How to Mix Mortar for Log Cabins
Modern log cabin builders often use specially-made mortar as chinking material, the material that goes into the horizontal spaces between the logs after placement, to seal the spaces and prevent unfettered air movement through the walls. This mortar, designed with flexibility in mind, moves along with any movement in the logs over the years, so the seal remains intact while remaining strong enough to last for decades without the need for replacement. Its ingredients differ only slightly from traditional mortar mixes, but it's those differences that provide the flexibility needed for this very specific use. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Sand
- Builder's lime
- Softwood sawdust
- 1/2-inch metal mesh
- Portland cement
- Wheelbarrow
- Spade
Instructions
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Pour nine parts masonry sand, three parts builder's lime, three parts softwood sawdust soaked in water overnight. Press through a metal screen with 1/2-inch meshwork, and two parts Portland cement into a wheelbarrow. Use a spade to measure the parts equally.
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Mix the materials thoroughly with a spade by folding them from the bottom-center out to the edges.
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Add water to the mixture while folding the mixture in the wheelbarrow, to incorporate the moisture into the mix. Keep folding the water in until you have a smooth, spreadable mortar with the same consistency as oatmeal.
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Use the mix to provide the mortar for the chinking in the log cabin, filling the gaps between the horizontal log placements as a sealant.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear long clothing, work gloves, safety goggles and a respirator while mixing the mortar, to avoid contact with the material components.
References
- Photo Credit Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
