How to polish log logs with your own hands: step-by-step instructions, tools, video

Over time, any wood loses its original appearance and darkens. In some cases, the cause of darkening and even blackening is mold bacteria, which multiply very quickly in undried wood. But even completely dry wood becomes dark over time due to exposure to sunlight and moisture. That is why the wood is sanded before applying the coating.

Sanding a log frame allows you to remove the top blackened layers and prepare the wood for further processing.

What tools are best to equip yourself for polishing a log house?

Sanding wood with a grinder is the most common and affordable way to sand a wooden house. Typically, an angle grinder is used for grinding a frame made of planed logs. Using a grinder is also convenient for sanding grooves and ends of logs. Actually, with this tool, if you have the skills, you can process any lumber.

Model selection

There are both household and professional models that differ in power and performance. You shouldn’t buy the cheapest grinder; its power is unlikely to be enough to polish the entire frame. Expensive professional models are also not the best choice for home use. They operate at high speeds and are distinguished by considerable weight and power. A non-specialist, without the knowledge of working with such a tool, can simply ruin the surface being sanded, leaving dents on it.

It is best to opt for:

semi-professional models with power from 800 to 1000 W. This will be quite enough to polish the frame.
It is advisable to buy a tool with a rear air intake rather than a side one, so it will become less clogged with dust.
You should also pay attention to the cable length. A cord that is too short is inconvenient to use.

Nozzles for an angle grinder

To work, you will have to stock up on attachments on which the abrasive is fixed. There are two types of nozzles:

Rubber
Plastic.

It is more convenient to work with plastic nozzles; although they are thinner than rubber ones, they last longer. Rubber ones quickly deteriorate, and in addition, if the rubber nozzle accidentally touches the wood, it will leave an ugly black mark on the surface of the wood, which is very difficult to remove.

Abrasive wheels

For grinding use regular

or flap grinding wheels. Sanding a log frame is a very dusty job. A lot of dust is released, which, together with tree resin, gets clogged into the disc, the abrasive quickly wears off, so the grinding wheels quickly become unusable.

During rough processing, one disk is enough for about 3-5 meters of log, then it has to be changed. Consumption depends on the condition of the wood and the type of surface. How many fine grinding discs are needed depends on how thoroughly the initial processing was carried out.

The alpha disk, which is a metal disk with pobedite chips soldered onto its body, has a longer service life. Grinding timber with an alpha disc allows you to significantly save on consumables. A disk clogged with sawdust can simply be cleaned with a wire brush and you can continue to work calmly.

Today it is not difficult to acquire the necessary tools for carrying out the procedure. You should arm yourself with:

grinding machine;
cutting machine;
chisel.

Modern technology certainly makes the task easier. You need to learn how to use a grinder by adjusting the pressure. Excessive efforts can lead to defects; you cannot make mistakes so as not to spoil the appearance of the building. The corners and inter-crown depressions are ground with a grinder; the recesses are processed manually with a chisel. It is better to use a chisel 20cm wide.

Important! When choosing tools, you should pay attention to weight, so as not to put too much strain on your hands and power. Tools with low power will heat up, significantly reducing productivity. High-quality tools are produced by Makita, Bosh, DeWalt, and the domestic Interskol is also worthy of attention. The equipment is high quality and durable.

For a timber frame you need a belt sander; its use will ensure a smooth surface. Equipped with a special dust collection bag, the machine will make subsequent cleaning of the room easier. I'll round the surface of the logs with a belt machine, it's difficult, a grinder and special attachments will come in handy here.

The correct power of the cutting machine is 600-900 W. Nozzles with different degrees of grain. Initially, use a coarse-grained nozzle (40), then take a nozzle 80-100. Disc 125mm, speed 10-12 thousand, preference should be given to a machine with a rear air intake and a long cord that provides freedom of action.

Important! For work, it is more convenient to use two machines, so as not to overheat and not change attachments; first work with the attachment with large grains, then with fine ones. Using plastic attachments; flexible plastic with an abrasive layer is more convenient, leaves no marks and lasts longer.

Log grinding technology: stages of work

So, first, let's prepare the necessary tool for our work. We will need:

Random orbital sander
Small Bulgarian
Chisel 20 mm

Consumables:

sandpaper for an eccentric sander with a fraction of 40 and 100
sandpaper to grinder with fraction 40
flat plastic attachment for grinder

Before starting work, you need to divide it into several sections, especially if the wall has a large area. This is done so that the sanded areas of the log house are painted no later than after 7 days, otherwise the wood will darken and you will have to do everything again.

The technology for sanding a log house is as follows: first, we select a small section of the wall, which we can sand in no more than two to three days, then we make a one-time pass with paint. This gives us a guarantee that the treated area will not darken.

