# Forum Home Renovation Cladding  Sealing Log cabin....what sealant ???

## buzza1

Hi All, 
I have just purchased a log cabin in the Victorian High Country (see pic). 
Its made of treated pine logs however the original foam sealing between the logs is/has deteriorated leaving gaps from 0-10mm and making it a bit "breezy". 
My task over the Xmas holidays is to seal all these  gaps and paint. 
Need opinions on what is the best sealant (paintable) to use and method to apply.  
Was thinking of purchasing a cordless gun as i dont fancy using the hand operated type for this job. 
Many Thanks.

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## Oldsaltoz

The 600 ML sausage guns will be fine, I have a cordless sausage gun and never use it, not enough control despite variable speed trigger. 
Sausages are also a lot cheaper, a box or 20 is the best buy. 
You will have to remove the old caulking as it will have lost it's bond over time, a sharp edged scraper makes short work of this. 
Get hold of some 6 mm closed cell foam as used in construction joints. the white one can be compressed with little effort to fill smaller holes and save a lot of compound.
Sikaflex is good but very expensive, I use the 11FC for waterproofing but should be fine with Bostich Caulking compound on this project. 
Go to K-Mart and purchase a few of the white plastic kitchen spatulas, they are nice an stiff and at a couple of dollars each do a great job. You need one cut down to a chisel shape to control the depth and the other to remove any excess produced. 
1. The areas being treated MUST be dry. 
2. Clean out any old caulking. 
3. Apply a small amount of compound and Insert the closed cell rod with a 50 mm blunt scraper, it will compress into gap. 
4. Apply more caulking and use the chisel spatula to get an even and smooth depth, then ceal off any excess with the standard spatula. 
By the time you start the next wall the first one will be ready to paint. 
Good luck. 
Tip: When you put a new sausage in the gun, roll it at the end you plan to open first, this will make the contents softer, do not roll the bottom end, the stiffer material will help reduce and bypass at the plunger. 
Also have a few spare nozzles available, very easy to clean if you just let the material cure inside it and a lot less messy.

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## titchtheclown

I have used BostiK Seal N Flex FC to make boats and it is practically indestructible and leak proof, very similar to Sikaflex 11 fc at half the price, but the slower curing Seal N Flex 1 would probably be just as good. Fireban One might be an option if you are scared of bush fires but then you would be left with the logs burned out and then have to push replacement logs between the lines of sealant hanging in the air. Check with the manufacturer though as you don't want a layer of firelighter between your logs. 
Be careful with this stuff because it will glue just about anything to just about anything and as it moisture cures it can go off quickly in the gun.    Bostik - Construction And Building Sealants 
For cleaning out the gaps an angle grinder with a wire brush could be a time saver, though you might need a big diameter one to clear the logs.

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## clear

left with the logs burned out and then have to push replacement logs between the lines of sealant hanging in the air.  
Pissa!

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## woodbe

Looks like a Bush Haven kit home. I helped build one years ago. The material between the logs was called compriband or something like that. It was a bitumen-soaked foam strip. Did a good job at sealing the uneven gap at the time too. 
If the cabin is as old as the one we built, it must be 30+ years old.

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## buzza1

Thanks all for your very much appreciated responses, will definitely use you valued suggestions. 
woodbe, it was built in 1978 and the building surveyor said it was a kit home. There are foam strips between each log however these have almost totally deteriorated over the years. 
I'll let you all know how it goes with some pictures in the new year.

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## fubar

Gday Did this for a mate 2 years ago and used bostik fireban one comes in sausage form and used an air powered gun to apply

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## buzza1

Hi All, 
Thought i'd let you know how this went as i've finally finished sealing .... took a year on/off to do but hey that's what having kids around tend to do to our projects. 
I went with Bostik Seal N Flex FC in black using a manual sausage gun. Had a close look at the sealing i started a year ago, remembering this is in the Vic High Country where we have extreme conditions in summer and winter, and it looks as though it was done yesterday, no cracks or any signs of deteriation. 
I found that applying sealant to 3-4 logs using a half to one sausage depending on gap size and then smoothing off was the best method and it gave me enough time before the sealant started to go off. 
I tried various different methods of smoothing off the sealant once applied but the method i found most successful was to get your finger in there between the logs and run it along smoothing/pushing in sealant as you go, tried rags, spatulas etc but found the old finger the best and fastest method. Didnt need to press too hard so had no chaffing or burn issues with my finger. 
Did end up using about 50 sausages of sealant, more than i expected, but i was packing it in as the gaps were quite large between some logs. A problem i found was that the sealant left a terrible smell whilst curing and we couldnt stay in the house after i did a session of sealing so i left the sealing to Sunday mornings as we would leave to go home on Sunday night (its a holiday home). It was gone after 3 to 4 days. 
Here are some pics.

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## shauck

Love the finger method. Then wipe it on your pants. My work pants always end up looking in a mess eventually.

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## Godzilla73

Looks good, yep always find the finger method the best...Yes i have silicone work pants...

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## Andolate

I have log cabin very similar i nthe Vic high country ( omeo way ) and the original sealer between the logs was originally call compraband which is a bitumen impregnated foam.  
I recently repacked all the logs with the same stuff. I figured 30 years lifespan was good enough and tracked the product down. It is now called BIY seal from diggers and comes in different sizing. It cost me about $700. The gaps in my cabin were up to an inch or more in places.  
If my gaps were as small as yours then silicone might have worked.

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