Do-it-yourself sauna made of rounded logs

A visit to the bathhouse is a whole ritual, which includes a number of stages for which it is necessary to use various accessories. If you can’t do without a broom in a steam room, then in a washing room you can’t do without a washcloth.

You can buy a washcloth at any supermarket, market, etc. Another option is to make your own washcloth. Knitting it is quite simple, even a novice needlewoman can handle it!

Rounded logs as a building material

Rounded or calibrated logs are produced only in factory conditions - through special processing. In its process, the bark and, unfortunately, the most durable and protective layer of wood underneath is completely removed from the logs. Because of this, rounded ones are not as durable as solid ones, but thanks to their ideal shape (caliber), they allow you to build beautiful and even houses and baths, without any cracks or distortions.

That is why rounded logs, turned by automatic woodworking machines, are an excellent building material with an ideal cylindrical shape with a diameter of 16-28 cm with many advantages:

Material integrity
Ability to "breathe"
Excellent thermal insulation
Minimum deviation of linear parameters
Beautiful appearance of the walls
No need for decorative finishing
The insulating ability of chopped corners is due to the fact that the logs for the log house are pre-fitted and all connections are tight and reliable.

Even at the final stage of production, the rounded logs are impregnated with a special antiseptic solution, which well protects the wood from fungus, insects and rotting. Moreover, the composition penetrates very deeply into the structure of the wood - so that the service life of a wooden bathhouse increases to 50 years.

But calibrated logs also have disadvantages. Among them the most significant are:

loss of correct orientation of the log

It is not without reason that hand-finishing craftsmen have always arranged the elements of the log house so that the most durable part of the tree - the northern one - goes under the facade, and the southern one frames the internal walls of the bathhouse. Thanks to this, the steam room was especially strong and reliable, and indeed stood for 100 or 150 years in excellent condition.

cutting off the protective layers of wood

The same soft shell that covers the dense layers of wood is mercilessly cut off during rounding. But it is this part that protects the logs well from bugs, rot and environmental influences. As a result, the “bare” cores of the bathhouse are not as durable as the walls of old Russian huts.

That is why, when building a bathhouse from rounded timber, it is important to carry out all protective and preventive measures: treat the seams, remove damage and treat with a protective compound.

Another difference from a regular log is the presence of a groove - it is made along the entire length of the product. Thanks to it, the fit of the crowns to each other is more dense, and, therefore, the thermal insulation properties of the log house are an order of magnitude higher.

The groove itself can be Finnish or lunar. Finnish has a more complex geometry, but thanks to this structure of the groove, heat loss through the junction points is significantly reduced, and caulking of the inter-crown space is not needed at all. And this means reducing costs for additional materials and labor.

When building a bathhouse, rounded logs are placed in a frame - the strongest connection for any wood materials.

Roofing device

What shape the roof of the bathhouse will be is, of course, an important question, but first of all you should take care of the correct design of the roofing pie, which should also serve as protection against heat loss, and not as a source for heating the air in the area. To do this, you need to choose the insulation wisely, giving preference to moisture-resistant materials with a low thermal conductivity coefficient and low weight.

There must also be a vapor barrier layer ; waterproof membranes are often used for this, which at the same time serve as moisture protection for rafters, sheathing and, especially, insulation - if mineral wool is used as such, the thermal insulation characteristics of which are noticeably reduced when wet.

And the roof itself can be pitched or gable , or less often flat. The first option is suitable for both extensions to the house and free-standing baths. Regarding the choice of the upper roofing element, the most compatible option is natural tiles, instead of which, due to the high price, ondulin can also be used.

But most often the choice was made at the stage of installing the roof of other buildings on the site - therefore, in order not to disturb the architectural idyll, you should take this fact into account and choose a similar material, but you should still think about its thermal conductivity, which, for example, is very high.

Tips for building a bathhouse:

Choosing a future bathhouse project

Will you build a bathhouse from rounded logs with your own hands according to your own sketch, or according to a clear finished project? On our website you can find a variety of its options - after all, rounding, due to its shape and strength, allows you to create true architectural masterpieces.

But even a simple “box” of four walls, if those walls are made of logs, will still look very presentable. And the simplest projects in this regard are “mini baths”, which are very small in area and consist only of a washing room combined with a steam room.

It is already more difficult to build “Standard” class baths, which include four standard rooms - a relaxation room, a locker room, a steam room and a washing room, with a spacious porch and traditional Russian carved decor.

But there are also baths of the “Elit” and “Komfort” types, in which, in addition to the main premises, there are two or three more auxiliary compartments: a veranda, a vestibule, and a boiler room.

And calculating the area between rooms is not difficult - the rest room should have 8 m2 per person, the steam room and locker room should have 3 m2, and the washing room should have 5 m2.

But chic two-story bathhouses made of rounded logs are in fashion today, with a guest room, billiard room or bedroom on the second floor.

Crochet washcloth mitten

A bath mitten is knitted similarly to a regular mitten. The only difficulty arises when creating the thumb, but it can be omitted. For work, take threads of sisal or flax, but nylon will cause excessive rigidity. To make the product attractive, use bright yarn.

For a large palm we create a chain of 30 VPs or 20-25 for a small one.
We continue to work with single crochets in a circle.
Moving to a new row, knit 1 VP.
Having reached the desired size, connect the tops with STBN.
Fasten the thread.
For babies, washcloths are made from flax threads in a similar way. Knitting patterns greatly simplify the work.

Video master class on crocheting mittens and washcloths

Determining the quality of wood for logs

But the quality characteristics of logs from different woods are not the same. That's why they differ in price.

Thus, most baths are built from coniferous logs - spruce or pine. They are inexpensive and have many advantages. That is why the best wood for a bathhouse is from northern coniferous species, which has a dense structure and does not change its properties due to high humidity or high temperature. Ideal in this regard are pine from the Baltic Sea and Canadian spruce. In second place are high-quality alder, aspen and linden wood. And a self-built bathhouse made from aspen or larch logs will last for 100 years, but it will also cost more - because the logs of this species are very strong, and this strength only grows over time.

By the way, all production of wooden building materials in Russia is concentrated in the northwestern regions, where there is an excellent raw material base. And today, quite a lot of different companies and intermediaries of manufacturers are engaged in the sale of these products - you can even order everything you need via the Internet. It is only important to draw up an agreement with the contractor, which will indicate in black and white the type of wood, its moisture content, length, type of groove and method of drying. And, if you have the opportunity to look at the proposed wood in advance, you should pay attention to the following characteristics that indicate quality:

Low heat capacity
Light or dark yellow tint of the log surface
Pleasant soft smell
Good sound absorption
No blue spots on the cut
Low thermal conductivity
There are a small number of knots that sit inside without gaps - if there are any, it means the core is rotten.
Resistance to splitting
The cut of the log has a hard surface

The core of the log itself should be exactly three-quarters of the cut and at the same time have an even dark shade.

But what if the arriving logs look damp?

The reason for their dampness may be insufficient drying. In this case, it is better not to treat them at all - except with a transport septic tank. If this has not been done in advance, what should be specified in the contract. After that, you need to create a maximum ventilation mode. After all, if this is not done, the entire structure may shrink in the future - and longitudinal cracks will appear.

Tips from the professionals

It’s not enough to just know how to attach the lining to the ceiling; it’s important to follow some technological nuances:

Do not neglect the arrangement of the sheathing, even if the ceiling surface is perfectly flat.
Before work, all wooden elements should be impregnated with protection from fire and biological life forms.
There is no need to rush into laying out the cladding; it is better to let it sit for 1-2 days in the room where installation will take place.
If you plan to paint the lining, the wooden material must be primed after the laying is completed.

Having figured out how to attach wooden lining to the ceiling, it will not be difficult to correctly mount the cladding on the walls. The technology of work is exactly the same, but, as you can see, there are no particular difficulties in the process. It is enough to select the desired installation method, correctly calculate the amount of hardware and material, and you can begin the repair.

Advice! When placing lamellas horizontally on the walls, the lining is laid out from top to bottom, because the last element is cut to width and then covered with a plinth. But if you don’t have experience, then it’s much easier to lay it out from the bottom up and decorate the cut board at the top with a plastic element to match the cladding.

