Inter-crown insulation for a timber house. How I chose interventional insulation for timber Which jute to choose

Despite the constantly growing range of modern building materials, the use natural wood No one is in a hurry to refuse to build houses. You can even probably even notice the opposite trend - popularity wood construction It only grows, apparently, because there is something to compare with, and these comparisons only play into the hands of natural material. Indeed, if we evaluate the totality of qualities - accessibility, low thermal conductivity, ease of processing, absolute environmental friendliness, the ability to create a completely unique healthy atmosphere in the house - not a single innovative material can compare with wood.

Of course, wood also has its drawbacks, and one of the main ones can be considered the lack of plasticity and the tendency to deform when changing external conditions. No matter how precisely the parts for the construction of log or timber walls are adjusted, it is still impossible to achieve a complete absence of gaps between them. This means that it will be necessary to provide a seal between the elements of the log house. For these purposes it is used special material – interventional insulation This publication will tell you which one to choose for timber.

Even if the future owner of the house does not have carpentry skills and is going to involve a team of specialists in the construction of the log house, it will never be a bad idea to supervise their work. Unfortunately, there are often “schemers” who, trying to extract the maximum benefit and speed up the work, resort to all sorts of unscrupulous “tricks”, the consequence of which can be poor insulation and ventilation of the walls. This is often discovered only after some time, with the onset of cold weather, and often correcting such defects even requires a complete overhaul. It is better to keep this under constant control.

What is the main point of using interventional insulation?

Before moving on to considering the types of inter-crown insulation, it is necessary to briefly discuss its purpose - this will make it easier to subsequently make the right informed choice.

• The use of such material significantly enhances the natural thermal insulation properties of wood. The cold does not penetrate through the joints deep into the log walls, the wood freezes less on the outside, and this means a reduction in the number of cracks that appear, and, by and large, an overall increase in the entire service life of a wooden house.

• High-quality inter-crown insulation compensates for fluctuations in the volume of wood when it dries out or, conversely, swells from high humidity air.
• Properly installed insulation prevents water or excess moisture from entering the gaps between the beams, which can activate wood rotting processes or become a favorable environment for the development of foci of fungus or mold.

• Properly selected inter-crown insulation will become a barrier against insects entering the house.
• The compacted joints between the beams not only prevent the room from being blown out and cooled down, but at the same time the level of noise penetrating from outside is sharply reduced.
• High-quality inter-crown insulation does not disturb the normal balance of humidity and temperature in any weather conditions - the most important advantage of wood is preserved - the ability of walls to “breathe”

So, the importance of this material for the construction of a high-quality and durable log house is difficult to overestimate. It remains to find out what types of interventional insulation exist, and what advantages and disadvantages they have.

Types of interventional insulation and their specific features

It would be a big mistake to believe that any available material. It happens that the low price of some products provokes buyers into an ill-considered purchase, for example, mineral wool, but the result is sad.

Special operating conditions require inter-crown insulation and corresponding characteristics - low thermal conductivity, mandatory elasticity and the ability to restore volumetric shapes after compression, durability, strength of the fiber structure to fractures, resistance to biological decomposition, to exposure to the sun, high and low temperatures, and at the same time preserved its naturalness, remaining completely “clean” and harmless from an environmental point of view.

It is quite difficult to select a material that would fully meet all the stated requirements. Nevertheless, a number of natural or synthetic insulation materials are very close to perfection, which is why they are widely used specifically for wooden construction.

Natural interventional insulation

The history of wooden architecture goes back centuries, and people have always faced the problem of insulating their homes. Naturally, a variety of natural materials that were available were used. Gradually, a kind of “selection” took place - materials that did not live up to expectations went out of use, and those that proved their worth are still actively used to this day.

Moss is a material for insulating log houses

Residents of the wooded and taiga middle and northern zones, where there are usually many wetlands, have long used moss to insulate their houses. Interestingly, this accessible natural material not only protected houses from blowing, but also ensured long-term preservation of the wood. Incredible, but true - even after many decades of operation, the log houses remained intact, and they could easily be dismantled and used for construction in a new place.

Traditional material for inter-crown insulation - moss

It's all about the natural qualities of some mosses - their biochemical composition includes a large number of phenolic acids, which, as is known, is a powerful antiseptic that easily deals with most putrefactive and other pathogenic bacteria. Naturally, contact with such insulation provided the logs with additional resistance to biological decomposition.

Mosses are actively used in construction today. They have long justified their qualities, and what is especially attractive is that the material is practically free, except for your own labor costs for procuring raw materials.

Jute inter-crown insulation

Of course, working with moss insulation is more difficult than working with ready-made tape materials. But in some cases their use becomes even more effective. This is especially true for those built from hand-processed logs or non-profiled timber. In such conditions, it will be more convenient to regulate the thickness of the layers with this material in order to fill the gaps between the rims as densely as possible.

