How to insulate the floor in the bath in the steam room. Creating comfortable and favorable conditions in the bath by warming the concrete floor. Alternative insulation materials
For laying the floor in the bath, various materials are used, including wooden boards and bulk earth. To understand how to insulate the floor in the bath with your own hands, you should know a few nuances. So, recently inexpensive wooden flooring has become popular.
Types of flooring materials
But it has one significant drawback - a tree, even the most expensive species, is exposed to hot water and steam. Over time, it begins to deteriorate and break down. Another option is a clay floor. It is considered environmentally friendly, but when water gets on it, it begins to swell and crack. Liquefied soap gets into the cracks, which does not dry out and becomes a source of an unpleasant odor.
Concrete
Because of these shortcomings, concrete pavement is more often used recently, which is able to withstand humidity and high temperature. The main advantage of a concrete floor is that it is easy to maintain. Most often, such floors are poured in the steam room.
A wooden floor is perfect for a waiting room, but even here it needs to be insulated - with decent thermal insulation, you can save a lot on fuel and simply increase comfort. As for comfort: heating the feet in the steam room, going out on the cold floor is not only unpleasant, but also not always good for health. Work with floors begins after the installation of the drainage system, roofing, windows, door blocks, as well as after the completion of all finishing work.
Types of heaters
Warming of the concrete floor in the steam room is carried out using perlite, glass wool or expanded clay. Such a layer is laid between the layers of concrete. An alternative to mineral wool and bulk materials is polystyrene foam 10-25 cm thick or sprayed material.
Penoplex
The advantages of penoplex are its lightness, thermal insulation, efficiency. in the bath requires compliance with two rules:
- perfectly flat base;
- foam boards should not be placed close to the furnace or pipes that heat up to 75 ° C.
mineral wool
Mineral wool as a heater for a bath floor has the following positive characteristics:
- low thermal conductivity and resistance to physical stress;
- fire resistance, which is especially important for a bath;
- long service life due to resistance to rot and mold, and cost-effectiveness.
It is unacceptable to use insulation in the form of synthetic materials in the bath - linoleum and laminate.
Additional materials
In order for the insulation to perform its functions, it must remain dry, for which waterproofing is used. As a vapor barrier, glassine is often used - cardboard impregnated with oil bitumen, 0.2 mm thick polyethylene film, as well as roofing material.
Hydrobarrier
A modern "hydrobarrier" is popular - a polyethylene film reinforced with a nylon thread. The vapor barrier is spread on the floor between the beams and reinforced with a stapler or nailed. Insulation is laid on this layer. Also, rubber-bitumen mastic is used as a waterproofing.
Before applying mastic to concrete, you need to clean the surface of debris and paint, level all bumps and pits. The mastic is applied in 2-3 layers, a rolled waterproofing agent (a film, for example) is laid on top. For vapor barrier, foil is often used, which is glued at the joints with construction tape. It is also worth trying foilizol - a fiberglass-based insulator.
Thermal insulation with mineral wool
Thermal insulation with mineral wool can be carried out on three types of floor surfaces - on the ground, on logs and on a concrete surface. If the bath is just being built, then you can resort to compacted soil.
On the ground
So, the flooring is laid based on logs installed on compacted soil in the form of a mound of gravel and slag. After the embankment of gravel, a layer of expanded clay and a waterproofing film between the lags are laid. Mineral wool mats or slabs are placed directly on the entire structure so that there are no gaps between them. Mineral wool is sheathed with a vapor barrier film, after which a reinforced screed or subfloor is laid.
On the bricks
There is a second option - soil with brick columns, which are needed to fix the same lag. The sequence of warming is as follows:
- expanded clay is poured to the upper edge of the columns;
- bars are stuffed along the length of the log, on which wooden flooring is attached;
- waterproofing and mineral wool are laid on the logs;
- a vapor barrier is applied on top with an overlap, gluing the joints with construction tape.
Concrete
In the case of a concrete surface, the object of insulation is the floor slab:
- a vapor barrier film is laid on the plate with the foil side;
- mats or mineral wool slabs are placed on the film - evenly and without gaps;
- a layer of vapor barrier is laid on top of the mineral wool with the foil side up.
Thermal insulation with a mixture
The most effective way to insulate a concrete floor is to lay two layers of concrete mixed with heaters such as expanded clay, glass wool and perlite. Perlite is an expanded sand that is light in weight and has low thermal conductivity.
Stage 1
In the case of a concrete floor, the foundation is first poured, on which a concrete slab is placed. The third layer is waterproofing and insulation, which are tightened with a reinforcing mesh. When working with perlite, you need to close the room, as this material is able to scatter from a draft.
The first stage is mixing perlite with water, adding cement to this mass. After harvesting, add another bucket of perlite and half a liter of water to the resulting mixture and mix well. This mass is laid out on a concrete slab and left to dry for a week, after which they begin laying the second layer. Such a floor, made by hand, will last for many years.
Stage 2
Ceramic tiles are laid on top of the floor. Such a tiled floor for a bath is not always convenient - slippery, usually cold - so it is covered with a wooden grate. If desired, this grate can be removed and dried, and during operation it allows you to maintain balance on a wet field.
Regulation systems
Underfloor heating often requires connection to an underfloor heating system with three options - resistive cable, water source heat pump or infrared system. The resistive cable is laid with a snake on a concrete-cement screed, and the infrared floor is rolled out on a stitch in strips, after which tiles are glued on it. A warm water floor is based on thermoregulation and the supply of warm water to the floor contours. Temperature regulators are located in the dressing room.
Thermal insulation with expanded clay
Floor insulation on concrete can be carried out using expanded clay:
- a layer of concrete is laid and left until completely solidified;
- a layer of expanded clay of 8-10 cm is poured onto the frozen concrete;
- a second layer of concrete is poured onto expanded clay, which is necessarily reinforced (you can use a simple chain-link mesh);
- a cement-sand screed is applied on top;
- the last aesthetic layer is floor tiles.
Thermal insulation with foam
The use of foam as a heater is very effective: this material does not absorb moisture, retains its properties for a long time. It is well suited for brick baths that absorb moisture from the outside and from the ground. Foam boards are lightweight, not weighing down the ceiling and foundation. When working with foam, there is practically no waste, which reduces the cost of costs.
Stages of work
The bath takes place in several stages:
- the foundation is laid on which the floor slab is installed;
- floor waterproofing;
- foam boards are laid, and a screed is laid on top;
- the screed is coated with glue with the effect of a warm floor, and ceramic tiles are laid on top.
The thickness of the heat-insulating layer is 15 cm, but for weakly it is recommended to lay materials with a thickness of 25 cm.
wood floor insulation
Wood is preferred not only because of its cheapness, but also because of the heat it can store, unlike concrete. For a bath, materials such as spruce, pine or fir are suitable, and species of linden, poplar or aspen that give resin are not recommended. The boards are covered with a special solution that prevents the wood from rotting - so they will last for ten years without requiring replacement.
Wooden materials for laying the floor in the steam room should be well dried, and for the dressing room - also impregnated with an antiseptic to avoid rotting and damage by fungus. The wooden floor in the bath has the following design - beams are placed on the poured concrete, and on top of them, respectively, a wooden beam.
The insulation goes over the subfloor. As a heater for a wooden bath floor, expanded clay, fiberglass and mineral wool, sand and slag can become.
Pile structures for the foundation
Often a bath is built on piles, which are a supporting structure and are used for installation under a log house. This is considered the simplest type of foundation. When insulating a bath on piles, there is one significant advantage - reliable waterproofing of the foundation itself by raising it above the ground. Most often, piles are represented by long metal pipes with blades that cut the ground.
After the construction of the foundation on piles, it is necessary to lay a wooden coating, which in itself will retain heat in the bath. However, wooden flooring alone is not enough - it is necessary to make a base from a pipe that will connect all the screw piles, and then carry out waterproofing with a film.
