The construction of a wooden floor in a bathhouse should begin with the installation of floor joists, which should be pine or made of larch. Boards made of the same type of wood are attached to these logs. When laying the floor, you should do it with a certain slope so that liquid can drain easily. However, if you are installing a leaky floor, this condition is not necessary. The laying of lags must be carried out according to minimum distance from the selected wall to another, but if the walls in the bathhouse are equilateral, this condition can also be ignored.
Having determined the path of the flowing liquid, we install the logs in diameter relative to this vector. To achieve the required rigidity, support chairs are mounted in the central area of each of them, which can easily be made of brick or a pliable material such as wood. Under them, a support platform reinforced with a chain-link mesh is made from durable concrete mixture, at least a quarter meter wide.
We dig forty centimeter holes for the platform base, followed by compacting the edges and bottom. A ten-centimeter layer of sand is poured onto the bottom of such pits and compacted with water. A fifteen-centimeter crushed stone layer is laid above this layer and also compacted. Instead of ordinary crushed stone, you can take broken brick.
Formwork that protrudes more than 5 cm above the ground surface is made from edged boards. The edges should be insulated from water with roofing felt or use roofing felt. After completing the installation of the formwork, a debut concrete layer is placed there, with an approximate thickness of about 15 cm. It is compacted and covered with a chain-link mesh, and then exactly the same second layer is placed on top. Before installing wooden or brick support At the site under construction, a waterproofing layer is made from bitumen brought to the melting temperature, covered with roofing felt. The degree of elevation of the supports should be selected taking into account the degree of elevation of the supports for the ends of the floor joists.
A strip-type foundation requires the same height of the support and the top of the foundation being constructed.
But the columnar type of foundation being constructed now being considered requires the same height of the supporting top and the rising part of the embedded beam, since we will rest the end parts of the lags on the bars of the embedded crown. After completing work with the supports, we begin to prepare the soil located underground.
Leaking floors in bath room with sandy soil they need crushed stone backfill, the thickness of which can be a quarter of a meter. This material here will play the role of a filter, ensuring the optimal level of humidity in the underground in question. Soil that does not absorb water well needs to create a tray where water flowing outside the bathhouse will be accumulated.
To implement this technology, it is advisable to arrange under the floor belonging to the leaking type, clay castle, with a slope towards the drainage tray. The castle can also be made of concrete mixture, but this will be more expensive. To make such a castle, you need to compact a ten-centimeter layer of crushed stone poured onto the surface of the soil and pour a fifteen-centimeter layer of a pliable material such as clay on top of it. It must be level and have a two-sided slope in relation to the equipped pit relative to the horizon line.
If you are installing a non-leakage floor, you should insulate the surface of the bathhouse underground with such multifunctional and inexpensive material, like expanded clay. In this case, there should be about 15 cm between it and the logs for optimal air circulation. The flushing compartment near the wall here will serve as a place for pit equipment, from where a pipe will lead outside, leading water out. Its diameter should exceed 150 mm so as not to slow down the process of emptying the drainage tray.
Laying of logs for a non-leaking type of floor should be carried out from the walls to the drainage tray, while the front logs should be mounted higher in level than the rest, and not cut into them. In the following lags, inclined cuts are made at an angle of approximately 10 degrees, and their depth depends on the number of lags used - the fewer there are, the deeper the cuts.
The sawing of the beams here is carried out taking into account the dimensions of the space of the bathhouse, so that on both sides there is about 4 cm between the joists and wall surfaces for successful air circulation.
Installation of logs is carried out on embedded beams and pillars of the support type. The process necessarily uses waterproofing materials, such as roofing felt and glassine. All installed logs are treated with an antiseptic solution.
You can check the correct installation building level. To bring the logs into a more horizontal position, you need to trim the places on them that rest on the embedded beam or the support used.
You can also check the uniformity of laying with a level. This can be done by placing a level on a board lying on the joists with a leveled surface. You can trim the joists either using pads or hems.
Near the base being installed, the logs must certainly lie along the perimeter at a distance of about 15 cm from the edges. The stove foundation is brought to the level of the flooring only after the installation work is completed.
Photo - stove foundation
To do this, you will need to lay the base under the stove on a pre-arranged area. Here you can use fire bricks or concrete.
Here, unedged boards are used, pre-planed and leveled at the ends.