Besides, probably none. No other insulation material can compare with moss in terms of the atmosphere created in the premises of a wooden house. It is characterized by a unique forest aroma, saturated, among other things, with medicinal components that can provide healing effect for people with chronic respiratory and skin diseases.

Of course, not all mosses from the variety available in our nature are suitable for such purposes. Only two types are used as inter-crown insulation - sphagnum and “cuckoo flax”.

• Sphagnum probably familiar to all those who have ever been to a peat bog. Typically, thickets of this moss cover a swampy area of ​​the forest with a dense, extremely thick green carpet.

Collecting such moss is not difficult - it gives in quite easily, coming off together with the root part in thick bunches.

It is recommended to go for sphagnum moss in good, clear weather so that the collected moss is as dry as possible on top. The fact is that sphagnum is not used immediately - it requires some drying in heaps under a canopy, from one to two weeks. And the drier the material was when collected, the shorter the preparatory period will be.

There is no need to be afraid that after drying, the stems and leaves will become brittle - that is the advantage of such moss, that when it dries. Unlike, for example, grass, it does not lose its qualities, remaining dense, elastic and maintaining the porous structure of the mass, which determines high thermal insulation properties.

Laying dry sphagnum on the crowns is quite a troublesome task, requiring a certain skill - it is necessary to achieve a uniform and complete fit of the logs or along the entire length. But the wood will receive highly efficient natural protection. The antiseptic properties of mosses are expressed to the maximum extent in sphagnum. It is not without reason that it has been used since ancient times as a healing agent in folk medicine, in military field surgery, in veterinary medicine, etc.

Video: how sphagnum moss is harvested for insulating a log house

• "Kukushkin Len" actually has nothing to do with either real flax or cuckoos. The name apparently comes from some similarity in the fibrous structure and small leaves. And the silhouette of a cuckoo resembles a box that forms at the top of the stem of a plant.

This moss also grows in vast clearings in peat bogs, and can be collected quickly in large quantities. It is recommended to look for forest “plantations” - there the “cuckoo flax” will not be so saturated with water. The length of the stems protruding above the surface is usually 150 -200 mm, but it happens that they reach a height of even 400 mm or more.

For its collection, cloudy, cool weather is already recommended - it is believed that under such conditions it retains its qualities better. The collected moss is laid in long strips for easy drying, but you should not be overzealous - overdried stems can become somewhat brittle, and you will even have to moisten them before laying. By the way, such insulation is often placed on the crowns even immediately after collection. No additional drying.

Intercrown insulation

The layout is carried out layer by layer, alternating the direction of the fibers. After the construction of the log house is completed, the protruding fringe is caulked into the joints between the beams.

During the operation of the house, high-quality insulation should not cause any problems - it does not age inside the joint, does not crumble, and maintains the moisture balance in the wood well. The disadvantage is that “cuckoo flax” is readily consumed by many birds, trying to dig it out of the cracks. Very careful caulking is required, or even better, covering the insulated joints with jute rope. In addition, the external caulking will still have to be renewed from time to time - the fibers protruding outwards gradually become brittle and fly off.

Linen-based inter-crown insulation

One of the crops traditionally grown in our area for a long time is flax. After processing the collected raw materials, thin fibers became material for making fabrics, while coarse and short fibers were used as tow. And the direct purpose of tow has always been – caulking cracks.

Tow, in principle, is a very good heat insulator and sealant, but working with it during the construction of a log house is just as difficult as working with mosses. It is quite difficult to lay out this material in the required layer, with approximately the same density, achieving complete filling of the cracks and gaps. In addition, this inconvenience can be further aggravated by windy weather. Another disadvantage of tow is that birds love to use its fibers to build their nests.

It is much more convenient to use a special linen-based material for inter-crown insulation. It is often called flax wool or linen felt. And for its production, it is no longer sorted flax waste that is used, but high-quality raw materials. As a result of special processing using pressing, a non-woven fabric with a thickness of 5 to 8 mm is obtained, which is cut into strips of various widths (from 8 to 200 mm) and sold in rolls up to 20 meters long.

The width of the rolls is selected depending on the size of the timber or the profile grooves on it, intended specifically for laying tape inter-crown insulation. If necessary, for a tight fit of the crowns, laying in two or even more layers is practiced - depending on the geometry of the beam or log. The installation itself is not difficult - the insulation tape is attached to the tree using staplers, that is, windy weather will not interfere.

Usually, when laying such insulation on timber without special profiling or on a log, they try to avoid letting it hang over the sides of the wall being built. It is better to bend its edges when laying it inside - this way you can avoid the tedious procedure of subsequent caulking.