Mineral wool tiles can be used as insulation between the film and the boards. External thermal insulation is carried out along the contour of the base using fasteners. After completion of work, you can begin finishing the facade.
Reliable thermal insulation of the functional premises of the bath is an important task in its construction. Insulation requires all types of surfaces - walls, ceilings and floors.
To prevent possible rotting and destruction of the flooring in conditions of high humidity, as well as to ensure efficient heating of the premises, it is necessary to properly insulate the floor in the bath.
Materials for thermal insulation of the floor in the bath
Maximum protection of the base is possible only when the insulation is correctly selected. There are the following types of thermal insulation materials for the bath floor:
- Wool on fiberglass and basalt base. Lightweight thermal insulation material with high heat-saving characteristics. It quickly absorbs moisture, therefore it requires additional hydro- and vapor barrier.
- Styrofoam. Moisture-resistant and practical insulation material, characterized by low weight and affordable cost. Insulation of the floor in the bath with penoplex provides for an affordable installation of a heat-insulating floor pie, which you can do yourself. It is used for insulation of wooden and concrete bases in combination with vapor barrier protection.
- Expanded clay. Eco-friendly and durable material with a porous structure and high thermal insulation characteristics. Produced on the basis of clay and slag screenings. Expanded clay is used in dry form as an underground backfill mixed with a cement composition.
- Foam based polymers- ecological cotton wool and penoizol. Foamed insulation provides maximum filling of existing cracks and deformations in the flooring, therefore they are successfully used for thermal insulation of wooden bases on logs.
- Perlite. It is an expanded sand mixture, which, when mixed with cement and water, acquires additional porosity and strength. Lightweight insulating material used as a connecting layer in the arrangement of a concrete screed.
wood flooring technology
Stages of insulation of wooden flooring:
- On the beams on both sides, cranial wooden bars are fixed, and a rough base is laid.
- A waterproofing material is mounted on the subfloor and logs to protect against high moisture and hot steam. For this, a plastic film or an insulating membrane is suitable. The material is fixed along the edges of the protruding floor elements with metal brackets. In this case, it is important to ensure a slight sagging of the canvas. The joints of the strips are closed with construction tape or mounting tape.
- A heat-insulating material and an additional layer of a waterproofing layer are mounted on the waterproofing layer, which will prevent the insulation from getting wet and rotting. For this, a rolled roofing material is used, the joints of which are carefully processed with bituminous mastic.
- At the final stage, a crate of bars is mounted to the lags, which will provide natural ventilation of the wooden base. Next, a decorative coating is laid, plinths are nailed.
Concrete floor insulation technology
The thermal insulation of the concrete floor in the bath rooms is carried out after the arrangement of the rough concrete screed. To insulate a concrete floor, it is better to use rolled, coating or foamed materials - mastics, roofing material, mineral and basalt wool, foam plastic and expanded clay chips.
Work is carried out according to the following scheme:
- The rough screed is waterproofed on the basis of a polyethylene film. The material is laid over the entire base, observing allowances for the walls of 6 cm. When using roll material, the connecting joints are glued with construction tape.
- Insulating material is installed. The easiest option is foam sheets, which are fixed to a pre-installed crate of thin bars. For mounting the crate, screw screws are used.
- Concrete mortar is poured and reinforcing mesh is installed. The height of the finished screed above the insulating layer is from 2 to 3 cm.
- After the concrete mixture has set, the rough screed is poured and leveled to remove air voids. The total height of the floor above the insulation is up to 8 cm.
- At the end, a decorative floor covering is laid with additional vapor barrier arrangement.
Lag floor insulation technology
In order to properly insulate the wooden floors in the bath, some experts recommend using logs set in increments of 55 to 95 cm. This is the easiest and most affordable way to equip filler floors with a layer of insulation.
Work is performed in the following order:
- Dismantling the old flooring, cleaning the surface of debris and dirt, eliminating irregularities and deformations.
- Installing a log from the bottom side of the base along its entire length.
- Fixing the lag at the optimal distance from each other. To protect against decay and destruction, they are treated with wood preservatives.
- Boards or sheets of plywood are installed between the lags, on which heat-insulating material is laid. For insulation, mineral or basalt wool is used, as well as foam sheets. Joints are carefully treated with sealant. When using cotton wool, a waterproofing layer of polyethylene film is additionally laid.
- Finally, the floor covering is installed.
Floor insulation technology with liquid penoizol
Penoizol is a modern cellular material used for thermal insulation of floors. It has unique performance characteristics and the following advantages:
- contributes to the rapid filling of voids in wooden floors;
- creates a solid foundation that is resistant to shrinkage and deformation;
- allows installation work to be carried out quickly and easily.
There are two ways to insulate the floor with liquid penoizol: during the installation of floorboards and during the operation of the finished building.
When erecting a bath, before laying the boards, the material is evenly distributed over the entire surface of the base between the wooden logs. After complete solidification, boards are fixed to the lags.
If the bath is put into operation, thermal insulation with foam insulation is carried out for all types of floor bases that have voids. In this case, holes with a diameter of 30 mm are made in a checkerboard pattern on the surface of the base in increments of 150–200 cm.
A liquid solution of penoizol is supplied to the prepared voids using a special steam generator. For the preparation of penoizol, urea resin, foaming agent, phosphoric acid and water are used.
After the material has completely hardened, the installation of a decorative floor covering is carried out.
Important! The board must be at least 4.5 cm wide, since the filling process with liquid foam insulation is carried out under high pressure.
Folk ways of floor insulation
In addition to the use of modern thermal insulation materials, you can do the floor insulation in the bath with your own hands using folk methods.
- Straw. Dry and clean straw is used for thermal insulation of the floor base. Before starting work, the raw materials are carefully checked for the absence of rot or mold, then crushed and mixed with liquid clay in equal parts. To obtain a dense mass, you can use a construction mixer. The finished solution is poured over the soil under the base of the bath, leveled and dried.
- sawdust. Technologically, the process of floor insulation is similar to the previous version. To do this, you can use sawdust of coniferous and deciduous trees, which have undergone additional antiseptic treatment. For the preparation of a solution of increased viscosity, building clay is used.
- Loose insulation. Often, expanded clay is used as a heat-insulating material, but factory slag, screenings, and gravel are suitable to reduce the cost of the process. Consumables are poured onto a previously prepared base up to 10 cm high. The thickness of the clay layer is from 10 to 20 cm.
- . The easiest and cheapest way to arrange thermal insulation of the floor in the bath. It does not require the purchase of expensive material and the use of specialized equipment. Used glass and plastic containers are used for floor insulation, which ensures the creation of a sealed air gap.
The quality of work depends on compliance with the basic requirements for the arrangement of various types of bases in bath rooms.
- In some cases, floor insulation in the steam room requires lifting the finishing coating. This is done by installing a log of wooden beams equipped with a heat-insulating layer. This allows you to raise the floor to the required height, additionally insulate and speed up the process of heating the room. This method can be used for a bath built on a pile foundation.
- The floor in the washing room is insulated after the installation of waterproofing.
- The dressing room and the rest room are rooms with a low level of humidity, in which the use of waterproofing materials for insulation is not required.
- You can additionally insulate the floor in the bath with wooden gratings or rubber mats.
- When installing insulation and waterproofing, it is important to observe technological gaps that will ensure natural ventilation of the floor.
- For damp rooms, it is recommended to choose wear-resistant and safe heaters that are resistant to moisture, steam and temperature extremes.
When choosing the appropriate method of thermal insulation of bath floors, one should take into account their structural characteristics, operating conditions and types of decorative floor coverings.
The floor in the bath is periodically exposed to the strongest possible high temperatures and moisture, so its installation and insulation must be taken very seriously. The service life of this building will depend entirely on the quality of the materials and the foundation device itself. Since the materials for its installation can be different, the insulation must be appropriate.