If a person is a professional, he can process no more than 8 square meters per day, and for a beginner this area is even smaller. Based on these numbers, you can already determine for yourself the scope of work for the day.

You should also take into account that the longer the log house stood without treatment, the more difficult it will be for you to sand it, because you will have to remove a thicker layer of wood.

Sanding is carried out in two stages, at the first stage the frame is sanded with an eccentric sander with sandpaper of 40 grit. In the process, we remove the darkened wood but raise the pile, the result is a very poor quality sanding that will not allow painting. To remove the raised pile, make a second pass, but use 100-grit sandpaper.

Of course, when working, you can use other fractions of sandpaper, but the above options have already been tested by craftsmen.

When grinding a log frame, as you understand, the main tool is an eccentric sander; it allows you to do everything evenly without leaving any indentations. The grinder is not used in this case; it is used only for grinding the ends and grooves. In this case, you need to use flat nozzles made of thin plastic; rubber nozzles are not recommended, because they not only quickly become unusable but also leave a black mark.

When working with a grinder, sandpaper with a fraction of 40 is used; if you use 100, it will burn the wood. It is also desirable that the grinder be able to regulate its speed - this will be very useful for such work.

The hard-to-reach places in the log house are the corners; there are no power tools yet that can handle them well, so to clean such places, a chisel is used to remove a thin layer. You can clean them before or after sanding, it doesn’t matter.

As you can see, grinding a log frame even with modern tools is a labor-intensive process, but unfortunately there is no way to do without it.

The first thing you need to start with is to check all the walls of the log house for defects, such as “radial structure”. What it is? Radial structure is the process of peeling off the wood structure as a result of poor-quality processing of the log in the machine.

If such places exist, the resulting cavities are filled with wood putty, which can be matched to the color of the wood. Allow the putty to dry completely for 10-24 hours, only then begin work.

Existing wood putty colors

You can start sanding from the ends of the log house; any novice “specialist” can handle them; besides, the first training will help you feel a little more confident when moving on to the walls.

Although this will be your training ground, sanding the ends cannot be neglected. The fact is that they are the weakest point of the log house; these places are more susceptible to getting wet and cracking.

Advice! To minimize damage, after treating the ends with coarse sandpaper, they should be smoothed with finer sandpaper. This will help get rid of the fibrous surface and make the so-called clogging of the ends, protecting them from moisture.

Correct grinding of the ends of the log house

Working with an angle grinder

When grinding timber with a grinder, the tool must be held strictly parallel to the plane of the wall. The pressure on it should be minimal, this will avoid surface changes, making the walls perfectly smooth.

The grooves are polished using uniform, consistent movements, while holding the tool firmly in your hands. You need to carefully ensure that the corners of the grooves are even and sharp; they cannot be rounded.

Grinding grooves is quite a labor-intensive and complex process, even for specialists. Therefore, if you do not have enough experience and skills, you can purchase a sander with a triangular groove attachment.

Important! Remember that you must give the grinder time to rest, as with any electric tool it is afraid of overheating. Otherwise, it’s just a matter of time before your reliable assistant fails.

Working with the machine

Using an eccentric or vibratory sander to polish a log frame makes the work process less complicated, but longer. No special skills in using the tool are required; all you need to do is read the instructions well and carry out a trial test on an unnecessary board.

After this, we move the tool with smooth movements along the surface of the beam or log until the surface is perfectly smooth. The grooves need to be sanded, holding the machine at an angle, parallel to the surface, giving their lines a clear geometric shape.

As you can see, grinding a log frame is quite inexpensive, but a painstaking process that requires special care. You should think very carefully before abandoning this idea, because the above arguments once again prove the usefulness of this procedure.

In addition, the attractive, aesthetic appearance of your building for many years should finally tip the scales in favor of the right decision.

Sanding the log in grooves and corners

Regardless of what kind of log the frame is made of, the grooves are polished with grinders. Moreover, the nozzle is taken smaller than the disk used (for example, for a nozzle diameter of 115 mm, the abrasive is set to 125). If the disk and the attachment are the same size, the tool may jam in the groove during operation. In this case, the grinder will be torn out of your hands, which can lead to injury.

You have to use chisels to finish the logs in the corners

If the disk is larger in size, then you can work calmly. Although it wears out quickly at the edges, you can work like this without fear of injury.

The corners of the log frame remain the most problematic for processing. The only reliable method for processing them is with chisels. Using this tool, the top thin layer of wood is removed. This can be done before or after stripping the entire log. Not so important.