Advantages flax wool tape insulation has a lot of:

• It provides a uniform, reliable seal along the entire length and width of the wall part being installed.
• The cracks become windproof, which ensures a high level of thermal and noise insulation.
• The material is stable - it will not crumble, crumble, etc. over time.
• The material has good vapor permeability, and in addition, it contributes to a normal humidity balance - either by absorbing excess moisture from the air or releasing it back into the atmosphere.
• Flax wool is absolutely harmless even for asthmatics and people prone to allergic reactions.
• Ease of installation has already been mentioned.

Flaws material:

• Flax wool is not sufficiently protected from biological damage - debate or rotting. In addition, very nests can be made in it. harmful insects– bedbugs, moths, grinders and others. Therefore, the issue of wooden parts is of particular relevance.
• Flax fibers in any form are taken by birds to build nests. Very careful caulking is required, or even better, sealing all joints with jute ropes.

Jute interventional insulation

An excellent insulation material for crowns is jute and materials based on it.

Dut is obtained by processing an annual tall plant (a distant “relative” of our linden) of the same name - it is very widely cultivated in regions with a tropical climate. As a result of processing, long and strong fibers are obtained, which are very widely used.

Distinctive feature The benefit of jute fibers is their high concentration of lignin, a natural resin with pronounced antiseptic properties. The material practically does not rot under the influence of moisture, does not lose its strength - it is not for nothing that shipbuilding has always been famous for jute ropes. Jute is completely unattractive to birds, insects, and rodents - also an obvious plus.

The material is able to “share” its antiseptic qualities with the wood in contact with it - logs or beams of a log house receive additional protection.

However, high resin content also has “ reverse side“- this leads to gradual gluing of fibers together, loss of plasticity - jute can become coarser and stiff over time. To eliminate this drawback, but fully preserve the advantages of the material, in the production of inter-crown insulation, it is usually combined with flax fibers. Various options are possible here.

• Linen jute is a layer-by-layer arrangement of flax and jute fibers, in an approximately equal overall ratio of 1:1. The resulting material retains the elasticity inherent in flax, but the strength of jute is not lost. A layer of flax fibers is located inside the material, and jute creates a reliable, stable “shell” on the outside.

• When making jute felt, the flax content usually does not exceed 10%, but the fibers are mixed during the production stage. The linen component smoothes out the rigidity of the jute component, prevents the fibers from sticking together, and the overall strength and pronounced antiseptic qualities are not lost at all.

In addition, ropes (ropes) are made from pure jute, which are also widely used for inter-crown insulation - for the final external caulking of joints.

The installation of jute inter-crown insulation is, in principle, no different from the above-mentioned use of linen materials. The only difference is that jute, as already mentioned, is not taken away by birds, and its natural color harmonizes well with the shades of wood, that is, a slightly protruding layer of caulk or hammered along the joints jute rope They will only give the log house a special neatness.

polyester insulation

Insulation based on natural wool

It is quite natural that in regions where livestock farming was traditionally at a high level of development, wool waste was used to insulate housing. This is still practiced in our time.

Wool fibers receive special treatment to prevent them from being damaged by insects, and are tumbled into felt fabrics using special technology various densities and thickness - from 10 to 20 mm. Then they are cut into strips with a width of 80 to 200 mm - and in this form the insulation goes on sale.

This inter-crown insulation has many advantages:

• The quality of thermal insulation and noise absorption is the highest.
• Wool does not mat over time, does not lose elasticity, and perfectly fills all voids, leaving no chance for “cold bridges.” If the wood is deformed in one direction or another, the elasticity of the felt will prevent cracks from appearing - the tightness of the fit will be maintained.
• Well-processed wool is not afraid of moisture and will not rot, while helping to maintain an optimal moisture balance.

The only drawback that can be called, perhaps, is the high price of such insulation materials, which, in principle, predetermines their not so widespread use compared to materials plant origin.

Synthetic inter-crown insulation

In addition to natural insulation in Lately Artificial, polymer-based ones have become increasingly used. For many, this approach raises certain concerns due to the unnaturalness of the material, but manufacturers convince that their products are fully adapted to wooden construction, are completely harmless, and sometimes even surpass natural materials in performance.

As an example, we can cite several varieties of such inter-crown insulation.

"PolyTerm"

This is a development of Finnish technologists, that is, carried out “with skill,” since wooden construction in Finland with its harsh winters is extremely widespread.

“PolyTherm” is produced on the basis of polyester fibers, which are completely harmless to humans and nature. The material does not decompose over time, completely retaining its chemical formula, that is, there is no need to fear the release of any toxic substances.

• The insulating qualities of the material are very high. And elasticity and elasticity, which are not lost throughout the entire service life, ensure complete filling of all voids and gaps both during the construction process and during the entry of deformation vibrations of the log house.
• Despite its synthetic origin, PolyTerm has excellent vapor permeability, that is, it will not disturb the normal moisture balance of air and wood. At the same time, it has pronounced hygroscopicity and does not absorb water like a sponge. When using it, you can do without additional external caulking.
• The material is completely uninteresting to birds and will not become a breeding ground for microflora or insects.
• An important advantage is that the material is non-flammable.
• The chemical resistance of polyester fibers is a guarantee of absence allergic manifestations, even among people with a penchant for them.

