How to line a house made of timber with bricks yourself?

A brick house is strong and beautiful, but... A brick wall is heavy, so it requires a strong foundation. Brick does not hold heat well - it needs to be insulated. There are other additional costs. In general, it's expensive. There is an option to make a structure from timber and cover the house with bricks. It will turn out strong, beautiful, prestigious and... much cheaper.

In this article we will tell you how to properly brick a house.

Features of facing works

Scheme of options for insulating log and timber walls.

A house made of timber is decorated with bricks in such a way that the final thickness of the masonry is ¼ or ½ the thickness of the product.

This can only be done if there is a ledge; the masonry will rest on it. Before covering the building with bricks, it should be taken into account that the ledge should be located slightly below the lower frame of the wooden walls; as an alternative location of the ledge, you can use the place below the starting crown. If this requirement is not taken into account, moisture will accumulate on the ledge, which will lead to undesirable consequences.

It should be remembered that brick and wood are completely different materials in structure and composition, this causes different degrees and rates of their shrinkage.

Among other things, wood undergoes a process of changing moisture content over a long period of time, which ultimately affects its appearance, as well as its linear dimensions. Thus, after cycles of swelling and drying, wood is capable of deformation, unlike brick. Based on the above features, cladding work on log houses should begin after complete shrinkage of the building, which can take up to 3 years.

A house made of timber should be faced so that the top line of the masonry does not reach the height of the walls of the building by 1-1.5 cm. This will prevent damage to the eaves by wood, which can occur due to seasonal fluctuations in temperature and humidity.

A house made of timber can be protected with bricks using one of the existing technologies. The first involves the use of brick in tandem with sheathing made of insulation, which has a protective shell. The second involves the creation of a so-called ventilation facade, for which, in the process of carrying out work, a space is created between the wall of the main building and the cladding to ensure the movement of air masses.

Combined construction

To begin with, it is worth determining the basic properties of both brick and wood in order to have an idea in which direction it is best to use them.

Properties of materials

Brick:

Environmental friendliness. Natural components, sand, water, clay, make this material an ideal “neighbor” for humans.
Strength. For example, double silicate brick m 150, which is often used in the construction of houses, can withstand a load of 150 kg per square meter. cm.
Duration of operation. Here we can talk not so much about years, but about decades and even centuries.
Easy to use. Brickwork can be carried out even without having certain special knowledge in construction.
Frost resistance. High performance makes it possible to build houses in any climate zone.

To be completely objective about bricks, it is necessary to note the disadvantages, which are associated primarily with low thermal insulation qualities. If a brick house does not require additional insulation from the outside or inside, then the wall should be 50-60 cm thick.

However, it is extremely difficult for building bricks to give off heat, so in the cold season it is possible to quite comfortably maintain a constant temperature in the premises.

Wood, timber:

Environmentally friendly, as in the case of brick.
Easy to use.
Availability.
Thermal insulation and sound insulation properties.

Of course, timber has a lot of disadvantages; after all, we are talking about wood, and this includes the possibility of rotting, the formation of mold, mildew, and a fire hazard.

Preparation process

Technical characteristics of facing bricks.

You can begin to clad a house made of timber if it has a solid strip foundation.

If there is a blind area, it cannot be used as a base. A house made of timber may not have a sufficient foundation width for the work, then you can resort to laying a strip foundation, which will be used for masonry. Its width should be 13-15 cm; as a more acceptable option, it is preferable to use a width of 20-25 cm.

It is worth remembering that such a solution in the form of laying an additional foundation is not the best option, since different parts of the resulting foundation will shrink differently. This can cause the building to skew, cracks can form in the base and walls, and mismatched openings in the main and facing walls can occur.

Waterproofing should be laid on the foundation; traditional roofing felt can be used as it. It should be installed in 2-3 layers; moreover, it is necessary to ensure that the material protrudes beyond the base by an average of 5 cm on both sides.

The lining of the building involves laying a heat insulator, which must be fixed to the walls. Mineral wool, which is produced in sheets, has proven itself to be excellent. If you want to save money, you can use a budget option for insulation, for which you should use expanded clay, which will have to be filled in during the work process.

Materials for external thermal insulation

In this case, the house can be insulated with any materials suitable for external thermal insulation.

You can insulate brick walls using:

polystyrene foam;
mineral wool;
extruded polystyrene foam;
polyurethane foam,
thermal panels.

Characteristics of insulation

Insulation materials

Today, foam insulation is very common. This is an inexpensive material that retains heat well, is easy to install, and holds its shape well.
One of the best insulation materials is extruded polystyrene foam. It has minimal water absorption and low thermal conductivity. In addition, EPS is very durable, which is why it is often used for thermal insulation of blind areas and foundations.
When insulating a facade with mineral wool, you need to take into account that only stone and basalt wool with a density of at least 80 kg/m3 is suitable for external thermal insulation. Less dense material may lose its shape.
Polyurethane foam is excellent for thermal insulation of a brick wall. It has low density, high thermal insulation characteristics and good adhesion. However, the material is not resistant to UV radiation, therefore, when insulating the facade, immediately after installation it must be covered with finishing.
Thermal panels simultaneously perform the function of both heat insulation and finishing. They consist of several layers of PPU and EPS, and their front part is made of clinker tiles, ceramics, porcelain stoneware or concrete. They have many advantages, but they are also quite expensive.

Cladding technology

You can cover a wooden building with bricks using mortars of different compositions. These can be mixtures based on cement, limestone, clay. The best option is to use cement mortar.

The brand of the final mortar depends on the brand of cement used in the work. This dependence is directly proportional: the higher the grade of cement, the higher the strength of the masonry mixture.

Brick cladding scheme.

