What I love about your log buildings, is that they look natural and never fake looking. The natural look will always blend in with the outdoors and look like they were always there, very pleasing to the eye and soul. :)
Noah you are the...MAN..I have learned so much from Your show thank you soooo Much. Also this is my second log home. New property new Trees and now Rocket Stoves At 66 years young I can't think of a more rewarding.time except maybe The Kids. I am building a horse camp For WILD MUSTANGS, TO TRAIN AND SELL TO MUSTANG LOVERS. SO TRULY THANKS...MY NEW FRIEND. TIM & Petey Petey is a 120 lb. Pit Bull buddy. Love
We put synthetic chinking on our cabin which expands and contracts with our cabin logs. We have been in the cabin for 25 years and have not needed to patch it. I chinked inside and out. It looks great. I can understand using the more inexpensive concrete.
I'm not a fan of modern cement or perma chink. Both seal in moisture. Nails and wire will rust. Limestone pinning with NHL3.5 or NHL2.0 will breath and alow logs to dry inside. Just saying.
I always wanted to know this. Thanks for sharing. I have also always wondered, why so many ppl have termite damage to their homes, when some log cabins have stood since settler times, seemingly unaffected by termites.....
Cool! The interior of mine needs repair, its over 200 years old. The exterior has been covered a few times. has 3 extra inches, thick wood siding, Insulbrick, various roll coverings and today has cedar shake panels that I will remove at some point for metal. Would be nice to see the cabin, but I know its only still here because it was covered so many times.
My dad was into the buckskin mountain man circuit. The old fort in Fort Wayne IN got rebuilt back in the 80s. First thing dad said after he saw how the changing was done is that they done it wrong. Instead of it going from the underside of the top log to going over the top of the bottom one the hollow between the logs was filled then it went on the outside of both. Like dad said when it rains the water will get trapped between the chinking and the log when it runs down the side. Dad said in roughly 20 years it would need rebuild again. Dad was a history buff was in the living history reenactments he knew what he was talking about in most history subjects. When the contractors that was hired to rebuild the fort was informed about their mistake, I even heard them say, they stated that they were the experts and knew what they were doing. Part of the structure has been removed since then because of ro and not rebuilt due to cost. The experts didn't care they got paid and it made it between 15-20 years before needing re-done again
Hi Noah, I chinked my cabin about like you did, but after several yrs. I had some shrinking of the logs or concrete so I ordered permachink paint, it just paints on and doesn't change anything except it seals the concrete and no more cracks. Also at the edges top and bottom it really adhieves to that really well. It has sand in it so no one can even tell its on . I did out and inside and its as beautiful today as it was 20 yrs. ago.Love your videos. Can you do one on tagging a log house? ty ,Kay
I’ve been looking for an answer to what the light material between the logs is for a while now. So glad to see this video & understand the process! Wonderful video & very informative.
I have tried a small batch of the recipe i asked you about although it would work in remote areas it did not hold up structurally. I will be using your recipe . Thanks again
Looking what you are doing propably you might need to look after interesting development on the cement industry around water / sun protection. So now days you got cement for just reparation which is almost like the reinforced with metal bars concrete or cement which is waterproof for roofs or cellars or you add on plasticification products for cement that are used for pools.
getting more and more excited to build my own little house. But it will have to wait for a while. Just got my third child. have to choose my priorities.
Thank you for your video Noah! I am a Boy Scout who picked up a doozy of an Eagle Project trying to rechink badly-done Indian Cabins at a National Park. I'm having a bit of trouble finding supplies... or anyone that knows really anything... I had a few questions I was wondering if you could help me with. My original recipe was right off the internet: Clay, Hydrated Lime, and Feed Salt. Hydrated Lime is expensive and hard-to-find, does pulverized garden lime work as well? I also noticed your recipe is much cheaper than mine, and the ingredients are way easier to find. What is the ratio of masonry sand to concrete? Do bulk-washed/quikrete products work for both? It would be a huge help if you could give me some technical info on this!