The boards are cut to fit the dimensions of the bathhouse, taking into account that there is a two-centimeter gap between the surface of the walls and the floor. The flooring can be laid from any wall surface, as long as it is parallel to the course of the boards.
The cut boards are laid at a distance of 2 cm from the wall surface and nailed. Moreover, if the thickness of the board is 40 mm, the length of the fastening element used must exceed 80 mm.
Fasteners should be used along the edges of the boards, at a distance of about 1.5 cm from their edges. It is best to drive the nails in at an angle of 40 degrees from the center of the board. You should use at least a couple of nails to secure one board.
The gap between the nailed boards should exceed 3 mm. A piece of regular fiberboard sheet inserted between them will help to meet this condition.
Here, tongue and groove boards are optimally suited, which, as a rule, are laid with a groove inside the bathhouse.
Before starting work, the so-called black floor covering is installed. To implement this, special bars are attached to the front parts of the logs, with a cross-section represented by a value of 50x50 mm. On them, between the logs, there are boards belonging to the second or third grade.
A layer of materials that provide protection from moisture, such as glassine or the common and inexpensive roofing felt, is laid on top of the finished “black” floor covering.
The insulation here can be expanded clay, poured into the space between the joists. After backfilling is completed, a waterproofing layer is also laid.
Having finished with the installation of the “black” floor covering, we begin work on laying the finished floor. Here tongue-and-groove boards are taken. So that they can be removed from their places for subsequent drying, the boards used in the work do not even need to be fastened with fasteners such as nails, using instead bars with a cross-section of 20x30 mm, mounted to the joists with special “capercaillie” screws. Thus, you can easily make the floor in the bathhouse with your own hands.
Bath floors have several significant functions that justify their differences from “residential” standards. In addition to guaranteeing safe movement in conditions of constant moisture, they play the role of a component of the sewer system. A properly constructed floor in a bathhouse will ensure proper drainage of water and will not rot or wear out ahead of time. To do this, you need to familiarize yourself with the specifics different technologies construction of bath floors and choose the most acceptable scheme. A separate project with mathematically accurate calculations is being developed for the floor of the fundamental bath structure. But for the majority of compatriots who have bought a ready-made log house for a bathhouse and are engaged in arranging the bathhouse personally, it is enough to receive general concepts about the difference in construction principles. Any of the proposed schemes House master will be able to independently modernize it to the needs and requirements of its own construction.
The owner of a country bathhouse must initially decide on the type of drainage of water constantly pouring onto the floor and the material for constructing the floor. Basically, in buildings recognized as a mandatory component of suburban areas, the floor is poured with concrete or boards are laid on logs.
Wood structures, based on the type of drainage and the associated complexity of the structure, are divided into leaking and “non-leaking” subcategories.
A leaky floor is the simplest and extremely cheap. It is a boardwalk, between the elements of which gaps are left for direct discharge of wastewater into the ground. It does not have any additional sewer “delights” except for the drainage hole located in the underground, and there is no insulation either. Therefore, a leaky floor is suitable for bathhouses in the southern regions and for temporary summer cottage use.
Building such a floor for a bathhouse with your own hands is as easy as shelling pears. It will not be difficult to replace damaged elements and complete renovation. The boards are not nailed to the joists at all; they can and should be removed and taken outside for ventilation and drying. If desired, instead of a drainage pit, you can install a pan, the drainage from which will be discharged into a sewerage facility.
A non-leaking system is much more complex. It is constructed from two rows of boards. The top flooring, going on top of the logs, is made of tongue-and-groove pine or larch boards without the slightest gaps. A subfloor is installed below. A non-leaking floor is classified as “dry” and can be equipped with insulation.
The floorboards of the finishing flooring are placed with a slope towards the place where wastewater is collected and subsequently discharged into a sewer ditch or septic tank. A hole is made at the lowest point of the plank surface, to which a siphon is connected to drain the waste. The hole can be replaced with a full-length tray. The tray is installed with a slope towards the collection point of contaminated water.
Concrete floors in bathhouses are poured in three technological stages. The exaggerated “sandwich” of the design consists of six components, these are:
Tamping the soil and the reinforcing gravel-crushed stone mixture of 15 cm laid on top of it, as well as pouring each of the “sandwich” layers, is carried out with a slope towards the drainage pit. As a result, the design should turn out normal . The slope is standard, like wooden structures 10º.