The ends of the logs are sanded with a grinder with a 40-grain abrasive wheel. By adjusting the speed, you select the speed at which the tool is easy to control. Achieving perfect smoothness here is unrealistic, and it is not necessary, so sanding with fine grain is not done. When further processing with primers, varnishes or other compounds, increased attention is paid to the ends - they absorb better, so you have to lubricate more generously.

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Grinding process technology

The grinding technological cycle consists of three stages:

Rough work involves stripping the surface, the main stage is to smooth out unevenness; after finishing, it is necessary to treat it with special substances that maintain the health of the wood.

The grinding process requires time and skill. In 2-3 minutes you can process 30cm of timber. The process is greatly hindered by the forced use of hand tools in places where a machine cannot reach. The processing speed largely depends on the complexity of the architecture and the resin content of the tree. Frequent replacement of nozzles is required; they become clogged; they should be cleaned with white spirit and a wire brush.

Larger surfaces are best divided into sections; each section should be sanded in three stages with final treatment with impregnating compounds. If you do not saturate the area immediately, it will quickly darken and the work will have to be done again.

Sanding rounded logs

An eccentric grinder will help make the surface smooth and even; working with an angle grinder requires certain skills, without which you can make grooves and depressions. The disc locking option in an eccentric machine will eliminate such misunderstandings. It is necessary to use discs with abrasive 30-60 for primary processing and 100-120 for finishing. The required power of the machine is 200-300 W.

Grinding of corners and inter-crown joints

The grooves and corners are polished with a cutting machine. You need to take a nozzle smaller than the disk size. The grooves are ground with a chisel. Some people advise starting with the corners, others think that they should end with them. There is no fundamental difference. It is important to treat the surface with protective compounds immediately after finishing sanding.

End grinding

To process the end of a log, you will need a grinder with 40 abrasive. There is no need for finishing sanding; it is impossible to achieve perfect smoothness. But enhanced treatment with primers and other compounds is required. The ends of logs are especially susceptible to getting wet.

Sanding inside the house is no different. If additional wall finishing is not planned, processing should be carried out with the greatest care.

Processing glued or profiled timber is easier, the surface is smooth, it is enough to remove the top layer that has changed color. Factory-made timber is usually treated with fire retardants and antiseptics. This treatment will last for a year or two. However, then you will have to work hard to return the timber to its original qualities.

Surface degumming

Conifers are known to contain large amounts of natural resins. On the one hand, this circumstance is an advantage, since the resin content protects the tree from rotting and mold formation. But on the other hand, resin prevents good adhesion of paint to wood, and when sanding it spreads over the surface and spoils the appearance of the wood. Therefore, before processing the needles with a grinder, it is necessary to remove excess resin.

How to remove resin from a log before sanding? Suitable solvents for this are: acetone, white spirit, turpentine, purified gasoline. You just need to apply the selected product to the wooden surface, and rinse off the residue with warm water.

Antiseptic and fire retardant - against fungus and fire!

As a rule, sanded wood is treated with several compounds. Firstly, it is a glazing antiseptic - a special impregnation that protects the log from fungus and other putrefactive phenomena, from insects, and gives the wood dirt- and water-repellent properties. This composition is very difficult to wash off from the surface, so the logs will not be afraid of any precipitation.

After the antiseptic, a composition is used that gives the wood a special color or texture - quite often such compositions also have protective properties, primarily from weather conditions. Lastly, the logs are coated with fire retardants - compounds that prevent the wood from burning. All compositions can be applied with a regular brush or sprayed.

Author: Manager Andrey
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Processing of logs inside the house

All actions are identical. When sanding a frame made of planed logs, if the wall inside will not be lined with anything, add one more pass for finishing: with an eccentric sander with a 120 abrasive disc. This will allow you to achieve a perfectly smooth surface.

The inside of the log house is polished to furniture smoothness.

Proper wood processing increases the durability of the structure, eliminates wood damage, and reduces the costs of subsequent maintenance and repairs. It is better not to save on purchasing funds. High-quality compounds purchased from reputable stores guarantee reliable protection of wood from natural aggressions, rot, fungus and mold. When purchasing protective mixtures, you should pay attention to the warranty period.

Impregnation is applied manually, with a brush or spray. To improve aesthetic qualities, many use impregnations with coloring pigments. For proper processing you need:

antiseptics;
flame retardants;
glazing compounds.

Antiseptics block mold and rot, fire retardants increase resistance to fire, glazing compounds make the surface more beautiful.

Important! It is preferable to purchase Valtti Pohjuste antiseptic from Tikkurila, Neomid 440, Neomid Bio Color. Antiseptic Valtti Color favorably emphasizes the wood texture. The products are not cheap, but worth the money spent.

Consumption of the composition is approximately 1 liter per 1 m² of sanded surface. White spirit is used to wash hands and arms.