In what rooms of the bath should the floor be insulated
In what rooms is it necessary to insulate the floor? This question interests many builders. A large amount of water is constantly pouring in the washing room and therefore wooden and concrete types of bases do not have time to dry well. In the steam room, very high temperature and humidity have a negative impact on all the structures of the room, not excluding the floor. In this case, favorable conditions for the reproduction of fungi and mold are very quickly created.
The base is made with a certain slope for the rapid flow of water into various types of sewer system (drain pit, sewer, or simply into the ground). For its device, a variety of modern materials can be used, but mostly a wooden coating is arranged. But over time, even the best wooden floor will begin to break down under the influence of water and high temperature. It is impossible to lay various synthetic materials (linoleum and laminate) in the bath rooms, so you need to think about a quality device and insulation of the structure.
Concrete pavement, tiled, will be the most acceptable option for a hot steam room. But in a rest room or dressing room, a wooden base would be appropriate. But in any case, any type of floor must be insulated, because, leaving the hot room of the steam room, you can feel an unpleasant cold under your feet.
In addition, clay and earthen bases can be arranged in the bath, which do not need to be insulated.
Thermal insulation is carried out for "dry" floors that do not have leaking wooden or concrete bases. For them, the drain is performed with a slope of about 10 ° towards the flow of water into the gutter or a special hole for the catchment. Only with a high-quality arrangement of floors in the bath, water will not be able to spoil the heat-insulating material, and it will serve for many years.
How to insulate the floor in the steam room: several ways
There are several ways to insulate the floor in the bath rooms, which differ in their methods and choice of materials.
Insulation with a cement screed on the ground can be done in various rooms, as it is of high quality. This is a multilayer insulation method, which, if desired, can be simplified depending on the location of the building.
Cement screed over the floor is carried out using extruded foam or mineral wool. To cover the floor, concrete slabs with special holes are used here, which significantly reduce the percentage of heat loss and make it possible to create warmer floors.
Warming on wooden logs is carried out using mineral wool, ordinary foam plastic or various bulk materials. In the same way, the process of floor insulation takes place in the bath, which is built on screw piles.
The use of liquid materials (penoizol, polystyrene or polyurethane foam) is the latest technology, which is characterized by a high degree of efficiency and a long service life. This is a universal way to insulate the floor in bath rooms.
Warming with natural materials is a traditional method of flooring. For this, materials such as straw, clay and sawdust are used.
The device of heat-insulated floors is one more way of warming. They are divided into three types: electric, infrared and water. Infrared special mats are laid on the adhesive composition before the tiles are laid on the floor. Electric heating elements are distributed over the entire surface of the heat-insulating layer. Water metal-plastic, polyethylene or copper pipes are laid under the floor.
Which material is best suited: advantages and disadvantages
To insulate concrete floors in the bath rooms, the best solution is to pour two layers of mortar with laying materials such as foam, expanded clay, perlite, foam or mineral wool. For the device of wooden floors, the same expanded clay is usually used, as well as slag and mineral wool.
Perlite in its structure is a light expanded composition, of volcanic origin, with a low degree of thermal conductivity. Since this insulation easily scatters throughout the room, when working with it, it is necessary to avoid drafts and air penetration from the outside.
Advantages
Styrofoam is an inexpensive lightweight material for insulation, which is widely used for floor insulation in various rooms. The disadvantage of this material is its toxicity, therefore, at the time of purchase, it is necessary to be interested in product quality certificates.
Advantages
Expanded clay is a lightweight heat-insulating material that is made from clay under the influence of high temperatures. As a result of this process, light but strong granules with a porous structure are obtained.
Advantages
Mineral wool is the most popular floor insulation. But not in all rooms of the bath it can be used, since it absorbs moisture well, due to which its characteristics deteriorate significantly. That is why the use of mineral wool requires a mandatory waterproofing device.
Advantages
Penoplex is a representative of foamed materials, which is used for floor insulation in various rooms, including baths. Such material does not require large physical costs during laying, as it is simply glued to the concrete base with a special adhesive.
Advantages
Such a universal insulation as expanded polystyrene is used for wooden and concrete floors. This is a fairly rigid and lightweight material, which consists of a polymer alloy of small rounded granules. Expanded polystyrene is easily cut with an ordinary knife, so it can be laid in any room structure.
Advantages
Calculation of the required amount of material
Depending on the size of the room, we can calculate the amount of materials needed for thermal insulation of the floor with a cement screed on the ground. So, for example, the thickness of expanded clay and foam boards will be different for floor insulation.
Consider the simplest option for warming a dressing room with an area of 4 m 2 with ecowool.
Calculations are made according to the formula: S of the dressing room (m 2) is multiplied by the thickness of the material (m) and multiplied by the density (kg / m 3), and then the result is divided by the weight of one package.
Let's take ecowool 20 cm thick (density 35 kg / m 3). The weight of one package is 15 kg.
We carry out the calculation: 4x0.2x35:15 = 1.86. Thus, we need 2 packs of material for high-quality floor insulation in the dressing room. This method of calculation can be used for any heat-insulating materials.
Tools and materials
Do-it-yourself step-by-step instructions
Depending on the type of flooring in the bath (concrete, wood, on piles), the insulation process will be slightly different.
Stages of concrete floor insulation
Stages of wooden floor insulation
Stages of warming the bath floor on screw piles
Stages of thermal insulation of the floor with liquid insulation (foam)
Currently, for high-quality floor insulation with modern liquid materials, there is no need to contact specialized companies, since thanks to modern small-sized portable equipment, you can do all the work yourself.
Materials and tools
Liquid insulation is suitable for both wooden and concrete bases. After hardening, it becomes perfectly smooth, which prevents water from entering the insulation.
Video: floor insulation in the bath
Stages of installing a warm water floor in a bath
An excellent way to insulate would be a water-heated floor. You can make it yourself by following the instructions.
Materials and tools
underfloor heating project
When calculating, it must be taken into account that the maximum temperature of the water when passing through the pipes should not exceed 55 ° C, even if it is much higher in the boiler. Therefore, only correct calculations can ensure the high-quality functioning of the entire system.
Video: creating a warm water floor
How to make an electric floor heating in the bath rooms
It is much easier to make an electric floor on your own than a water one. But it is best to use this option in the premises of the bath with a minimum degree of humidity. In this case, a special electric wire is used, which is installed in the floor under the finishing layer.
Bath floors are an important component of the comfort system of the entire sauna room. Cold overlap makes staying in the bathhouse chilly and does not bring bright positive emotions. An improperly designed warm floor promises heating of its surface to unacceptable temperatures, sometimes to such that it is just right to install a good granite slab on it and use it for the production of pancakes and pita bread. If you are interested in the question of how to insulate the floor in the bath correctly, then today's article is just for you.
At the dawn of the bath era, warming the floor in the bath was not a priority. There were several reasons for this. Firstly, the vast majority of bath floors had not a continuous, but a pouring structure. Dirty water was disposed of not through a centralized water collector, but randomly, through the gaps between the floor boards.
Secondly, the main heat losses occurred through the adjoining of the roof to the bearing walls, and thirdly, at that time there was no insulating material that could provide the necessary consumer qualities and operational parameters. The same moss, laid underground, in conditions of high humidity, elevated temperature and an abundance of pathogenic microflora organisms in wastewater, would simply rot in a very short period of time. And finally, people at that difficult time were much more tolerant of a low level of comfort than they are now.
At the present time, when the era of simple pouring floors has ended and they are extremely rare, except that in temporary country bathhouses, the problem of floor insulation should be taken seriously. So, why is it necessary to insulate the floors in the bath:
- Through the contact surface of the floor, heat exchange with the external environment occurs, which is fraught with heat loss. Yes, they are small in total, about 15 - 17.5, but in modern conditions, even such a figure looks unacceptably large.
- When moving from a hot steam room to a cooler washing room or dressing room, a person’s feet are actively affected by the low temperature of the floor unprotected from external influences, and this is fraught with at least unpleasant sensations, and very often with a banal local temperature shock.
- An uninsulated floor is subject to manifestations of moisture condensation, and the heating of the room itself requires much more thermal energy and, therefore, costs.
The choice of material for such work
Warming of the bath floor occurs using a wide range of modern materials, the properties and qualities of which, under certain conditions, can differ significantly from each other.
As you know, the floors of the baths are either concrete or wooden, and subsequently, various methods of fine or finishing can be applied to them. This, however, does not prevent us from formulating a list of the main types of insulating materials used.
Expanded polystyrene universal type
Insulation of floors in the bath with the help of this material has become widespread in the last decade. This fairly rigid copolymer, which has acceptable mechanical strength, is perfectly processed, easily cut with a simple cutting tool and easily mounted with a minimum amount of inapplicable waste. Due to the presence of closed granules in its array, it is resistant to moisture, therefore it can be successfully used for thermal insulation of plank floors, the joints of which are subject to moisture seepage.
Mineral wool and glass wool
On the contrary, this material is more suitable for such work as the insulation of the concrete floor in the bath. The fibrous structure of such a heater, when installed in the construction of wooden floors, requires enhanced measures for carrying out complex waterproofing measures, since its hygroscopicity leads to a significant, sometimes up to 70%, decrease in nominal insulation qualities. Basalt wool is somewhat more stable in terms of hygroscopicity, however, and it is not able to compete with expanded polystyrenes.
Foamed polymeric materials
Due to the high coefficient of expansion during polymerization, they perfectly fill joints, cavities, sinuses, which is especially important for complex typesetting structures of wooden floors. Insulation for the floor in a bath of this type has a low specific gravity, loads the load-bearing structural elements a little, but unpleasantly surprises with the price, however, quite objective for high-quality raw materials.
Expanded clay
Foamed ceramic pellets obtained from special grades of high-temperature fired clay, properly enriched and prepared. Warming the floor in the bath with expanded clay results in a rather monotonous and monotonous operation, which consists in filling the space and cavities with an insulator. To give slopes and oriented planes, the expanded clay array is wetted with cement milk, which keeps individual grains from rolling and subsidence. On top of the insulating layer, to fasten it, it is necessary to apply a thin sand-cement screed.
Perlite
A somewhat isolated position in the list of insulating materials is occupied by perlite. Do-it-yourself floor insulation in the bath with the help of this mineral consists in preparing a mixture with high-quality cement and mixing it with clean water. As a result of an active reaction, active gas formation occurs, which leads to the production of a commercial highly porous array. Due to a number of technological limitations, this type of insulation rarely has a thickness of 100 mm and is most often poured as an intermediate layer between two indigenous sand-cement screeds.
The technology for using perlite is quite specific and requires compliance with a number of key rules:
- Perlite dust is very mobile and light, so it is necessary to work with it in a wind-sheltered place;
- 2 parts of perlite are mixed with 1 part of water until the reaction is complete;
- Cement is carefully added to the resulting solution and thoroughly mixed;
- As a result of the intermediate kneading, a crumbly solution should be obtained, which, when a small amount of water is added, should acquire clear signs of plasticity by the time the final kneading is completed;
- The maturation of the perlite layer lasts 5-6 days, only after which it is possible to lay the top screed on it.
Alternative insulation materials
When making floors in a bath with a layer of insulation, you can use a half-pan, a relatively expensive material, but with high insulating functions. This technological solution is especially relevant when performing work on local insulation of critical places.
Foam concrete has sufficient insulating qualities, which can be used as a structural array, when arranging solid concrete floors. A layer of about 250 mm should be considered sufficient thickness.
As an ersatz option, we can recommend the use of boiler slag. The technology and principle of its use is comparable to the implementation of expanded clay backfill. However, it is worth remembering that the thermal insulation properties, evenness of fractions and mechanical strength of boiler slag are lower than those of expanded clay. A slag layer of at least 300 - 320 mm should be considered sufficient for typical operating conditions.
Schemes and technology of insulation of various types of bath floors
Having dealt with the question of how to insulate the floors in the bath, we proceed directly to the technological process. The principle of its implementation is simple. Insulation fills the space between the rough and finish floor in wooden structures, and between the root layer of concrete and the leveling screed in concrete.
Important! A prerequisite for the long-term operation of the insulation, without losing its original qualities, should be considered the use of waterproofing films - as a substrate and covering.
Wooden floor insulation
The insulated floor in the bath, which is based on a wooden structure, assembled on the basis of the supporting log, rough and finishing non-leaking floor, is equipped as follows:
- The lower edge of the bearing main beams is contoured by a support bar, on which the subfloor boards will rest.
- The subfloor is assembled from a low-grade non-grooved board, which is cut into the required size. Prepared boards are laid on the bearing beam and properly fixed.
- A waterproofing film is laid on the formed bed, so that its canvas captures the walls adjacent to the floor at a distance of 200 - 250 mm.
- Warming of the wooden floor in the bath is carried out either directly on the waterproofing layer, or on the second layer of the subfloor, which is fixed with a board laid perpendicular to the first layer. For wooden floors, it is essential to use closed capsule insulating materials, which guarantee a low level of water absorption by the material. When installing a waterproofing film, it is important to protect the joints of adjacent sheets, which are overlapped with tapes of similar material.
- The spaces around communication channels, drain pipes and other elements are filled with mounting foam and covered with waterproof mastic based on modified bitumen.
- Lastly, the elements of the final floor are laid and fixed.
concrete floor insulation
Work of this nature is carried out in the following order:
- The stage of warming is preceded by waterproofing works, which are carried out on the root layer of concrete, laid on the ground with the help of bituminous coating, applied cyclically for the possibility of polymerization in 3 layers. The combined method should be considered rational, when there are two layers of coating, and a layer of roofing material is laid between them.
- This is followed by direct installation, laying or backfilling of a layer of insulating material, the thickness and methodology of which depends on the specific climatic conditions and structural features of the structure.
- Materials with high hygroscopicity are covered with a film of a waterproofing membrane.
- A reinforcing mesh is mounted above the insulation layer on special plastic spacers.
- The final step in solving the problem of how to insulate the concrete floor in the bath with your own hands should be considered the moment of formation of the finishing screed.
To facilitate heat engineering calculations, we present a table that is valid for use in winter temperatures not exceeding -21 degrees Celsius:
These parameters can be adjusted for specific climatic conditions using correction factors.
The specifics of floor insulation of various functional areas of the bath
How to make the floor in the bath warm, in all its functional areas, without exception, from the steam room to the rest room? There is only one answer - to insulate it according to all the rules of building art.
However, zones require different approaches to floor insulation, both functionality and healthy cost savings are appropriate here.
Pair department
What insulation is better for the floor in the bath, for its steam room? Naturally resistant to high temperatures, and with a low degree of hygroscopicity. In this regard, extruded polystyrene is good, but it is not entirely clear whether domestic products meet European sanitary requirements? People who are especially sensitive to environmental issues of their own bath generally refuse polymeric materials in the steam room and focus on wood. A power crate made of timber is laid on the existing finishing floor, on which another finishing floor is laid. A kind of fixed flooring.
Obviously, in this way the floor level in the steam room rises relative to adjacent rooms by about 120 - 150 mm. At the same time, the internal volume of the steam compartment decreases, which has a positive effect on the rate of its heating and the possibility of retaining heat. Frankly, the option is quite debatable. However, if there is a sufficient amount of a quality commodity board, it is quite viable.
washing department
How to insulate the floors in the bath, in its washing department, where the humidity is always close to 100%, and water on the floor is quite an ordinary phenomenon? Exclusively with the use of enhanced measures for waterproofing the insulation layer. In this regard, a layer of mineral insulation between two layers of cement-sand screed works well, moreover, the top layer is covered with a layer of glue on which ceramic tiles are laid. Quite a traditional classic solution, proven by decades of practical operation.