The service life of such inter-crown insulation, according to the manufacturer, is practically unlimited.

"AVATERM"

It's nice to know that domestic manufacturers are also capable of producing products of the highest quality. An example of this is inter-crown insulation of the “AVATERM” brand, produced by the company of the same name from St. Petersburg.

This material, also on a polyester basis, was developed taking into account all available modern technologies, and at the same time Special attention paid attention to adapting the insulation specifically to Russian climatic operating conditions.

"AVATERM" has all the same advantages as "PolyTerm", and at the same time the manufacturer boldly declares that the service life of the material can reach 200 years.

The product range corresponds to common types of profiled timber - the process of laying insulation into the grooves of the parts becomes extremely simple. There are special varieties for logs, for regular, profiled and separately laminated veneer lumber, taking into account the characteristics of these building materials.

The convenience of such insulation when assembling a log house is also due to the fact that when drilling holes for dowels, the material does not wrap around the drill - it easily passes through it, leaving smooth edges.

The thickness of the produced tapes is 8, 15 and 20 mm, the width is from 100 to 200 mm, the length in rolls, depending on the thickness, is 10 or 20 m.

Of course, many will be pleased with the affordability of the material - this can significantly reduce total costs for the construction of a house.

Plastic sealants for sealing joints

It should be noted right away that such sealants, by their nature, in principle, are not full-fledged inter-crown insulation and in no case replace the use of the above-mentioned materials for. Their purpose is to seal the remaining or emerging seams between beams or logs or to protect the protruding edge of the caulk from external influences. They are also widely used for repairs - filling formed areas. wooden parts deep and wide cracks.

Very often they are used in combination with an elastic band, for example, of foamed polyethylene, which is first hammered into the gap and sealed on top with a sealant.

There are many varieties of sealants for this purpose. They can be on acrylic (more suitable for interior works), on silicone, latex or polyurethane based. It is often possible to select the shade of the sealant so that the seam lines look harmonious against the exterior of the wooden frame.

Popular brands of such sealants include “NEOMID - Warm seam”, “Wepost Wood”, “Conseal”, a wide range of “Weatherall” products for the most different cases. Before purchasing, you should definitely pay attention to the scope and specific purpose of the material - there may be significant differences in this matter.

Video: Sealant for log house “NEOMID - Warm seam”

So, the main types of inter-crown insulation were considered. Each of them has its own “bouquet” of advantages and disadvantages. The choice is up to the owners of the house, and it must be made consciously, taking into account both the future conditions of use of the housing and from the point of view of purely economic feasibility.

At the end of the publication - another video dedicated to inter-crown insulation:

Careful insulation of inter-crown joints and sealing of seams can increase the thermal resistance of log walls made of rectangular or profiled timber by 10% - 12% and by 15% - 20% for walls made of cylindrical logs. However, not only thermal insulation is important, but also a number of other functions that the insulation must perform. How various materials presented on the construction market cope with the task, as well as a special approach to insulating wooden baths, is discussed in this review.

Requirements for an ideal inter-crown heat insulator for a log bathhouse

In addition to the maximum possible coefficient of thermal resistance, inter-crown insulation for a bathhouse must:

1. Have moderate vapor permeability. The temperature and humidity in the steam room fluctuate intensely.
   

   The ability of a heat insulator to accumulate and evaporate moisture should be comparable to that of wood. Only then will it be possible to avoid condensation of liquid between the crowns, which contributes to the development of bacterial and fungal flora.

2. Demonstrate volume recovery after removal of the load. For a log house in which a steam room is installed, it is doubly important to compensate for the cyclic change in the gaps between the beams. After all, here except natural shrinkage and changing seasons, wood is subject to extreme moisture fluctuations that cause logs to expand and contract. Only inter-crown insulation with good residual elasticity is capable of filling gaps of varying sizes.
3. Contain antiseptics and/or other substances that resist the formation of mold and rot.
4. Be distinguished by biological resistance and stability of properties. That is, to be “uninteresting” for birds and insects, and also not to become brittle and lose integrity under the influence of temperature, humidity and solar radiation.
5. Be moderate in price and easy to use. You don’t expect to spend 30% or 40% of the budget of the entire building on purchasing insulation for inter-crown joints, do you?
6. Harmonize with the aesthetics of the log house.
7. Be an environmentally friendly material.

Insulation and sealing

The material that is laid between beams or logs during the construction of a log house works to reduce heat transfer.