We decided on a scheme according to which the installation of floors in the bathhouse would be carried out. Do not forget that if the floor has to support the weight of the capital and not the portable sauna stove, you need to take care of creating a foundation for it in advance.
The main element of the structures wooden floors for a bathhouse there are logs resting on the foundation beam of a columnar type foundation or on the edge of a strip foundation.
All points of contact between the logs and the foundation elements must be insulated with two or three layers of roofing material coated with heated bitumen or dissolved in the solarium. Instead of this budget option, you can use eurobitumen or other effective waterproofing material.
Boards are laid on the joists. In the case of leaking floors, the boards are laid with equal empty spaces of 3-4 mm between them; a technological two-centimeter gap should remain along the perimeter between the flooring and the walls of the bathhouse. Hosts small buildings Those who want to know “how to make a floor in a bathhouse” can lay logs on the frame beam without erecting additional devices, if the log between the support points is less than 3 meters.
The direction of the joists during the construction of a leaking floor determines the shortest distance between the walls. When constructing a non-leakage structure, the direction of installation of the joists should be perpendicular to the direction of drainage.
The construction of floors in large bath buildings will require the preliminary installation of support columns-chairs with a cross-section of 25 cm. Craftsmen planning to lay boards 19 mm thick will need to build support pillars every 70 cm. For a board marked 22 - every 80 cm, for a board with size 29 - every 90 cm.
Under the pillars, small foundations of 20 cm in thickness are made or compacted sandy soil. A foundation poured into formwork made from low-grade boards is more reliable. Craftsmen studying the construction of a floor in a bathhouse should know that the edge of the base for the supports should “protrude” at least 5 cm on each side of the column.
The supports above the foundation can be made of brick, made of logs, or cast monolithic from cement. You can cheaply and quickly make a support column from an asbestos pipe with suitable diameter. A section of pipe is buried in the ground, the soil around it is compacted, then cement mortar is poured into the finished formwork.
Before laying the logs, the support pillars must be leveled. The level of their upper plane should coincide with the level of the upper plane of the elements on which the edges of the logs will rest.
The owner constructing a leaking wooden floor needs to find out what filtration properties the soil on his site has. If there is an excellent natural filter under the bathhouse - sand, to arrange the underground you will only need to fill in a 25-centimeter layer of gravel. It will serve as a purifier for wastewater passing through it before transiting into the ground. There should be a distance of min 10 cm between the logs and the upper plane of the backfill.
If there is soil under the bathhouse with low filtration properties (loam, clay, sandy loam), you will have to work hard. You will need to make a tray for transporting wastewater into a pit, from which dirty water will be taken outside the building. For this purpose, a clay castle is installed in the underground of the leaking structure with a slope towards the drainage pit. Clay can be replaced with concrete, but it is too expensive.
An underground floor that does not leak can be filled with expanded clay insulation. There should be a 15-centimeter ventilation gap between the expanded clay and the logs. In the washing compartment, a pit is made near the wall. The walls and bottom of this water intake are compacted and coated with clay. From the pit, the waste collected in it must be discharged outside, for which a pipe with a cross-section of at least 15 cm in size is laid.
When constructing leaky floors in a wooden bathhouse, the logs are laid horizontally on prepared areas protected by waterproofing. For floors that do not leak, it is necessary to form a slope, for the purpose of which the cutting in the joist on the side directed to the place of waste collection is increased by 2-3mm. The result is the required slope of 10º.
Foundation level under sauna stove The logs are brought to the level of the future floor after installing the flooring before laying the flooring.
The boards of the leaking floor are laid on the installed joists without nailing them. Floorboards of a non-leaking design are nailed with two nails at an angle of 45º, but first a subfloor is laid from low-grade boards and equipped with insulation. The groove of the tongue-and-groove flooring board is directed inside the bathhouse.
Initially, it is better not to nail the floorboards of a non-leaking floor to the joists, but only to “bait” them. After finishing all the work on finishing the bathhouse, you need to dry it, and then adjust and finally nail the boards.
Along the perimeter, the bath floor is finished with a plinth. It must be installed so that moisture flowing from the walls does not get under the slats. That is, the wall cladding should “lie” on the baseboard and rest tightly against it without gaps.