Lounge and dressing room
Do I need to insulate the floor in the bath in these rooms? To improve the energy efficiency of the entire bath, it is certainly necessary. Some practicing masters are advised to get by with a somewhat lightweight option. That is, use more budgetary materials for insulation and abandon waterproofing work.
Given that the humidity regime in these rooms is quite low, this approach, of course, has a rational grain. However, here's what you need to take into account. Inexpensive heaters are usually either glass wool or mineral wool. Both have a fibrous structure and are quite hygroscopic. Under a number of circumstances, condensation may form in the underground space, which, falling on the fibers of the insulation, will provoke a deterioration in the insulating qualities.
The cost of a waterproofing membrane is quite small, and the effect of its use is palpable. Therefore, when deciding how to insulate the floor in the bath with your own hands, and at the same time do it efficiently and thoroughly, you should definitely spend a certain number of man-hours on laying the membrane. The resulting effect will reliably insure the insulation layer from insidious condensate.
Conclusion
In the modern world there is a constant struggle for economy. Drivers save on gasoline, employers save on wages, the overly dear and overpriced government is struggling to save on pensions and benefits. A thrifty bath attendant should also succumb to the general trend and save money, but of course, not like statesmen, but wisely. For example, on the cost of heating your own bathhouse.
However, it will not work to get the expected effect without solving the question of how to insulate the floor in the bath. Floors continue to be the Achilles' heel in terms of saving heating in most baths, both newly built and long-term. And if earlier, to solve this incident, there were not enough worthy building materials, then today, with an excess of materials, there is not enough worthy information. The editors of the site hope that with this article we have filled in this significant and egregious gap.
Thermal insulation of the steam room is a must in any bath, regardless of the material of its manufacture. It is best to devote time to this matter at the construction stage, although this can also be done in a finished bath. How to do the warming of a steam room in a bath with your own hands - you will learn from our article. The steam room is the most important part of the bath. It should not be cold, and such a statement can hardly be disputed. Every zealous owner of the bathhouse tries to minimize any heat losses in its steam room, since extra heating costs, problems with heating the room, keeping it warm and the discomfort of bathing procedures usually do not please anyone. For reliable thermal insulation of the steam room, it is necessary to go through several stages of work on the insulation of its walls, floor and ceiling.Features of reducing heat loss in the steam room
To avoid unnecessary costs for kindling the stove and keeping heat in the steam room, you need to consider a few simple rules for planning a bath:
- The area of the building is determined depending on the number of visitors present in it at the same time and the number of its rooms - a steam room, changing rooms and others. The size of the steam room is usually 4-6 m2.
- The location of the locker room is planned closer to the entrance door of the bath. This will keep cold air from entering the steam room.
- To save heat, the entrance from the steam room to the adjacent room can be arranged in the form of a vestibule.
- The doorway for the steam room is made with a high threshold and a width of not more than 0.7 m.
- The sauna stove is located closer to the exit.
- To reduce heat losses through the window, the latter is made of a double-glazed window and is placed at a height of 1 m from the floor of the steam room.
Thermal insulation materials for steam room insulation
Natural raw materials and artificial products are used as heat-insulating and sealing materials for the steam room.
Natural raw materials include: tow, which is used to fill cracks, sphagnum, which acts as an interventional sealant, construction frame moss - wall insulation. These materials are environmentally friendly and do a good job of protecting the premises from heat loss. However, they are prone to rapid decay and are a delicacy for insects. For this reason, natural heaters are recommended to be treated with antiseptics, and their use for a steam room is undesirable.
Expanded clay and expanded polystyrene plates, basalt wool and ordinary foam plastic serve as artificial materials for insulation. All of them are distinguished by moisture resistance, biological safety, long-term operation and a high degree of thermal insulation. Expanded clay slabs are used to insulate the floor of steam rooms, polystyrene foam slabs for their attic floors, and basalt wool for walls and ceilings.
For the insulation and waterproofing of the walls and ceiling of the steam room, foil insulation is currently used. It is a roll of basalt wool with a layer of aluminum foil glued on it. When using this material, the process of insulating structures is greatly simplified - the foil protects the insulation from moisture and contributes to the reflection of heat from the enclosing structures into the room.
Insulation of the ceiling of the steam room in the bath
To insulate the ceiling in the steam room, we will use a modern method, which involves the use of foil material as a vapor barrier layer.
The work consists of five stages:
- Insulation is attached to the ceiling beams with a stapler, facing the inside of the room with a layer of aluminum foil, which simultaneously serves as a heat-reflecting screen. This will reduce the cost of heating and keeping the steam room warm by 2-3 times. The joints of the panels of the overlapped insulator are glued with aluminum tape. Other vapor barrier materials are also used for baths, but they are not as effective.
- The ceiling batten supporting the insulation is fastened with screws across the ceiling beams. The crate is necessary for the installation of the outer skin of the ceiling. On the inside of the ceiling of the room, an air heat-reflecting gap is left between the future sheathing and the sheets of foil insulation.
- The selected insulation is laid from the attic side between the ceiling beams. It should be tight, without the slightest gaps.
- A polyethylene film is laid and fixed on top of the insulation to protect it from moisture and dust from the street. To avoid mechanical damage to the multilayer thermal insulation in the attic, a rough plank floor is laid along the beams.
- At the last stage of work, the ceiling of the steam room is sheathed along the crate with a wooden clapboard. The material for it can be hardwood - linden, aspen, etc. What material to choose is up to you.
Thermal insulation of the walls of the steam room in the bath
Before the internal insulation of the walls in the steam room, it is necessary to seal all joints and gaps in them with a sealant. After the composition has dried, you can begin to perform thermal insulation. Its process is similar to the insulation of the ceiling, but has some nuances. Wall insulation is carried out in a horizontal direction along the perimeter of the steam room, moving from the top to the floor. Moreover, the strip of foil overlaps to the slope left during the insulation of the ceiling. The insulated wall of the steam room should have three layers of protection: waterproofing, thermal insulation and vapor barrier membrane.
The order of work is this:
- To exclude the possibility of the formation of vapor condensate on the walls, the enclosing structures of the steam room are covered with a waterproofing film.
- The heat-insulating layer of mineral wool is placed in a crate of timber, which is stuffed onto the wall along the waterproofing and the intermediate layer of clean paper.
- The vapor barrier layer protects the insulation from exposure to moist air. For this purpose, a foil membrane is used, which is attached over the insulation to the crate using a stapler. The joints of her overlapped canvases are glued with metal tape.
- At the last stage, a lining made of hardwood is attached on top of the membrane to the wooden frame of the wall.
Important! Before the outer wall cladding, thin laths must be stuffed onto the crate to create an air gap, which, together with the foil membrane, will create a heat-reflecting effect.
Warming the floor of the steam room in the bath
A concrete floor is stronger and more durable than a wooden one, as it is not afraid of moisture. It is very easy to take care of the tiles laid on the screed. But tile is a cold material. Wooden floors for a steam room are much more suitable. To reduce its heat loss, both types of floors require insulation.Insulation of the wooden floor in the steam room
Structurally, a wooden floor has differences from a concrete floor, but their thermal insulation has the same principle. The whole system looks like this: foundation, floor beams, logs laid on beams, a layer of vapor barrier material, a subfloor, insulation, a waterproofing layer, a finishing floor.
After installing the log and laying the vapor barrier material, the space between the floor beams is filled with insulation. They can be sand, slag, expanded clay, fiberglass or mineral wool mats and foam. Waterproofing and a finishing floor are laid on the insulation.
Thermal insulation of the concrete floor in the steam room
The scheme of the concrete insulated floor in the steam room is as follows: foundation, concrete floor, waterproofing layer, insulation, concrete screed, ceramic tile or wooden floor.
You can see that such a floor is similar to a kind of "sandwich", consisting of a couple of layers of concrete and insulation laid between them. In the same way, the floor of a bathhouse erected on a columnar foundation is insulated. The difference here is that the monolithic base is replaced by a reinforced concrete slab laid on a frame made of a metal channel.
Work on floor insulation in the steam room consists of several stages:
- The laying of the base of the lower layer of the floor is carried out from a concrete mixture having a crushed stone fraction of 20-35 mm. The thickness of the concrete cushion is 120-150 mm.
- The waterproofing is laid after the polymerization of the concrete. Roofing material, roofing felt and bituminous mastics can serve as materials for it. Before applying the latter, the base is painted with a special primer. Waterproofing is laid on the concrete surface after it has been treated with two or three layers of bituminous material.
- For the installation of insulation, mineral wool, perlite, boiler slag with a layer of 250-300 mm, foam plastic, expanded clay with a layer of 100-150 mm, etc. are used.
- The second layer of the floor is laid on the heat-insulating material. In the concrete of this layer, a finer fraction of crushed stone is used.
How to insulate a steam room in a bath - look at the video:
As you can see, warming a steam room is easy to do on your own. Turn on your patience and diligence, and the result will be sure! Author: TutKnow.ru editors
How to make steam room insulation correctly and what materials to use
One of the most important stages in the construction of a bath is the warming of the steam room, since only a stable temperature regime in this room will achieve excellent performance, as well as a comfortable and beneficial microclimate. Further in the article we will talk about this procedure.
The danger of improper insulation of the steam room
Any errors in the performance of insulation work can lead to a low quality of accepted bathing procedures and a deterioration in the overall performance of the room. Intensive leakage of steam and thermal energy can lead to deformation of finishing materials, to the formation of fungi and mold on them, etc.
In this regard, it is possible to form a set of rules that should be followed when warming the steam bath compartment:
- thermal insulation must be of high quality in everything: correct installation, reliability of materials, etc.;
- the tightness of the floors is very important, since the effectiveness of the procedures depends on the degree of steam conservation in the room;
- in no case should you save on the purchase of thermal insulation materials, since this can lead to their rapid deformation and deterioration of the general visual condition of the steam room in the photo or during visual inspection.
Optimal building materials for steam room insulation
If we are talking about how to insulate the steam room from the inside, then it is immediately worth pointing out the main qualities that the selected materials should have:
- ecological cleanliness without the release of any substances harmful to the human body;
- high degree of fire safety required for a room where extreme temperatures are reached;
- moisture resistance, which allows you not to be afraid that the material will get wet and become unusable after the first bath procedures.
Most of all, all the declared requirements correspond to materials based on basalt. We are talking about stone and mineral wool. The vapor barrier layer in the ceilings can be created from aluminum foil.
The beginning of work on laying heat-insulating material should begin with preparatory work aimed at leveling and eliminating defects in rough foundations. Any protrusions and roughness on the walls and ceiling should be sanded, and any gaps should be sealed. Before insulating the steam room from the inside, it is necessary to clean and degrease all areas affected by fungus and mold (more: "Proper warming of the steam room from the inside - advice from the master").
It is possible to start laying steam and waterproofing materials, as well as the steam room insulation itself, only after all the wooden floor elements have been treated with antiseptic agents. It is always worth remembering that floors contain more than one layer of material and thermal insulation is not the crown of the whole structure. In fact, the walls and floor are sandwiches, in which each layer is responsible for certain functions.
Proper drafting of the bath project is the key to success
In addition to warming the steam room in a wooden bath, it is necessary to create a competent design for the entire structure.
When developing a project, the following parameters should be taken as a basis:
- To begin with, it is worth deciding on the size of the bath. For this, the maximum capacity of visitors and the number of rooms that are planned to be equipped inside the building are taken into account.
- The project itself is created with an emphasis on taking into account all possible losses of thermal energy and their minimization. For example, a dressing room is located at the exit from the bathhouse in order to minimize the access of cold air masses to the main part of the building where the steam room is located.
- Between the washing room and the steam room, a vestibule should be equipped, which will not allow steam to leak into a room with a lower temperature.
- The door in the steam room should not be large, but its joint with the floor should be raised with a special threshold, which does not allow cold air to enter the room.
- The greatest convenience of the steam room is achieved when the room has the shape of a square. One of its corners is reserved for the installation of a heating furnace. It is desirable that this be the corner closest to the front door.
Also, do not forget that when designing it is necessary to determine the materials used. If we are talking about how to insulate a steam room in a bath, then artificial or natural materials can be used.
Natural materials are the following types:
- tow - used to seal cracks that are formed when creating a log cabin or a building made of wooden beams;
- sphagnum - is laid between the crowns;
- construction moss is a standard wall insulation.
If the warming of the steam room in the bath is made with artificial materials, then we are talking about the following varieties:
- extruded polystyrene foam;
- mats made of stone or mineral wool.
Each of these materials has a long service life, a high level of mechanical stability, moisture resistance, etc.
The importance of insulating ceilings in the steam room
The ceiling has a greater amount of insulation material compared to wall ceilings. The reason for this is the convection of air: when heated, it rises to the ceiling, and cold air descends in its place. The same thing happens with water vapor. In this regard, heat-insulating materials are laid in ceiling ceilings in two layers, which will reduce the level of heat loss.
Ceiling thermal insulation of the steam room of the bath is carried out in stages:
- The rough surface of the ceiling is covered with paper in rolls. The sheets are overlapped with each other with a sufficient spade. Sheets are fixed with wood blocks measuring 5x5 centimeters.
- Empty spaces between the bars are laid with heat-insulating material.
- Then all segments of the ceiling are covered with aluminum foil, which is fixed with adhesive tape. It is important to avoid the formation of gaps and cracks in this layer. It is the foil surface that maximizes the safety of water vapor in the steam room and prevents condensation from forming. In the absence of aluminum foil, the ceiling of the bath steam room can be insulated with paper or cardboard impregnated with special compounds.
- From above, the coating is once again lined with bars measuring 2x3 centimeters. This improves the ventilation of the ceiling.
- On top of these bars, the selected facing material is mounted.
Features of steam room wall insulation
After the ceiling has been insulated in the steam room, you can begin to process the walls. The rough surface must be specially prepared for this procedure. Any joints, cracks and other cavities must be plastered or sealed with sealant.
Work on the installation of thermal insulation can only be started after the completion of the drying process of the plaster or sealant. Processing the walls is no more difficult than insulating the ceiling in the steam room of the bath, since both processes are similar (read: "How to make a ceiling in the steam room and run a chimney through it").
- First, aluminum foil is fixed with wooden blocks 4x4 centimeters in size, placed horizontally.
- Thermal insulation material is laid between the bars.
- Then the foil is finally fixed with a construction stapler. It is important to stretch the material, but not to allow the formation of gaps, cracks or tears in the foil.
- All joints of the structure are glued with a special aluminum tape.
- On top of the tape, bars are longitudinally attached for laying the selected facing material.
- The work is completed by laying the finish coat.
When finishing, materials of low density should be used, since the insulation of the steam room in the bath requires the main thing from all structural elements - to keep the heat in the room. It is best to pay attention to materials from pine, linden or aspen wood with a small thickness of the planks. They not only reliably protect the steam room from heat loss, but will also look aesthetically pleasing in the photo and during visual inspection.
The installation of the material should be carried out in a horizontal way in order to reduce the total load distributed over the main structural elements. Penofol, which is gaining its popularity in the construction market, should be chosen as a warming material.
How to insulate a concrete floor in a steam room
In the end, you should move on to warming the floors in the steam room. In addition to thermal insulation, you should also take care of waterproofing floors. There are two types of materials mounting algorithm. In this paragraph, we will talk about floor insulation in a steam room with a concrete base.