Have you considered packing bundles of straw between the logs tightly end to end, cutting that flush, and cementing over that? One more thing to get from your land instead of the hardware store. Or would the straw be significantly less insulating than the foam you think?
yeah I love that color that you use I really wish that you could make another video that’s more detailed so that people have a better chance to get a better job done on their cabin.
It's in the chinking academy, as there is a lot more than just color to give you that wow affect with a job done right that will last and not ruin the logs.
Hmm well. How this traditionally is done (here in Norway) is to debark a large pine tree in stripes. four stripes down the main trunk and then wait a few years. What happens is that the inner wood goes all the way out to the surface in the debarked areas. You then cut the tree and remove the outer wood with a "bile" (a broad-bladed ax). You end up with somewhat rectangular logs that can stand 1000 years without maintenance. Most older cabins here in Norway are made that way. They fit perfectly together and you don't need any concrete there! Would be bad for insulation too! What we use between the logs - if any space at all - is a moss named Hylocomium splendens (I don't know the English name). It was used for this purpose for a couple of thousand years at least in Scandinavia (and as toilet paper). No cement or mud or whatever is used here! Some of these pine log buildings have now stood for a 1000 years here in Norway and still doing fine. A bit of char now and then is fine too. I think your way of doing it is caused by English immigrants who don't know how to do it and made their own tradition. That's fine. I should add: In England, they do not have a tradition for log houses as we do in Scandinavia (because their forests are different without Spruce or Pine trees). So they kinda reinvented it after coming to North America. It is fine and seems to work if it is not cold. But do not try to build something like that in the high North in Canada, Scandinavia, or Siberia! But what do I know?
Hey Noah, I know that the kit log cabins where the wood is touching require annual maintenance to keep them from rotting away, but I was curious what your thoughts are on chinking, because essentially aren't you sealing off a section of the log with cement and therefore creating a space where the air can't circulate to dry it? And what type of insulation would you use? I assume the insulation would create even more of a damp space for mold/rot to set in? Thanks Noah, love your videos.
Hey Noah, may I like to ask a question. Wondering if you used some hydraulik lime in the past and would like to know your experience especially about the moisture adsorbant between hydraulik lime and cement. Kind regards David
My dad has a 50 year old hunting camp made of logs way back in the woods across a lake. The 'chinking' is needing an upgrade. It was obviously done right the first time. I would like to go to the camp and do some work. So putting this on top is ok? I can just make a mixture of masonry sand and dyed cement and go on top of it and it will stick? There are some cracks...and a few pieces have fallen away...but other than that it is in pretty good shape.
For the method I recommend, you need to remove the old chinking and install wire lath and slather the mix on top of that. The details are covered in the Chinking Academy.
@@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley I am looking at your Chinking Academy on-line course - does it include how to do it on round logs? And does it show the best way to remove old chinking? Love to take the course to learn more! Thanks!
You make that look easy. The bottom 1/3 of the log cabin I'm looking to buy is made of concrete and big rocks like 8-20in brown rocks and white mortar or concrete maybe. I've seen abandoned houses with similar lower sections. Do u think they're solid? How long do they last. The fire place is similar but smaller brown rocks. Probably 3-6 in. It looks old style..I've never seen a house still lived in with similar building materials in my life.
I'm looking for a video to answer are your logs square (or taller rectangle) and the exterior chinking is angled for rain run-off to not cause rot or are the logs also cut with, for example, 1/4" top recess so water runs down the log to a drip edge so that water doesn't settle or run-in to the chinking or top of the log beneath it? Thank you for your work and your teaching
I was going to ask about using a "Cob" mix instead aka straw/mud or clay and even cow manure and/or hair etc. Seems like the original log cabins resorted to these methods in the past.
Great video Noah - very informative! Please advise, when moving to the inside, do you also have a top recess in chinking or can it be flush given indoors? Interested how much time you leave to cure/dry between outside chinking / internal foam / internal chinking? Thanks, Phil
Thanks Phil. On the inside you do not strictly have to recess the top for a slope. However, recessing the top and bottom will allow greater exposure of the log and visual interest. The cement needs to be dry to the touch. I'd recommend allowing it to cure for a week or so in dry weather as a general rule of thumb before insulating.
