Inexpensive block house. Which house block to choose for exterior decoration? Required tools and materials

The decoration of buildings provides for the use of modern cladding, thanks to which the building not only acquires a beautiful appearance, but also reliably protects against heat losses. On the construction market, you can purchase various materials for facing work, but the block house deserves special attention. The material is characterized by high performance characteristics. It is easy to install, perfectly underlines the style of any architectural building, giving it chic and individuality.

Features and characteristics

Block house is a unique decorative material. It comes in the form of planks with a flat interior and a convex exterior. Also, the device of the product includes docking parts (spikes and grooves), which provide reliable fastening, allowing during installation to avoid the formation of gaps and cracks. For the manufacture of a block house, various woods are used, but most often they choose raw materials from deciduous and coniferous trees, which are characterized by excellent aesthetic qualities, hardness and strength.

Boards in the production process undergo high-quality processing, so they are adapted for installation in any conditions. The main feature of the material is that it does not crack during operation. This is due to the fact that during the manufacture of the house block, it is equipped with special grooves that relieve stress from the tree.

The material is produced in various sizes, which makes it possible to use it for both interior and exterior decoration. The cladding of the premises, as a rule, is carried out using a wooden block house with a section of 46 * 180 mm, and metal or vinyl panels are chosen for finishing buildings outside.

The main characteristic of the boards is their class, which is determined by the quality of the wood and the way it is processed.

Therefore, on sale you can find products of two options.

Block house of the highest category. It is considered to be of the highest quality, intended mainly for external cladding. Such boards are characterized by the absence of chips and holes.
Simple panels. Such products have a lower price, therefore, often on the surface of such boards you can find a slight "fringe" or "hairiness".

It is also worth noting that the block house has different panel thicknesses, ranging from 20 mm to 50 mm. In this case, the minimum width of the boards is considered to be 70 mm, and the maximum - 190 mm. Before installing decorative wood panels, they must be carefully processed: primed and covered with several layers of varnish or paint. After the painted wood has dried, it is sanded and covered with a protective layer, which must be renewed every 5 years.

Since the block house is available in a rich assortment of colors and textures, it can be used for cladding any kind of premises and buildings, regardless of the style direction. Country houses look especially beautiful in this design. Finishing acts as a real decoration of landscape design. If you sheathe the walls inside the building with material, you get an unusual effect, thanks to which the interior will be filled with coziness and home warmth.

Types: advantages and disadvantages

Since the block house is made from various raw materials, it is subdivided into several types. The most popular is the material made from natural wood. The main advantage of such boards is their environmental friendliness. The basis of a wooden block house can be spruce, pine or larch, therefore, choosing it for the exterior cladding of a house, you can get an unusual decor with an imitation of a log frame.

Depending on the quality of the array, wood panels are divided into three groups.

Class "C". The boards have a well-planed surface, without knots and other large defects. However, slight discoloration, chips and scratches are allowed for this product.
Class "B". The canvases are characterized by a low price, therefore, traces of mechanical damage, light and dark knots may be present on their surface.
Extra class. The boards are perfectly finished and free from any flaws. They are expensive due to their high quality, which is achieved by manual selection.

Regardless of the class of production, the following advantages of a wooden block house can be distinguished:

good heat and sound insulation;
presentable view;
naturalness.

As for the negative properties, such boards are expensive, easily ignite and require treatment with antiseptics.

If you are planning a budget option for finishing, then vinyl panels will be the right choice. They are sold at an affordable price, imitate natural wood. The main advantage of the products is that they do not need to be additionally impregnated with antiseptics and varnished before installation. In addition, compared to wood, they have a longer service life and do not require special maintenance. Since the vinyl block house is lightweight, it does not put pressure on the structure of the building.

The advantages of vinyl panels include:

a huge selection of textures and colors;
ease of installation;
durability;
resistance to moisture and ultraviolet light.

This material has few disadvantages: it is sensitive to temperature extremes, requires adherence to a special installation technology, and the surface of such boards looks dimmer than the solid wood.

