Do-it-yourself steam room - step-by-step instructions for creating it with photos, dimensions, device and video

Device Features

Design

Oven: which one to choose and where to install it

Metal

Brick

Electric

Stone

Preparation

Insulation system inside

Installation of shelves and oven

Lighting

How to properly make a steam room in a bathhouse

Creating a Project

Insulation

Tips for interior decoration

Floor installation

What to consider when choosing a heating device

Door installation

Making shelves right

Video

Building a bathhouse is a responsible undertaking. The pleasure and effect of the procedures performed in it directly depends on this. In this article we will look at step-by-step instructions in which the masters answer the question of how to properly make a good steam room in a bathhouse. It brings true pleasure only with proper organization, so we recommend entrusting the construction to professionals.

How is the floor finished in a steam room?

The process of finishing a bathhouse begins with organizing the floor. It is recommended to raise it 150-200 mm above the floor level in other rooms. This allows you to maintain heat in the steam room due to the absence of drafts.

Shunted plank flooring

It is best to use tiles, tongue and groove or edged boards as the material. The level of safety of moving indoors and its comfort will depend on the choice made. Flooring from boards is made on logs, which are placed on brick pillars. The base is sand or concrete. For installation, galvanized, bronze, brass or stainless steel fasteners are used.

What to consider when choosing a heating device

Each type described above has characteristic advantages and disadvantages. Metal furnaces cool down quickly after stopping operation and require serious protective measures and fencing. Brick ones must be laid on a separate foundation. Electric furnaces are distinguished by the absence of a chimney and easy installation, however, they require a special approach and compliance with all precautions.

Choosing a device depends on individual preferences, the size of the room and the desired result. In any case, you can always consult a professional and ask for help with your choice.

Features of arranging a steam room

When building a steam room with your own hands, you must adhere to the following recommendations.

Selection of oven

The main parameters on which the operation of the device depends are: the number of stones and the duration of their heating, the heat resistance of the body, the grate material, the power consumption of the unit and its design. To provide heat, in addition to the steam room, to adjacent rooms with a total area of 22 square meters, a power of 24 kW is sufficient. Making a stove with your own hands will reduce the cost of arranging a bathhouse.

Choosing a stove is an important matter

Floor covering

The best solution for flooring materials would be to use porcelain tiles or natural stone. For safe movement, a boardwalk is laid. Thermal insulation of the floor is not required. In this case, one of the requirements for the floor is the installation of a hole for draining water. Wood as a flooring material is not the best option, since high humidity will lead to its deformation and rapid failure.

Ceiling

For a ceiling, a sufficient height is 2.2 m, which is due to the physical properties of steam and human physiology. If the ceiling height exceeds the specified value, will the steam rise? and the effect of its influence will be lost. Reducing the height will lead to discomfort during bath procedures, as there will be a risk of head injury and difficulties will arise when working with a broom.

Windows and doors

Window organization is not a requirement.

Wood or glass are the best material options for making doors. If a wooden door is tradition, then glass is practical.

Selecting a steam source and determining a location for the furnace

An important factor when choosing a stove is the method of generating steam, the energy source and the size of the steam room.

The traditional fuel is wood, but both electricity and gas can be used. There are several types of ovens.

Wood burning

Installing such a stove will provide a unique atmosphere in the bathhouse. Even the fact that such a device requires periodic cleaning of soot from the stones cannot spoil the pleasure of taking a bath procedure. To reduce the formation of soot, aspen wood should be used as fuel. To maintain a stable temperature, it is necessary to constantly monitor the combustion process.

Steam room with wood stove

Electric

The electric heater is very easy to use. Such an electrical appliance is compact, has sufficient power and allows you to quickly reach the required temperature. Its device does not require the organization of a chimney.

The electric heater is safe for the environment and humans, its maintenance is simplified as much as possible due to the use of automation, and its design features eliminate the possibility of injury. The main disadvantage of the device is its significant energy consumption.

Electric heater

Gas

The use of a gas furnace is characterized by ease of operation, high heating speed and maintenance of the set temperature in the steam room. A significant disadvantage of this device is the dimensions of the furnace and the significant need of the device for gas. The use of a furnace of this type is impractical if there is no connection to the gas main.

Types of heaters

The stove can be open or closed.

There are different types of heaters

In the case when several people plan to take bath procedures, the best choice would be an open type of heater. The firebox (the place where the fuel is burned) does not have fireproof masonry. It serves as a place for laying stones. This arrangement of the stove allows you to heat all the rooms of the bathhouse and allow the stones to heat up.

When exposed to water, heaters with such a device quickly lose temperature. This design is used in furnaces with electric heating.

A closed heater is a traditional way of constructing a Russian bath. At the same time, a large number of stones are located in a specially designated area of the furnace. In this case, the steam exits through a special door, the level of which is located opposite the stones of the first row. This door must remain closed during fuel combustion. To warm up the steam room, open it in advance.

Is it necessary or not?

Regarding the rest room, everything is somehow simpler - most people there make a window without any doubt. But the steam room... So much effort is put into keeping the heat there longer, so questions immediately arise with the window in the steam room.

However, many of those who ask these questions do not see much difference in what type of bathhouse this steam room belongs to. By the way, this is not strange, because many create “hybrids” already at the project level. And a bathhouse is a system in which all elements are interconnected. Therefore, we have to look into each specific case separately.

It depends on which bathhouse - ours or the Finnish one

What are the most common bathhouses in Russia? Russian and Finnish, and numerous products of their crossing, right? The latter is still worth explaining.