Sanding is an important stage in the construction of a log house. You can do it yourself, or you can invite specialists. The cost of work is 300-400 rubles per 1 m². Sanding a large house is a costly undertaking, there are no major difficulties in the work, the choice is yours.

Grinding the grooves of logs is always done with a grinder. The grooves are processed with a nozzle smaller than the disk. If the attachment and disc are the same size, this may cause the machine to jam.

To process the ends, use a grinding wheel with 40-grit sandpaper. Usually in these places they limit themselves to rough and medium processing, without grinding the ends to perfect smoothness. Immediately after grinding, the ends are treated with protective impregnations and antiseptics.

Safety precautions and remedies

Sanding a log house is accompanied by the release of a large amount of wood dust, which can also be mixed with mold fungi from the affected areas. Inhalation of such dust is very harmful to the human body, so work must be carried out in a respirator. Some models of grinding machines are equipped with special outlets for connecting them to vacuum cleaners. This is very convenient, as it allows you to immediately remove dust from the sanding site. Safety glasses must be used to protect your eyes.

Workers' hands must be protected with thick gloves made of rubber, tarpaulin or split leather. Do not use knitted or woven gloves, as they may get caught on the grinding wheel or sanding machine belt during operation. In this case, injury is inevitable. When working with a vibration grinder, you can use special gloves with a vibration-damping effect.

If the work is done correctly, sanding will help restore the log house to its excellent appearance, and subsequent processing will preserve it for many years.

What mistakes are made when working independently?

The grinder is the main tool used for processing logs made from chopped logs, the surface of which contains bark residues, knots, cracks and other defects.

For primary rough processing use:

special grinding and polishing wheels;
wire brushes;
universal bases to which replaceable sanding attachments with coarse grain No. 30-60 are attached.

A grinder with these attachments copes well with the uneven surface of hand-cut logs. As a result of primary processing, all more or less large defects and protruding parts are removed from the surface.

For stripping logs with old paintwork, bowl-shaped stripping attachments with twisted wires are best suited.
The next stage after roughing is fine grinding, the purpose of which is to completely level the base and prepare the surface for painting or varnishing. It is performed using grinding wheels with fine-grained nozzles No. 80-120.
If polishing of logs is planned, this operation is best done using fabric attachments.

It is not recommended to sand the entire area at once. It is advisable to treat the surface in parts, dividing the wall into certain zones. In this case, grinding productivity will be higher than when processing large areas.

A grinder is the most convenient and affordable tool for grinding, but in unprofessional hands it turns into a rather dangerous device, which can cause a lot of problems if handled improperly. Home craftsmen who do not have the skills to use an angle grinder very often make mistakes, which are the main reason for poor-quality grinding.

A typical mistake is working with an angle grinder at high speeds. Inexperienced craftsmen often find it difficult to choose the optimal disk rotation speed. As a result, the tool literally “burns” the wood at high speed, damaging its outer layer. In addition, high speeds contribute to the rapid clogging of the abrasive with wood dust, which shortens the service life of the nozzle.

Another common mistake is pressing too hard on the device while sanding. This is the most common reason for the formation of dents and grooves on the body of logs and beams, which spoil the appearance of the wood. Getting rid of these marks is not so easy; you will have to re-sand, which is not always effective.

When working with tools, you should not allow high speeds. This will leave unevenness and grooves on the walls.
When sanding coniferous timber, you must first remove any remaining resin. If this is not done, grinding will spread the resin over the surface in a thin layer and it will be almost impossible to remove it.
Defects in the timber that are not coated with adhesive will become disheveled after sanding and will look more unsightly.
After coating with varnishes or water-based paints, the pile rises. For complete leveling, after the first coating, re-grind with a wheel No. 120. You can use chemical-based compounds; they do not affect the pile.
Sanding is carried out before the main finishing and installation of windows, doors, and ceilings. This will make it easier to remove wood dust, of which there will be a lot.

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The faster sanding is completed, the easier the work will be. Over time, the wood hardens and performance will decline. Try to sand immediately after or during construction.

Additional recommendations

If the timber inside the house will not be sheathed, then it is recommended to carry out finishing sanding twice. The first - before applying the impregnation, the second - after the impregnation has dried. Then prime the walls along the inner perimeter again and only then cover with varnish or paint.

It is difficult to have time to polish the entire frame in a day, especially if its area is large. And if the sanded surface is not coated with special... solution during the first 12-16 hours, the wood will begin to darken again, and the labor-intensive work will come to naught. The maximum period is 36 hours, and even then you will have to clean it up again in some places. Therefore, someone who has sanded and processed a house himself advises dividing the frame into parts and sanding a small piece a day, bringing this piece to perfection.