Can a cabin be built with smaller gaps between the logs, say 2 inches max maybe even 1 inch, so that the chinking area is reduced? Is there any downside to this?
quick question- @7:00 when he mentions adding another layer of Diamond mesh, does he mean on the inside after the foam or another layer on the outside? .... im assuming inside lol 🤣
Thank you for the best video on the internet on "chinking!" Question. I'm doing a log veneer on my home in the high country of Colorado. How do I keep water from getting behind the cement chink so it doesn't rot out the wood from behind? Thank you so much! Jim
JW--Thanks for kind words. I don't do log veneers, so I am not the best one to answer your question on that one! My best general advice is that you always want water to wick away from the cabin/structure...not into it.
Absolutely great video! So much knowledge and wisdom thank you for your time. My son and I create projects when we go to the mountains to make a small cabin project of all natural materials is there a way to use chinking and what materials could we use. we were thinking mud and sand and water mixture. We understand it may only hold up for a couple years but maintenance will be required every year we are there. Thank you for your time and knowledge Sir. Travis
I have had no issues with any cabin that I have built with the cement chinking on lath...but if you prefer to use lime for whatever reason, I say go for it!
I have a log home,and every fall, the animals ( we live in the woods) chew through the Chinking to get to the warmth during winter. I have a 5 Gal. bucket of Chinking, but I'm not sure what to use as a backing to put it on? I've seen some video's where Styrofoam Insulation is used.Any ideas??
Have you heard of the recipe for chinking that is 2 parts clay 1 part wood ashes and half part salt . I am building a survival cabin in the northern woods of michigan with red pine i harvested. I want to keep it as natural as possible would i need the mesh my gaps are only 1 inch wide .thanks great video
Hi John, Congrats on building a cabin! Yes indeed, there are as many recipes for chinking as there are cabins that have been built... I've heard many over the years. All of the natural methods work reasonably well for a while but require regular maintenance... my technique is the result of decades of observance and trial... it does and amazing job at keeping the weather out, while looking good, and so far... never needing maintenance, repair, nor replacement. If I had to choose between your recipe and modern synthetic chinking... I'd choose yours.
You've got plenty of time.... I'm now 60 and ever so slowly gearing up to build my next one. Having land is a GREAT start... start working on those plans and gathering stone for your foundation.
I'm not sure you'll give out your secret but may I ask what exactly is the cement recipe you use? I really appreciate your videos and like all master craftsmen you make it look easier than it actually is.
I use a brand of dyed cement called Flamingo C74 that I pick up at my local ready-mix dealer. I use this brand not because it is any better or worse than any other brand with regard to function... but this one offers me a consistent color that I find very pleasing.
Excuse my ignorance but isn't chinking used to prevent exterior air infiltration into the interior space? Basically keeping the cold air out? I'm wondering about the chinking example in your video. It doesn't completely fill the space between the logs. Is chinking now only used aesthetically to hide insulation between logs these days and of course help slough water?
Chinking as i demonstrate here is to make an airtight seal with a thin layer of cement on metal lath. If using modern methods, then the space between the exterior and interior chinking would be filled with spray foam insulation to assist in keeping the structure air tight.
I like the use of the wire lath but when the chinking inevitably gets wet from rain is there a concern with the wire lath rusting and bleeding through the cement as I have seen happen so many times in bathrooms?
What are you using for a foam sealant? I’m in the process of chinking right now. I’m using 3 parts sand, 1/2 Portland cement, 1/2 part mortar type N. love your informative vids 👍
@@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley thanks for the reply. I’ve heard different thoughts on this for VOC’s, do you recommend regular expansion or low expansion like used in window frames / door frames?
I'm considering building a tiny cabin for my garden shed. I used to have a book by Charles Mcraven; he showed a method very similar to yours, with one key difference. He used the tip of his chainsaw to cut a groove on the underside of each log, approximate 1" in and 1" in depth. He nailed his lathe on the top of each log, but just let the lathe float in the log above. Would you consider this a good practice, allowing for a bit of movement, particularly when erecting green logs?