Before using the solution, you should check it for mobility, during which you need to use a cone whose weight is 300 g, height - 15 cm, and apex angle - 30°.

Thus, mobility is determined by the depth of immersion of the tool into the finished mixture. If the work involves using hollow bricks, the mobility indicator should be 7-8 cm, and for solid products the indicator can vary from 9 to 13 cm. Mobility indicates the ability of the mixture to spread under the influence of its weight.

Before bricking a house, you should prepare the mortar. So, to obtain a lime-cement mixture, you need to use 1 part M-500 cement, 2 parts lime paste and 8 parts sand. To prepare the cement mixture, you need to use 1 part M-500 cement and 4 parts sand.

Another method of preparing a solution involves adding glue to the composition, which is necessary to increase the strength properties; Liquid soap can also be added, which guarantees increased plasticity and prevents excessive fluidity. To obtain such a mixture, you need to use 4 parts sand, 1 part M-500 cement, 0.5 parts Fliesenkleber glue and a little liquid soap. This solution will be more expensive than the previous ones, but the quality characteristics will fully compensate for this disadvantage.

Brick layout.

In addition to the above advantages, such a composition will not come off the products, and its waterproofing characteristics will be excellent.

During the work process, you can trim the brick with a hammer-pick; the main masonry tool is a trowel or trowel; you need to spread it out and then level the mixture on the products.

Seams can be processed by jointing, and ventilation and smoke openings can be cleaned, and seams in channels can be smoothed and filled with a mop. It looks like a rubber plate that is secured between the flanges. To control the verticality and horizontality of the masonry, it is necessary to use control and measuring tools: a plumb line and a level.

The corners of the masonry, when the house is lined with bricks, also need to be checked; a square can be used for this. In order for the seams to be ultimately uniform and aesthetically pleasing, a tie cord must be used.

It is recommended to check the straightness of the masonry with a straightening rod, the length of which is also 2 meters, its cross-section should be 50x50. In addition, the tool must have notches on each row, which are necessary for marking the masonry. Fastening the ordering strip to the brick surface can be done using brackets with a transverse strip.

The house should be covered with bricks in polyproducts.

Thus, in the end, the thickness of the wall will be equal to 12.5 cm. In some cases, the masonry is carried out in a quarter of a brick, the product must be installed on the edge, the thickness of the masonry will be equal to 6.5 cm. If you decide not to lay the foundation, then mount brick can be placed on the protrusions of the plinth.

Which brick to use

Facing bricks are produced using different technologies, due to which they have different characteristics and prices:

Ceramic. Of all the finishing materials, it is the most inexpensive. One of the disadvantages is high hygroscopicity: 6-15% depending on the technology and batch. When water gets into the pores, it expands when it freezes, causing destruction and the brick begins to crumble. Even the special finishing one, in which in factories the bed (the part that ends up outside) is specially protected. The solution is to cover the wall with a hydrophobic compound after installation. Only those that do not form a vapor-proof film

When choosing, pay attention to this: excess moisture must be removed. Frost resistance of ceramic facing bricks is 25-75 cycles (how many times it can withstand freezing/freezing without deterioration). The higher this indicator, the higher the price

This is explained by the high production costs

The higher this indicator, the higher the price. This is explained by high production costs.

Hyperpressed or non-firing. This type of facing brick is produced not by firing, but by pressing. It no longer contains clay, but lime with various fillers and pigments. The ability to use pigments allows you to obtain a wide range of colors. The front surface is often nonlinear, imitating wild stone. Looks decorative. But such nonlinearity threatens delamination: an uneven surface allows water to flow into the pores more abundantly and freezes in cold weather. This is treated in the same way as in the case of ceramics: hydrophobic impregnation. The frost resistance of high-quality unfired bricks is stated by manufacturers to be from 75 to 150 cycles.

Clinker. This brick is also ceramic, but a special technology gives it very high strength and density. Denser material absorbs water much worse. This is good for use, but when laying it it leads to difficulties: in order for the wall not to “float”, it must be laid on a hard, low-plasticity mortar, and it is more difficult to work with. Another disadvantage that limits the wide distribution of a material with excellent characteristics is that it is expensive compared to previous materials: prices are 50-150% higher, depending on the manufacturer. Frost resistance of clinker is from 100 to 150 cycles. Clinker cladding of a house with bricks is not a cheap pleasure, but it is the most attractive in appearance.

Silicate. The cheapest, but also the most “quickly perishable” of facing bricks: its frost resistance is 25-50 cycles. It conducts heat better. Not much, but still: the average thermal conductivity of ceramic is 0.16, silicate is 0.18. In addition, it is heavier: on average, the weight of ceramics is 2.4 kg, silicate of the same size is 3 kg. More weight requires a more powerful foundation and the price gain (silicate is cheaper) is not so great. If you consider that heating costs will also be higher, then the gain is questionable. It is advisable to cover the house with sand-lime brick in warm regions. In the northern regions this is completely unprofitable.

Choosing the type of brick is not everything

It is also necessary to pay attention to the size and shape of the holes. Solid finishing bricks are rarely used: they are more expensive and weigh more. On average, voids occupy about 28%, but they can be large and small

Given equal characteristics, give preference to bricks with small holes: the mortar will not flow into them. This will reduce the consumption of masonry mortar and increase the strength of the masonry

On average, voids occupy about 28%, but they can be large and small. Given equal characteristics, give preference to bricks with small holes: the mortar will not flow into them. This will reduce the consumption of masonry mortar and increase the strength of the masonry.

If you decide to clad the house with hyper-pressed brick, it should be made no earlier than 15-20 days ago. During this time, it gains basic strength (about 80%) and can be transported and loaded without fear.