Advice! It is better to start sanding from the top rims, gradually moving down. This will make your work more convenient.

After sanding, painting of the log house can begin within 24 hours, when the primer antiseptic thoroughly saturates the wood and “seizes” with an even adhesive film.

To give the log house a beautiful look over the entire surface, so that the color is the same everywhere, you can bleach the wood.

The whitening compound is applied before initial sanding, allowed to dry and sanded. If one layer was not enough, dark spots remained or the logs of the log house still differed from each other in color, the bleach was applied again and the wood was sanded.

Usually a couple of whitening procedures are enough. This treatment will prepare your sanded frame for polishing with clear varnishes or painting with light colors. The beauty of a properly polished log house, covered with varnish or paint, cannot be compared with the timber or log “rolling” that our log house looked like before it was so artistically processed.

Tips for choosing tools and polishing a log frame (1 video)

What you might need (20 photos)

How to sand timber walls

The tools used are the same as for processing logs. A specific choice can only be made by assessing how deeply you need to remove the top layer of wood.

If the bathhouse is made of profiled or laminated timber, most likely you do not need to level anything. Just remove the top darkened layer, if there is one. In this case, if you have a sufficient level of proficiency with an angle grinder, you can work with it. If you don't have enough experience, use an eccentric sander. It will take longer, but the result will be guaranteed to be at least good.

Timber needs to be sanded in different ways. Depending on its geometry

If the walls are made of ordinary timber, then you will have to do a lot of leveling. You can’t do without a grinder here. Moreover, in some places it will be necessary to remove a couple of millimeters of excess - non-ideal geometry and errors in cutting bowls lead to the fact that the difference can be quite significant.

I found a video fragment about a very interesting Pobedit grinding disk, which, it seems, can easily cope with rough grinding and easily remove excess thickness.

If the bathhouse is made of profiled or laminated timber, most likely you do not need to level anything. Just remove the top darkened layer, if there is one. In this case, if you have a sufficient level of proficiency with an angle grinder, you can work with it. If you don't have enough experience, use an eccentric sander. It will take longer, but the result will be guaranteed to be at least good.

Unlike hand-cut logs, rounded logs and beams have a smooth surface, which causes certain difficulties when processing them with a grinder. One awkward movement - and deep grooves and depressions will appear on the surface of a beam or rounded log that will remain there forever.

Working with an angle grinder is not for beginners; it requires certain skills. An angle grinder is a high-speed machine and, if handled improperly, can damage the surface. Do not press the tool too hard onto the area being treated. Sanding should be done with smooth circular movements, holding the grinder at an angle of 45 degrees. Grinding and polishing of timber should be done at low speeds. High speeds can lead to thermal destruction of the top layer of wood.

Before starting grinding work, the walls need to be inspected. If there are pieces of the “Radial Structure”, in other words, peeling off, then during grinding they will become shaggy and damage the tool. Such places are treated with an adhesive composition, after which the walls are allowed to dry for about a day. This technology has proven itself not only for timber with natural moisture, but also for chamber drying.

After sanding, you should not wait, but it is better to immediately treat the walls with special compounds.

When grinding, special attention should be paid to the ends.

Sanding the ends

The ends after the construction of a house from profiled timber are most susceptible to all kinds of influences. They absorb moisture instantly, and when coating, the consumption of paints and varnishes at the ends is 5 times higher. The ends must be processed especially carefully.

Our grandfathers used a blowtorch or a hammer to save the ends. Roasting is an old and proven method that really increases the life of wood. But at the same time, the appearance of the timber changes to unattractive, as in the photo. The ends were tapped with a hammer to completely connect the fibers and plug the channels. This makes the surface hard and smooth.

Modern methods and numerous attachments allow processing until the ends are completely smooth. To do this, first use nozzle No. 35 and gradually reach 120. With proper sanding, the ends will not absorb paint as forcefully and are less likely to crack. They need to be treated with special compounds for the ends. You can use liquid glass.

After sanding, all dust from the walls must be carefully removed. Particular attention is paid to connecting locks. Indoors, dust can be removed using a simple vacuum cleaner and a long-bristled brush. It is blown out from the outside and cleaned with the same brush.

Corner processing

For grinding corners, it is recommended to use the same grinding attachments, but having previously upgraded them. The rubber part of the nozzle is cut to 6-7 cm in diameter. This makes it easy to treat hard-to-reach places.

If there are completely inaccessible areas, then you can use a chisel or a block with sanding paper.

Grinding of rounded logs can be carried out partially or completely. It all depends on the quality of the material. The rounded log reaches the buyer already treated with primers and antiseptics. This layer will be removed during sanding. Therefore, after grinding, the rounded log is immediately coated with impregnations and antiseptics.