Thank you!!! Yes indeed... I will officially become an old man on Tuesday... I turn 60. I'm trying to be positive about it... here are my current thoughts... 1) I've avoided quick sand my entire life which I thought for certain I would have to deal with by now. 2) I have yet to be put in jail... it's not that I'm a bad person... but I've always felt that one day they would come after me. lol 3) I'm still alive. I made it this far... after witnessing so many wonderful young people pass away long before they could live their dreams out.
Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom. I think 60 is the new 40! I'm about 14 years behind you, so I'm wanting to see anyone older than me stay young, selfishly, I guess.
would you recommend this type of chinking for round logs as well? I`m planning to build log cabin tiny homes on wheels -would you recommend chinking them this way as well? Or do you think the chinking will crack up during transportation of the log cabins on wheels?
Pretty much! They aren't exactly parallel because both the inside and outside applications slope slightly inward from bottom to top. We apply the diamond mesh wire lathing on the outside first, then apply a thin layer of cement. Allow it to cure for weeks, while checking for leaks. (wow, I made a rhyme... I'll have to remember that quote!) And then we apply a layer of foam on the inside of that exterior chinking, and then apply mesh and cement again this time on the inside. Think of an ice cream sandwich... or an Oreo cookie.
He says he doesn’t use a synthetic cement product for chinking but later goes on to say he uses a spray foam insulation. My understanding of cement with synthetic fibres is one of several options where a fibrous material is added for strength. I’m not saying it is a good choice for a log home/cabin but the rationalization against it based on aesthetics seemed a bit silly.
Thank you your video was very informative. I am new to this and wonder if chinking can be done in the winter or do you have to wait until warmer weather?
The mortar needs to be able to dry. If the "winter" allows for that in your area, you will be okay. Otherwise, you will need to wait until things warm up. :)
@@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley thanks a million for replying.. im in Georgia and everyone says cedar does horrible down here.. i own a logging comoany and some the best water resistant wood is white oak.. we sale them to whiskey barrel makers.. so i was thinking that... or live oak.. because they build ships out of live oaks
I live in Florida and have lots of oak and pine trees are these type trees ok to build a cabin from?Thank You for sharing your video,I found it very informative!!!
I like ur cabin but why did u go so far apart with ur logs I'm getting ready to do this in the next year and I'm studying what to do and how to do this correctly ur video was very helpful thks
I have watched others build log homes and one man stated the reason the gap was so large on his home was because of the type of logs he used. The longs were not universal in diameter so to scribe them the same would take to much material off to make them fit close together.
Curious I have a 10 year old cabin I just purchased it was sheet rocked inside but outside nothing was done they did put thin foam between round logs but no staining, chinking, etc so we stained it with Sherwin Williams log cabin stain and I know it needs chinking but wasn't sure if this style chinking would work for round logs with smaller gaps?? If u have email to help me out so I could send pics maybe? Also how do u keep small wood bugs out we got tiny holes where u can see saw dust where bugs burrowed?? Any ideas. We bought this cabin after we lost our home to a lightening strike fire so this is our home I wanna keep for a lifetime. Thank u for any help u can give
Is it just a matter of taste/preference where someone may prefer a round log cabin with thinner chinking than the cabin shown here with squared logs and very thick/wide chinking?
Awesome video. A relative of mine owns a double wide trailer. It needs major repairs, and as I was watching this video, I was wondering if it would be possible to use this on the exterior. I know it would probably end up being cheaper to haul the thing away but.. I am curious. Also, My dream home is a log cabin, and you did say to start out small. Thanks.
I'd think about building a log cabin as an addition to the trailer... and then one day when the trailer has lived out it's life you would have a great cabin left to enjoy!
Mr Bradley - question: i see you dont put insulation behind the chink, this is not necessary? i will be chinking my log cabin shortly and just wondering if it will be warm enough. i live in north ontario canada.
