year or 2, but just bump 'em back into place. A log cabin is a tinker's dream. You will find stuff to do and improve all the time with them, and I don't mean that in a bad way. They lend themselves to innovation and improvement.

[Eddie17]

Just watched townsend channel on YouTube. They built a period correct cabin an explained the reason behind the choices. My give you some ideas!

[fiberoptik]

Old timers used horsehair [emoji206] and sourdough. Dries like cement. Some still around after a century or better. Flour is cheap.


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[drac0nic]

Just a thought on the water front, drag some propane up there and a turkey fryer/pot or build a fire. You've got snow it seems so melt some water up.

[JimB..]

I really don’t think you want to invest in good chinking if you aren’t gonna skin those logs. The best chinking in the world won’t keep the bark from separating from the logs. Bugs love to live under the bark too.

But I’ve never built one myself, so take my thoughts for what they are, just what I’ve a cumulated over time.

[Markopolo]

too late now to worry about something like permachink... soon as you get heat to them logs the bark is going to pull away and destroy your chinking... a moss/woodstrip combo would work, or spray foam and then wood strip nailed in to cover... will hold for quite a while, but at some point, those logs will peel. took about 5 years for mine..be sure to give pleanty of roof overhang... the bark will last longer if its not wet/dry all the time.

[JBinMN]

Cans of brown or tan spray paint will cover up the yellow of spray foam. ( Spray foam & Black spray paint works on my old rusty Blazer, anyhow. ;) )

Or, you can just use some regular paint & a brush.

G'Luck! whatever ya decide to do!~
:)

[waksupi]

Since you are by a swamp, sink a hole to get water, and mix mortar. We used this method at a backwoods cabin I chinked, and it worked. Depending on how fast your water level rises in a hole, it can take a few days to finish the job.

[Wolfer]

I would suggest splitting firewood down till it would wedge in. Tack in place. Go inside and give the crack a squirt of expanding foam. While the foam is still wet put a second wedge in from the inside. Tack in place.

Just a thought.

[Slugster]

Cut fiberglass insulation (the pink stuff) into strips, stuff into cracks like chinking. Then take a bunch of saplings and split lengthwise into quarters and nail these over the cracks. Quick and cheap. And don't look too bad.

Since you didn't debark the logs, I would suggest wide overhangs to keep the bark from soaking up the rain, thereby causing moisture problems and rot. Nice job though, I like the traditional look.

[Brokenbear]

You need to two step it ..temporary until the bark separates ..then serious chinking ..though a good idea the stuff in foam ..I'm not sure rodents won't chew the foam rope type to pieces ..so I would take newspaper and roll/twist into heavy chink like rope from the outside ..go to inside and spray foam it with the newspaper "rope" containing the application to the space between the logs ..then repeat outside but first removing whatever paper will freely strip out of the space that now has hardened foam on the other side
with this
https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-TITEFOAM-Insulating-Sealant-1988753/dp/B01N21KQ4I/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=spray+foam+insulation&qid=1575426667&sr=8-4

Bear

[country gent]

If rodents are an issue use steel wool twisted into a loose rope with the foam. I would consider removing the bark where possible. The suggestion of split saplings and brads or finish nails to finish sounds good.

[Bazoo]

Stripping the bark is a must to prevent rot and bugs.

The suggestion for rolled up newspaper is a good idea, corrugated cardboard would do well too I think.

[725]

High strength mortar mix. Pack it by hand and smooth it to contour of each seam. Tact hardware cloth in the crack and work the mortar into it as an anchor.

[cwtebay]

Maybe I have the only mice and packrats that do this, but anything paper will be packed off and shredded in a nest in short order in my part of the world. Foam doesn't seem much better if it's not covered. Steel wool works pretty well, as does tinfoil - but that'll get pricey also.

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[glaciers]

too late now to worry about something like permachink... soon as you get heat to them logs the bark is going to pull away and destroy your chinking... a moss/woodstrip combo would work, or spray foam and then wood strip nailed in to cover... will hold for quite a while, but at some point, those logs will peel. took about 5 years for mine..be sure to give pleanty of roof overhang... the bark will last longer if its not wet/dry all the time.

This ^^^^^^

But.........Spray foam can hold moisture. Permachink will with stand temperature swings from +100* to -60*. But.... You need to get the bark off as Markopolo says. Use a ice chipper to peal the bark.
Backer rod with a wood strip cover will work. when the bark comes off, then use Permachink.

[Kev18]

I think il jsut take pink insulation with a strip of wood. My only issue is how am i going to get a hammer in between logs to nail them?

[koehn,jim]

Try a heavy duty stapler, some of them also shoot brads. They make them that use a fuel cartridge.

[Kev18]

Try a heavy duty stapler, some of them also shoot brads. They make them that use a fuel cartridge.

I dont know, il see my options. Its never simple :?

[Plate plinker]

Do what the old timers did for chinking. Most of the new ideas have flaws.

[Kev18]

Do what the old timers did for chinking. Most of the new ideas have flaws.

I looked up alot of recipes and mixes and most of them require touch ups after only a few years. The mud and material washes away.

[snowwolfe]

I would like to use strips of wood to cover up whatever material I use. Thing is... How will I secure them? No electricity or compressor is going there. Im in the back of a swamp on top of a mountain. I bring everything by hand. No vehicles.