Please note that the brick packaging should not be exposed to water during storage. This is especially true if you are planning to leave it for the winter.

Additional recommendations

The facing wall should be connected to the main wall with clamps made of galvanized steel roofing; nails or pieces of steel wire can be used.

It is preferable to use galvanizing, since ordinary metal will be destroyed by condensation.

One end must be fixed to the main wall, the other must be placed in the masonry seam. Fasteners can be placed in 2 rows with a step that does not exceed 1 m. When cladding the timber, you should use moisture-resistant products.

There should be a distance between the wall and the masonry, the maximum length of which is 10 cm. A ventilation groove of 10-15 mm should be installed in the upper part of the wall; nets can be used to protect them. The masonry should be carried out with bandaging of the seams, the size of the bandage should not be less than ¼ of the length of the product. Expansion joints should be located closer to the corners, the step between them should be 10-14 m.

You can do the wall cladding yourself; it is only important to follow all the rules.

Wooden houses have been built throughout human history; they have an incredible number of advantages, but they also have their disadvantages. Covering a house made of timber with bricks will not be difficult even for a person who has taken up such an undertaking for the first time. The process is quite simple and fast, but requires considerable material costs.

Cladding timber with bricks does not take much time and is a quality component.

Before starting work, you need to make sure that the width of the foundation allows you to implement the idea. Facing the timber with bricks is envisaged during the design process in order to leave an additional 8 cm. In total, facing a log house with bricks does not take much time, but the whole process must be carried out systematically and clearly, after which the result will not be long in coming.

The particular importance of facing timber with bricks also lies in the quality component, because the tree will no longer be affected by the external humid environment.

But before starting work, you need to wait until the wood dries out in natural conditions, if there was precipitation before the installation began.

Cladding a wooden house with bricks - pros, cons, features

Is it worth covering a wooden house with bricks? Opinions of both ordinary people and experts on this matter differ. Let's take a closer look at the pros and cons of this additional finishing method.

the appearance of an old wooden house will improve, this is also true for a log house made of timber with natural moisture that has not successfully undergone the shrinkage process;
the rooms will become warmer, airflow will decrease, and if you use additional thermal insulation, you can get a decent result in increasing energy efficiency;
the influence of external weather and other factors on the condition of the wood will be reduced.

If you line a wooden house with brick, it will definitely become warmer, especially if for some reason (lack of financial resources at the time of assembling the log house, errors in calculating the thickness of the log or timber) the walls of the building turned out to be too thin for the climatic conditions in the region. In addition, the choice of materials for finishing will expand - plasters, putties, paints, cladding.

What are the disadvantages of lining a timber or log house with bricks?

When adding an additional thermal insulation layer between the old and new walls, condensation may accumulate or the material may be damaged by insects, fungus, and mold. But it will be extremely problematic to carry out repairs and replace the insulation after facing the building with brick.
The breathability of the house will decrease, a “thermos” effect is possible. To prevent such troubles, it will be necessary to strengthen the initially designed room ventilation system. Additional work = additional costs.
The authentic appearance of the building will be irretrievably lost. Timber or log walls look great in country living conditions; brick, especially inexpensive brick, will not give such an effect.

But why, given such significant disadvantages, even bother with this procedure?

Reasons why you should line your house with brick cladding

Building additional brick walls on top of timber or logs is a rather labor-intensive process and an expensive pleasure. What could prompt this?

There are two main reasons:

the need for serious insulation of the building;
increasing the service life of wood, ensuring a presentable appearance of the house for many decades.

Most often, brickwork is used to improve the performance of old wooden buildings. This could be a log house, the appearance of the walls of which leaves much to be desired due to the long-term influence of weather factors - frost, moisture from precipitation, and UV radiation from the sun. In addition, over a long period of operation, seasonal changes in temperature conditions lead to cracks, including through ones, which significantly reduce the building’s resistance to heat leaks and the appearance of cold bridges.

But a new log house may require this procedure. It is necessary in case of insufficient thickness of wooden walls, construction from timber with natural moisture with the further appearance of external defects.

Is it worth resorting to this method, given its complexity, high level of costs and the difficulty of accessing wooden walls with insulation in the future? If you carefully calculate everything, follow the cladding technology and use the right type of thermal insulation, cladding is a worthy way to make your home warmer and improve its appearance.

A house made of timber, lined with brick, looks impressive and solid from the outside, but the interior retains a certain amount of authenticity. Due to the internal wooden walls (if synthetic vapor-proof finishing materials are not used), the building retains the ability to naturally control the microclimate.

What is required and how to apply the lining?

In order to carry out a construction operation according to all the rules, all points should be taken into account:

A sufficient width of the foundation is required; if it was not originally intended to line the building, the base must be expanded, leaving space for a brick wall, insulation and a ventilation gap;
It is imperative to use a vapor barrier; it is mounted directly on a log or timber wall, under the insulation;
The absence of a ventilation gap will lead to the accumulation of moisture on the surface of the thermal insulation material; in the case of using extruded polystyrene foam, this is not critical, but more natural mineral insulation and ecowool are able to absorb water and settle.

For work, it is necessary to use a cement mortar of a grade not lower than M-300 to obtain a reliable and durable wall. If you do not have experience in such work, it is better not to try to do the cladding yourself. Contact specialists who will carry out the work faster and better. A mistake in construction can have very unpleasant consequences.

Basic aspects and getting started: instructions

Concrete grade M 200 is suitable for concreting.

To complete this stage of work you will need:

Shovel. Edged board. Hammer with nails. Perforator. Mastic. Reinforcing rod 10 mm. Concrete mortar m300.