The steel block house is considered to be no less popular type. It is a bent profile painted to look like natural wood. Thanks to this material, it is possible not only to decorate the facades, but also to carry out high-quality thermal insulation. The main advantage of the product is its super strength, but similar to vinyl panels, the material is only suitable for external decoration, as it looks unpresentable inside.

The pluses of steel panels include:

long service life;
affordable price;
ease of installation work;
moisture resistance and fire safety.

However, despite the positive characteristics, steel elements also have disadvantages. They quickly heat up in the sun, and their installation requires the use of additional components.

Criterias of choice

The construction market impresses with a huge assortment of block houses, but in order to carry out a high-quality finish, you need to choose the right material.

The product should not only have a beautiful appearance, but also have performance characteristics that allow it to serve for a long time.

A huge role in the choice of panels is played by their width. For facade cladding, it is better to choose a board with a width of at least 159 mm, and for interior decoration - 80 mm. For wall cladding in rooms, the use of wide panels is not recommended, as they visually reduce the area of the room.
Particular attention must be paid to the type of wood from which the material is made. Larch is suitable for outdoor work, it is resistant to moisture, has an original texture and color. When decorating inside buildings, it is best to give preference to linden or oak. They provide excellent waterproofing and room insulation.

When choosing a block house, you also need to specify the class of its wood. Perfect cladding can only be obtained from high quality panels of the highest category. Therefore, all boards must be wrapped in solid foil, have the same width and length. It is not allowed to purchase material on the surface of which there are cracks, knots and tar spots.
It is recommended to buy boards with a length of at least 6 m, this will reduce the number of joints during installation.
If the products do not have certificates, and the moisture content of the boards exceeds 20%, then they cannot be used for finishing.

Preparation and accessories

Before starting the installation work, the block house should be prepared. For this, a short period of time is allocated for the acclimatization of the material. This usually takes several days. At this time, insulation, waterproofing is laid outside the walls and the calculation of the material in the cube is made.

Also, the installation of panels provides for the assembly of vertical battens from slats or bars. The distance between the frame elements should be 70 cm. To provide the necessary waterproofing, a thin frame is additionally attached to the screws on top of the insulated lathing.

To install the boards, you need to purchase certain components.

Universal planks.
Hanging profiles. They are usually fastened over window openings to protect the finish from moisture. If the facade consists of several levels, then the profiles are used between the transitions.
Starting bar. It is necessary for mounting the bottom row of boards.
Finishing profile. It is placed along the edges of the wall to secure the last panels.
Connecting strips and corners.
Special fastening elements (kleimer and self-tapping screws).

Installation tools should consist of a standard set including tape measure, level, screwdriver, hammer and drill.

Installation technology and rules

When the lathing is made, it will be possible to start assembling the panels of the block house. Laying the material is a simple process, so the work can be done independently without the help of specialists.

To carry out the installation correctly, it is enough to adhere to the installation rules. It is also important to ensure that the trim is firmly attached. Boards to the frame must be fastened with metal brackets or cleats. If the cladding is carried out with thick panels, it is recommended to use self-tapping screws coated with an anti-corrosion compound.

Installation of panels begins with the fact that they are laid out in the room in such a way that the spike of each part is on top and the groove is on the bottom. This simplifies the further work process and reduces the risk of dust formation in the grooves. It is important to provide a small gap between the ceiling, floor surface and cladding to allow natural ventilation. You also need to leave gaps between the panels themselves when they are docked. This is done so that the sheathing does not deform during temperature extremes and moisture on its surface.

It is worth considering that the external finishing of the facade requires additional materials such as insulation, antiseptic, primer and vapor barrier film. Before sheathing the house with a block house, you need to install a vapor barrier. The work is carried out using staples and a stapler, with the help of which the film is fixed to the frame, forming an overlap of 10-15 cm.

If the block house is mounted horizontally, then the bottom corner should be sheathed first. The panel is installed on the profile and fixed along the entire length with a clamp, which, in turn, is attached to the crate with self-tapping screws. Then the second panel is inserted into the cutter, its groove should "look" down.

Observing the above technology, the entire wall should be sheathed. In some cases, the installation of the material is performed not with clamps, but with self-tapping screws. In this case, it is important to precisely join the panels by screwing in the self-tapping screws at an angle of 45 degrees.