The following algorithm for heat and waterproofing is simplified, as it is used when laying under a tile.
Work is carried out as follows:
- The base is leveled to a perfectly flat state.
- Bituminous mastic is applied on top of it and it is expected to dry completely.
- Then roofing material and a polymer film are laid.
- A tile is mounted on top (read: "How to choose a tile for a bath and how to lay it on the floor").
Better construction for concrete floor insulation:
- A plywood sheet is mounted on a draft base.
- A waterproofing layer is laid on it with a spade on the walls.
- All joints are glued with aluminum tape.
- The gaps are sealed and insulated with a building hair dryer.
- A reinforcing mesh is laid on the layer and poured with a layer of concrete mortar.
- After the screed hardens, you can begin laying the tiles.
When pouring a concrete screed, it is important to take into account the age of the wood used to create the chopped bath. It is important to use material from the age of 2 years. Otherwise, the structure will shrink, which will cause deformation or destruction of the foundation.
Working with a wooden base
The method by which insulation is laid in a steam room with a wooden floor is similar to the algorithm of actions described above. See also: "How to make floor insulation in the bath with your own hands - a guide from the master."
Work is carried out as follows:
- Mineral wool is laid under the logs.
- A rolled roofing material is laid on it.
- All wooden elements in the floor structure are treated with special antiseptic agents.
- A subfloor is laid on the roofing material.
- The work is completed by finishing the surface with a finishing floor covering.
After the insulation for the steam room is embedded in the floor from the inside, the “pie” of the floor looks like this:
- foundation;
- wooden beams;
- vapor barrier material;
- lining and heat-insulating material;
- floor board.
Also, in the process of laying the floors, you need to take care of creating a high threshold under the front door. This is the most important functional measure aimed at protecting the steam room from cold air masses entering it. Naturally, the complete preservation of water vapor inside the room can only be ensured when the door leaf fits as tightly as possible to the frame and sill.
We must not forget that a separate area in the room should be allocated for the installation of the furnace and the subsequent chimney outlet. A separate foundation base is mounted under the furnace with a height greater than that of the main foundation.
When equipping the walls and ceiling, it must be taken into account that a chimney will exit through one of the ceilings, for which a square hole will have to be cut out and a frame equipped in it. Regulations require that the chimney from the stove be placed at least 20 centimeters from any wooden elements in the structure of the bath. This hole is closed with a stainless steel sheet.
Outcome
The article describes in detail the procedure for insulating walls, floors and ceilings in the steam bath compartments. It is important to take into account all the recommendations and advice given in the article, as well as pay special attention to the standards for construction work, since installation errors can lead to an unfavorable outcome.
Also, the work can be entrusted to specialists who will take responsibility for all stages - from the purchase of the necessary materials to installation and putting the bath into operation.
How to insulate the floor in the bath: ways for different coatings
A Russian bath is a place where a person relaxes, rests his body and soul, therefore, even during construction, it is necessary to think about the insulation of walls, ceilings and, most importantly, the floor in all rooms, because experts say that good insulation can reduce heat costs by almost two times. In addition, it takes much more time to heat rooms without proper insulation, and they cool down in a matter of hours.
The floor in the bathhouse often serves not only as a place where you walk, but also as a drain of water, which, in the absence of insulation and waterproofing, can rot very quickly and become covered with mold that is dangerous to health.
To visit the steam room to be as effective, useful and comfortable as possible, you need to know how to insulate the floor yourself. After all, the microclimate that forms in the bath itself, the dressing room and the rest room is so different that such a sharp temperature drop can adversely affect health, especially if you have small children.
*Important! If during the construction the issues of thermal and waterproofing were not taken into account, or if you got an already finished building for a bath, then you will have to completely dismantle the floor covering and re-equip the floor.
In this article, we will consider several options for thermal insulation, the choice of which depends on the material of the flooring (the most common are wood and concrete) and its structure (screed on the ground, on the floor, and so on). Usually they use modern technologies or folk methods, which for many years have not lost their relevance among the owners of country houses and cottages. We will also give you a couple of practical tips and recommendations for warming the floor in the bath with your own hands.
Material selection
Since the bath is the place where there is an increased level of moisture and temperature, professional builders recommend taking the choice of heat-insulating material very seriously, because it depends on its quality and proper installation whether the steam room will be in operation for many years without causing unnecessary trouble.
*Important! The main characteristic when choosing a heater is the level of its hydrophobicity, that is, the level of water absorption.
The choice of insulation depends on the material from which the floor is made. There is also a universal insulation with an excellent price-to-quality ratio - polystyrene foam and its twin brother - polystyrene foam. Due to their lightness, they can be easily cut into pieces of the required size, while both materials do not absorb moisture and have low thermal conductivity. In addition to these two, there are a large number of other materials:
- Mineral and glass wool. They are used only for warming concrete floors. When used for wood decking, it is important to wrap the wadding in a thick layer of waterproofing because the wadding absorbs moisture very well and quickly loses its thermal insulation properties. And when wet, the structure quickly collapses;
- Expanded clay. It is used only for warming concrete floors. It has similar characteristics with glass wool, requires an additional layer of hydro and vapor barrier. Expanded clay is used both in pure form and in the form of a mixture with cement. After the solution, the space between the lower and upper cement screed is poured.
- Perlite. Material in the form of sand or dust, which is mixed with cement, water and poured between cement floor screeds. After hardening, it has a porous structure. Less commonly used for wood flooring. After hardening, perlite acquires a cellular structure, allowing to reduce heat loss in the steam room.
*Interesting! As a replacement for the above raw materials, no less high-quality analogues are sometimes used - building felt, cinder block and foam concrete.
Wooden floor insulation
Immediately before starting, some preparatory work should be carried out, namely:
- Carry out the dismantling of the flooring, remove all the logs, and if you plan to use them after insulation, we recommend numbering all the boards;
- All floorboards must be inspected for defects, chips, cracks and fungus. If this was found, it is better to replace the floorboard completely;
*Advice! When you lay the flooring back after all the manipulations, do not forget to leave a gap of 3-4 cm between the top layer of insulation and the wooden blocks. This will prevent the boards from deforming, and there will also be an additional layer of ventilation.
If the bath was built on soil with a high level of moisture, an ordinary roofing material is suitable as a waterproofing material. It must be laid so that the insulation layer does not have gaps and partially extends onto the walls.
Although wood is less durable than concrete, it is most often used to cover the floor in baths because of its environmental friendliness and high thermal insulation performance. The most popular trees for decking are:
- Poplar;
- Pine;
- Fir;
*Important! If the boards in the dressing room and other rooms are covered with an antiseptic to prevent the wood fibers from being resolved by fungal growths, then due to the high level of toxicity in the steam room itself, this should by no means be done.
The best choice as a heater would be a material with closed cells that do not allow moisture to pass through. The best option is expanded polystyrene, as well as its modern counterparts:
- Ecowool;
- Pena Aisinin.
This material is light, so it practically does not affect the weight of the entire wooden structure.
And so, the second step after the dismantling of the flooring. To lay a layer of insulation, it is necessary to create a support for the draft floor, increasing the lower edges of the log with bars smaller than the distance between the beams.
A layer of waterproofing is laid on the support of the subfloor, represented by a special membrane, which simultaneously protects against moisture and steam. If the bath is built on water soil, then a layer of roofing material is laid, which must necessarily overlap all the boards and climb the walls to a height of twenty centimeters along the perimeter of the steam room. It is better to seal the formed seams with a vapor barrier tape, you can buy it in a specialized store, the average price is 520 rubles per 10 meters (strip width 70 mm), and the joints with a construction stapler.
Next, either another subfloor or insulation is laid on top of the waterproofing layer. The thickness of the total layer is usually 200-250 mm, depending on how much it is necessary to reduce heat loss, and on the financial capabilities of the owners.
Another layer of hydro and vapor barrier is laid on top of the insulation. At this stage, the membrane can be replaced again with roofing material, and the resulting seams can be sealed with mastic.
At the final stage, the space near the drain pipe is filled with mounting foam. A finished floor is already laid on top.
*Interesting! In the shower room, you can not nail the finished floor to the base, but leave it as it is. This will allow from time to time to easily remove it and dry it from the moisture accumulated there.
concrete floor insulation
Concrete flooring is very popular because of its durability. Due to its high strength, annual refurbishment of the floor can reduce costs. It usually consists of concrete slabs, blocks of mineral wool, polystyrene, as well as the aforementioned expanded clay are used for insulation. It is necessary to start warming only after carrying out work on the preparation of the lower cement screed (subfloor).
We lay the first layer of waterproofing. The easiest to install and inexpensive option would be to use a durable layer of polyethylene or roofing material. We spread the film around the entire perimeter of the steam room (it should protrude 5-6 centimeters onto the walls, later the extra edges can be easily cut off).
Insulation is laid on the waterproofing layer. For a more reliable fixation, you can fasten a wooden frame to the semi-draft using self-tapping screws or other fasteners.
As with the insulation of a wooden coating, we lay another waterproofing layer on the thermal insulation layer. When laying, the sheets are laid with an overlap of 10 cm and connected with a stapler.
At this stage, the last layer is poured with a special solution no more than two centimeters thick, then a reinforcing mesh is placed, which is located on special plastic supports.
After complete drying, using a self-leveling mixture, lay the final rough screed 5-8 centimeters thick. It is leveled using a special device - a needle roller, which removes all air bubbles. Sometimes, at the request of the owners, instead of a finishing screed, a layer of ceramic tiles or porcelain stoneware is laid.
Other premises
In addition to the steam room and shower room, there is also a dressing room in the bathhouse. The amount of moisture in it is several times less, therefore, when insulating, you can not lay a layer of hydroprotection, that is, it is enough to insulate the space between the rough and finish screed.
In the case when the bath has already been built, professional builders recommend not dismantling the floor covering, but simply performing insulation on top of the existing one. Of course, the volume and height of the room will decrease by raising the floor by ten to fifteen centimeters, but the room will heat up faster and stay warm longer.
Folk methods
- Straw. For floor insulation, you can also use straw, but only rye. It must be mixed with liquid clay in a ratio of 1x1. You have to mix the clay manually or with your feet. With the resulting solution, fill the earthen base in the bath, level it and wait for it to dry completely.
- Sawdust. The processing process is identical to that of straw. Sawdust can be used for any tree species, but coniferous are best. Because they contain special resinous substances in their fibers, which, when heated, are released into the air and thereby slow down the process of decay and the spread of moisture.
- Bulk heaters. As a heater, you can use expanded clay, slag from factories, and so on. Raw materials are poured, usually on an earthen base 5-10 cm thick. From above, the layer must be compacted and poured with a thick layer of clay (10-15 cm, or more).
*Interesting! If you find it cold to stand on the floor, then the easiest and cheapest option would be to buy special wooden gratings. You can easily make them yourself, just make sure that there are no nails sticking out of anywhere, and also process the boards to get rid of knots. In stores, you can also buy special rubberized mats.
Let's summarize
If you have your own sauna, so that nothing interferes with a friendly warm atmosphere, in order to reduce the cost of fuel for heating the room, in order to reduce the time it takes to warm up the bath to the required temperature, you should think about insulation initially, during construction. But even if this issue was not taken into account, then it will not be difficult to dismantle the floor covering, and then insulate it.
Insulation of the bath from the inside - scheme
The internal insulation of the bath is one of the most important stages in the arrangement of this building. Without high-quality thermal insulation, the owner will have to spend much more resources on heating the steam room, and the very situation in the bath without properly installed protection will leave much to be desired.
Since ancient times in Russia, moss, felt and even flax have been used to insulate baths, mainly due to the lack of other heaters - vegetable fiber either rots or dries, therefore today it is not used for basic thermal insulation.
The main difference between warming a bathhouse and a similar event in an ordinary house is simple: in the steam room you need to keep the heat for as long as possible, i.e. high temperatures should remain indoors for as long as possible.
Thermal insulation work in the bath can be carried out using a wide variety of materials. For example, an ideal solution is a modern insulation based on stone wool with a foil coating - it does not burn, withstanding temperatures up to 750 degrees, effectively retains heat, does not rot, and is not of interest to rodents.
After reviewing the information below, you will get a complete theoretical understanding of the process of performing the internal insulation of a steam room, as well as study the step-by-step instructions for self-installation of heat-insulating materials.
We warm the bath from the inside: what do we need?
Any construction, repair and finishing activities begin with the preparation of materials, without which the implementation of the planned work will simply be impossible. Pay due attention to the study of the list below: it is better to spend a little time reading and buy everything you need right away than to return to the store and buy more of what you forgot.
insulation
The main component of the list under consideration. The modern market offers the widest range of thermal insulation materials, but not every one of them is suitable for use in a steam room - humidity and temperature can be too tough. For warming the bath, the most commonly used are: expanded clay (floor insulation), materials based on stone wool, and expanded polystyrene.
Important! It is strongly not recommended to use foam plastic for warming the steam room directly - at high temperatures, a material of dubious quality can most likely release substances harmful to human health.
Comparative characteristics of the mentioned materials are given in the following table.
Table. Comparison of popular bath heaters
Evaluation criterion Expanded clay
| Structure | Bulk material of natural origin. Presented in the form of granules with a cellular structure. | fibrous structure. The arrangement of fibers is both vertical and horizontal, disordered. | Open cell structure. |
| moisture permeability | The material does not pass water. | Mineral wool insulation has practically no tendency to absorb moisture. | Moisture permeability is extremely low. |
| The weight | Light | Medium-light | Light |
| Strength | High | Medium | |
| Compressive strength | High | From low to medium, depending on the specific type of material and manufacturer's technologies. | Medium |
| Toxicity | The material is safe | No toxic properties | Over time, it begins to release harmful substances |
| Can be used under high load conditions | Suitable | Depending on the brand of material | not suitable |
| prone to decay | The material retains its original integrity for a long time | Durable insulation | Has a tendency to break down |
| UV resistance | Doesn't react to sunlight | Features high UV resistance | Long-term direct contact with sunlight has an extremely negative effect on the performance of the material. |
As noted, expanded clay is suitable for warming bath floors. Bulk material allows you to provide the required thermal insulation of both wooden and concrete structures. Mineral wool insulation is optimally suited for insulating both walls and ceilings. The best option, as noted, is a stone wool-based heat-insulating material equipped with an additional foil coating - the key characteristics of such heaters are at a higher level.
In accordance with the current provisions of the technology for carrying out the work in question, the joints of the insulation boards must be glued with foil tape. This will create a sealed surface with the highest possible thermal insulation properties.
The elements of the heat-insulating coating are placed in the cells of a pre-mounted crate, for the assembly of which wooden bars are used. Select the cross section of the bars in accordance with the thickness of the thermal insulation. For example, if you are equipping a 10 cm thermal insulation layer, use bars with a similar thickness or width to assemble the frame.
Choose the distance between the bars 1-2 cm less than the width of the plates or the insulation roll. For bulk materials, the optimal distance between the bars is 45-60 cm.
Fixing the elements of the crate (bars) is carried out using dowels / self-tapping screws (if the surface is wooden) or anchors (if the base is stone). The length of the fasteners is also selected in accordance with the base material: for wood - 2-2.5 cm, for capital structures - from 4 cm.
The specific length of fasteners is determined in accordance with the characteristics of their use. For example, during the installation of the crate, the fasteners must be of such length that high-quality fixation of the timber / profile of the selected section is ensured. The cross section of the beam itself, as well as the profile parameters, are determined in accordance with the thickness of the heat-insulating layer to be equipped.