According to tradition, before pouring, you need to make a pit and equip it with a pipe communicating with the drain. Then the concrete floor in the bathhouse is arranged according to the above scheme, in the description of which some specific features of the construction of floors in a concrete bathhouse were not mentioned:
IN brief description waterproofing was not mentioned in the construction of a monolithic floor. You need to protect it from moisture with an insulating layer on all sides. Bitumen, polyethylene film, roofing felt, etc. can be used as an insulator.
Concrete floors belong to the category of “cold” structures. To prevent the feet of bathing lovers from freezing, portable wooden gratings are knocked together. They are taken outside to dry and brought in before the next visit.
The described common schemes generally introduce how to make floors in a bathhouse. This is not a strict guide, but just a principle of arrangement - general recommendations, which the owner of the building must modify and improve in relation to his property. Even if there is no desire to build the floor yourself, each owner needs to know the design differences and specifics so that the bathhouse brings only spiritual pleasure and does not “strain” with endless problems.
Building your own steam room is a multi-stage process in which each stage is of decisive importance. And the installation of a bathhouse floor is, of course, no exception. To ensure water drainage, ventilation, heat and waterproofing, it is necessary to observe simple, but important rules installation It should also be noted that the service life of the floor will depend on the quality source material and the chosen technology of arrangement. If the question of what kind of bath floor to make is more relevant than ever for you, then this article will help you understand the types of bath floors and the intricacies of their installation.
To build the right bathhouse floor, you first need to decide what material it will be made of. Today, two options are recognized as the most acceptable: wooden and concrete floors. Each has its own advantages and nuances of arrangement, which means that it is impossible to do without appropriate theoretical preparation.
A classic solution that has not lost popularity for many years. Even intensive development construction market unable to cancel out natural advantages. Wooden floors:
When building a bathhouse with your own hands, floors (depending on the design) are divided into leaky and non-leaky. In the first case, single-level floorboards are laid, allowing water to escape through the cracks and then be absorbed into the soil under the foundation. One of the disadvantages of leaking floors is the impossibility of insulation, because... The floorboards are removed and dried after each use.
In the second, installation is carried out with a slight inclination towards the drain hole, equipped with a water collector and an outlet pipe leading to the septic tank. The leak-proof design requires the installation of a subfloor and insulation with expanded clay. This method more expensive and labor-intensive, but in terms of convenience and practicality it has no equal.
It is not difficult to lay a wooden floor for a bathhouse with your own hands. To do this, you will need logs with a cross section of 18 cm or beams 15x15 cm on which the flooring boards will be attached. Please note that lags account for high load, therefore they must be laid on supports made of reinforced concrete or brick. The thickness of the racks is at least 15 cm, the width of the platform under them is 7 cm larger than the supports themselves.
As for the height, this indicator is identical to the height of the edge of the base (with a strip foundation). If the foundation is columnar, then wooden joists rest on the beams of the embedded crown, and the top of the support posts must coincide with these beams. Before installation, the log supports are covered with waterproofing (tar paper, roofing felt, bitumen or glassine).
The next stage of solving the problem of “how to lay a floor in a bathhouse” is the construction of a subfloor. For a leaking floor on soil with a high degree of absorbency, it will be enough to pour crushed stone (25 cm) into the underground. If the soil does not absorb moisture well, then it becomes mandatory to install a container for drainage. To do this, a clay castle is built on the ground at an angle towards the pit.
If you decide to install the floor in a non-leaking bathhouse yourself, then the subfloor is insulated using expanded clay, leaving 15 cm to the log (for ventilation).
Under a leaky floor, logs are laid away from any wall, under a non-leaking floor - with an inclination to the side. Let's start laying the boards. For a non-leakage floor, first a base floor (subfloor) with thermal and waterproofing is installed, onto which tongue and groove boards are then attached. Please note that the groove of the boards is directed inside the bathhouse; fastening to the logs is done with cap screws or nails.
Laying the floor in a leaky bathhouse takes less time and effort. The boards are sawed so that there is a gap of 2 cm between them and the wall. It is recommended to nail the first floorboard with nails whose thickness is twice the thickness of the board. The following floorboards are laid in 3 cm increments.
Concrete flooring has many advantages, which often become decisive when choosing:
The soil is carefully compacted, and a cushion of crushed stone impregnated with bitumen (150 mm) is formed on it. In this case, crushed stone will be able not only to withstand loads, but also to distribute them evenly.