The rounded log needs to be sanded dry, after shrinkage at home. Before sanding, check the caulk and reapply if cracks appear. It is important to caulk before sanding as it can be damaged while working.

There is no need to process a rounded log with coarse attachments. They use a grinder for grinding; it is more difficult to work with a machine on rounded surfaces. At the first stage, the rounded log is sanded with a grinder with nozzle No. 100. It will raise the hairiness. Then No. 125 which will level the surface. Corners and connecting parts are processed manually.

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If you sand without errors, the surface will look smooth as in the photo and pleasant to the touch.

Rules for choosing good timber

Since we are talking about the type of forest, let’s touch on the topic of choosing a log. Pine is rightfully recognized as the optimal material for cutting a log house yourself, because:

this type of wood is quite soft and easy to process;
timber harvesting is carried out in latitudes close to the upcoming construction;
the surface rarely requires additional processing;
minimum number of knots on the whip;
barrel escape, i.e. the difference between the largest and smallest diameter in a meter section of a log corresponds to the limits required in construction from 0.8 cm to 1.0 cm.

Pine attracts with its price, acceptable resin content and the advantages of easy processing. It does not crack as intensely as spruce. Due to their density, pine logs are ideal as wall material. With the exception of the lowest frame crown, which takes on the entire load from the structure being constructed. To form the first row of logs, it is advisable to purchase oak, which has maximum density, or larch that is resistant to ground moisture. The use of pine for the construction of a frame crown is not excluded, but logs must be taken with a diameter 5-7 cm larger than the entire timber.

An important criterion for choosing timber is the width of the longitudinal groove, which is formed along the entire log for row laying and joining of the underlying crown with its upper counterpart. The recommended value of this size is 2/3 of the average diameter of a standard log from the purchased batch. The average diameter is equal to the arithmetic mean between the diameter at the butt and at the apex.

The width of the longitudinal groove is regulated by folk rules based on many years of experience in wooden architecture:

with repeated winter thermometer readings in the region of -40ºС, the width of the base of the moon-shaped longitudinal groove, i.e. the distance between the projection of the extreme points of the recess onto an imaginary straight line should be from 14 to 16 cm;
for regions with winter temperatures of -30 ºС, this size is 12 cm;
for regions with frosts of -20ºС, the longitudinal groove should be made 10 cm wide.

This means that for the construction of a log house in the northern regions, the best wall material will be a log with an average diameter of 21-24 cm. Further, according to the degree of climate softening, 18 cm and 15 cm.

The harvested timber does not need to be stored for more than 2 weeks. Dry wood will make processing difficult. Logs should be stacked with timber or plank spacers between the rows. Gaskets are required for ventilation.

A log that is “overexposed” during natural drying warps and cracks more if a longitudinal notch is not made in a timely manner on the side opposite the groove. With notching, the wood will still crack, but the process will be less active, because The tension in the log will be relieved. And after the frame shrinks, the cracks will be almost invisible.

The timber must be stored on a level area prepared for its storage. It is advisable to arrange a canopy that protects the untreated whip from direct exposure to UV rays and from precipitation, and a kind of “pallet” made of timber laid at intervals.

When is the best time to sand?

There are a lot of possible answers to this question. Traditionally, the frame is sanded after at least the main shrinkage has passed. During this time, the log dries out and it becomes easier to work with. It is extremely difficult to remove even a thin layer from raw wood. If you need to level it, it will take a lot of time, money for disks and effort.

On the other hand, if you have a frame made of dried timber and logs, then you can sand and process it right away. In this case, having placed the frame under the roof, it is sanded, immediately treated with impregnations and left to shrink in this form. This is done infrequently, although no one forbids it. They usually act according to the usual scheme.

The log house is sanded after it has settled.
On the other hand, if you have a log house made of dried timber and logs, then you can sand and process it immediately. In this case, having placed the frame under the roof, it is sanded, immediately treated with impregnations and left to shrink in this form. This is done infrequently, although no one forbids it. They usually act according to the usual scheme.

Sanding logs – still by hand?

It is quite possible that you have not yet reached the stage of sanding the logs and have decided to take an interest in all the preparation processes ahead of time. One of these stages is sanding, or, in professional terms, debarking, that is, getting rid of the bark. This is done as quickly as possible immediately after cutting, within 2-3 weeks, since a dried log will be even more difficult to process.

There are many ways to bleach a log, and most of them are quite labor-intensive. The first method is sanding with a scraper, a tool that is a curved blade with two handles at the ends. The staple can be replaced with a sickle by wrapping the sharp edge with a piece of durable cloth or stretching a piece of hose. If this tool is not available, use a sharpened bayonet shovel or an ax.