As for the design of the corners inside, they are decorated with a 5 × 5 cm bar or special skirting boards. At the same time, experts advise installing the beams before sheathing. This makes the finish more attractive.

We must not forget about the facing of window and door openings. The most important thing is to protect them from the penetration of dust, precipitation and cold air. It is better to choose platbands with carved patterns or unusual ornaments. They can be curly, rounded or flat.

The block house also looks interesting in the interior of residential premises.

Such cladding is practically no different from the external cladding, but is characterized by its own nuances:

for work, usually narrow panels are used;
internal and external corners are formed at the end of the entire installation.

It is not recommended to use the block house for wall decoration in rooms with high humidity. If the style provides for the presence of panels in the bathroom or in the kitchen, then they must be covered with a protective layer of varnish. To extend the life of such a sheathing, it should also be treated with mastic and stain.

It is advisable to periodically update the interior decoration. To do this, every 5-7 years a protective layer is applied to it, after removing the old coating. The walls of the premises can be sheathed with boards both vertically and horizontally.

Can you make it yourself?

Despite the fact that the modern market is represented by a chic assortment of block houses, many owners of suburban housing prefer to make it with their own hands, rather than purchase it ready-made. At first glance, this may seem complicated, but if you have a small workshop and a woodworking machine on hand, the process turns out to be quite doable.

House block is a special type of house cladding that looks like a wagon board, on the one hand, which looks like a high-quality rounded log. Possessing high practical and aesthetic characteristics, the block house today is the most demanded material, and it is used both outside the house and inside. The main advantage of the material is the presence of a thorn-groove connecting system, so every owner can sheathe a house with a house block without much hassle.

When to use this finish

As a rule, if the building is made of bricks, sheets, slabs or blocks, there are no questions about why to sheathe your house with clapboard. But what about a wooden frame? Undoubtedly sheathed, here's why:

In the case of building a log house "in the paw" inside the house, finishing will be required, the block house is ideal for this.
If the log house is erected from a profiled bar, the finishing will help to achieve the style of "Russian hut" and additionally protect the wall panels from negative impact.
For all buildings, the house block is an ideal finishing material that will last for many years, while it is easy to place additional heat-insulating material under the cladding.

Important! All cladding work can be carried out only after the structure has completely shrunk.

When choosing a product on the market, you should be careful, many manufacturers offer a false log - an option that is not equipped with connecting grooves, which creates certain difficulties during installation. In the case of cladding a house with a block house with your own hands, the procedure is simple, of course, if you do not have to create intricate structures.

Finishing: work in stages

How to sheathe a house with cladding, let's figure it out in detail:

First, preparatory work, consisting in the creation of a preliminary lathing. It will come in handy both inside the house and outside, depending on what kind of areas are being finished.
Square bars 30 * 30 mm are packed vertically in increments of 0.5-0.6 m, fastening can be done with nails, strips and do not forget about the processing of the bar.
At this stage, it is worth deciding on the need for additional insulation and be sure to level the installation of the battens with a level.
As soon as the lathing on the walls is ready, proceed with the installation of the house block. Regardless of the type and type of panels, fastening always starts from bottom to top.

When it comes to fixing the planks, there are two ways:

Using galvanized clay, which is bent into the groove with one part, the other is attached to the lathing bar using a screw. After that, the panel is linked to the next one and the process is repeated. The positive aspects of the type of fastening are the strength and reliability of the masonry. Sometimes it is permissible to use liquid nails to increase strength. At the same time, the panel itself does not require screws and nails, therefore the risk of panel deformation is reduced to zero. Watch the video from the professionals to understand the whole process in detail.
The second option provides for fixing the panel to the lathing bar with self-tapping screws... To do this, you need to make a hole in the board equal to half of its thickness. After that, a screw is heated into the hole, and then the hole will be caulked flush with the board, as shown in the video. The house block is now securely fastened, while the screw head is not visible. The method is laborious and there is a risk of damaging the lamellae during installation.