In order to get rid of one of the main disadvantages of a concrete floor (it is cold), you should think about insulation. The problem can be solved in two ways: lay the base in 2 layers, placing thermal insulation between the layers, or form a thermal insulation layer on top of the concrete, on which to install a warm wood floor.
For double styling needs to be cooked correctly concrete mortar. For the bottom layer, the mixture should include large crushed stone fractions (35 mm in size). The thickness of this layer is 150 mm. If the bathhouse is small, then the screed is laid on the entire base at once, otherwise it is more convenient to divide the area using wooden guides into 1000 mm strips. The screed will turn out beautiful and even.
For the top layer, it is more advisable to prepare a mixture of small fractions. Level the floor with special care and compact it tightly. Concrete gains strength within a few days. Don’t forget to take care of it - don’t let it dry out, moisten the surface previously covered with sawdust every day.
Regardless of the chosen insulation, it should be laid on waterproofing. For waterproofing, polyethylene film or roofing felt is most often used. You can purchase a liquid solution. Before application coating waterproofing the surface is primed.
After the bottom layer has dried, you can begin insulation. Different materials are used for this:
Each of the listed components has both advantages and disadvantages. For example, expanded clay gravel is expensive, and the thickness required to achieve normal thermal conductivity compared to boiler slag will be much smaller. Polystyrene is an excellent insulation material, but it is powerless against the influence of rodents and can deteriorate over time. Foambet could win the laurels of “the very best”, but it is hygroscopic.
Technologies of the current century offer new ways of arranging a concrete floor in a bathhouse. Laying tiles without forming a second layer is increasingly being used. concrete screed. This method requires strict adherence to the sequence construction work.
Waterproofing is laid over the thermal insulation, and a screed is formed on top from special cement, the properties of which allow the coating to be only 15 mm thick to serve as a reliable basis for the finishing floor made of ceramic tiles. Tile samples are glued to a thin layer of adhesive, which firmly fixes the material. This flooring is characterized by a long service life, ease of maintenance and excellent appearance.
Now you know what types of floors there are and how to make a floor in a bathhouse, which will be a thoughtful solution that complements and decorates your steam room - the best place for relaxation and recovery.
The arrangement of the floor in a private steam room should be given Special attention. The level of comfort during use and the functionality of the bath itself depend on how well its design is thought out and implemented.
The floor base in the bathhouse performs several functions at once: important functions. It not only ensures the safety of a person’s movement during water procedures, but is also part of the water removal system. A properly constructed floor in a bathhouse does not wear out prematurely, does not rot due to high humidity, and effectively retains heat in the room. In private steam rooms, the bases we are interested in are most often made of wood and concrete. Brick coverings are used much less frequently. They are expensive and quite difficult to build with your own hands.
If you want to build a permanent bathhouse made of stone or brick with a rest room, washing area, dressing room and use it all year round, experts advise choosing a concrete base. It must be equipped with a well-thought-out water drainage system and effective waterproofing. But for small bathhouses, operated exclusively in summer time, simpler wood floors will do. They are built much faster and easier, are environmentally friendly, and have a very presentable appearance.
Wood bases have been used for a very long time. They create special comfort in the steam room, permeate the room with pleasant natural aromas, and make every bath procedure a small holiday for the true Russian soul. True, there are many disadvantages to wooden floors. The durability of such structures leaves much to be desired. No matter how hard you try to protect wood from the harmful effects of water, it will quickly lose its initial performance characteristics. Therefore, be prepared for the fact that after a while you will have to reinstall the wooden floors in the steam room.
Concrete structures are much preferable in terms of durability. They are not afraid of water and steam, temperature changes.
Concrete products can withstand even the most difficult operating conditions. On average, such bases are used for 40–45 years without additional repairs. Let us immediately note the obvious disadvantages of concrete pavements. They are very cold (for this reason a suitable finishing material, for example, tiles), labor-intensive to install with your own hands, require a significant investment of time and financial resources.
The floor for a concrete bathhouse is essentially a regular screed. It is made from a solution containing sand, cement and some special fillers (crushed stone, natural marble chips, gravel and others). We advise you not to bother mixing the required ingredients to obtain a concrete composition, but to immediately purchase the ready-made mixture at the nearest construction store. Factory-made sand-cement compositions in dry form are completely ready for use. They only need to be diluted with ordinary water in the recommended volume, thoroughly mixed with a hammer drill and nozzle, and then used for their intended purpose.
If the screed will serve as a finishing floor covering, or a simple flooring of boards will be installed on it, there is no need to add any special components to the purchased mixture. For cases where it is planned to lay tiles on top of a concrete coating, it is advisable to add a little anhydrite and gypsum to the cement-sand composition. It’s even easier to buy a self-leveling compound created specifically for such cases.
The concrete base for a bath can be mounted on logs or directly on the ground. The first stage of work is the arrangement of a basic system for water removal. It consists of an intermediate container (this role is usually played by a small hole 0.4x0.4x0.3 m dug in the ground) and two pipes. The walls and bottom of the hole should be concreted and a pipe product with a cross-section of 20 cm should be brought to it. Its second end is brought into autonomous septic tank on the site or into the drainage ditch. We run another pipe from the pit into the bathhouse. It is advisable to equip this part of the system with a valve that prevents the penetration of unpleasant aromas into the steam room.
Next, we prepare the area for the screed. We remove the top layer of soil, pour sand into the resulting pit, tamp it down, and pour broken bricks or gravel on top. We should have a layer of approximately 0.25 m. Add 10 cm of crushed stone on top. Once again we tamp the whole cake and fill it sand-cement mixture(about 5–6 cm thick). Important nuance! The concrete layer must have a slight slope towards the pit-reservoir.
When the solution has hardened, lay mineral wool or foam plastic on it (you can add a layer of expanded clay or perlite). These materials play the role of effective insulation. Be sure to put waterproofing under the polystyrene foam and cotton wool (it’s best to use roofing felt). We cover the thermal insulation with the same material. Then we mount metal mesh(wire). It makes it possible to perform high-quality reinforcement.
Now you can pour the main screed. We apply the solution from the far corner and gradually approach the exit from the steam room. When pouring, the composition must be leveled (you need to work with an assistant). We perform this operation with a trowel. And for tightening concrete in a circular motion we use the rule. After 2–3 days the screed will harden. You can lay plank or tile flooring on it. We install the trim with a two-centimeter slope towards the drain. If you plan to use concrete as a finishing coating (this is possible), simply carefully level and sand its surface. But remember that such a floor is private bath it will be cold. In winter, it is problematic to use a steam room with it.
You can make a floor in a wooden bathhouse using two technologies. The first involves the construction of leaking foundations, the second - non-leaking ones. Advice. If you have little experience in construction work, it is better to build leaking floors. They are made in the form of flooring from boards, between which gaps are specially left. Through them, used water goes into the ground. Such structures are not insulated, and a sewer system is not built. Instead of the latter it is used simple pit for drainage. They dig it under the bathhouse.
You can make a floor in a bathhouse of this type using the following algorithm:
There is no need to fix the flooring elements to the joists. It is recommended to regularly remove the coating described and place it in the sun to dry. If necessary, it is possible to replace rotten boards at any time. The service life of the described floor structure is 4–6 years. Then you will have to build a new one. Such leaky floors are best used in a country house where you visit from time to time and rarely use the steam room.
There is another way to arrange simple plank coverings. It is less difficult to implement. After preparing the plot of land, beams with a cross section of 10x10 to 15x15 cm should be placed along the perimeter of the foundation. Be sure to apply an antiseptic to them! We install logs on the beams, secure them, and install flooring from boards on top.
Both types of leaky floors can be constructed from hardwood and softwood. It is not recommended to lay oak boards. They become very slippery once wet. It is better to opt for products made from pine, linden or larch. Last option considered the most optimal. One more nuance. The flooring is made from planed edged boards 4–5 cm thick. Thinner products will not last long in conditions of high humidity.
Now let's try to make a leak-proof base correctly. It will take more time to build such a structure. But the result of the work will be of higher quality. Leak-resistant wood floors are suitable for steam rooms used year-round. The design of such foundations requires the arrangement of a rough intermediate coating and the mandatory installation of a heat-insulating layer. Due to this, the service life of such structures reaches 10–12 years.
We build a leak-proof floor in the bathhouse according to the following step-by-step guide:
Then we install the intermediate base. We fix the subfloor from below the beams. We cover it with an additional heat-insulating layer (mounted on roofing felt). We lay another layer of waterproofing material on top of the insulation. Last stage work - installation of a finished floor. We install it with a slope, laying the boards close to each other. To the lags finishing coat fastened with nails or self-tapping screws.