You can make sanding logs easier by making cuts along the log with a chainsaw. This will make the process easier, but you will still have to work with the same scraper, ax or shovel. Oddly enough, many do not even suspect that work can be simplified and speeded up significantly, turning monotonous physical labor into a fairly easy task. You can remove the bark with an electric planer, but the blade will often become clogged with bark. In addition, this method will not give such a clean wood surface as a scraper.

On an industrial scale, of course, they use automatic machines, which cost a lot and take up a lot of space. You can't put one like this at home. Industrialists also use jet-hydraulic debarking - this is a relatively new method brought to us from Canada. Cleaning of bark is carried out with a stream of water, which is supplied under pressure of 280-350 atmospheres. Of course, for this you need to buy expensive equipment.

Execution of work

Since a minimum of time should pass between grinding logs or beams and processing, processing must be done along the crown. You can start from the top or the bottom - it makes no difference, but they sand one wall completely, then move on to the other. You can coat with impregnations and primers immediately after completing the treatment of one wall, having first removed the dust.

Questions often arise about what to do if there are blue spots or other dark spots on the wood. These are traces of fungal activity. They do not affect the quality and safety in any way, but they spoil the appearance considerably.

The blueness of the wood spoils the appearance

If you want to use light transparent paints for finishing, you will have to fight with the color. For this purpose, there are special compositions for bleaching wood. In this case, the procedure is as follows:

bleach wood;
carry out rough grinding;
if traces of blackness remain, bleach again;
final polishing.

Then comes the treatment with fire retardants, primers and finishing compounds.

This video presents the experience of a man who polished a log frame himself. He goes into some interesting detail, so don't waste 20 minutes.

Corner processing

Sanding a log frame is a labor-intensive process, and its technology has various variations. Some experienced craftsmen believe that in order to polish a frame, you need to wait until the shrinkage is complete, while others clean it as the walls are being built to avoid damage. To make the right decision, it is necessary to take into account the quality of the building material.

It is recommended to carry out the main work on the facade and internal surface of the log house walls using an eccentric grinder. Depending on the number of builders, the general plane must be divided into sections on the basis that in one day the contractor sands from 6 to 8 square meters. It should be taken into account that the area should not be left unpainted for more than 3-4 days, as the material will darken and will have to be cleaned again.

1. First, you need to sand the rounded log with coarse sandpaper (No. 40). Using this abrasive, the top layer of wood is removed, all defects, fungal and mold damage are eliminated;

2. final cleaning is done with fine sandpaper (No. 100). In this case, leveling occurs and the wood pile raised during initial sanding is removed. The plane should be smooth and pleasant to the touch.

After finishing grinding the main surface of the area, it is necessary to refine the grooves and corner joints of the frame. You can sand the grooves between the logs using a grinder with a plastic attachment. To ensure safety, its diameter should be slightly smaller than sandpaper. Otherwise, there is a risk of injury when the attachment gets jammed between logs and the grinder is pulled out of your hands.

The most common mistake made when processing a wooden cottage or sanding a log bathhouse with your own hands is the wrong choice of tool, which is associated with the desire to speed up the routine process. An overly powerful grinder operating at high speeds easily damages the structure.

Sanding a house made of rounded logs involves the generation of a large amount of dust, so the work must be carried out with personal protective equipment. It is recommended to use clear glasses with side curtains, a respirator mask, a hat and gloves. Shoes should be comfortable and durable. You can sand sections of walls at height using professional scaffolding or high-quality scaffolding made locally.

Do-it-yourself wood sanding

There is often a statement that doing grinding yourself and with your own hands is difficult and time-consuming. This statement is not entirely correct and is connected with the purpose of selling services for polishing a house, its walls, and sometimes the floor and ceiling.

In fact, the procedure itself is not complicated; it can be done with your own hands. Another thing is the complexity of the procedure. Outwardly, it may seem that grinding is done quickly. In fact, this takes a lot of time. For example, a person who is constantly grinding manages to make up to 20 square meters of a log house wall in a working day. But the log cannot be properly leveled the first time, at least not by hand cutting. The procedure must be carried out a second time, and inside a third.

In addition, the question arises with the tool.

Professional polishing of logs

Specialists offer professional polishing services. Our craftsmen are highly qualified and know all the subtleties and nuances of grinding with an angle grinder. We use a professional tool with the necessary set of attachments, which has high performance and provides excellent grinding quality.

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Tags: log, tool, log house, grinding

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Profiled and laminated timber: differences in the process

Sanding allows you to improve the appearance of walls and prepare them for high-quality painting, waxing or varnishing. For profiled and glued material, the process is different:

Profiled timber. Usually processed in two steps. The first time is sanded with a coarse abrasive (a wheel with a grit size of No. 40), even at the construction stage. The second treatment (final polishing) of the walls is carried out after completion of the shrinkage process.