Hammer and nails has worked well for centuries.
Like others have mentioned, nothing is going to last with the bark on the logs.

[Kev18]

Can someone enlighten me on how im supposed to nail a strip of wood inbetween the logs? Set the nails at an angle and try to get the log underneath? Im trying to figure this out. Small brads seems like they would be a hassle nailing them by hand...

[cwtebay]

Think of it as nailing a piece of quarter round into a corner. You'll want either thin, round saplings that cover the gap or quarters/ thirds of rounds that will cover. Nail the end into your log junction then alternate nailing top and bottom to the adjoining logs. Drilling them first will help to keep your angle consistent. Not an artist, but hope the drawing explains.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191205/3ccf5dae9f03647be5863d105b9e9ff2.jpg

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[Bazoo]

The strips of wood don't go between the logs, but on the outside of them right at the joint. So say you have a 1" gap, you stuff that with insulation, then you take a 1/4 of a large sapling or just a whole small round sapling that is 1" -1 1/4" and jamb it in the crack far as it will go and nail the edge at an angle into the log.

On the inside, you can do the same thing or use 1/2 a sapling sawn or split clean in half with the round side towards the wall. Then you have a flatter wall on the inside.

[jsizemore]

Think of it as nailing a piece of quarter round into a corner. You'll want either thin, round saplings that cover the gap or quarters/ thirds of rounds that will cover. Nail the end into your log junction then alternate nailing top and bottom to the adjoining logs. Drilling them first will help to keep your angle consistent. Not an artist, but hope the drawing explains.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191205/3ccf5dae9f03647be5863d105b9e9ff2.jpg

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Are you doing this on the outside?

[cwtebay]

Are you doing this on the outside?Yep! After packing in whatever insulation you have elected to shove in the gap.

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[Kev18]

Ok thats what I was thinking... A little sapling or quarter because a wood strip would be a challenge. I had a picture of an inch wide wood strip going in between the logs. I couldn't figure out a away to nail it in place. It would atleast need to be a 3 inch strip to go well. Thanks! [smilie=l:

[AnnieOakley]

We used a recipe out of the book, “The Classic Hewn-Log House” by Charles McRaven. It was 9 parts sand, three parts Portland Cement, and 1 part lime. We just got started but it looks really nice! We also put down a metal lath with nails between the logs for the daubing to bind to. We will put our insulation in the middle. We are not worried about rodents because of the materials we are using.

I cannot get my pics to load. If you want a picture, let me know and we can email it.

[AnnieOakley]

Here is a pic!

252542

[Kev18]

Here is a pic!

252542

Looks good. My gaps arent that wide. Do you have any suggestions for log cabin books? I like old books with good info! :)

[rob55]

Who ever said mattresses has a good idea. Any way you can get your hands on used sofa or chair cushions? They adjust easily with a serrated bread knife. Then cover that with inch to two inch saplings in the cracks and 16d galvanized finish nails.

[Kev18]

Who ever said mattresses has a good idea. Any way you can get your hands on used sofa or chair cushions? They adjust easily with a serrated bread knife. Then cover that with inch to two inch saplings in the cracks and 16d galvanized finish nails.

Thats another good idea. I dont know if that will insulate enough though?

[blackthorn]

It is unfortunate that you built before you asked your question. Around here, most folks who build with logs; peel the logs, use a chain saw to cut a "V" groove into the underside, lay a strip of fiberglass or spun rock insulation the length of the log and drop the "V" groove onto the lower log. This results in a very good, basically air-tight seal. Years ago I used Oakum to seal air-gaps in a frame cabin where I used round poles in place of 2x4's. The stuff I used came in rolls, called "rope-oakum" and was very easy to use. You just started one end of the "rope" into the crack and used an appropriately shaped piece of wood to pound in the oakum as it was fed off the roll.

[Kev18]

It is unfortunate that you built before you asked your question. Around here, most folks who build with logs; peel the logs, use a chain saw to cut a "V" groove into the underside, lay a strip of fiberglass or spun rock insulation the length of the log and drop the "V" groove onto the lower log. This results in a very good, basically air-tight seal. Years ago I used Oakum to seal air-gaps in a frame cabin where I used round poles in place of 2x4's. The stuff I used came in rolls, called "rope-oakum" and was very easy to use. You just started one end of the "rope" into the crack and used an appropriately shaped piece of wood to pound in the oakum as it was fed off the roll.

I know how they do it. And I barely measured anything. I did everything by hand or by chainsaw. I can't get any decent tools to where I am.

[cwtebay]

I know how they do it. And I barely measured anything. I did everything by hand or by chainsaw. I can't get any decent tools to where I am. My.2 cents (American - I know you folks have done away with that nonsense) - WELL DONE!!! However you get the insulation part done, it will be an amazing place. Congratulations on your accomplishment and I hope you enjoy it!!

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[Kev18]

My.2 cents (American - I know you folks have done away with that nonsense) - WELL DONE!!! However you get the insulation part done, it will be an amazing place. Congratulations on your accomplishment and I hope you enjoy it!!

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Thank you! I need the insulation, window, tin roof, floor, fire place. chimney.

Alot to do, none of it is hard work. Just long. Especially the chinking/insulation. :guntootsmiley: