In our house, as in many old log houses, the walls have first been plastered with clay and then covered with several layers of wallpaper. On top of that, a tritex board and additional wallpapers have been applied. Now, the clay plastering has come loose, and the walls look like a rolling sea. We have started tearing down the clay plastering and are now considering what to do with the walls afterward. The log walls are not completely even. Should we install raw board with spacers to get even walls and then plasterboard on top of that? It seems like a big job to get the wall straighter with spacers. We do not want to apply clay plaster on the walls again. I have searched the forum and many people in the building preservation community advocate for clay plaster when it has been used before, but we need a durable house, easy to put things on the walls, and so on. Therefore, we are inclined towards plasterboard or maybe beadboard.
How do you handle a moisture barrier? In an old log house, you might not want to put up plastic; can you put wind barrier paper on the inside of the logs? I don't think there is paper under the wooden facade; instead, it's been put directly against the logs.
Grateful for tips and ideas.
How do you handle a moisture barrier? In an old log house, you might not want to put up plastic; can you put wind barrier paper on the inside of the logs? I don't think there is paper under the wooden facade; instead, it's been put directly against the logs.
Grateful for tips and ideas.
Hello
Old houses are not always straight.
You can possibly install horizontal battens with frame screws, which you can adjust to create an absolutely straight wall. On this, you can then install beadboard.
A vapor barrier is something I don't think one should have to deal with in an old house. As an amateur, I believe it is not necessary, and that indoor air is better without plastic. But opinions differ.
You will certainly have a less drafty and tighter house with lower energy consumption with plastic.
There is nothing wrong with installing wind paper on the inside; it's good if there are gaps in the insulation between the logs, as it prevents the wind from blowing in.
Good luck
Old houses are not always straight.
You can possibly install horizontal battens with frame screws, which you can adjust to create an absolutely straight wall. On this, you can then install beadboard.
A vapor barrier is something I don't think one should have to deal with in an old house. As an amateur, I believe it is not necessary, and that indoor air is better without plastic. But opinions differ.
You will certainly have a less drafty and tighter house with lower energy consumption with plastic.
There is nothing wrong with installing wind paper on the inside; it's good if there are gaps in the insulation between the logs, as it prevents the wind from blowing in.
Good luck
It shouldn't be so difficult to frame a new wall with regular lath and plasterboard. Insert masonite pieces at suitable distances, like cc30, between the panel boards and the log wall.
Another option, which of course requires quite a bit of work, is to expose the logs. Tear down all the clay and plane away all the axe marks. In the past, timber was axed so that the clay would adhere well, and you may need to plane off about 5mm of wood from the timber. You can choose to leave the timber bare or treat it with an oil varnish, such as Benar oil. Hemp was used as insulation between the logs, and it becomes visible, unfortunately, but the oil varnish ensures that the timber plus hemp doesn't attract as much dirt afterward.
You can, for example, have ONE such wall in a room as a feature wall, and it will look stunning.
/CC
Another option, which of course requires quite a bit of work, is to expose the logs. Tear down all the clay and plane away all the axe marks. In the past, timber was axed so that the clay would adhere well, and you may need to plane off about 5mm of wood from the timber. You can choose to leave the timber bare or treat it with an oil varnish, such as Benar oil. Hemp was used as insulation between the logs, and it becomes visible, unfortunately, but the oil varnish ensures that the timber plus hemp doesn't attract as much dirt afterward.
You can, for example, have ONE such wall in a room as a feature wall, and it will look stunning.
/CC
The logs in timber walls move with the temperature. Especially up and down. Therefore, it's not suitable to place overly restrictive panels directly on the wall. They will move with the timber and can be torn apart if they 'lock' the timber's movements.
If you're still considering some form of panels, you should place a batten/beam horizontally at the top by the ceiling and screw it in securely vertical battens/planks to set OSB+ gypsum on. Keep a distance from the wall at the floor with appropriate spacers that should not be attached to the wall. Feel free to pack thin mineral wool in several layers (without packing it) behind the panels.
There is not much point in installing plastic foil/barrier since you won’t be able to get it past the joists. Thus, no diffusion tightness.
Forget about windproof paper on the inside as well. It should be placed on the outside under the facade. That's where it is beneficial.
The purpose of both these layers is that:
(vapor-)diffusion (mainly exhaled air from us humans) through the wall should be avoided. If the timber becomes moist/wet, its insulating efficiency decreases.
The windproof paper should ensure that the air does not move around in the wall. This decreases the efficiency of insulation. The insulation, in this case, is the timber/wood itself.
If you're still considering some form of panels, you should place a batten/beam horizontally at the top by the ceiling and screw it in securely vertical battens/planks to set OSB+ gypsum on. Keep a distance from the wall at the floor with appropriate spacers that should not be attached to the wall. Feel free to pack thin mineral wool in several layers (without packing it) behind the panels.
There is not much point in installing plastic foil/barrier since you won’t be able to get it past the joists. Thus, no diffusion tightness.
Forget about windproof paper on the inside as well. It should be placed on the outside under the facade. That's where it is beneficial.
The purpose of both these layers is that:
(vapor-)diffusion (mainly exhaled air from us humans) through the wall should be avoided. If the timber becomes moist/wet, its insulating efficiency decreases.
The windproof paper should ensure that the air does not move around in the wall. This decreases the efficiency of insulation. The insulation, in this case, is the timber/wood itself.
Sounds like you'll be putting up spaced battens and then board or panel. Smart with the frame screw, hadn't thought of that!
imported_Byggaren: why is it not a good idea to have windproof paper on the inside? It's not diffusion-tight and prevents possible drafts, otherwise, you might have to seal all the gaps between the logs, which is probably a lot of hassle.
imported_Byggaren: why is it not a good idea to have windproof paper on the inside? It's not diffusion-tight and prevents possible drafts, otherwise, you might have to seal all the gaps between the logs, which is probably a lot of hassle.
Sure, it's a craft, but you have to do it to get sensible thermal insulation in the wall. Imagine if you were using mineral wool as insulation and placed the wind barrier on the inside.. Then all the heat would be blown out of the insulation even if the draft is stopped. In your case, cold air will come in between the wind barrier on the inside and the timber wall, and the only thing preventing the cold is a thin layer of the wind barrier. The draft should be stopped on the outside so the timber has a chance to function as insulating and heat-storing.
However you choose to do it, I think you should choose a method that doesn't result in overly straight walls, but rather a softer appearance. Completely straight, stiff, panelled surfaces in an old log house don't look very good. It looks like the owners actually don't want an old house at all, but a new one where everything is straight and shiny new. Not great.
But if you're going to tear down everything anyway, and are prepared to spend the time to stand and put up paneling on everything, shouldn't you first be able to spend a few hours with a drevjärn tapping in new lindrev where it's needed? I've only done it on a small scale myself, but I find it hard to believe that it would take very long when the frame is already exposed?
But if you're going to tear down everything anyway, and are prepared to spend the time to stand and put up paneling on everything, shouldn't you first be able to spend a few hours with a drevjärn tapping in new lindrev where it's needed? I've only done it on a small scale myself, but I find it hard to believe that it would take very long when the frame is already exposed?
Could you elaborate a bit on this? Surely it's not bad to install a vapor barrier even if he doesn't address the floor joist as well? Especially if he is also adding regular insulation to the wall.imported_Byggaren said: