Many would love to spend their free time in log cabins as their weekend retreats and cottages. Already here too, new trends are emerging that need to be incorporated when building a log cabin. The main trend is to treat all joints and prevent leaky joints between the beams of the envelope. The requirement for vapour-tight joints is not only an important topic in the installation of windows, the application of vapour barriers in attics and in prefabricated structures, but of course also in the construction of log structures. In the case of cottage construction and cottage repairs it is not essential. But if a residential log cabin is being built, which already has to meet all the necessary strict temperature requirements of today, these joints must be vapour barrier treated.
What is this all about anyway?
The log structure is composed of homogeneous material, usually spruce wood. This is a sufficient and very high quality material for the load-bearing perimeter structure composed of several beams laid on top of each other. At their joints there is a risk of this structure cooling in the winter months due to the existing leaky vapour-permeable joint. Conversely, these areas are at risk of condensed water vapour in winter, as this is where the cold from outside and the heat from inside meet. We have described this in a very complicated way, so I will simplify it. By inserting expansion tape between the timbers of the log cabin to create a vapour-tight joint and thus treat the weakest points in the envelope in terms of thermal requirements.
Where else should I use expansion tape?
Another place where you need to use expansion tape is the windows. These should be wooden in the log cabin so that there is not a mix of materials with different properties. After all, wood belongs to wood. To make these two materials the timber cladding and the supporting frame of the window from glued euro beams you need to use expansion tape. The latter fills the space between these materials and secures the oft-mentioned vapour-tight joint. Require this from your window supplier, as many times they don’t want to deal with this important technical issue either.