The individual elements that are used to seal the joints from the outside after construction are not so much thermal insulators as sealants. They perform the function of wind and moisture protection, reduce convection heat transfer and, if possible, decorate the exterior and interior. Sometimes it makes sense to use different materials for insulation and sealing.

The main thermal insulators used: pros and cons

The origin of the word “caulk” is associated with hemp, from which hemp and twine for sealing cracks were made hundreds of years ago. Products based on this plant are still produced in separate nonwoven fabric factories. But sphagnum moss and “cuckoo flax”, which were once the most popular sealants in Russian wooden architecture, are now perceived as exotic. We will limit ourselves to considering what is present on the shelves of construction supermarkets and specialty stores.

Rolled flax insulation

Inter-crown linen seal

This inter-crown insulation is made from flax fibers using needle-punched technology. We can order any strip width from 3 to 40 cm in 0.5 cm increments. The thickness at a density of 700 g/m² is 8 - 10 mm.

Linen wool (as this thermal insulator is also called) is one of the best means for residual elasticity, heat conservation, environmental friendliness, and aesthetic properties. In addition, flax fiber tape this moment- most inexpensive way qualitatively caulk the chopped bathhouse. Rolled flax is easy to use. The strip is laid in the groove of the crown and adjusted with staples. The log can then be mounted. Wind is not a hindrance to installation.

Among the disadvantages of flax, it is not the best biostability. Birds happily take it out of the cracks to build nests. Some insects also live in this material.

Rolled jute insulation and jute-linen materials

Jute inter-crown seal

Thermal insulation made from jute is a coarse, homogeneous non-woven fabric produced using the same technology as the insulation made from flax. Jute inter-crown insulation is a durable and relatively rigid tape, which, in addition to good heat-shielding and hydrophobic properties, is distinguished by the presence of 20% lignin in its composition. Lignin is a resin similar in properties to resins coniferous species tree. Thanks to its presence, jute exhibits both positive and negative qualities.

Inter-crown insulation made of jute has pronounced antiseptic properties. Birds are indifferent to it, and insects are repelled by the smell of lignin. The only thing in which jute is inferior to its flax counterparts is residual elasticity. This material cakes and forms layers under high pressure that are close in density to natural wood.

Jute roll fabric is produced in strips with a width of 10 to 20 cm. With a density of 700 g/m², its thickness is 4 - 6 mm, and the cost is approximately the same as the price of linen fabric.

Trying to combine the advantages of the two types plant fibers and to compensate for their shortcomings, manufacturers of nonwoven fabrics began to produce combined materials. It is assumed that the jute component provides them with strength, antiseptic action and biological resistance, and the flax component provides elasticity.

Rolled insulation made from artificial fibers

Synthetic inter-crown insulation

The Scandinavians have developed and are promoting several types of inter-crown non-woven tapes based on synthetics - polyester, padding polyester and other fibers. According to experts, these materials can displace natural linen and jute insulation from the wooden construction sector, which uses well-dried raw materials. This includes, for example, laminated veneer lumber produced in Norway and Sweden.

Wood with natural (medium) and high levels of humidity reacts to contact with synthetics quite capriciously: with the formation of non-evaporating internal condensate films and the formation of mold.

Ropes and ropes made from natural fibers

The wall sealed with rope looks elegant

Ropes for sealing joints, made of jute or flax, have all the advantages and disadvantages of these materials. On the street side, preference should be given to jute seals. Linen cords are sometimes used for aesthetic reasons, when light gray is more suitable for an interior or exterior ensemble than brownish-gray jute.

Wool felt

Felt made from sheep wool undergoes special processing and is used for the production of thermal insulation plates for wooden construction. In almost all respects, processed wool is superior to inter-crown insulation materials of plant origin. Except for one indicator - price. The price tag for special wool felt is quite impressive. For this reason, the material is practically not used in the construction of baths.

Sealing pastes

Sealing pastes

Many types of acrylic, silicone, latex and rubber compounds are produced under the general hyperbrand “ warm seam" Some of these sealants are intended for thermal insulation of crowns over sample areas. Others are made to make sealing joints. And all of them are characterized by increased adhesion to wood.

Sealants are not suitable for chopped baths due to their zero vapor permeability. But for residential log houses they are used with great success.

Rational combinations of insulation

The combination of linen insulation with jute rope seals has proven itself well. In this option, it is possible to compensate for the low biostability of flax, while maintaining its elasticity. In some cases (in the steam room there is no covering of logs with clapboard and other materials), it is permissible to seal the seams on the street side with rubber or latex paste, using jute tape as an inter-crown heat insulator.

External interventional sealing of the bath

Summary

And yet, is there a universal solution for most chopped baths? interventional insulation for timber: which one to choose without going into the analysis of details? If you trust the experience of builders specializing in the construction of wooden spa areas, then in functional terms it makes sense to limit yourself to jute tape, and use sealing ropes more as a decoration. The selected option works well for profiled and rectangular timber, regardless of the structure of the building and the initial moisture content of the material.