So, let's take the sauna and the Russian as two poles. One of them will have high temperature and low humidity, the other will have moderate temperature and high humidity. All hybrids have tolerable conditions for vapers .
DANGEROUS! The combination of high humidity and high temperature is dangerous for the body - excess moisture in the steam room prevents the body from cooling through evaporation, and the high temperature of the water condensing on the skin can lead to burns.
Humidity and temperature are considered the main components of a particular mode, and one gets the feeling that everything is quite simple - install the same electric heater with a steam generator, set the mode and enjoy. But no. One stove won't do the trick here. An equally important factor is the ventilation . Because the implementation of the regime depends on it.

Typical Russian bath

In a Russian bath, the main thing is a steam cake , formed by light steam, which is formed by the instantaneous evaporation of water from surfaces heated to 400 degrees or higher. The cake should gather under the ceiling, not scatter, and maintain temperature. The bathhouse attendant scoops it up from there with a broom and lowers it onto the body lying on the shelf. No drafts during vaping - all cracks are closed almost completely. The ventilation system is designed so that it can be closed.

Finnish sauna, completely different ventilation rules

In a sauna, everything is different: the ventilation is never blocked , it provides a constant flow of fresh air, which quickly heats up from the iron stove, spreads throughout the room and slips out of it through the exhaust hole. Air is constantly drawn in through supply openings near the stove and under the door and exhausted out through a high exhaust vent on the opposite wall.

Should I do it in a Finnish sauna?

Ventilation hole in the ceiling of a Finnish sauna

So, if there is proper ventilation, the sauna works properly even without a window into the steam room. It is simply not part of the ventilation system, so it performs any other functions.

The Finns install windows in the steam room of the bathhouse when they want to admire the surrounding nature. Well, of course, there isn’t enough nature for everyone, some people have a clear view of only their neighbor’s garden from their bathhouse, so there’s no reason to install a panoramic window.

Other reasons may be:

a dislike of the volume without windows;
or the desire to let in at least a little sunshine.

One way or another, a window for a sauna steam room is an acceptable element, but structurally unnecessary.

Is it necessary to take a Russian bathhouse: arguments for it

But to the question of whether a window is needed in the steam room of a Russian bath, the answer is: according to tradition, it is necessary.

Firstly, traditional for Russia has always been a “black” bathhouse , in which there is simply no way without a window. All the smoke that filled the room as it heated was drawn out through it and through the door. Such ventilation using a window and a door is called “volley”.

It has also been preserved in bathhouses that are heated “white,” that is, they have a chimney. However, in this case, the function of burst ventilation is somewhat different: it is the expulsion not of smoke, but of exhaust air .

In a Russian bathhouse, volley ventilation is carried out between shifts of steamers or simply between visits . The oxygen-depleted air leaves, the cooled steam leaves, the temperature drops, and the steam room prepares for a new filling.

But this is only one option. We have already said that the modes are often mixed, the temperatures in a Russian are like in a sauna, so sometimes a window in the steam room of a bath is needed for a momentary influx of fresh air, lowering the temperature directly during the steaming.

The bathhouse in Karelia is a hybrid, neither Russian nor Finnish, but something in between

For example, there is such a theme: sticking your head out of an open window when your body is being fanned with might and main by a broom. Moreover, the size of such a window is strictly “under the head”.

It is clear that these are completely different “traditions”.

As for the other advantages: they are the same as for a sauna - sunlight, space, beauty outside the window.

Arguments against"

the heat loss associated with it .

IMPORTANT! It is known that each square of surface without thermal insulation in a steam room causes the stove to heat an extra 1.2 cubic meters of volume. That is, you measure the area of the window, multiply by 1.2 and get an extra cubic capacity, which is added to the volume of your steam room. The furnace power must be designed for this total volume. (It goes without saying that glass doors, tiles, tiles, etc. surfaces count.)

But still, nowadays all the windows are double-glazed or double-glazed, and there the air layer itself is a good heat insulator , so passions about losses from a 30-centimeter window with double glass can be greatly exaggerated.

Preparing to build a sauna

When planning the construction of a steam room, you need to decide what size it will be. There should be 0.7 m2 per person in the sauna.

The steam room should not be cramped or very spacious. In the first option it will be uncomfortable, and in the other it will be quite cool, because it is difficult to heat a large room. It is preferable to create a steam room measuring 2x2.4 meters. But it is not allowed to deviate from ordinary decisions.

Sauna size designation

To a certain extent, the width of the steam room depends on the way a person is positioned on the shelf. If it is planned that a person relaxing in a bathhouse will sit on a platform, then the room is made miniature.

When it is decided to steam while lying down, more space is required to create a steam room. In this situation, the best width is considered to be equal to the height of the tallest person in the family, plus another 20 cm.

The dimensions of the shelf and bath are selected taking into account the position in which it is comfortable to steam

The height of the steam room can be from 2.2 to 2.4 meters. It is determined based on the height of the tallest visitor to the bathhouse. When entering the steam room, this person should not touch the ceiling with his head.

Making shelves right

Previously, we talked about the design of a steam room in a bathhouse, and now we will look at how many levels there should be, their sizes, quantity and on what factors they depend. The best option is 3 shelves located at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other. But it is quite acceptable to limit ourselves to two. If the area of the room is small, to rationally use the space, you can make them retractable and add as needed.

When installing, the professional first determines the shape, and then assembles the frame at an angle or straight. Next, wooden panels are laid on the surface. There must be a gap of 1 cm between the panel boards. For their production, you need to use aspen or linden.

