For many centuries, wood has been famous for its popularity in construction. Even now, it is not much inferior to other building materials, and in some cases even surpasses them. After all, when building a house from wood, we provide ourselves with comfortable and environmentally friendly housing, and become closer to nature. But as you know, an array requires constant maintenance, otherwise the service life of such a structure will not be long. In this article we will talk about such a necessary process as grinding a log house.
What is log grinding and why is it necessary?
This is an important stage in the construction of any wooden structure, providing protection for the tree from such factors as:
- rotting;
- the spread of various fungi and molds, which contribute to further destruction of the massif;
- exposure to natural precipitation and insects.
You need to know that processing in this way is necessary regardless of the species and type of wood.
A polished log house has a wide range of advantages:
- Provides a pleasant view. For many years the building will retain its original appearance;
- Service life increases;
- The surface becomes smooth, and all irregularities disappear;
- The consumption of antiseptic when processing polished solids is significantly reduced.
To obtain maximum protection for wood from harmful factors, after treatment with an abrasive wheel, the material must be treated with an antiseptic.
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)
When can you start sanding the frame?
As with any type of work, certain requirements must also be met.
1.It is not recommended to sand immediately after construction. It is necessary to wait until the structure “shrinks” and changes its geometric parameters.
2. It is prohibited to process wet lumber. Scores will appear on the surface, and the effectiveness of the work done will be zero.
3. It is recommended to carry out this process only at positive climatic temperatures.
Required Tools
Sanding wood is a very interesting activity and at first glance seems simple. In fact, this is a very painstaking and time-consuming process that requires a lot of patience and certain financial investments. In this matter, not only skills are important, but also the correctly selected type of tool.
1. Tape. Processing occurs with an abrasive belt that moves due to the rotation of rollers. Any type of grained tape paper can be installed.
2.Brush. The working element is a brush of increased rigidity. This tool is used to roughly clean the surface.
3.Eccentric. It has a working surface in the shape of a circle. On which an abrasive material of the required diameter and grain size is installed using Velcro. A very convenient and efficient machine. With its help you can process a surface of almost any shape.
4. Angle grinder or grinder. The most common tool. Nozzles of different types and diameters are used as working equipment.
How to sand correctly
Sanding timber walls is carried out in stages. All work will come down to five main actions:
- Rough, initial sanding.
- Grinding corners and grooves.
- Processing the ends of logs.
- Finishing – finishing sanding.
- Coating wood with impregnation and other antiseptic compounds.
At the first stage (rough peeling), our task is to remove the darkened layer and smooth out all the unevenness left by the plane. The task is not difficult, but it requires time and attention.
How quickly you can manage will depend on:
- your skill in working with the selected tool;
- the type and species of wood from which the log house is made (the amount of resin and the quality of the initial processing of the log);
- the number of complex elements decorating the house;
- power and convenience of the tool;
- the total area of the processed surface of the log house.
The grooves with the ends must also undergo the same initial grinding procedure. On average, the speed of this work on a linear meter of a 30-40-centimeter log or beam will be about three minutes.
The next stage is very important. The final sanding before applying the impregnation must be carried out with special care - nothing can be corrected. Many craftsmen advise finishing sanding by hand if you are not sure that you will not leave holes and grooves with a sanding machine due to lack of experience. Final, finishing sanding is a delicate process and requires a steady hand! Sanding the timber inside the house is carried out in the same order as outside - in stages.
After all stages of sanding are completed, thoroughly clean the work area, and vacuum the “fresh” house and wipe it with a slightly damp rag soaked in white spirit to remove excess resin.
Resin is the enemy when covering with impregnation; it will not allow the impregnating film to lie flat, and this place will be left without protection!
When covering the house with an antiseptic, pay special attention to the ends - the consumption on them will be greater, because... They are porous and will absorb liquid like a sponge. Walk over them with antiseptic 3-4 times.
Criteria for choosing a grinding tool
This process may require several types of grinding machines. Now we will outline certain nuances that should be taken into account when selecting a tool:
- Choose models only from well-known companies. Since the tool will require maximum output during the work process.
- It is better to use a grinder with a rear air intake rather than a side one. Since the second option quickly becomes clogged with dust and will not last long.
- To process a round surface of wood, it is better to use a grinder with attachments or an eccentric machine. At the same time, a flat surface is better processed with a tape look.
- Use powerful tools with adjustable rotation speed.
So buying a tool is a very responsible undertaking that requires great care.
Is this a difficult process?
If you know how to hold a grinder in your hands, then sanding a log house with your own hands will not seem like a difficult process to you. Another thing is that the process is labor-intensive and time-consuming, because The work is done manually, step by step, although using electromechanics and special attachments for it. To polish the frame in the corners and grooves, you will have to use a chisel - this is currently the only reliable way to process them, unless, of course, you have a sandblaster.
A sandblasting machine will efficiently and quickly process not only grooves and corners, it will do an excellent job of sanding the entire frame, removing only the thin top layer of wood, and will be able to reach the most inaccessible cracks, crevices, gaps and joints.
Sanding the frame and painting it, if sandblasting is available, can take just a couple of days. You can clean the grooves and corners both before and after cleaning the entire wall of the house. This is not important.
Consumables for grinding
1.Abrasive wheel. Made in the form of a disk attachment or in the shape of a petal circle. There are a large number of species on sale. They differ in diameter, grain size and application.
2. Brushes. They have a hard working surface. Used for rough surface treatment. On store shelves you can find a large number of types of these attachments.
3.Sanding belt. This is a fabric or paper material to which a grainy abrasive surface is applied using glue. Used for tape machines.
With high-quality wood surface treatment, the consumption of this material will be significant.
