Caulking is carried out in two stages: the first time several months after the construction of the house, the second time after 6-8 months.
The essence of the process is to fill the cracks with insulation, which is usually jute or tow. The thermal insulation of the house and its tightness depend on the quality of this work.
Caulking is carried out immediately inside and outside, going around the perimeter of the house and caulking each crown from the bottom up. Each time after this, the structure will rise by 5-7 cm and then settle, compacting the insulation, which will completely fill the cracks. You can proceed to finishing work only when shrinkage occurs after the second caulking. In order to know exactly when it is possible to carry out cladding, it will be necessary to regularly measure the height of the walls: if within 2-3 months the obtained values remain practically unchanged, then the main shrinkage processes have passed, and you can proceed to finishing. The next time caulking is done after 5 years, and then only if necessary.
Caulking is performed in one of the following ways:
- “to the set.” First, long thin strands are made from insulating material, and then they are wound into a ball. The gaps are filled with such strands, and the larger the gap, the greater the number of strands needed;
- “in a stretch.” This method involves the use of individual strands, which fill the gaps. A roller is formed from them, which is pushed into the gap.
To perform caulking you will need a simple set of tools: a hammer, chisels, a rubber mallet and a caulking spatula.