We take tongue and groove boards for non-leaking floors, 3–5 cm thick. We make logs from wooden blocks with dimensions of 5x7 cm. Please note! The lower edge of the wood floor base must rise 10–20 cm above the level of the base (its upper edge) of the bathhouse. We hope that our instructions will help you build a truly reliable floor in your steam room.
Performs several important functions. First of all, it ensures the safe movement of people. The steam room is always humid. Therefore, the floor must be non-slip to prevent visitors from getting injured. There are also sewer lines running under the base of the premises. The floor should be designed so that water is drained as efficiently as possible. In this case, the coating and all finishing materials inside the steam room will last much longer.
To arrange the floor in the bath room correctly, you need to familiarize yourself with the recommendations experienced builders. In this case, you will be able to do all the work yourself.
Considering how to make a steam room floor, you should start with the choice of material. There are two main options. In the first case, the floor is made of wood, and in the second, of concrete. Everyone chooses for themselves best type material.
A concrete floor will require more time and effort. It is also a more expensive type of material. However, the service life of a concrete floor is more than 50 years. It is believed that it is easier to install a wood floor. This material is cheaper. In this case, the work is done faster and easier.
Operates for 7-8 years. Despite such a short service life of the material, in most cases craftsmen prefer this option. It is quite possible to install a wooden covering yourself.
High-quality finishing of the steam room depends on the correct choice of wood. This material must be well dried. The boards must not have defects, cracks or chips. Also, traces of rotting are not allowed.
Deciduous wood is preferable for steam rooms. It is believed that such material has different effects on the human body. For example, birch can energize bathhouse visitors, while aspen, on the contrary, removes negative emotions.
Birch is considered one of the the best materials for finishing the steam room. She handles well protective compounds. Larch is also considered one of the best options for a bath. This durable material. It tolerates temperature changes and high humidity well.
At correct processing can be used for finishing and linden. The listed materials are also used to make shelves in the steam room and create decoration for the ceiling and walls.
Which is finished with wood, there can be two types. The first option assumes the presence of gaps between the boards. The accumulated moisture will simply flow down. The second option for the floor in the steam room is called non-leaking. It is a little more complicated to set up.
A leaky floor is the simplest finishing option. There are gaps in the flooring through which water seeps into the soil. In this case, the sewerage system is not equipped. Only in the underground space is a drainage hole created. Sometimes it is replaced with a special container that communicates with sewer communications. Insulation of the floor in the steam room They don't either.
The presented flooring option is only suitable for southern regions and buildings that are used exclusively in summer period. In this case, the boards are not nailed to the joists. They are periodically removed and taken outside. Here they are dried and returned to their original place.
A bathhouse whose steam room is created in accordance with all building codes must be leak-proof. When creating its floor, the boards are laid in two rows. First, rough flooring is installed on the joists. Deciduous tongue-and-groove wood is laid on top of it.
In this case there are no gaps between the boards. A layer of insulation is laid under the floor. The finishing surface should have a slight slope towards the drainage area. A hole with a siphon is installed here to drain water into the sewer.
To prevent the appearance of deflections in the wooden covering over time, supports are installed in the middle of the joist system. They can be brick or concrete. Wood can also be used for similar purposes.
Needs proper arrangement of the space underneath. If a leaky floor is created, the filtration properties of the soil are first assessed. If there is sand under the base of the bathhouse, it will be enough to pour gravel on it. The layer should be about 25 cm. The gravel will clean the wastewater before it enters directly into the ground. There must be a distance of at least 10 cm between the backfill and the joists.
If there are loamy soils or clay under the leaking bathhouse, you will need to install a tray to drain the water into the sewer. To do this, a clay castle is created under the floor. It should have a slope towards the sewer.
If the bathhouse is leak-proof, the base is covered with expanded clay. There must be a distance of at least 15 cm between it and the logs. This is necessary to create complete ventilation.
The installation of the floor in the steam room involves the installation of logs. They rest on the foundation. This design is typical for almost all of them. Creating a foundation and a sewage system under the floor allows you to meet the requirements of sanitary and hygienic standards. Otherwise, the room will eventually develop bad smell, A wood covering is destroyed.
After arranging the foundation, it is necessary to install logs on it. If the area of the steam room is large, you will need to build additional bedside tables. They will help reduce the gaps between lags.
For arranging the subfloor, hardwood is chosen. It is also possible to use slabs or thick boards for these purposes. Using self-tapping screws or the tongue-and-groove method, the rough flooring is attached to the beams. Next, a thermal insulation layer must be installed.
The steam room must have thermal insulation. In this case, the room will warm up faster. Heat loss is significantly reduced. This allows you to save on energy resources.
The modern insulation market offers many varieties of materials. They differ in cost and technical characteristics. Mineral wool is best suited for arranging the floor in a bathhouse. This is an environmentally friendly material. It is able to reliably insulate a room without allowing heat to escape outside.
In order for the thermal insulation and the entire structure of a wooden floor to last a long time, it is necessary to lay a layer of waterproofing on top of the insulation. To do this, you can purchase glassine, roofing felt or a polymer membrane.
The floor in the steam room is installed immediately after installation of the rough base, mineral wool and waterproofing. To do this, you should prepare tongue and groove boards. Their thickness should not be less than 3 cm.
The boards should not be laid too tightly. If moisture gets on them, the material will swell. If there is not enough space for linear expansion, the wood will move. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to leave small gaps between the boards on the finishing surface.
It is also important to consider the direction of the growth rings. At adjacent boards they should face each other different sides. With this installation technique it is possible to achieve a high level of evenness of the coating.
All finishing elements must be installed with the convex side up. In this case, the floor will be strong and reliable.
At the final stage, the wood is treated with special solutions. There are many options for such products on sale. the master decides independently. It should be an antiseptic that will prevent the appearance of fungus and rot on the floor surface. The two sides and bottom sides of the boards are also treated with this solution.
When laying the finishing coating, it is important to make a slope towards the drain hole. After this, you can scrape and install the skirting boards. You can remove irregularities on the surface of the coating manually. However, it is more advisable to use an electric planer for these purposes. Before starting such work, it is necessary to check whether nails are sticking out on the floor surface.
After arranging the floor, carry out Finishing work walls, ceiling, a door to the steam room and shelves are installed. In this case, it is also allowed to use wood and lining. It is used to decorate the ceiling and walls. A layer of insulation and waterproofing is also installed under the front covering. You should not purchase polystyrene foam or expanded polystyrene for such purposes. In a steam room, such insulation will release substances that are unsafe for the human body.
It should be remembered that finishing the ceiling and walls in the steam room cannot be done with plastic, wood panels, chipboard, plywood, etc. Also not suitable for these purposes conifers wood They will release resin when heated. This will cause burns.
Cover the lining in the bathhouse by special means Not recommended. Varnish, stain or other similar coatings will release when heated harmful substances, an unpleasant odor will appear. It would be simply unbearable to be in such a room.
After finishing the ceiling and walls, you need to install the door to the steam room. It can be made of special heat-resistant glass or wood. The first option is preferable. Glass allows you to create a stylish look inside the steam room.
Should be arranged in several rows. Deciduous wood is used to create them. The surface of the material must be well sanded. There should be no defects or chips on it. It is also unacceptable for metal nail heads to protrude from the surface of the shelves. At elevated temperatures, this can cause burns.
An important element is the stove. There are many on sale various models. The stove can be wood-burning or have an electric heating element. Each owner chooses for himself the best option. Some owners prefer to build it out of brick right on site. For others, it is easier to purchase ready-made stoves made of steel or cast iron. An electric heating element does not imply the ability to pour water over hot stones. If the owners like a sauna with high humidity, they should prefer a traditional stone oven.
Experts recommend not using too much wood when decorating the interior of a bathhouse. The steam room looks original, in which the lining is combined with tiles, plexiglass, natural stone. If you wish, you can seek help from a professional designer. He will develop an original interior design. It will be a pleasure for all visitors to be in such a room.
It must be done with taste. You should also pay attention to the choice of lamps. The steam room should be light enough. Lampshades can be made of natural wood or other heat-resistant materials.
It is very important to provide inside the bath vent. Ventilation will prevent the appearance of dampness and pathogens. However, do ventilation window inside the steam room is useless. It is best to arrange it in a dressing room or washing room. The steam room is ventilated when the door is opened.
After considering the technology, how the floor in the steam room is arranged, finishing and interior design takes place, each owner country house will be able to independently arrange a bathhouse correctly.
