Draughts caused by oak beam shakes

a1154

I have a modern house which is well insulated but we suffer from could draughts. Part of it is oak framed, with exposed beams. As shakes have opened up cold air is getting in brrrr. I can use filler between the beams and the walls, but I need to try blocking up the shakes, but what with? I don’t want it to look rubbish, any ideas?

tacpot12

I would suggest a dark brown sealant (e.g. the sort of sealant used around hardwood doors and windows). Inject this deep into the shakes and don't try to fill the shake, just put a bead of sealant at the bottom of the shake to close the gap. The sealant should be barely visible.

Only problem I can see is that you might struggle if the shakes are very narrow. I would suggest that with these, you either accept the very limited draft that will come through them or fill them up to the surface but then use something sharp to remove the excess sealant so that the shake can be seen and the sealant remains hidden at the bottom.

a1154

That’s very useful, thanks tacpot. Sealant will also have a bit of flex, and it will be years I think before the oak stops moving, so sounds good. I’ll initially only have a go at the larger shakes and see if there is a decent reduction in cold air.