Advice! If you have extensive experience in facing work, you can use the option of hammering nails into the groove of the board at an angle of 45 degrees. The method is complex, requires skill and the minimal shift of the nail immediately injures the lamella.

There are several difficulties that a home craftsman who wants to decorate the walls inside the house with a block house with his own hands may encounter:

Docking of panels in the corners. It is better to use special corners of the plinth, fitting parts of the lamellas under them. To do this, both walls of the corner are driven out, then the joint is hidden with a semicircular or flat element and fastened with liquid nails.
Particularly sharp corners should be hidden behind a wooden lath, it can be decorative if it is an internal finish and a single color if an external facade is faced.
Installing a panel that fits into the ceiling can also complicate the process a little. If the ceiling is not finished, then in the process of facing all the irregularities will be hidden later, and if the ceiling is finished, the decorative cornice will skillfully hide the cracks.
Window openings and doors require special platbands. Thus, all cracks and backlashes are hidden, and the risk of snow, rain and wind entering the premises is minimized. Platbands can be mounted on nails, glue, screws.

Regardless of the choice of technology, the walls under the block house cladding, there is no need to cook thoroughly. The lathing can be stuffed on old paint, plaster, uneven panels, the main thing is that the frame holds well, and everything else will be covered with a house block.

After finishing the installation, it is better to walk the varnish over the surface. In addition to additional protection, tint varnish will give the building the desired color scheme and complement the interior interior if rooms in the house have been tiled.

Features of cladding a wooden block house

Wood cladding requires its own technological subtleties:

You cannot use ordinary nails, self-tapping screws - they will quickly rust. It is best to use galvanized metal fasteners.
The construction of the frame is an obligatory step; under the cladding, you can lay a heater, a vapor-permeable and windproof membrane.
As soon as the installation of the lathing is completed, the panels are laid out in one of the ways described earlier.
To prevent the possible process of decay, damage to the wooden block of the house, the panels should be treated with compositions at least once every 5-6 years.

As a rule, the house block goes well with the decoration of the basement with artificial, natural or slab finishing materials. The combination of siding and block house looks good.

Finishing types

There is a variant of cladding made of plastic, wood, metal:

Wooden blockhouse It is made of coniferous wood and has a class A or B. The latter is characterized by the presence of cracks and cannot be used for external cladding - such material will spoil the very first winter.

Important! Thermal performance and durability are worth looking at to find a good material. If these are planks with the "winter" indicator, then the strength of the material meets all the customer's requirements: the panels will not crack, deform or peel off from frost.

Metal blockhouse- a new material that is devoid of the disadvantages of wood, but does not differ at all in the warmth and naturalness of wood.
Vinyl blockhouse- the most demanded product on the market of finishing materials. Low price and high quality indicators made the products in demand. In this case, the developer can always choose the desired shade. And if it is a stable manufacturer and supplier, the vinyl block house will stand flawlessly for more than a dozen years, without losing its original qualities.

Knowing how to sheathe a house with clapboard, after looking at the photo and choosing the appropriate decor option, it remains only to clarify how much the material costs and start facing the facade, the inner walls of the premises of your house. As you can see, cladding does not carry any difficulties, special tools and special knowledge are not required: to give the house a perfect look and achieve this with minimal investment is the main task that can be solved with the help of "American lining", as the house block is also called.

Block house is a modern finishing lumber for external and internal wall decoration, imitating a rounded log. It is a panel made of natural wood and is made of logs along with clapboard. Cutting logs using the square-in-a-circle technology allows you to get four rounded blanks for panels, and from the remaining part with a rectangular cross-section, boards or timber are produced. This manufacturing method is suitable for industrial production of a wide variety of products in large volumes. A small batch of products is obtained from an edged board by rounding its profile using a milling machine. A high-quality, convenient docking, like that of a lining, is provided by a thorn-groove fastening. When assembled, the panels give the impression of a real log wall. They can be used to decorate the external and internal walls of residential premises, cafes, country houses, loggias, baths, sales areas. This type of surface design saves time and money for plastering.