However, it is necessary to identify exceptions to the general rule: a universal solution is not suitable for log houses with increased pressure on the inter-crown contact area. These include bathhouses made of rounded logs of small diameter, as well as two-story buildings.

No construction wooden structures cannot do without interventional insulation. This is a special heat-insulating gasket, the task of which is to insulate the seams and openings of wooden walls.

Interventional sealant: for what purpose is it used?

When erecting log houses, you need to make sure that there are minimal gaps between the logs. If they end up remaining, they need to be insulated to prevent cold from getting inside.

Otherwise, a wooden house will very soon become uninhabitable, since it breathes, and therefore there are constant changes in humidity inside. To ensure steam and thermal insulation of such a structure, it is necessary to use inter-crown insulation.

There are certain requirements for sealing material for wooden structures, namely:

• environmental friendliness. That is, the material must be safe for nature;
• elasticity and density. The purpose of the material is to tightly close the inter-crown cracks so that they do not appear after some time, that is, after the structure shrinks;
• durability. Perfect option so that the insulation material lasts the entire period;
• low thermal conductivity. This indicator should be close to the thermal conductivity of the timber. Thanks to this, heat loss from the house will be minimal;
• antibacterial properties. The seal must be resistant to the formation of microorganisms, causing diseases or rotting;
• resistance to external influence. First of all, this means resistance to atmospheric influences (precipitation, temperature changes). Secondly, the insulation should not attract birds that carry caulking to their nests and bugs that like to settle in wooden walls;
• the ability to absorb/give off moisture, similar to wood. This is necessary to maintain optimal humidity in the home.

The best interventional seals for wooden buildings are:

• jute felt tape;
• linen, jute tow or hemp;
• long-fiber moss.

Each of the listed materials is perfect for sealing seams. They all have similar characteristics, but each has its own characteristics, which can be both advantages and disadvantages.

Use of natural materials

In old times wooden houses insulated with felt, moss or tow, which have proven themselves the best side. These materials are still used today.

Moss for insulating crowns

The fibers of the plant reach 30 cm in length. The thermal conductivity coefficient of the material is 0.04 W.

The undoubted advantages include the fact that it:

• does not attract insects, but birds carry it;
• not subject to rotting from moisture;
• perfectly absorbs liquid.
• natural antiseptic.

Its disadvantages are the following:

• This material does not have the elasticity that a seal needs;
• has extremely low fire retardant properties;
• It is quite difficult to achieve uniform styling with this material.

Important! Not just any moss can serve as insulation. You can only use “cuckoo flax”, white peat and red.

When laying moss, a fringe must remain outside. It then needs to be pushed into the cracks using special tool. And after the frame shrinks (about a year), it is necessary to carry out an inspection: cut off the excess, and insert where there is not enough.

Linen wool for insulation of crowns

The thermal conductivity coefficient of the seal is 0.034 W.

According to the production method, materials are divided into two types:

• carded;
• additionally stitched or needle-punched.

Flax is the basis of two types of sealant:

• ribbon flax tow;
• linen felt.

The advantages of flax wool as inter-vents insulation are:

• good hygroscopicity;
• ease of installation. Because the tape material easier to install;
• environmental friendliness. None hazardous substances not present;
• excellent sound insulation properties;
• efficiency;
• resistance to fungus.

The disadvantages include:

• flax tow is produced in standard width;
• Additional caulking may be required;
• “eats” moths.

Is natural insulation, known for a long time. The thermal conductivity coefficient of tow is 0.047 W. This insulation is supplied in bales.

Advantages of tow:

• absorbs moisture and dries quickly;
• it is possible to form bundles of the required size;
• low cost.

The disadvantages of tow are:

• re-caulking is required;
• difficulties in installation;
• flammability.

Important! Materials such as tow and moss are only suitable for sealing the inter-crown space of log houses. These insulation materials are not suitable for timber.

Jute for insulating timber crowns

Materials of this type are divided into three types:

• jute tow. It contains exclusively combed jute;
• flax jute felt. The proportions of flax and jute are 50 to 50;
• jute felt. In addition to jute, the composition contains flax.

Advantages of the material:

• ease of installation, as the insulation simply rolls out;
• durability;
• no re-caulking required;
• environmental friendliness;
• different roll widths;
• hydroscopicity.

The disadvantage of this material is the cost, but at the same time it corresponds to the quality.

Synthetic inter-crown insulation

Today, many developers prefer new, synthetic materials. But with such seals, wooden houses will not be able to “breathe” and it will be necessary to construct a ventilation system.

And if the synthetic insulation turns out to be of poor quality, then fungal spores and mold may soon appear.