Bath design options

At the beginning of construction work, a design for the future structure is developed. You can do this yourself by using one of the ready-made drawings on the Internet as a template. There is a good alternative that will save time - order a project from specialists. The same team will also handle step-by-step turnkey construction.

There are ready-made modular bathhouses on sale, which are simply assembled according to the principle of a designer and do not require external or internal finishing.

Combined

Such modern designs have a very high price. But their quality and basic characteristics are significantly superior to models made from only one material. Combinations of wood with metal and plastic increase all the positive properties and brighten up other disadvantages.

Methods for producing combined windows:

The frame is made of either plastic or aluminum. The inside of the window is then covered with wood trim.
A wooden frame is made. Then it is sewn up on the outside with aluminum or plastic panels.
The design has two frames. The outer one is made of metal or plastic. The inner one is made of wood.

The second and third methods are suitable for windows that can be installed in a steam room. Because all problematic materials remain outside, and only natural ones are inside. Therefore, it is impossible to inhale harmful fumes or get burned on heated metal.

Combined window made of wood and aluminum Source okna-fresh.ru

Arrangement of floors in the bathhouse

Scheme for laying thermal insulation of the floor in a steam room of a Russian bath

To finish the floors of the steam room, you need to use a material that is not afraid of the temperature and humidity conditions typical for a bath and does not emit any harmful substances. The ideal material in terms of its properties is aspen. This wood is inexpensive, looks beautiful, is easy to process and serves well. It is recommended to attach bath benches not to the floor, but to the walls - this way you can save additional space.

Bath floor

You can also use ceramic tiles to cover the floor in the bathhouse. This is a coating that is easier to install and less demanding to use, and can be easily installed with your own hands.

First step. Clean the base from dirt and fill it with a 15-centimeter layer of sand and gravel mixture. Compact the backfill.

Second step. Cover the backfill layer with concrete mixture. A 5cm fill will be sufficient. Level the concrete thoroughly.

Third step. After the concrete has hardened, lay ceramic tiles on it.

One glass or two

To preserve heat in the bathhouse, it is advisable to install double glass. Moreover, it is better - with maximum sealing. But, if the window is installed correctly and there is a pocket for steam, then its effect on heat and steam conservation is not critical. Why then install double frames? Yes, to prevent condensation from leaking. It flows onto the windowsill, then down onto the wall. This is why the tree begins to rot in these places. Under the windows, and the lower crown - this is where fungus and rot appear first. Therefore, double glazing on bath windows is a measure against wood rotting.

Some nuances of construction

In order to competently make a steam room with your own hands, you need to know the nuances that can help in arranging a bathhouse. First of all, you need to find out what building materials and tools are needed for the work. The most important thing is the ability to correctly select and install the main elements of the steam room: floor, ceiling, shelves, stove, lighting, ventilation, door and window openings.

When building a bathhouse, it would be a good idea to take into account some nuances.

When choosing a stove, you need to pay attention to the following technological and design features: the number of stones and the rate of their heating, the material of the grate in the firebox, the heat resistance of the steel lining, power, and the appearance of the unit. On average, a steam room with an area of 22 m² requires a stove with a power of 24 kW

This will allow you to heat the steam room, as well as adjacent rooms: dressing room, washroom and locker room. If you wish, you can make a stove with your own hands. This will significantly save money.

As for the material for the floor, tiles are best suited for a bathhouse, preferably made of porcelain stoneware or natural stone. On top of it you need to lay a wooden flooring so as not to slip when moving along the floor. It is not necessary to install thermal insulation for the floor, but it is necessary to make a drain hole for accelerated drainage of water. It is not recommended to make the floor itself from wood, since this material is susceptible to deformation under the influence of moisture.

The average ceiling height should not exceed 2.2 meters. This is due to the properties of steam and the physiological characteristics of a person. If you make the ceiling higher, all the steam will go up and you won’t get high-quality vaping. If you lower the ceiling too much, there is a risk of hitting your head on it when getting up from the shelf, or the broom will constantly hit the ceiling. Window openings are optional. Doors are best made of either wood or glass. A wooden door is a traditional option, while a glass door is practical, as it will not be exposed to moisture.

Plastic windows

There is a completely authoritative opinion that plastic has no place in the bathhouse. And this is partially correct. The material is completely unsuitable for a steam room. Even the most expensive and high quality. After all, when heated, it will inevitably release toxins. No matter how the manufacturers claim otherwise.

But for a dressing room or washing area, plastic is quite suitable. These rooms are not exposed to much heat, so the material will remain neutral. Plastic windows for baths have good characteristics. They do not absorb moisture at all and therefore can be easily opened for ventilation under any conditions.

Preparing a steam room project

Before you start arranging the steam room, prepare its design. It doesn’t have to be a lot of detailed drawings, but you can’t do without at least basic sketches. When developing a project, you need to start from the main element of the steam room - the stove.

Steam room project

Each sauna stove has its own characteristics and imposes individual requirements regarding the dimensions of the steam room, room ventilation, distance from installing shelves, etc.

When determining the appropriate size of the steam room, proceed from how many people will be visiting the bathhouse at the same time

Here it is important to think through everything thoroughly so that as a result, visitors to the steam room feel comfortable, and at the same time, there is no extra space left in the bathhouse that would be heated in vain. The optimal size of the steam room is 240x200 cm with a ceiling height of 220 cm

Lighting in the steam room

There is no need for windows in the steam room - artificial lighting will be more than enough

It is important to take into account the fact that each window will require increased thermal insulation measures (find out more about how to insulate windows), and this is an additional cost. The permissible maximum is a completely blind window measuring no more than 50x50 cm

At the same time, double-glazed windows must be of the highest quality, with good heat and sound insulation properties.

Blind window in the steam room

When drawing up a project, be sure to consider the organization of ventilation. Without high-quality air exchange, wood will deteriorate very quickly when exposed to moisture. Mold will begin to appear in the steam room, and in general the microclimate will become absolutely unsafe for humans.

Ventilation

When the room arrangement project is ready, you can move on to the gradual implementation of your plan. It is recommended to begin work on preparing the steam room for use with the installation of thermal insulation.

Video description

The video will demonstrate how to properly insulate the ceiling in a steam room:

Installation of doors and windows

It is better to avoid any plastic in the steam room. No matter how the manufacturer positions the harmlessness of its products, the danger of releasing harmful substances still remains. Especially with high heat. Therefore, the frames must be wooden. But have a modern airtight seal and double glazing. For maximum conservation of energy resources, triple is perfect.

You will have to spend extra money to install windows. Because the openings will have to be well insulated. It is better to install frosted glass instead of ordinary glass or apply a translucent film to it. This way you can easily get rid of the possibility of spying on the street.

The installation of a bathhouse inside always implies a separate and well-closing door to the steam room. This is a special element and is different from a regular sash. Firstly, the bath door is much lower and narrower in width. Secondly, the loot must be installed on the threshold.

Modern doors to a steam room made of glass Source vyborok.com

In modern baths you can see glass doors that are installed in the opening with a small gap at the bottom along the floor itself. Some experts will argue that a small heat loss in this case is not important. But the classic version of entering a steam room always has a threshold. Traditionally, it reaches up to 30 cm and you have to carefully step over it.

This design completely eliminates the occurrence of drafts and, as a result, reduces heat loss. And for ease of movement, the door must be equipped with reliable handles that do not allow you to get burned when touched. The door itself that allows entry into the steam room must be well insulated with heat-reflecting material.

Choosing the type of wood for making benches and deck chairs

To determine suitable raw materials, consider the following:

The use of softwood lumber is contraindicated. Otherwise, when heated, resin begins to release, which sticks to the body.
The wood must be resistant to conditions of high humidity, constant temperature changes, and have high-quality antiseptic protection. Otherwise, the shelves will rot and quickly become deformed.
There should be no chips, burrs or other defects on the surface.
Low thermal conductivity of the material is necessary so that the benches do not heat up and this does not cause discomfort for vacationers.

Let's look at the properties of the most popular breeds that are suitable for shelving in a Russian bathhouse.

Aspen

Very popular among residents of the private sector due to the availability of raw materials and low price.

Other benefits of aspen include:

resistant to moisture;
does not rot;
does not deform;
has healing properties;
cleans the air of bacteria and germs;
does not require maintenance.

It is generally accepted that products made from aspen restore strength, give vigor, and act as a neutralizer of negative energy.

From constant exposure to moisture, aspen can change its shade to grayish.

Thermal aspen

Thermal aspen is wood that has been treated with high temperatures (over 200 degrees) and steam.

Resulting in:

The humidity of the raw materials has decreased.
Essential oils evaporated from the structure, which means the material became more resistant to fire.
Density has increased. Therefore, thermoaspen absorbs less moisture.

Thermal aspen does not swell, does not rot, and lasts a long time. This material is considered a reliable decorative option for finishing bath rooms. Thermal aspen shelves and furniture look very beautiful.

Disadvantages: fragility and high price.

Larch

It is characterized by increased resistance to moisture. Has a strong solid structure. It is chosen for the manufacture of furniture, decoration in saunas, open verandas and gazebos.

Alder (black alder)

Alder is the optimal raw material for making steam room benches yourself.

Its advantages:

high strength;
low thermal conductivity;
durability;
wear resistance;
does not deform;
does not change color even after years;
perfectly tolerates temperature changes and constant humidity.

More expensive than linden. The structure is uniform.

To contrast the colors in the steam room, you can assemble racks of light and black alder.

Linden

Linden is often used to decorate steam rooms. It has a pleasant aroma that has a relaxing effect on a person.

Among the advantages of raw materials:

it is convenient to handle;
a light weight;
ease of installation;
smooth surface;
even over the years it does not lose its attractiveness;
tolerates temperature changes and humidity well.

For homemade shelves, it is recommended to take thoroughly dried linden, otherwise the structures will begin to darken.

Linden is more expensive than alder, but in terms of quality and properties these species are almost equal.

Poplar

It is distinguished by soft and easy-to-work wood. Solid poplar has a light brown, sometimes white tone. Light in weight.

In terms of resistance to moisture and temperature changes, it is inferior to other breeds.

It is customary to make furniture and carved decorative elements from poplar.

Maple

The main advantage of maple is its strength. Products made from this raw material are difficult to break or damage, they do not crack.

Other advantages:

long service life;
ease of processing;
affordable price;
resistance to moisture, wear;
homogeneous structure.

Examples of maple with a beautiful texture are the “sugar” and “bird’s eye” types.

Abacha (abashi, abash)

Abash has gained wide popularity in recent years for finishing and making furniture for baths and saunas.

This is the name of African oak. It differs from other breeds in a lot of advantages:

The raw material tolerates temperature changes well.
Due to its strength, it can withstand heavy weight loads.
Looks beautiful.
Lasts a long time.
Does not rot, does not crack.
When heated, abash emits a pleasant odor, which has a positive effect on the human respiratory system.
Wood without knots. It is easy to handle. The surface is smooth.
Even over time it does not lose its original appearance.

In the absence of high-quality ventilation in the steam room, the abash begins to darken in places. This is expensive material.

But benches made from budget alder or linden will look no worse and last a long time.

Wooden windows

Most people, when taking care of their health, prefer to surround themselves with natural materials. And in this case, wood comes first. Its value for creating a favorable microclimate in a building is simply undeniable.

Advantages of wooden windows:

They are able to “breathe”, that is, they can both absorb and release air vapor, adapting to the microclimate of the room.
They accumulate heat and retain it for a long time.
They look noble and respectable.
Easily repaired and restored.

True, the material is afraid of both excessive humidity and extreme dry air. It can be damaged by insects or mold. But all this applies to unprocessed structures. And modern wooden windows are far from what they were just 10 years ago.

Today's glazed frames can easily resist any precipitation and even abnormal heat or northern frosts. Modern assembly and material processing technologies make structures completely sealed. And their service life has also increased significantly thanks to special impregnations.

Modern wooden window Source yandex.net

It is believed that any wood is suitable for a window frame. This is partly true, but a footnote should be added below the statement. It is important for what room the structure is being made. So, coniferous types of wood are completely unsuitable for a bathhouse. When heated, they begin to ooze resin. Larch also suffers from this.

Many people praise oak or beech because of the beauty of their texture and excellent strength. But there are also disadvantages to these varieties. These materials do not tolerate changes in humidity very well and crack. Therefore, experts recommend choosing linden, ash or aspen. But alder remains the best option for a bathhouse.

Advantages and disadvantages of frame construction

Among the advantages of such a construction:

Minimum assembly time. Carefully thought-out technology allows you to build baths of different sizes very quickly.
Environmental friendliness of raw materials. The main material is wood. There will always be a pleasant aroma of natural wood inside the bathhouse.
There is no need to pour a massive foundation under the building. A columnar base or screw piles (depending on the type of soil) will suffice.
The structure warms up faster, unlike brick or log baths.
Fuel economy. For a good heating of such a bathhouse, you will need 2–3 times less firewood than for a brick one.
Low price for materials.
Possibility of construction at any time and weather.

Among the disadvantages of a frame bath:

For year-round operation, the building will have to be insulated, which will entail additional costs.
External and internal finishing of the structure is required.
The bathhouse needs periodic antiseptic and fire retardant treatment.
There is a high probability of the bathhouse shrinking after 1.5–2 years. Shrinkage can be up to 10 cm. Because of this, deformation of the finish occurs inside and outside.

Inexpensive mini-baths

Such designs are usually chosen for small areas or with a very limited budget. Mini-baths can be of several types, but they all include a dressing room and a steam room. A washroom or shower room is found only in the largest structures of this type, and in this case it is always combined with a steam room.

Mini-baths are usually built from boards, logs or timber. They can be built on a wooden frame or mounted on wheels for mobility of the structure. The most popular models of inexpensive mini-baths are barrels. They are convenient, attractive in appearance, and can be installed on a foundation, without it, or on rolling stock.

It is recommended to build mini-baths only in cases of limited space. In terms of cost, due to the peculiarities of size and design, such baths will be equal in cost to frame-tile type structures or those built from cinder blocks.

Installation and insulation

Even if the steam room is made entirely of wood, it must be insulated. Thermal insulation will save money and also create favorable conditions for procedures. If the process of insulation and installation is carried out with your own hands, then you will need step-by-step instructions.

Ceiling: proper ventilation

If the steam room is wooden, then its ceiling is made according to the ceiling beam structure. A waterproofing film two millimeters thick is placed on top of them. Its strips should overlap, attached to each other with self-adhesive tape, and to the beams with staples using a construction stapler.

On top of the waterproofing tape are sheets of moisture-resistant plywood, which are joined along the beams. Next are boards with a thickness of forty millimeters, which must be joined very precisely. The next stage of insulation occurs inside the steam room. To do this, you need to lay insulation between the beams in such an order that it is stretched with the ceiling elements. This makes it impossible for cold to get inside.

The next step is to install a vapor barrier. Everything is done in the same way as in the case of waterproofing. And only after this the ceiling surface is formed.

Also, do not forget about the ventilation system, which is absolutely necessary. After all, a person who steams breathes hot steam, inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. And there is no ventilation, no fresh air will come in, and there will be a lack of oxygen. In such a steam room, a person may simply begin to suffocate.

Therefore, the ventilation system occupies an important place in the construction of a steam room. It not only delivers fresh air to the room, but also dries it

For air circulation, two types of openings are needed: exhaust and supply. In order for air to enter the steam room, supply openings are needed, installed closer to the floor, and also located near the stove.

Pie walls

After this, the walls are insulated, or the so-called “pie” in the steam room, consisting of several elements. This is a wall covered with wooden beams, a heat insulator located between them, a vapor barrier, and also a sheathing constructed from slats.

The algorithm for wall insulation is as follows:

First of all, the beams are attached to the wall.
Later, it is necessary to lay a heat insulator here, with a thickness equal to the width of the bars.
After this, a layer of vapor barrier is placed, which in most cases is foil.
Then a sheathing of 50 by 50 millimeter slats is attached. Finishing at this stage can be done both vertically and horizontally.

The slats are aligned in one plane and secured with self-tapping screws.
Then the fishing line is stretched in three rows and vertical slats are attached every meter exactly along the marked fishing lines.
After finishing the sheathing, foil insulation is placed.
After this, the entire wall is covered with a vapor barrier coating. The gap between the ceiling and walls must be sealed with self-adhesive foil tape.

Floor

In order to start thermal insulation of the floor, you need to determine in advance what it will be: wooden, ceramic or concrete.

For a wooden floor, the base of the steam room in the bathhouse is made of logs, which are first installed between the foundation in the same plane. At the bottom along their edges, slats of 40 by 40 millimeters are nailed. Boards are placed on top of them, and then they are covered with a vapor barrier film, and only after all this the entire floor is covered with waterproofing in two layers. The plank floor rests very tightly on it.

To insulate a concrete floor, you need a completely different technology. First, the soil is leveled, for which sand, crushed stone and gravel are poured alternately. And then it all gets compacted tightly. The next step will be laying a frame made of metal mesh, and only then a layer of waterproofing film is laid.

Do not forget about ventilation in the steam room, which requires special care. After all, ventilation helps prevent moisture from collecting and also prevents fresh air from entering the steam room. For this purpose, special channels are made near the stove, above the floor level, in the wall - closer to the ceiling, and also in the ceiling itself. To regulate them, special valves are made.

Briefly about the main thing

In order for the steam room in the bathhouse to be comfortable to use and to function effectively, it is necessary to adhere to certain rules when arranging the bathhouse. And, in addition to competent construction of walls, considerable attention will need to be paid to interior decoration.

The main conditions for proper arrangement:

The basis of the building is a reliable foundation. A ribbon or columnar version is perfect for a bathhouse.
It is important to choose a productive and safe stove.
For it, as well as the water tank, you need to choose the right place.
Thermal insulation of the steam room should be of the highest quality.
The room must have good ventilation.
Before construction, it is necessary to make a design and calculate the size of the premises.
We must not forget about the convenience of using the premises.

When arranging a steam room, it is better to adhere to minimalism. In addition to the stove, the room should only have shelves for sitting or lying down when taking hot air procedures. When decorating a room, at least metal should be used. All the main material is high-quality wood with the lowest resin content.

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How to make a bench for a bath: choosing materials

If a bathhouse building can be constructed from a variety of building materials, then bathhouse benches and other furniture can only be made of wood.

When choosing materials, they simultaneously select the type of construction that would be combined with the style of the building. But in any case, there are certain rules for choosing wood based on experience and many years of practice.

Criteria for choosing wood for a bathhouse bench:

The steam room uses benches made of hardwood that can withstand high temperatures and humidity - oak, linden and larch. The aroma of these trees has healing properties.
Benches made of aspen and larch can be used in the washing room, since these materials tolerate high humidity well at relatively low air temperatures.
Furniture made from linden, aspen, larch, maple, oak or birch can be used in the relaxation room, however, due to increased moisture, all bath benches must be treated with special impregnations.

Benches and benches made of pine are never installed in the steam room, since under the influence of high temperatures, resin is released from the wood, which leaves marks on the body, but most importantly, it can cause a burn to the body.

There are increased requirements for the material of bath benches:

Moisture resistance, allowing the furniture to be used for a long time in conditions of high humidity.
Low thermal conductivity, in which the bench does not overheat in high temperature conditions, threatening burns.
High density wood so that it does not quickly become saturated with water, otherwise cracks will appear on the bench during use, it will rot and warp.
High drying speed. The bath bench should dry quickly and be easy to clean.

Linden is the best material for making bath benches, especially for use in steam rooms: it tolerates high temperatures well and is resistant to moisture, easy to process and emits a pleasant aroma. Aspen has also proven itself well, but over time, the furniture in the bathhouse begins to rot from the inside.

Features of bath rooms

To summarize, it is worth noting some tricks of the bathhouse atmosphere. For example, steam with insufficient humidity can lead to cooling of guests in a steam room. So, with a relative decrease of 30%, moisture will evaporate from human skin much faster, which will lead to cooling of the body.

It is to control this process that two thermometers are hung in the steam room at once - one is standard, and the second has a tip wrapped in a damp cloth, which allows you to show the temperature of the skin of a person who is in the steam room.

Thermometer for use in a bath Source oglasi.svet24.si

Wall decoration

It is best to use lining for finishing bath walls. Before starting work, bring the lining into the steam room and leave it there for a day or two so that the material has time to adapt to the surrounding conditions. All wood must be treated with an antiseptic. In general, the work is extremely simple and is performed in several stages.

First stage. Assemble the frame. When choosing a material for assembling the frame, consider the expected level of the upcoming load. If the shelves will be attached to the walls, the sheathing should be assembled from bars. If the shelves will not be attached to the walls, the frame can be made of slats.

Assemble the frame

When choosing an option for fastening the sheathing elements, be guided by how the lining will be secured in the future. If you attach the sheets vertically, fix the slats or beams horizontally, and vice versa.

Attach the first and last slats to the wall. Use self-tapping screws for fastening. Select the pitch of the sheathing in accordance with the width of the insulation boards.

Second phase. Attach waterproofing (polyethylene film) over the sheathing and begin laying the insulation. For insulation, mineral wool is most often used.

Attach waterproofing over the sheathing

Third stage. Secure a vapor barrier material over the laid insulation. To fix vapor barrier membranes, it is most convenient to use a construction stapler.

Mineral wool, vapor barrier and clapboard finishing

Fourth stage. Proceed with the installation of the lining. Start attaching the sheathing sheets from the far corner of the steam room. The lining can be secured with self-tapping screws or other convenient fasteners. Cover all the walls of the steam room with clapboard.

In the case of finishing a bathhouse, it is strongly not recommended to use varnishes and paints for finishing the lining.

Finishing and arrangement of the steam room

The main emphasis is on choosing the type of wood. If you are not short on money, then a good solution would be to choose oak or cedar. More budget-friendly options include larch, aspen and birch. Conifers are prohibited in the bathhouse due to their high resin content.

Cladding walls with clapboard Source waysi.ru

Before use, any wood must be impregnated with a special composition to reduce porosity. The tree should not accumulate water. And you need to start decorating with clapboard from the ceiling. Most often, the plank is attached to the sheathing using clamps.

At the same time as the walls, they are working on equipment and finishing of the shelves. The walls are marked and the frame of the sun loungers is installed. Then the side and front parts are sheathed. Afterwards the backrests are designed. In parallel to this, the lining is placed on the wall itself.

The fitting of elements must be carried out carefully and carefully. Otherwise, moisture will accumulate in the cracks. And this will sooner or later lead to the appearance of mold. And fighting it will be a troublesome task.

The final work includes the installation of lamps. It is necessary to ensure that all contacts are well insulated. To avoid short circuits if they get wet. You can place a couple of small shelves for bath accessories on unoccupied walls.

Step-by-step instructions for installing electrical wiring in a bathhouse with your own hands

Before work, a general scheme for the electrification of the bathhouse must be prepared. Beginners should not undertake such a process without the supervision of a specialist. This should only be done under the clear guidance of a specialist, otherwise it risks a short circuit due to connection errors.

The distribution box, sockets, and switches can only be installed in a dry room. A dressing room or rest room would be suitable.

The entire installation process consists of four steps.

Electrical panel installation

Occurs subject to the following conditions:

The place for installation is dry, well ventilated.
Condensation does not accumulate in the room, there is no high humidity.
You can freely approach the shield.
The area of the room is brightly lit.
The recommended mounting height of the box is 1.5 – 1.8 m from the floor.
In small baths, it is permissible to use a three-core cable for single-phase wiring.

Electrical wiring starts from the central panel.

It is equipped with:

input circuit breaker;
RCD;
automatic machines for boiler, electric heater, lamps.

The power calculation for each individual machine is also carried out.

Wiring

Depending on the material of the bath, an open or closed installation method is used (discussed in the section above). Near the electric one they often run a wire for the Internet and telephony.

Output of switches and sockets

When the cable is laid, you can begin to assemble sockets and switches. The recommended installation distance is 90 cm from the floor. They are fixed in all rooms except the steam room. If the elements will be located near the steam room, then it is better to choose options with protective covers.

Lighting installation

For lighting, devices of protection class IP44 are used.

In the steam room and shower room, waterproof lamps are installed that are mounted on the wall.

Fiber optic lamps are in demand. They are resistant to temperature changes, humidity, and provide soft, diffused, relaxing light.

Built-in lamps look great, especially when the finishing is done with clapboard.

The recommended body material is metal; it is better to take lamp shades from glass. These are the requirements for lamps in a steam room. In other rooms there are no restrictions on the choice of lighting fixtures.

Installation of shelves and oven

The next answer to the question of how to build a steam room concerns the firebox. It is performed in the corner closest to the front door. According to current standards, the distance between the heating device and the walls must be at least 33 cm. Previously, we have already become acquainted with the types of modern fireboxes on the market.

Heaters made of metal or powered by electricity can be purchased at the store.

To make boards, craftsmen use slats made of oak or aspen. When connecting, it is important to leave a small gap between them. This is necessary for the removal of water and the entry of air. The dimensions and number of shelves depend on the number of steamers and the size of the room itself. Optimal shelves are 1.8 m long and 0.6 m wide.

Preparation of tools and materials

To assemble the table for the bathhouse, you need to prepare the following tools and materials.

Tools

any saw - hand saw, miter saw, circular saw, even a jigsaw;
(possibly) an electric drill with drills to match the diameter of the dowels;
any grinding machine - manual, grinder, regular electric.

ATTENTION! It is assumed that you purchased high-quality material, and you will not have to joint the boards, bringing them to uniform dimensions

Choosing wood

As you know, almost all bath furniture, including bath tables, are made from three types of wood:

Aspen;
Abashi;
Linden.

Note that their properties and characteristics are of high quality, and are simply ideal for use in rooms with high humidity and temperature conditions. Let's take a closer look at their distinctive qualities:

Low level of thermal conductivity;
No defects;
Density and strength of the material;
Absence of any problems during wood processing;
Lack of resins in the structure of the material.

Today, linden and aspen are considered the most popular types of wood, since they have a fairly reasonable and competitive price on the building materials market. Abashi wood is often used for more expensive finishing, so a table made from such material will be quite presentable in its external characteristics. In turn, it will be distinguished by a unique creamy shade, which will have its original appearance for quite a long period of time.

If you do not want to spend a considerable amount of money on decorative wood, then purchase linden. The use of this material will make it possible to produce fairly high-quality furniture, which will be characterized not only by a beautiful appearance, but also by a long service life. When the final choice of building material has been made, the actual work should begin.

Tabletop board – 50 x 100 x 1200 (mm), 8 pcs.
Mounting strip – 50 x 100 x 700 (mm), 2 pcs.
Leg – 50 x 50 x 650 (mm), 4 pcs.
Crossbar – 25 x 100 x 750 (mm), 2 pcs.
Longitudinal crossbar – 25 x 100 x 1050 (mm), 2 pcs.

Date: September 25, 2021

Oven: which one to choose and where to install it

The main element of the steam room arrangement is the stove. The modern market offers 3 types of this equipment.