Varieties of panels

The products are produced in three grades, and are also classified according to the type of raw materials and sizes. Products of grade "A" can have a knot on the front side and no more than two shallow cracks per 1.5 m in length. Grade "B" is allowed to have 4 knots and one spot of a contrasting color. Wood grade "C" can have up to 5% of the surface with defects. The panels are made from softwood and deciduous wood. The most common products are made from pine and larch. Their light wood has a beautiful texture. This material is easy to process, it can be tinted in any color. For external wall cladding, larch panels are often used, since it is not subject to decay, is not afraid of temperature changes and is not affected by insects. Of deciduous species, products are most often produced from alder, aspen, linden. Buyers can choose the width of the product, which ranges from 90 to 180 mm. The standard panel lengths are 3 and 6 m. The thickness and radius of the arc are also different. Larger boards are best used for external walls or spacious rooms. For small rooms, flatter options are suitable, which will create a spectacular embossed surface without significantly affecting the space. It must be borne in mind that the panels are laid on the crate, which also reduces the footage.

Benefits of panels

The advantages of this type of panel are obvious. They are made from environmentally friendly natural raw materials. Walls with this finish "breathe". The material is distinguished by its beauty and durability. Coniferous wood species are quite affordable. Thanks to the antiseptic treatment, the material is not affected by fungus and mold. One of the most important points is that these products undergo high-quality drying and their moisture content is below 15%. This prevents deformation, cracking, twisting, and reduces the weight of the boards. The material is lightweight and extremely easy to assemble. The tongue-and-groove fastening system in conditions of optimum wood moisture ensures good fixation. The disadvantages of wood are well known to all. First of all, it is low moisture resistance and all the problems associated with this. If the temperature difference between the wall and the air is large, condensation may form under the panels.

Panels of this type allow you to recreate an eco-friendly design in an already built house or in a standard apartment. They will fill the space with the aromas of wood, especially if they are made of conifers, and the owners will not have problems with cracking the material, settling, joining, sealing cracks, as happens with real logs.

The block house allows you to give a stunning appearance to any home, even if it is built with ordinary building materials. After sheathing the block with a house, it seems that the house is entirely built of logs, it is impossible to distinguish it from a natural frame. Sheathing a house with a block house can be done by hand.

It is worth noting that the original meaning of the word blockhouse has been distorted. In the west, it means frame houses that are assembled in a short time. We use the same term primarily for finishing panels. For the production of a block house, different types of wood are used, conifers are often used, so it will not be difficult to find the right option for any home.

Choosing a block house type

House block can be classified by the type of material used:

house wooden block. Made directly from logs. At a woodworking plant, a log is processed according to a square in a circle scheme, that is, semicircular sections are cut along the perimeter of the logs, the remainder is used to make beams and boards, and sections with a semicircular surface are used to make a block house. The wood is impregnated with special protective compounds even at the production stage, and the packaging eliminates deformation;

metal block house. In fact, it is a kind of siding - it only imitates the shape and surface of wood, installation is carried out using the same technique as the installation of siding panels;

vinyl block house - somewhat dull in comparison with natural wood. The installation is no different from the installation of siding and metal block house.

Tools and materials for house cladding with block house

Sheathing a house with a block house with your own hands is quite simple, for this you will need the following tools and materials:

wooden bars (with a section of 40x50 and 30x40 mm), a metal frame can also be used for the lathing, but most often it is a wooden lathing that is preferred;
waterproofing film;
vapor barrier layer. Foil kraft paper is often used;

heat-insulating material, in principle, the device of a heat-insulator layer is not necessary, but most often the cladding with a house block is combined with wall insulation;
block house;
a means for processing wood, despite the factory impregnation, additional processing of the house block will not be superfluous;
stain or varnish;
self-tapping screws, nails or clamps;

platbands;
skirting boards (when cladding with a block house from the inside of the wall);
corners for mounting on external and internal corners;
a hacksaw for cutting a block of a house (for large volumes of work, it is better to use a circular);
drill;
construction stapler;
screwdriver.

Block house wall cladding technology

For correct wall cladding with a block house, installation work should be performed in the following sequence:

Preparing the wall. At this stage, the walls are cleaned from dirt. When cladding a wooden exterior wall, carefully remove any residual bark from the logs.
A waterproofing layer is attached to the wall surface. For this, you can use a special film.