This material cannot play the role of insulation for a log house, and all because its threads practically do not absorb moisture. And the liquid that is absorbed does not evaporate. In addition, mineral wool allows heat to pass through.

Izover

On the one hand, this material has many positive qualities, for example:

• fire resistance;
• not subject to rotting;
• easy to use;
• squeezes well and so on.

But there are also huge disadvantages:

• accumulates moisture;
• not environmentally friendly.

Wooden beams are an excellent building material. It is lightweight, absorbs and releases moisture, and its thermal conductivity is several times lower than that of brick, concrete or stone. The only serious drawback of this material is the change in size during the drying process. Therefore, the dimensions of both the timber itself and the house made from it are constantly changing. In winter and autumn, the timber increases, absorbing atmospheric moisture, in spring and summer it decreases, because during the drying process the moisture evaporates. Because of this, gaps appear between the crowns, which increase heat loss in the house, and this negatively affects the microclimate of the rooms and increases heating costs. In this article we will talk about various insulation materials, which are used in the construction of houses made of timber, and we will also give recommendations on choosing the most suitable one for specific conditions.

Requirements for interventional insulation

In wooden houses, including those built from timber, it is necessary to use only organic insulation. This is due to their characteristics, the main ones of which are:

• the ability to absorb and release moisture without increasing thermal conductivity;
• resistance to high humidity;
• flexibility and elasticity;
• UV resistance;
• inapplicability for the construction of bird nests and burrows of various small animals.

One of the main requirements for insulation is the ability to retain its properties even after getting wet, because during rain, the insulation absorbs a certain amount of moisture. Therefore, they are not used as insulation mineral wool, which is suddenly losing its thermal insulation properties when wet or under strong pressure. No less important characteristic– ability to absorb and evaporate moisture. After all wooden wall absorbs moisture both from rain and from the room, so wooden houses with normal ventilation are never damp or too dry. If the insulation absorbs well, but does not release moisture well, then the timber will begin to rot, which is why the house will soon begin to collapse. Therefore, modern synthetic insulation cannot be used for. They absorb water well, but do not evaporate it well, which is why the timber at the point of contact with the insulation will constantly become damp. In such conditions, the appearance of rot and fungi is only a matter of time.

Important characteristics of insulation are flexibility and elasticity. When a house is being built, the pressure on the insulation lower crowns maximum. Then summer comes, the timber is exposed to the heat and sun rays loses moisture and dries out, causing gaps to appear between the crowns. If the insulation is not elastic enough, it will remain crumpled and compressed, as a result of which the joint between the crowns will become a source of cold. Therefore, a house with unsuitable insulation often has to be caulked, because this is the only way to avoid drafts in winter. An important factor influencing the choice of material is its demand among birds and various rodents who can use it to create or finish nests and burrows. Therefore, for use as inter-crown insulation, it is necessary to use only those materials that will not be attacked by birds and rodents. Otherwise, they will pick out the insulation from the walls, which will lead to an increase in their thermal conductivity and the appearance of cold bridges in winter.

What kinds of inter-crown insulation are there - jute, flax

Most often, the following materials are used as inter-crown insulation:

• jute;
• flax wool;
• felt.

Which interventional insulation to choose + Video

When starting to choose insulation, first of all calculate required amount material. To insulate profiled or laminated timber, the insulation consumption is 200–400 grams per square meter of total insulated area. For sawn and planed timber, the consumption is 300–500 grams per square meter. For timber natural humidity insulation consumption is 350–600 grams per square meter. After this, it is necessary to determine the thickness of the insulation. For dry profiled and laminated timber optimal thickness is 3 mm. For sawn and planed timber, the optimal insulation thickness is 4–5 mm. For timber with natural humidity, the thickness of the insulation should be from 6 to 10 mm. This is due to humidity and the shape of the timber. Having determined the quantity and thickness of insulation, find out the cost in stores various materials, then calculate the price of the entire volume and think about whether you can afford such expenses. At correct installation any of the materials described above will provide excellent insulation for a house made of timber, so there is not much difference between them.

Good afternoon everyone. My name is Vladimir Anatolyevich, and today I will tell you how I chose inter-crown insulation for the timber. Actually, I’ll say right away that this task is not an easy one, because today, the modern domestic market is represented by a large assortment of choices. But, if you approach the issue correctly, you can always find a middle ground and choose a high-quality and good insulation for timber.

So, the first thing I relied on was the density that should be formed when the wooden beams came into contact with each other. In principle, the weight of the house is very large, and therefore each subsequent log (in my case it is a beam) presses on the previous one with greater force. Therefore on initial stages, any seller can assure you and, in principle, will be right that all types of insulation supplied will be good. But you need to look at things productively, which means you need to select (choose) insulation so that it lasts not two months, but a lifetime.