The most difficult thing is to achieve ideal vapor transmission so that a house made of timber does not begin to rot. The reason for this reaction is that wood walls and brick cladding have different densities.

Despite the large mass, houses made of timber are almost never built with more than 3 floors, i.e.

That is, strip and slab foundations will withstand them with a bang. To be sure, you need to retreat 3 cm in each direction beyond the final walls.

The foundation itself is made of exceptional quality (poured on site from M300 concrete mortar), since with its small dimensions it will have to bear considerable weight.

Scheme for facing a wooden wall with bricks: 1-vapor barrier, 2-load-bearing wall, 3-thermal insulation, 4-fiberglass or metal connections, 5-facing brick.

There are also moments when there is a desire to reface a house, but the old foundation does not allow this to be done due to its weakness. Strengthening the foundation will require some investment of effort, time and money, but the resulting result will last at least 50 years:

The foundation is being dug around the perimeter outside the house.

The width of the trench should not be large, so that later you don’t have to bury a lot of soil back; formwork panels are made, which will then be located at a distance of 10 cm from the base structure; using a hammer drill with diamond drills, grooves (10 mm) are made in the concrete to a depth of 10 cm They are spaced horizontally at a distance of 50 cm, and vertically at 25 cm (rounding towards additional holes). It often happens that a diamond drill gets dirty in concrete, so you should always keep a piece of brick on hand, which will remove the plaque with a bang; a small amount of mastic is applied to the very end of each groove, after which a rod is immediately inserted exactly in diameter.

The length of the rod outside the base is 8 cm, since contact of the metal with the ground is strictly unacceptable (the metal rots rapidly); the formwork is installed, and an M300 concrete solution is poured into the resulting trench.

It is necessary to allow 3 weeks for the solution to completely harden, after which the formwork can be dismantled and the work activity of interest can be continued. It is worth remembering that the foundation is not monolithic, but prefabricated, which slightly weakens the structure, but taking into account the fact that the mass will press from above is relatively small, the negative impact of the seam is neutralized.

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Types of facing bricks: silicate, ordinary ceramic, hyperpressed, clinker.

You will need:

Facing brick. Cement mortar m300. Grids \ slotted brick. Reinforcing rod 5 mm. Trowel. Cutter.

The laying is carried out using the spoon method on a thin layer of mortar of 3-4 mm. During the laying process, it is necessary to remove excess mortar using a cutter so that the seams look good. Each subsequent row is offset from the previous one so that the vertical seams do not coincide.

After row 1 is laid out, row 2 will need to be made with a number of ventilation gaps.

Each gap is located at a distance of 0.5 m from the previous one. In order for air to circulate without difficulty, you need to calculate the walls, where for every 10 m2 there will be a 35 cm2 gap. There are several approaches - slotted bricks, special gratings and partial filling of vertical joints.

Particular attention should be paid to the insulation, since it should not be damaged in the process (the need to bevel into the outer part of the building is determined by the weakness of thermal insulation materials to moisture).

Which option to choose depends solely on the wishes of the owner, since each is considered ideal.

On the cornice row, as well as on the second row, air outlets are made. Thanks to this approach, a complete ventilation system will be implemented between the walls and the cladding.

Many craftsmen work using technology that does not regulate the connection of the cladding to the wall, which is why the structure turns out to be quite shaky. You need to connect, and this is done with enviable regularity (5 joints per 1 m2). For joints, a 5 mm reinforcing rod or 2-3 mm thick sheet steel is used.

On the one hand they are mounted in the timber, but on the other - in the horizontal seams of the cladding. When attaching the cladding, you don’t need to try to do anything unusual, but just deepen the metal into both bases. It is very important that the frame is connected to the last row of masonry, otherwise it will significantly weaken the structure.

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Every person who loves not only external beauty, but also the quality component should know how to brick a house made of timber. There will not be any particular difficulties during the work, but despite this, you need to do everything as efficiently as possible.

Once the timber is covered with bricks, lining the outside with polystyrene foam will no longer be possible. Physically sheathing it with foam plastic is not difficult, but it will bring absolutely no benefit.

When facing a house with brick, there are several factors that must be taken into account - a cement solution not weaker than m300 (cement comes without gravel, unlike concrete), the presence of air passages and a mandatory binding system. When covering a beam with a brick, you need to take the process as seriously as possible, so that the results will last at least 100 years. At this point, facing the house with brick can be considered complete, and you can begin any new venture.

Many owners like a house made of timber. The appearance of the log house is not always preserved, or the preferences of the residents change over the years.

What to do? Is there a way out of this situation? The owners begin to come up with different solutions: covering the house with decorative panels, siding, clapboard.

Is it possible to cover a house made of timber with bricks? The question worries many developers. Modern brick attracts with its reliability, beauty, and durability.

Is everything so good when covering the timber with bricks? Perhaps there are nuances that need to be taken into account when deciding to renovate the facade. Let's find out the intricacies of the process.

Features of wall cladding made of different materials

The facing masonry runs in half a brick. The self-supporting capacity of such a false wall is low. It must literally be tied to the facade. For this, different materials are used: ready-made flexible connections, anchors, nails, strips of sheet metal, masonry mesh.

The method of bonding, the need for insulation, the presence of a ventilated gap and vents depend on many properties of the facade material: strength, vapor permeability, holding force of fasteners, size of building blocks, etc.

Brick

In this case, everything is relatively simple. Both the wall and the cladding have almost the same parameters, including the dimensions of the brick. The most common fastening method is ready-made flexible connections made of metal or fiberglass. A flexible connection is a rod that has seals at the ends in the form of a “powder” of quartz sand (to improve adhesion). Such a rod is attached at one end to the horizontal mounting seam of the wall, and at the other to the cladding. If the seams do not match, then in the facing masonry the rod is placed in a vertical seam. Such cladding usually takes place simultaneously with insulation. For a newly built brick house, this makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the external walls and the total load on the foundation.

If polystyrene foam is used as insulation, then a ventilation gap is not needed. When using mineral wool, there is a need to ventilate water vapor from it. Therefore, on the side of the facing layer, a washer with a lock is put on the flexible connection, which presses the insulation mat against the wall of the house and leaves a ventilated gap between it and the facing. That is, the flexible connection also serves as a fastening for the insulation (there is no need to use umbrella dowels, as in curtain wall facades).

Number of connections per 1 sq. m walls - 4 pcs. (in openings - along the perimeter every 30 cm), minimum penetration into the seam is 90 mm, maximum - 150 mm.

Cinder block or monolithic cinder concrete houses

Cinder block is a lightweight concrete. Depending on the hollowness, the material can act in different capacities, including as thermal insulation. Its main disadvantages are its unattractive appearance and low resistance to precipitation and wind loads. Therefore, insulation of a cinder block house is usually not required, but cladding is required. The best material for this is considered to be brick with low water absorption (for example, clinker or hand-molded).

The vapor permeability of brick is lower than that of cinder block. As a result, in cold weather the dew point may “get” onto the cinder block, and water vapor will not be able to erode through the cladding. To prevent the main wall from becoming damp and collapsing, you need a ventilation gap and vents at the bottom of the cladding (at the base) and at the top (under the roof).

As a flexible connection, a masonry mesh is used, one edge of which is fixed to the wall with a bracket and dowel, and the second (in the masonry seam of the cladding) should not come out. The mesh is laid in every fifth row of brickwork.

Building blocks made of cellular concrete

Despite the differences in the manufacturing technology of aerated concrete and foam concrete, their load-bearing and thermal insulation properties are similar, there are only differences in vapor permeability (aerated concrete is higher). Facing for blocks made of cellular concrete is mandatory - the reasons are, in principle, the same as for cinder blocks.

As with cinder blocks, insulation is not necessary, but a ventilation gap is needed. Therefore, the method of attaching the facing masonry to the wall is similar.

Wooden houses

This is perhaps the rarest case of brick cladding.

It is almost impossible to veneer a log house with bricks due to the characteristic corner cuts of the crowns. Log houses do not have this problem, but the feasibility of cladding is very doubtful - the acquired advantages are much less than the disadvantages.

Frame (or frame-panel) wooden houses are attractive due to the absence of “wet” work, speed of construction and relatively low cost. Brick cladding is possible and practiced, but it neutralizes these advantages.

In any case, insulation when facing a wooden house with brick is, in principle, not necessary, but a gap is necessary - the lack of ventilation and weathering of excess moisture will lead to rotting of the wood. In addition, it is mandatory to treat the walls with antiseptics.

If insulation is carried out, it is performed using mineral wool mats, which have high vapor permeability. Installation of insulation is carried out over the lathing, using the technology of ventilated facades - with laying on top of a windproof, vapor-permeable membrane.

When insulating, it is not a masonry mesh that is used as a flexible connection, but pieces of wire attached to the wall with nails or self-tapping screws (at the rate of 4 pieces per 1 sq. m).

We think through the details at the design stage

Covering a house made of timber with bricks is not difficult even for a person who has no experience in bricklaying. But here the question is not about the skill of the workers, but about the reliability, stability and longevity of the structure. You need to make sure that the brick wall does not harm the timber frame and the house as a whole:

We check the reliability of the foundation and the possibility of laying a brick wall.

Brick is heavier than wood. The new wall will put additional pressure on the foundation. Will he be able to withstand the load?

If a house made of timber is built according to your design, it is easy to find out the properties of the foundation by looking at the surviving drawings and estimates. It is problematic if the house was built by the previous owner quite a long time ago. There may be no design documents left.

We inspect the existing foundation of the house and draw conclusions: is it necessary to strengthen the foundation, is there a basis for laying a new wall. Don't put the brick on the ground. We make notes on the new house project. To strengthen it, you will need to dig a narrow ditch around the perimeter to the depth of the foundation, pour in cement mortar, and create a new strip foundation.

Sometimes reinforcement is required from inside the home. This must be taken into account. We calculate the amount of required bricks and mortar for masonry. It’s better to take it with a reserve. Is there a need to insulate walls made of timber?

Is there enough heat in the house or do you have to constantly increase the temperature during cold weather? It is better to insulate the walls before starting to lay the walls. We calculate the amount of insulation and do not forget about the vapor barrier.

A house made of timber breathes, condensation can form, which is contraindicated for any structure. A vapor barrier will prevent the formation of condensation. The brick wall must be tied to the main wall of the house made of timber. Fastenings are provided that will tighten two materials: metal mesh or pins, which must be galvanized.

Perhaps these are all the points that need to be thought through before facing a house made of timber with brick. The project and estimate will give an idea of the cost of the desired upgrades. Now let's look at each moment in the process.

Selection of finishing materials

So, we have to cover the outside of the house from timber.

For these purposes, you can use the following materials:

vinyl siding;
metal siding;
block house;
thermal panels;
lining;
fiber cement panels;
brickwork.

. Again, this material is not afraid of direct sunlight, since the plastic is resistant to ultraviolet exposure.

The photo shows vinyl siding

Today, such material is considered the most popular, but not only because it practically does not age, but because it is easy to install and requires virtually no subsequent maintenance.

. Therefore, this material is not widely used in the finishing of individual buildings.

Metal siding

. A building finished with a block house is often confused with a house built using rounded logs. The block house is made from residual lumber obtained during the manufacture of wooden beams.

Connection of block house panels

Structurally, this finishing material is very similar to lining, as there is a tongue-and-groove connection. But the block house, unlike ordinary lining, repeats the relief of the log, and therefore is widely used for cladding low-rise buildings.

Thermal panels

This finishing material is based on polyurethane foam, so thermal panels are characterized by low heat and noise conductivity. Again, this finishing material is lightweight and easy to install. Among the significant disadvantages is the high cost of finishing.

. The advantage of this material is not the highest price and ease of installation. You can probably handle installing this material yourself.

Wooden lining

X. Gradually, this finishing material is penetrating the domestic market.

Color versions of fiber cement panels

A distinctive advantage of this material is its relatively light weight with a wide range of colors; the panels, when installed on the wall, not only protect the wooden house from destruction, but also perform the function of heat and sound insulation. Installation of the panels is simple, as it is performed directly on the wall of the house without the use of lathing.

. After all, through decorative brickwork you can protect wooden walls as much as possible from the negative effects of environmental factors. But the problem is that it is difficult to lay such masonry with your own hands, therefore, for such work, professionals should be involved.

Decorative brickwork

Installation of Block House

Let's look at how the most popular exterior cladding of a timber house with a block house is carried out.

Installation of this finishing material consists of the following steps:

wall surface preparation;
insulation of walls and installation of load-bearing sheathing;
preparing panels for installation;
installation of panels.

The panels should be mounted on smooth and dry walls. The wooden surface must be examined for areas affected by mold and mildew. Next, these places are treated with an antiseptic primer and sanded.

At the same stage it is necessary to waterproof the walls. To achieve this, the wood is treated with water-repellent compounds that make the surface of the walls more hydrophobic. As a result, during the operation of the building, mold and mildew will not appear under the layer of the block house.

Lathing on timber walls

Before installing the panels, the surface is covered with lathing. The sheathing can be made from wooden beams or from a metal profile. The primary task is to bring the surface of the sheathing to one level in a vertical plane. The installed wooden sheathing must be covered with a protective layer of drying oil or varnish.

Before proceeding with installation, the material must be kept outside for a couple of days so that it acquires the appropriate humidity and temperature.

The installation of a block house is traditionally done with the tenon facing upwards. In this case, water will not penetrate into the groove.

Installation is carried out via:

nails (budgetary but short-lived fasteners);
galvanized self-tapping screws (the most common fastening element);
special staples (clasps).

Block house laying diagram

This is interesting: How to cover a house made of timber with siding: let’s look at it in detail

Strengthening the foundation of a timber house

During a preliminary inspection, it was decided that the foundation needed to be strengthened.

A brick wall gives a lot of load. Even though we will cover a house made of timber with bricks in one layer, the weight will be decent. Let's get started:

We remove the decorative trim from the base part, if any. We dig a ditch around the perimeter of the house, stepping back from the walls by 100 mm (this will be a technical gap for ventilation). The ditch should be to the full depth of the foundation, but not wide. 100 mm is enough.

This will serve as a reinforcement of the previous foundation and the basis for the brickwork. We assemble the formwork and pour the mortar. The foundation needs to dry out and be waterproofed. Watch a video about what the foundation for facing bricks should be like. After the foundation has dried, we move on to brick work and insulation of the walls of the house made of timber.

Calculation of the quantity of materials

In order for the finishing of the house to take place without unpleasant surprises, before it begins, it is necessary to calculate the required amount of building materials, i.e., correctly determine how much brick, cement, sand, and concrete will be required if you have to pour a separate foundation for the cladding. This is quite simple to do, the main thing is not to make mistakes in the simplest mathematical operations.

It is generally accepted that 50-55 bricks are required per square meter of masonry. Indeed, the size of the spoon (long side part) of a standard brick is 250x65 mm, i.e. its area is approximately 0.016 square meters. m. Considering that the brick is surrounded on all sides by mortar (the required thickness of the mortar layer will be discussed below), its size can be increased by approximately 25-30%, which is where the given amount is obtained.

When calculating the cladding area, do not forget to subtract the dimensions of window and door openings.

Calculation of the amount of cement for preparing the solution can be done using a simple ratio: finishing one square meter of facade will require about 2 kg of the finished mixture.

Determining the volume of concrete for pouring the foundation is also easy: you need to multiply the perimeter of the house by the width of the foundation (0.3 m) and its depth (in the Moscow region usually 0.5 - 1.5 m).

We lay out a brick wall, following the rules

Before starting to work with bricks, it is necessary to process the timber around the perimeter of the house.

Do not neglect the impregnation of the walls. Wood is not a brick; it has the ability to rot and collapse. By closing the walls without treatment and gaps for ventilation, you risk reducing the service life of the wooden part.

If insulation is necessary, do it after the impregnation has weathered. The insulation should not reduce the ventilation gap, which is 50 mm wide between the brick and wooden walls. This space is necessary to remove moist air from the wooden wall.

Any wood breathes, allows vapors, air, and humidity to pass through. As long as the wall is not lined with brick, fumes escape unhindered. After facing a log house with brick, this opportunity disappears.

It must be created artificially. To get outside, special holes are made in the brickwork at the bottom of the house and in front of the eaves. It can be:

ventilation grilles; special brick with holes; space in the connecting horizontal mortar joint.

The openings should not be accessible to rodents, which are unwelcome in the house.

Features of timber buildings

Houses made of profiled timber do not differ in construction technology from log houses. The material itself is very attractive. The building is made of natural wood with a beautiful grain pattern and looks organically against the backdrop of the natural landscape. For low-rise private construction, sawn, glued and profiled timber is used, which determines the installation technology. Structures made from timber are environmentally friendly; this material is breathable.

The cross-section of the material ranges from 10 to 20 centimeters. The cross-sectional size is the thickness of the walls. For cold climates this is clearly not enough, so the walls outside and inside have to be insulated so that the final thickness of the walls is at least 40 centimeters for a temperate climate. There is a need to cladding facades with insulation, which is done with various materials that match the style of construction. Disadvantages include the ability of wood to absorb moisture, the tendency to form corrosion from excessive moisture, and high flammability. Exterior decoration is designed to reduce the influence of negative atmospheric factors, insulate and increase the safety of the home.

Working with bricks

The brick laying stage has arrived.

Wall covering can be done independently or by a team of masons. Depends on your abilities. A brick wall cannot stand on its own.

We fix it to a wooden wall. We take the prepared pins and mesh. We fix it on the timber frame, observing the distances:

along the length of the wall every meter; along the height of the wall through 4 rows of brickwork.

The second side of the screed is walled up in the masonry.

We make the connection around the perimeter of the house. It is important to secure the last brick row so that the wall does not collapse in the future. You can see how to properly strengthen and cover the timber with bricks from the video report.

The house must be faced with brick from the bottom up along the entire perimeter, using mortar. Shift the brickwork to the side so that the vertical lines do not coincide with each other. Check the horizontal level of the new wall.

There should be no deviations or blockages. You can pull the thread. It will allow you to complete work faster and smoother.

We bring the wall to the top link of the frame. We get a new brick-lined house. How to lay bricks correctly, watch the video:

But is everything as happy as it seems at first glance? Is it possible to cover a house made of timber with bricks without problems in the future? Only construction experts or experienced users of brick-lined houses can answer the question.

Methods of external insulation

Insulation with polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene can be done in two ways: laying tile insulation in the cells of the frame or gluing the slabs directly to the wall. A detailed algorithm for insulating a house with EPS is described in the article “Step-by-step instructions for thermal insulation of a log house with polystyrene foam.” Thermal insulation with foam plastic is carried out in a similar way.
Thermal insulation with polyurethane foam (PPU) is carried out by spraying using professional equipment.
Installation of thermal panels is quite simple. Each element is provided with a “groove and tenon” type fastening. First, a starting profile is installed on which the elements are laid, joining them to each other. After final installation, the space between the wall and the panels is filled with foam.
When laying mineral wool, installation of lathing is mandatory. The material strongly absorbs and accumulates moisture, which causes a decrease in its thermal insulation characteristics. The frame installation method allows you to make a ventilation hole between the wall and the insulation, as well as install a hydro- and vapor barrier layer on both sides of the insulation. Detailed instructions for installing mineral wool can be found in the article “Features of external insulation of a house with mineral wool.”

What construction forums discuss on this topic, and what reviews and recommendations they give

Having looked through various construction forums, it cannot be said that there is a consensus on the question - is it possible to cover a house made of timber with bricks without consequences? Many forum users are convinced that a brick-lined house made of timber will not lose its properties and longevity. Main:

follow the rules and stages of the process described above; prevent excess moisture from entering the space between the walls; monitor the ventilation holes so that the wooden walls do not “suffocate.”

The only bewilderment among people is the very fact of covering the timber with bricks.

Construction stores offer a large assortment of facade materials that are less expensive and do not require much effort or skill. But the timber wall itself looks complete. You don't have to do any cladding.

Exception: ordinary timber. Profiled and glued have a beautiful texture and refined appearance. Why then build a wooden house and then line it with brick?

You can immediately build a house from brick or other available material other than wood. It is necessary to take into account the fact of shrinkage of the wooden structure and inter-seasonal fluctuations of the walls. Will a lined house be able to cope with the process without cracks in the brick wall. The foundation and brick wall must follow the movements of the log house. Cladding a house made of timber is only required if the house is old, there are cracks, and the wood looks unsightly.

It is not possible to correct shortcomings with less expense. Then you can use brick. Calculate the costs needed to cover the timber with brick. Are they worth the result?

To complete all the work on lining a house on one floor, you will need at least 300,000 rubles, maybe more. It depends on where you live and the square meters of the house. There are alternative methods for less money.

It is better to try to restore a house made of timber to its previous appearance using sanding, caulking of walls, and paints and varnishes for wood.

Brick is good, but if the initial choice was made in favor of wood, is there any point in covering it up? Decision is on you. Situations are different and require an individual approach.

Brick selection

The building materials market offers modern craftsmen a lot of brick blocks for decorative and basic monolithic masonry. There is plenty to choose from. So, you can cover a wooden house with the following types of building materials:

Ceramic brick. It is made from baked clay and has a medium density. Ceramic blocks can absorb moisture by 14%, which makes them less resistant to water than other types of material. However, ceramic brick retains heat better and is easier to install.
Sand-lime brick. This type of blocks is less prone to moisture absorption (only 6-8%) and at the same time has a lower cost. Sand-lime brick provides good sound insulation and a reliable, attractive appearance of the house.
Clinker brick. The most expensive and at the same time material with improved technical characteristics. Blocks are produced by firing at temperatures higher than ceramic bricks (1200 degrees). The blocks are characterized by increased resistance to moisture, frost and ultraviolet radiation.

Foundation

To drain groundwater from the building, a concrete blind area must be installed

Facing a wooden house made of timber with bricks is an additional load on its foundation.

Therefore, it must be initially prepared for it: have the required size, take into account the soil conditions on the site and the magnitude of the total load. If this was not foreseen in advance, then the existing foundation is strengthened and expanded. To drain groundwater from the building, a concrete blind area must be installed.

Prerequisites for the work

If you have a house built from high-quality timber, its attractiveness is beyond doubt. Cladding work will only lead to unnecessary additional costs. The log house should be covered when a plank or frame building is built. It is especially advisable to carry out exterior finishing when the house was built a long time ago. Over time, the wood dries out, which causes cracks to appear. Brick cladding will not only improve the aesthetic properties, but also thoroughly strengthen the structure.

When covering a wooden house with siding, air access to the wood is blocked, which leads to its premature rotting.

Some “experts” claim that the log house of a wooden house can be made attractive by finishing it with siding. But this is a fundamentally wrong design decision. Using siding will not allow the wood to “breathe”. As a result, it will rot. Climatic conditions play an important role when cladding a log house. When cold winter or wet weather prevails in the region, it is imperative to clad a wooden structure with brick. Firstly, it will increase the thermal insulation and sound insulation properties of the building. Secondly, the service life of a wooden house will increase.

Bundle of timber and brick wall

The walls are fastened to each other using flexible or rigid ties

The walls are fastened to each other using flexible or rigid ties.

In European countries, they do not associate rigid brick cladding with a brick wall, preferring flexible ones.

To do this, welded galvanized mesh is cut into strips of 30-40 cm and bent in half at a right angle. One “shelf” of binding is nailed with galvanized nails to a wooden wall. The other is walled up in a horizontal seam of the brickwork.

Instead of a mesh, you can use regular drywall hangers sold in stores. Such bundles will be made every 4-5 rows of brickwork.

The step between them is about 1 meter. Fastening the last row of masonry is mandatory. In this case, the multilayer structure can withstand increased loads.

Buying an oak house lined with brick

Hello, dear Semenych. I liked the wooden house (oak), lined with brick. Wallpaper is pasted inside. And I have no idea how to find out what's wrong with the tree inside. My mother is categorically against buying such a house. He says that there may be an insect inside that eats wood, rot, mold, etc., that if the house was good, it would not have been sold. The owners of the house, of course, praise their home. Please tell me, is there even the slightest opportunity to make sure that the house will last 50-70 years?!

With deep respect, Natalya Dmitrievna, Belgorod.

Hello, Natalya Dmitrievna from Belgorod!

In order to find out how good a house is, at a minimum, it would be necessary to inspect it.

Since you do not fully understand this kind of house construction, you should invite an experienced specialist who is completely unfamiliar with the owners of the house to inspect the house. So that he can give an independent expert assessment.

This could be either your friend or a representative of some construction organization. They may have to pay for their work, but it will be much cheaper than costing several hundred thousand, or even millions, of rubles. If you buy a house with problems.

And so, when inspecting such houses, you need to be interested in the age of the house, the condition of all utilities (electricity, water and gas supply, sewerage), access roads, groundwater levels, the possibility of flooding, etc. and so on.

When inspecting the house itself, you should pay attention to the underground or basement, if there is one, and the presence of ventilation in them. Accordingly, they inspect the base of the foundation (the part of it that rises above the surface of the earth) to see if there are any destructions and all kinds of movements. Check the condition of the floor joists for the presence of fungus, mold and rot. Their first signs are a musty smell, high air humidity and damp wood.

Then the floors are inspected according to the same parameters, as well as how smooth they are and whether there are any slopes in any direction. Which is determined not even by the building level, but simply by throwing a child’s ball. If it always rolls in one direction, then there is a slope.

Next is the condition of the walls inside the room. For this purpose, it is advisable to slightly tear them off in several suspicious places, namely where there are peelings of the wallpaper and look at the oak wood.

Floor and ceiling (attic) floors are checked. Why is it worth just jumping on them in several places. If they sag and sway, then this should alert you. If the floors squeak a little, then there is nothing to worry about; a wooden floor does this in 80% of a hundred.

Since the log house is lined with brick, inspect the walls for ventilation holes. There should always be a gap of several centimeters between the wood and the brick so that air can move freely. Otherwise, water condensation will form on the inner surface of the brickwork, which will fall on the wood, which can cause the consequences that your mother is talking about. Well, if there is any insulation in the walls between the log house and the brickwork, then it should be adjacent to the log house, and not to the brick, and there should be an air gap between the insulation and the stone. True, this is quite difficult to determine due to sometimes limited access.

The verticality of the walls is examined both indoors and outdoors. This is done by eye and purely visually. Noticeable tilts are undesirable. And look at the ceiling below. If it is bent like a trough in the center, then this is not good.

Carrying out masonry

The first row of bricks is laid on a layer of waterproofing. This may be roofing felt or other insulating material. The thickness of the walls is half a brick.

Cement grade M400 is used as a solution. You can clad the house using either special facing bricks or regular bricks – silicate or red. To reduce the penetration of moisture through a brick wall, treat it with a moisture-repellent impregnation.

The bottom gap between the rafters and the masonry should be at least 15 cm, otherwise the rafters may hang on the cladding when the building shrinks in winter.

Important! It is worth paying special attention to fastening and sealing slopes and window sills on a multi-layer structure.

Internal insulation with warm plaster

For a wooden house, sawdust plaster, which consists of cement, clay, sawdust and paper, is best suited. Air passes through it, which allows the tree to breathe.

The work is performed in the following sequence:

The surface must be carefully prepared to improve adhesion. It is cleaned of dirt, grease and dust, and then impregnated with antiseptic impregnations.
A sheathing made of thin wooden strips is mounted on the wall.
A cement mortar is mixed, where the necessary components are added, and then the mixture is mixed well until it reaches a thick consistency.
The resulting solution is applied to the walls in the spaces between the frame guides and then leveled with a spatula. The minimum layer thickness is 10 mm.
During work, the room must be well ventilated, otherwise fungus may appear on the plaster.