A crate is placed on top of this film. As a rule, wooden lathing is used, although metal profiles are allowed. The elements of the crate must first be protected from rotting and insects by impregnation with special substances. It is recommended to use beams with a minimum section of 40x50 mm, this size is due to the fact that the thickness of heat-insulating materials is usually 50 mm. The pitch of the lathing beams should not exceed 50 - 60 cm. Mineral wool or other heat-insulating material is placed in the resulting cells.

Since there should be a gap between the blockhouse and the heat insulator layer, a second crate is stuffed on top of the crate already attached to the wall, but bars of a smaller section are used - 30x40 mm, later the house block panels will be attached to them. Before attaching the second layer of lathing, a vapor barrier membrane is attached over the entire surface of the insulation (using a stapler).

It is important not to confuse the location of the vapor barrier layer, the foil-coated kraft paper is placed with the foil outward.

After that, you can proceed with the installation of block house panels, wall cladding can be started both from top to bottom and in the opposite direction. At this stage, keeping the panels horizontally is of great importance, the slightest distortion can spoil the whole positive effect of cladding with a block house. It is especially necessary to carefully control the horizontal position of the first panel.

The cladding of the outer wall is not carried out along the entire height, the house block is not brought to the ground by at least 30 cm. Stone materials are usually used to decorate this area.

Even before starting sheathing, you need to decide on the type of attachment of the house block to the crate, the speed of work and the percentage of rejects will depend on this. The panels are connected to each other according to the thorn-groove scheme, but they must also be attached to the battens of the lathing. This can be done in 3 ways.

With the use of clamps. This will require additional labor, so the installation of the house block will be somewhat slower, but at the same time the risk of damage to individual panels is minimized.

With galvanized nails. Perhaps the most undesirable mounting method that can only be recommended to an experienced person. Nails are driven at an angle or perpendicularly into the groove of the board. When using this method, the danger of damage to the elements of the interlocking connection of the panels is extremely high.

With self-tapping screws. At the same time, a hole is drilled in the board by ½ of its thickness, equal to the diameter of the self-tapping screw, then the house block is attached to the crate. Subsequently, this hole is masked using, for example, a mixture of glue and sawdust.

After installing and fixing the first row, its horizontalness is checked using a building level. In the future, the horizontal position can be checked every few rows.

To facilitate the cladding of the house with a block house, it is recommended to position the panels in such a way that the spike goes into the groove from top to bottom. With this arrangement of the panels, a light tapping with a rubber mallet is sufficient for the panels to be firmly connected to each other.

Completion of the assembly of the block house. The finishing touch can be considered the finishing of the outer and inner corners. In principle, you can try to join the panels of the house block end-to-end, but this will require careful sawing of the ends of the panels, which will lead to unnecessary labor costs.

In addition, the butt joint will not allow the panels to compensate for thermal deformations when heated. To save time, special corners are most often used for finishing corners, which are attached to adhesive mixtures. This does not affect the aesthetic component.

The same approach is used when decorating window and door openings. Slots and other imperfections are hidden behind the platbands.

Despite the factory impregnation of wood with protective compounds, many people prefer to coat the wood with an antiseptic again after the installation is completed. You can also use varnish or wood stain to achieve the desired shade of wood.

With the help of block house cladding, even the most ordinary brick house can easily be transformed into a natural frame. It will look like the builders have just finished laying the last logs.

Eco-friendly houses made from natural materials have become very popular in recent decades. Traditional wooden buildings remain one of the most widespread. Such structures are suitable both as a summer cottage or capital cottage for year-round living, and for small office buildings.

And enthusiasts argue that it is worth using a practical house block.

Why wooden houses often need cladding

Houses made of any wooden building material have long been a priority for citizens. Profiled or glued beams, rounded logs remain the sales leaders in this segment. Such materials have already been dried, equipped with cuts, connecting elements, and prepared as much as possible for the construction of reliable walls.

Supporters of naturalism prefer to use a traditional log, which assumes a long period of shrinkage of the structure - with this method, the flaws in the workpieces will always be in sight. In this case, sheathing of the house with a block house is recommended no earlier than a year or two after the completion of construction.

The walls of self-built houses often have visible defects or need additional insulation, since the climate in most regions of the country is very unstable. It would be quite a reasonable step to clad a wooden structure from the outside, which does not reduce the usable space of the premises and gives the building a special charm. External wall decoration for frame houses is required - this method will create a cozy atmosphere inside the building and improve its appearance from the outside.

A separate category is capital old buildings that lose their visual appeal and become less comfortable. Additional presentable wall protection will extend the life of the house: protect against precipitation, mechanical damage. The insulation is laid outside and combined with a hydro-barrier, and the surface of the old wood is cleaned of paint, varnishes, and covered with antiseptic compounds. The zealous owners can do all the work with their own hands.

Block house: advantages, species diversity and selection rules

House block is considered the most successful and presentable type of lining. Its environmental friendliness is undeniable. Most often, the starting material for the panels is coniferous wood. Many consumers are attracted by the ability of lamellas to release phytoncides for many years, which suppress the development of bacteria.

Durability, excellent insulating properties in combination with maintaining natural air exchange are the arguments that can be decisive when choosing a facing material. Also important are the ease of installation of the structure - any craftsman can do it with their own hands - and the absence of "wet" work.

Professionals note that the pine block house is indispensable for the external facing of the walls of a residential building, but for saunas and baths, dense hardwood panels would be a rational choice. To choose the best variety and not be disappointed in the material, you need to decide on the price category before starting purchases:

Class A - an elite block house of excellent quality without the slightest error. It remains the most expensive and very presentable.
Class B - implies the presence of minor knots - up to 3 cm - on the front side, which, with a skillful arrangement, can even decorate the facade. And on the back side, small chips are permissible.
Class B - the number of knots and their configuration are not regulated.

The type of material for the walls is selected depending on the purpose of the building and the aesthetic preferences of each. If you plan to build a house with your own hands, then when choosing the lamellas on your own, you should carefully examine each segment and put aside specimens with cracks and mold.

Craftsmen draw the attention of beginners to special nuances: the closer the lines of the annual rings are to each other, the stronger and denser the wood. The cladding of the building by the blockhouse from the outside assumes a wider modification of the board - about 150 mm.

Sheathing a house with a block house is made on a prepared frame, which is easy to build with your own hands from slats or ordinary boards. Such a lathing is located along the walls with a step of 500-700 mm. And the resulting gap is excellent for laying insulating materials. The layer thickness is calculated depending on the region. For example: in winter, the thermometer shows from -8 to -12 o, which means that a five-centimeter thickness of the material is enough.

If you plan to use mineral wool, then the step is selected in proportion to the available slabs. And in front of the panels of the block house there is a layer of wind protection. Any kind of waterproofing will extend the life of the base material.

To do the work with your own hands, you will need a screwdriver, which can be replaced with a regular drill. A square, saw or grinder with a set of discs will also come in handy.

When constructing the frame, plumb lines and levels are used - the slats must be installed strictly vertically. Only in this case the cladding will have the correct geometric shapes. If samples of B or C class are available, then before work you need to carefully examine them and plan the location of the panels. Defects should be masked with a special putty. Any house block is treated with impregnations.

It is important to correctly cut the material, carefully measuring all the parameters of the walls with your own hands, taking into account the presence of door and window openings.

For cladding the outer walls of a wooden structure, a house block is laid horizontally. The spikes should be located on top: this way they protect the grooves from rainwater. The sealed joint - "thorn-groove" ensures the tightness of the structure.

Experienced craftsmen prefer to construct corners by perfectly sawing the lamellas at an angle of 45 degrees. And for those who do such work with their own hands for the first time, it is worth using the decorative outer corner. To refine the joints near a window or door, you need to purchase cash boxes.

To attach a wide block to the frame, clamps and self-tapping screws are used: holes are carefully drilled in the panels, which are then masked with a selected putty or closed with special plugs.

The finishing stage is the application of varnish or paint to the block house. The coverage must be renewed every 5-7 years.