Have you ever heard of oakum? Do you have any idea what it is? If you are restoring an old log home, listen up!Oakum or "jute", has been used in log building for more than a hundred years and works well as a filler because it is pliable, a good insulator, resists decay, and repels insects and rodents.
Oakum is made from fibers derived from hemp or jute plants. Besides its function as insulation in log buildings, oakum has also been used historically for packing the joints between timbers in ship building. Many museums and historic sites use oakum today in order to keep as historically accurate as possible when choosing materials to restore antiquated buildings. If you don't have an old log house of your own, but would like to seek a vacation in one, the cabins at Itasca State Park are one option in Minnesota!
When using Oakum with caulk or chinking products such as Log Jam, and Log Builder be sure to apply a bond breaker between the Oakum and the caulking or chinking product. Mylar tape or "packing tape" works well as a bond breaker. The bond breaker breaks the bond of the caulk or chinking material so that it will not stick to the Oakum and allows it to expand and contract without cracking.
True story: We had a local log builder come in and jokingly try to style the oakum strands as a new, Rastafarian coiffure. Although they looked pretty convincingly like dreadlocks, we would not recommend this application.
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