Glued laminated timber. This building material is carefully processed at the production stage, does not shrink strongly and therefore does not require preliminary deep grinding like its profiled counterpart. To process walls made of laminated veneer lumber, nozzles with a circle are used, starting from No. 80

Sanding must be done with care - excessive force may damage the outer lamella.

Advantages and disadvantages of oil processing

The oil has the following valuable properties:

is a natural antiseptic, penetrates deeply into the layers of wood, protecting it from exposure to bad weather and pests;
very easy to apply and also easy to remove from the surface;
environmentally friendly product;
has good adhesion;
hides scratches, chips and other surface defects
oil treatment is relatively cheap.

It should be noted that only natural oils have beneficial properties. Therefore, when impregnating wood, it is better to choose natural oils that do not contain hazardous components and are harmless to humans.

However, oil processing has some disadvantages:

Wood treated with oil loses its original appearance after some time. The procedure must be repeated regularly at intervals of several years.
Grease stains are very noticeable on an oiled surface. Therefore, if grease gets in, it is necessary to re-soak the wood with oil.

Where in Moscow can I buy this product for impregnation and painting of ends?

Everything is simple here. Brushes and rollers are:

made of synthetic materials - nylon, polyester, etc.;
from natural ones - bristles (pork), and wool - for rollers;
combined - equal parts of both.

Synthetics – for water-soluble coatings. If the packaging of your paint says “solvent: white spirit” (or another organic solvent - less common), then take a brush exclusively with natural bristles, because organics dissolve synthetics. For the same reason, you can use combination brushes for water-soluble paints, but not for paintwork materials with white spirit.

A good brush will hold the bristles tightly. You can ventilate the quality by tugging on the pile - the hairs should not fall out.

To apply some wax-based compounds, brushes with short, hard bristles and felt rags are used.

You can buy these protective agents for painting and impregnating lumber, log ends and beam ends from our company. Call!

Wood processing after sanding

After completing all work related to grinding the material, it must be coated with appropriate products. This stage of work should not be postponed until later; it is better to apply special compounds immediately after cleaning the wood, since after sanding it is unprotected from bacteria, dirt and other “enemies”. External treatment is carried out using different products, which are applied in several layers.

It is important to understand that wooden houses also need to be treated inside, for which water-based or combined products are used. Although the conditions inside the house are not as harsh as those outside, wood can still be susceptible to the development of mold and mildew.

Before using the product you choose, be sure to check whether the manufacturer provides for its use for interior work.

The base layer is antiseptic substances. Next comes the treatment of the material with fire retardants. They provide increased wood resistance to fire. Salt and non-salt flame retardants are available for sale. During contact with fire, salt products release gases, which minimizes the risk of fire, and non-salt fire retardants form foam on the surface of the wood, which also protects the natural material from fire.

Biopyrenes, which combine the characteristics of fire retardants and antiseptics, are also very popular today. They are suitable for internal and external processing. You can paint a wooden house after priming the coating, during which water-soluble products are used.

For painting, you can use façade paint or special glazing compounds that perfectly reveal the beauty of the natural material. This is discussed in more detail in the next article. There is a wide variety of such compositions on sale, available in different shades. The use of facade paint allows you to save money, but this solution hides the sophistication of the wood.

From our article you learned: why you need to sand a log house, how to choose the right tool, choose the right abrasive, and also not make mistakes in order to get a beautiful and modern house facade. But in any case, this type of work requires excellent knowledge, experience and skills developed over several years of constant work, so it is better to turn to professionals. The Plotnitskaya Artel company performs a full range of works on finishing the walls of a house made of logs or timber.

In addition to sanding the frame, our craftsmen can perform caulking or warm seam, paint your house with various paints and oils, install casing, install floors and ceilings, and much more...

More articles about construction and renovation:

External and internal finishing of the bath
Wood sealant, which one to choose?
Painting a wooden house. Applied materials and technologies
We protect a wooden house: antiseptic, oil, wax
How and how to properly caulk a log house: materials and technologies
Tips: how to properly make a bathhouse, stages of construction
Hand-cut log house
Exterior finishing of a frame house
Repair of a country house: major or cosmetic?
Attic in a wooden house
Wooden houses. Advantages and disadvantages of materials for construction.
Technology and stages of construction of a frame house
Types of foundation piles, classification, how they are made
Concrete septic tank made of rings in the house, types, installation technology
Roofing types, classification, materials
Prefabricated houses: types, advantages, disadvantages, construction features
Arrangement of a country house site, practical advice