For this reason, I immediately discarded the moss. In principle, now I probably regret it, because this is a time-tested insulation and it could well be used to build my house. But I didn’t take it because, as practice shows, it has a different purpose. The fact is that moss, when insulating, is placed in large caps so that sometimes the layer of moss reaches 3 cm. This is done because moss, ideally, should clog all the voids and cracks. Actually, in the case of rounded logs, especially if their quality leaves much to be desired, moss is simply irreplaceable. But, in my case, when ideal quality timber was used for the house, moss faded into the background, because it would not allow me to achieve the desired density, since under ideal conditions it is difficult to calculate the thickness of the laying layer.

Thoughts on choosing insulation out loud

Next, I wanted to select and buy inter-crown insulation based on wool. To be honest, this is first-class quality insulation. But, since at that time I had problems with money (I needed to build a roof, lay floors, install windows), I abandoned this idea. Actually, I did this because wool insulation is quite expensive. For the same reason, I also refused sealant, which, for the whole house, would have cost me even more than wool.

Actually, having thought about it, I came to the conclusion that the only correct and correct solution for me, one might say, the golden mean, is jute. But, having bought one roll of jute tape, I realized that it would be extremely difficult to work with it due to the fact that jute itself is a very hard type of insulation. Therefore, for all the other crowns of the wooden house, I bought jute-linen insulation. This is the so-called mixture, which allows you to combine two properties at once. Firstly, thanks to the presence of jute, this insulation not only retains heat well, but is also impervious to moisture. Secondly, it is linen, which is used to soften the styling process, which is exactly what it does.

Indeed, we note that working with this type of insulation is easy and pleasant. It is soft, does not prick, does not scratch your hands, rolls out quickly and lies flat. Actually, I did all the work on laying the jute myself, without any special training.

Based on the results, I would like to say that for 6 years now, the insulation has reliably retained heat in my wooden house. This not only helps create comfort, but also significantly saves money on heating. At the same time, during installation and after it, I didn’t even have to caulk the walls, because the density that jute - flax shows is simply fantastic.

Which inter-crown insulation for timber should you choose?

In our opinion good choice To lay wall beams in a wooden house, you will need to purchase inter-crown insulation in the form of a strip with a width equal to the thickness of your beam. But, you need to understand that it is still the best choice for ordinary timber There will be a purchase of jute tape 8-10 mm thick. and surface density of 600 grams per 1 square meter. If you are building a wooden house from profiled laminated timber, then you can buy a thinner version of jute tape -5-6 mm. and density 400-450 grams per sq.m.

This is our advice and answer to the question of which inter-crown insulation is better to choose and buy for timber - a log wooden house.

Photo: this is what a roll of high-quality inter-crown jute tape needed for construction should look like wooden houses made of timber and houses made of rounded logs.

Photo: if you are building a cobblestone wooden house, then it is best to choose tape inter-crown jute insulation. This material is not at all afraid high humidity and severe natural conditions, such as heavy rains and high-speed winds. The technology for laying jute tape is not complicated. Diligence and patience are required, as the work is usually voluminous and time-consuming.

Photo: for a rounded log, a good choice would be an inter-crown jute tape in rolls. Such material will help ensure high-quality thermal insulation of crown joints - grooves of rounded logs.

What are the main advantages of houses made of timber?

Wooden houses made of timber - feel the connection with nature! Beauty and environmental friendliness are the requirements that are often placed on housing in our time. Wooden houses best meet these requirements. IN modern conditions Technology such as the construction of wooden houses from timber is increasingly being used. Most often they are built from rounded timber.

The main advantage of wood processed in this way is that its shape is perfectly even, which means the log house, while preserving all the valuable qualities of natural wood, looks very attractive. In addition, houses made from such logs are highly environmentally friendly, because no glue is used in the manufacture of rounded timber. Modern construction technologies and instruments connected to natural materials, allow you to end up with housing that is as comfortable as possible for living, durable and at the same time harmless to health.

However, during construction, it should be remembered that wood is a very “living” material and therefore special operating rules apply to it. For example, it is desirable that the tree be harvested in winter, since during this season its pores close, which means it becomes stronger and harder.

In addition, before construction, the tree must be treated with special compounds against insects that feed on wood, otherwise the house will not last long. In addition, the outer surface of the log house must be coated with an antiseptic, which will protect the wood from moisture and even from fading. It is also important that these substances are environmentally friendly and harmless to humans.

Logs in a wooden house are usually laid on inter-crown insulation made of jute or environmentally friendly tow. When choosing and applying this technology, after natural drying and shrinkage of the timber, re-caulking is necessary, thus closing the cracks and cracks that have arisen between the joints. At the same time, the house “breathes” and there are no drafts.

Wooden houses made of timber - great choice for those who are tired of life in the “concrete jungle” and want to merge with nature, feeling like a part of it!

Video with tips on how and which insulation for timber is better to choose: