Wood as a building material, even in the era of high technology, continues to remain a sought-after product on the market. Finishing coatings attractive in terms of decorative qualities are produced from it, but also full-fledged houses from softwood logs do not go out of fashion. Of course, such structures require special attention not only during implementation, but also in the process of maintenance. Whether it’s a major or cosmetic repair of a private wooden house, in both cases it is necessary to take into account the specifics of the basic building material, its technical, physical and structural properties.
Assessment of the technical condition of the frame
The need for repair and restoration operations arises when there are obvious signs of destruction, wear or deformation of a particular part of the house. Experts recommend periodically conducting a full survey of the structure, which will reveal hidden and potentially weak spots in the structure. So, first of all, the building is measured to identify a possible roll - by the way, it’s almost impossible to fix it by eye from the violation of geometry. The first time this procedure is performed several months after the completion of construction, but until the lining is completed. At this time, there is a natural settlement of the structure, which leads to the formation of a roll. When fixing critical deviations from the norm, a major restoration of the frame is carried out - this is the repair of a wooden house using the straightening method, which will be discussed below. At the stage of examination, attention is paid to small structural defects in the walls. These can be breaks in the wall web, gaps with cold bridges, as well as areas with signs of biological destruction.
Structural Inspection Methods
During the examination, a different tool from the usual household kit can be used. For example, the construction material is recommended to be checked with a knife, awl, thin drill and hammer. Accordingly, surface defects and signs of destruction are detected with a knife, and a drilling tool is used for in-depth examination. If you plan to repair an old wooden house, then both methods are used. As for the hammer, it is used to perform acoustic analysis. By lightly tapping on the construction, it is possible to determine whether a rotten tree or a healthy one is soft in the first case and sonorous and sharp in the second.
Foundation condition assessment
Wood - unlike stone and brick structures - does not give a serious load on the supporting platform. Nevertheless, shifts of poorly executed or technically obsolete foundations can give very noticeable vibrations to the frame. What problems are identified at this stage of the survey? The most common of them is drawdown, the signs of which will be indicated by a change in the angle of inclination of the floor covering. Again, visually without a special tool, this symptom is not easy to identify. To do this, use traditional levels or laser levels. In the case of a noticeable deviation, a wooden house should be repaired in the form of a reconstruction of the insulation layer. The same drawdown occurs either in conditions of unbalanced loads on the foundation from external and internal walls, or as a result of freezing of the lower parts of the structure.
Frame straightening
The appearance of roll in the frame can contribute to various factors, not only related to the foundation. Excessive moisture in the lower logs ultimately leads to subsidence in certain parts of the structure, which also forms a dangerous slope. Usually, restoration measures to change the position of the frame are carried out as part of the overhaul of a wooden house, which will involve a comprehensive correction of technical defects. The direct straightening technique is selected based on the identified causes of deformation. For example, if there are bulging areas, it is recommended to use wedging of the walls from below. The straightening effect is also provided by a strong hoist in combination with a strong log. If a slight roll is noted, then balance can be restored using a thick screed with bolts of two parts of the timber exposed on both sides of the walls. It is important to note that regardless of the chosen straightening technique, the load on the walls should be minimized during the operation. To do this, it is necessary to install supports and jacks under the roof with ceilings.
Repair of the foundation of a wooden house
The problem of an obsolete, deformed or insufficiently strong foundation can be solved in different ways. Two basic directions should be distinguished:
- Partial recovery. As a rule, this approach provides for the implementation of technical strengthening of the existing structure with the elimination of the destroyed sections. To access the carrier base near it, a trench is digging. As for the reinforcing function, it is provided by updated or additional reinforcing rods, which are brought into the base of the foundation through the holes made. Damaged or deformed areas are updated by filling with a cement-sand mixture.
- Complete replacement of the foundation. This option involves lifting the building frame to a height that will allow you to dismantle the old platform and arrange a new one. The structure is lifted using a system of powerful jacks and fixed with supports. Next, the existing concrete cushion collapses and a new screed is poured in its place.
Cosmetic or preventive repair of the foundation of a wooden house can be limited to updating the insulation layers. Moreover, it can be not only coatings connecting the base and the wooden frame, but also side waterproofing with heaters that protect the walls of the structure from negative factors of natural influence.
Repair and restoration of flooring
The rough basis is usually laid out with the help of wooden logs, pre-treated with special impregnations. Comprehensive restoration of the coating is not complete without a thorough examination of this layer. Rotting, drying out and physically damaged logs should be dismantled and new elements should be installed in their place. Further, the repair of the floor in a wooden house proceeds to the stage of decorative decoration. On a rough basis, it is desirable to lay out a high-strength board, laminate or parquet. But before that, a damping substrate with the necessary insulators is arranged. Fixing of the finishing material can be done with nails, self-tapping screws, lock fasteners and glue.
Repair of beams and floors
The strength of the frame will depend on the quality of the technical implementation of the three levels of the house - interfloor, attic loading and attic used. The separation between these levels is performed by a system of floor beams. It, in particular, provides a bunch of different parts of the frame. What provides for the repair of floors in a wooden house? At the first stage, the technical condition of the beams on which the structure is supported is checked. They can be replaced, strengthened, insulated or supplemented with new corners and screeds that increase the strength of the frame. The same applies to the overlap itself. Its components in the form of lags, substrates, insulators and external coatings are either completely replaced or undergo partial revision depending on the current state.
How to replace old logs?
Most often, the lower logs or their fragments, on which rot and mold are formed, change. The work will consist of two stages - dismantling the old element and installing the new one. The best solution to the first part of the event is to cut the logs. Next, in the resulting opening place a jack, a metal corner or a piece of timber in a vertical position. Thus, a backup is formed for the time the log is absent. Sometimes more reliable support is required with the capture of several points of the structure by powerful building jacks. Then you can move on to the second part of the work. What kind of logs is better to use in the repair of a wooden house? It should be a product of the same shape, with a similar hole angle and length. Fixation is carried out with the help of a slanting hitch with a lock connection that can withstand tensile forces. When using new logs, it is important to consider that their structure will undergo shrinkage, so a decrease in their size should be expected.
How to repair the ceiling in a wooden house?
Attention should be paid to the rafter system, which are associated with the upper cover, as well as decorative finishes. The rafter system is formed by beam structures that have previously undergone refractory and moisture-proof treatment. Their repair is also carried out by updating old and rotten fragments. The ceiling itself is usually made of a shallow lath like a lining. In this part, work can also be provided on the replacement of reinforcing beams that inside support decorative cladding. The ceiling in a wooden house should not be allowed to consist of unreliable structural elements. Therefore, regardless of the configuration and device of the upper floor, it is important to maintain its integrity and strength by updating and processing materials with special protective compounds.
Caulking of walls
One of the final operations, which is also performed immediately after the construction of log cabins. Subsequently, caulking should be performed when signs of drying out and subsidence of the walls appear. What is this operation for? In fact, this is a structural seal due to the elimination of grooves, crevices and other gaps between the individual elements of the frame of a wooden house. With your own hands, repair by means of caulking can be done with tow, consisting of natural raw materials like flax. The material is clogged with a chisel, a chisel and a hammer into free niches, after which an external decorative finish is made if necessary.
Design bend
Even a new home will have weaknesses or areas that will be most susceptible to negative impacts. Especially for them, as well as in the protection of collapsing fragments, you can use protection by march. This is a traditional repair of an old wooden house, which involves the device of a panel covering with the coating of vulnerable parts of the structure of birch bark. The bottom line is that rotting surfaces are cut to the depth of damage, then they are smoothed and covered with a healthy fragment of dry wood that is suitable in shape to the created recess.
Conclusion
Regardless of the type of repair and restoration operations that were planned, a number of universal principles for working with wooden structures should be taken into account. First of all, the use of foreign elements and materials should be minimized. This usually applies to metal ties, retainers, clamps and hardware. The fact is that under high loads such parts do not fit well with wood, as a result of which the structure of the material simply diverges from rigid fasteners. It is advisable to emphasize in the castle and groove joints between different parts - for example, these can be the same logs and angular convergence of different logs. It has its own specifics and repair of a wooden house indoors. Technically, structural restoration repair of damaged areas is carried out in the same way as outside, but more attention is paid to refractory coatings. Do not forget that wood without special treatment refers to combustible materials, so wall, ceiling and floor coverings should be periodically impregnated with appropriate protective compounds.