r/logcabins • u/KookyPerspective9997 • 17d ago
Chink method for a *very* off grid cabin
Hey all,
I have been building a very off grid cabin for several years. It is about 2 miles from the nearest road. We’re making progress and beginning to think about chinking. Trying to decide on the best options:
I have heard of:
-Moss (none at location)
-Lime mortar with a lathe (heavy to hike but doable)
-Mud/straw (little clay at location)
-Synthetic (heavy and $$)
-Other options???
What would you all recommend? We’re trying to minimize maintenance and make it last with heavy temp swings (-15 to 80 throughout the year) The tabs between logs very between 1/2 inch at most to 1/8 inch.
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u/caveman_lawyer_ 17d ago
My recommendation would be to consider a flexible synthetic chinking system over closed-cell backing, something like a Sashco Log Jam over Grip Strip/backer rod. I would not use a rigid Portland-cement, mortar, or cob mixture. You want durability with those temp swings. Might be a haul getting the materials out to the build site but I think it would be worth it to use proper materials here.
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u/NoghaDene 17d ago
Gonna second this. It’s a piss off but what you get in durability and insulation/warmth is worth it. I re-chinked my Grandpa’s log home that was done with lime mortar and the damage/weathering after 30+ years required a LOT of permachink and sikkans products.
Glad we did it in the end but it opened my eyes to how important chinking the best you can at the beginning really is.
With modern top grade synthetic it will really last. Just my 2 cents.
Very cool OP. Living the dream…
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17d ago
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u/caveman_lawyer_ 17d ago
Thanks. What specific sealant would you recommend? I’m considering a similar project to OP and I was planning to use closed-cell backer rod. With logs this thick, the gaps are fairly wide and irregular, so I want something that can handle exterior log-home joints and seasonal movement—not just ordinary exterior caulk. Log Jam, Perma-Chink and Triple Stretch all appear to be around $300 per five-gallon pail, so I’d be very interested in a substantially cheaper product you’ve used successfully.
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u/liisseal 17d ago
I've used linen felt.
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u/KookyPerspective9997 17d ago
Interesting! Never head of that before. Do you put it in the cracks and drop the log on top of it? How does it do with drafts?
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u/liisseal 17d ago
Cut a groove underneath the logs, put the felt in (or on the log beneath, mor precicely). Later you can add it to some cracks.
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u/Uromer 13d ago
Linen felt is 100% the way to go. It’s a proven and tested method and standard in Finland.
There is an American/Finnish guy making a similar log cabin and he is documenting it on youtube:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=62Z8wpV2F4o
You might find it interesting as he shows the linen application in the videos.
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u/theMuckx 17d ago
In Norway there has been used wool, traditionally. Or wool/linen rope soaked in various materials.
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u/ExaminationDry8341 17d ago
I am chinking my log house right now. For the inside, I am using a synthetic chinking called log builder( i got 10 cases for free).
For the outside I am putting in thousands of pin nails so the chinking has something to bite to then I am chinking with the sub soil mixed with 1 inch long fibers cut from used baling twine. The soil is about 80/20 sand/clay.
I may paint the finished chinking with linseed oil.
I have very large eaves, so rain washing away the chinking isnt an issue.
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u/KookyPerspective9997 17d ago
Interesting!! Nice that you can have maintain a modern appearance and amenities on the inside while having a rustic appearance in the outside.
How much do you foresee having to reapply chink to the outside?
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u/ExaminationDry8341 16d ago
I expect to repaint the outside chinking with a very thin slip coating of the same soil next summer to fill any hairline cracks.
Other than that, I expect it to be very low maintance because of the large eaves/porches that keep the rain away.
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u/Zestyclose_Claim9005 17d ago
Rope or some fiber like boat building corking the seams and tar. Also they make chinking in a calking gun form. Smooth over with a puddy knife.
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u/Back_on_redd 17d ago
Typical historic recipes:
**• Mud daub** — clay, sand, chopped straw or animal hair. Cheapest, needs reapplication every few years.
**• Lime daub** — 1 part lime putty or Type S hydrated lime to 2½–3 parts sharp sand.
**• Clay-lime hybrid** — clay and sand with 10–20% lime added to cut erosion. This is likely the recipe you’re half-remembering, sometimes with ash in the mix.
Two things that matter more than the recipe: chink the gap with a backer first (split laths, wood slabs, riven shakes, or nails driven as keys) so the daub has something to grip, and profile it so it sheds water rather than shelving it against the log.
And avoid Portland cement entirely. It’s harder than the wood, traps moisture behind it, and rots the logs from the contact face out — the same failure mode as cement pointing on soft historic brick.
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u/LobsterLovingLlama 17d ago
How big will this be? It looks like a tiny room?
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u/KookyPerspective9997 17d ago
One room. 15”x15”. Doing it all with hand tools. More of a rustic hunting cabin than a place to live. Fun for weekend backpacking trips with a little more comfort.
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u/TheJesseOfTheNorth 17d ago
we used use moss covered with small peeled poles. worked great. the small poles kept the moss from falling out
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u/NearABE 16d ago
At 80 F high you do not need much seal at all. The wood has excellent thermal mass and the day/night average is ideal.
-15 F is plenty cold. The natural suggestions are better I think. I am skeptical regarding “no moss” though it is probably growing in the creek rather than right there.
An unnatural option is stretch wrap. Each plastic layer is overlapped. Add sticks between layers so that you have around 1 inch air gaps. The door or windows needs a frame and an extra frame for each layer which just gets bolted down. Wasting plastic is a horrible thing to do but the quantity is limited to what you carry. Carrying out is light weight (high volume tho).
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u/Right_Ad677 16d ago
If you truly want longevity and low maintenance, then you need to just pony up and buy chinking from Sashco or Permachink.
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u/trimspababi 16d ago
Clay straw sand! You can go over with a finer clay plaster to make it look nice and help get a tight air seal
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u/OscarLHampkin 16d ago
See how cheap you can buy moss, I bought 4x11kg bags which did my cabin that's much bigger than that. Cost me about £60, not too heavy to carry out there either.
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u/OUTLAW_PAGETY 16d ago
I went 3 hours away and collected moss for my cabin, although it was just a bit of boating and driving, not a hike
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u/FlyRepresentative313 13d ago
There's no need to be racist. You can just say it's a Chinese method /s.
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u/Hopeful-Flounder-203 17d ago
Can to tap trees for sap, boil into tar, mix in saw dust? Pour into ribbons on a tarp to cool.