Metal

Characterized by small size and high performance, it can quickly heat the required area. The heating device requires a minimum of time to heat up and cool down. However, touching its heated surface is extremely dangerous. For this reason, when choosing this equipment, it is necessary to provide reliable fencing to prevent accidents.

Brick

Installed exclusively on a pre-prepared foundation. The dimensions directly depend on the characteristics of the steam room. Disadvantages:

difficulty in choosing a good stove installation specialist, and as a result the high cost of services;
mandatory presence of a foundation due to the large mass of the furnace;
long time for construction;
slow heating.

Its advantage is long cooling, the formation of light and fine steam, which is ideal for a Russian steam room, safety (even if you accidentally touch it, there will be no burn), and the absence of infrared radiation. Based on this, a brick oven can be installed close to the shelves for long-term heat generation.

Electric

Its main advantage is the absence of hassle with kindling firewood. But it is important to consider that these heating devices are effective only for small rooms, they cool down quickly, and their cost is high. Any faults in electrical insulation can lead to serious problems and short circuits. For this reason, when choosing electric furnaces, you need to carefully check the quality of the electrical wiring.

Stone

Soapstone is a popular and in-demand material today. It is characterized by a high degree of strength, therefore it is durable. The main advantage of this material is uniform and gradual heating of the room. The stove itself is not cheap, but it allows you to significantly save on fuel: after heating for an hour, the heat will remain throughout the day. In addition, such steam has healing properties and can improve your health.

How to choose a stove based on the dimensions of the bath

Heating the room to the desired temperature and the quality of the steam produced depend on the power of the furnace. For gas and wood stoves, this factor is not critical, since they already heat the room well. But the wrong choice of power of the electrical appliance will lead to the fact that in the winter it will be cold in the steam room.

The stove is installed in such a way that the heater is in the steam room, and the firebox itself with a reservoir for hot water is in the shower room.

Even a small metal stove will heat a room with a volume of 18 cubic meters. m, will heat up to 70 liters of water.

In small steam rooms it is customary to install metal stoves. They are compact and quickly gain temperature.

To improve the duration of heat transfer, a metal stove is lined with brick.

For a classic Russian bath with a large steam room, a brick oven remains always relevant.

Tea, kvass, beer and excesses are bad

As is well known, in a steam room there is an active loss of moisture from the human body, and since the human body itself consists of 80% water, the losses must be restored.

The best option is herbal tea. It is herbal tea, since Indian, Ceylon and other overseas teas, in company with domestic tea - Krasnodar tea, provokes activation of the heart rate, which is useless in the relaxing atmosphere of a cool dressing room. In addition, the heart already worked actively in conditions of high temperatures. Linden tea, tea with oregano and thyme herbs are wonderful.

Classic village bread kvass quenches your thirst well. When baths appeared in Rus', this wonderful drink appeared around the same time. Bread kvass is rich in microelements, B vitamins, enzymes, which, in turn, are rich in one of its main components - grain malt.

Beer. Well, what is a Russian bath without this intoxicating, fragrant, foamy drink. When consumed in moderation, beer can provide some benefits, or at least not cause a devastating blow to your health. Excessive use is harmful. It is clear that everyone has their own norm, but practical and pedantic Germans calculated that a liter beer mug is the ceiling norm for a person of average build.

The whole truth about the Russian bath cannot fit into the volume of one article; it is a huge, interesting, original and practically inexhaustible topic. Many interesting facts were left outside the scope of this essentially review material. It is impossible to tell everything. But we will try very hard.

What tool will you need?

To build a bathhouse with your own hands you need:

electric saw;
grinder with a set of discs;
drill with various drills and grinding attachments;
planer, jointer (or electric analogues);
axes;
crowbar, mount;
pliers, nail puller;
bayonet and shovel;
hydraulic level;
hammers;
mallet;
bit;
set of chisels;
files;
caulk tool;
tape measure and carpenter's meter;
buckets;
wheelbarrow;
stairs;
construction trestles;
container for concrete or construction mixer.

Now you can proceed directly to construction.

Approval of the project by administrative authorities

This is a key step. Without approval of the project before the start of construction, an already built bathhouse can be demolished due to any complaints from neighbors, and you will lose the labor and money invested. The project should include the following items:

A plan (floor plan, even if you have only one), created according to all the rules of drawing with specifications, sections and explication.
Approximate estimate for materials.
Planned type of foundation with drawing.
Consent of the closest neighbors for construction.

The bathhouse design must be agreed upon with the necessary authorities

Legends of deep antiquity

No one can say for sure when baths appeared in Rus'. Even in the pre-Christian era, they were a formed and independent product with their own culture and even traditions. Mentions of them can be found during the conquest of Constantinople by the Kyiv squad led by Prince Oleg from the Rurik family. Even then, the Russian steam bath was fundamentally different from its Byzantine relatives, who, in turn, were greatly influenced by Roman baths.

In fairness, it must be said that the bathing traditions of the Roman Empire were a classic reference product that used the most advanced technological achievements of that time for its arrangement. Even after the fall of the Western Roman Empire under the blows of the barbarians, its eastern part continued to profess and use existing developments in the field of hygiene and organization of bathing leisure.

But even such achievements, such chic and brilliance, which were inherent in Roman baths, did not in any way impress our ancestors, who, even in Byzantium, reserved for themselves the right to practice exclusively the Slavic bath rite. There is mention of our bathhouse in the classic written monument - “The Tale of Bygone Years”; sayings about the Russian bathhouse are attributed to Andrew the First-Called himself. European guests of our region, since the time of Peter and Catherine, also left their testimonies about our bathhouse. A product that is colorful, original and unforgettable.