Independent preparation of logs for construction

Instead of buying expensive rounded logs, you can prepare the building material for the bathhouse yourself.

Regular felled trees are suitable for this. First, they need to be trimmed “under the bracket” - so that the difference between the upper and lower diameters is 3 cm maximum. Next, using a plane, the sapwood is carefully removed, and the protective layer of the wood is left. Such wood is more durable and resistant to all external influences.

Indicators of optimal temperature and features of using hammam

Water treatments in a Turkish bath are not tiring, as it is relatively cool. The steam room has high humidity, so it is easy to create tropical conditions there, allowing visitors to relax with benefits for the body.

In the hammam changing room the temperature is close to 30 °C. The main hall of the Turkish bath warms up more: the temperature in it can reach 70 °C. To make it comfortable to wash in the steam room, it is recommended to stay at medium temperatures, maintaining 37–40 °C.

It is important to visit a Turkish bath taking into account the following rules:

Warm up the body. To do this, you need to lie down on a warm lounger and stay on it until the first drops of sweat appear.
When the body is prepared, you can begin the massage. To do this, the skin must be lubricated with a special soap solution containing peach and olive oil, and woolen gloves must be put on your hands: they can clean the keratinized epithelium.
Wash your body with water from the qurna.
Take a cold shower to help tighten the pores.

If you do not follow the rules, you can harm your health.

Construction of log walls on your own

On the first day, literally a couple of people can lay as many as seven crowns - that’s how quickly construction from logs is carried out.

For reference: one six-meter log weighs approximately 200 kg, but four people can easily lift it. But unloading logs brought on a truck without any mechanisms is difficult - everything can even take up to 10 hours.

So, it is advisable to make a special slot in each log with an electric saw - inside, a third of the thickness. Thanks to this, if the log ever shrinks, the crack will be in this groove.

The last two crowns must be laid with special care - after all, they will connect the bathhouse along its entire perimeter.

How to crochet a round washcloth with elongated loops

The question often comes up on the Internet: “Is it possible to learn how to knit a washcloth just from a video?” Of course, even beginners can do such a task. All steps of creating an accessory are reproduced step by step on the screen. For convenience, we additionally place a pattern for knitting a washcloth.

Video lesson. We crochet a washcloth with elongated loops

Caulking and wall treatment - insulation and protection

As soon as the bath shrinks, i.e. At least 6 months after the completion of the walls, you can cut out the windows, install the roof and install the doors. And be sure to caulk all the cracks between the logs so that the bathhouse is really warm. This is usually done with moss or jute, and the latter are much more convenient in this regard.

But you also need to choose jute correctly. Not every IDP is actually jute. The real thing is always packed in branded bags with a huge name in black and white - “Jute”. And only this material will not allow the log to turn gray in the contact areas.

And finally, after caulking, you can begin to work on the interior decoration of the log bathhouse. It can be made of linden, cedar or aspen, which have healing properties and, at high temperatures, fill the entire steam room with the aromas of essential oils. Although without any interior decoration, unlike other structures, only a bathhouse made of rounded logs certainly looks Russian: the photos against its background and inside the steam room are simply wonderful. And it’s so nice when this beauty is the product of your own hands.

How to crochet a chicken washcloth step by step?

To make a chicken mitten, you need to use 2 skeins of yellow yarn, since the product is knitted with double thread. For decoration you will need some red and black material.

Chicken washcloth

We connect a chain of 35 VPs into a circle.
We create two rows with a double crochet (C 1/n).
Then we knit the elongated loops on the wrong side. We wind the loose thread around the finger, insert the hook into the bottom row C 1/n, while picking up the thread from the finger, we pass the hook through the post. Throwing a thread over it, thread the yarn through 2 loops on the hook. A fluffy loop should come out.
Then we make a row C 1/n and alternate it with extended rows.
Having reached the thumb (9 rows), we begin decreasing: alternating 4 C1/n with 1 unknitted stitch.
We leave the row with elongated loops unchanged.
Next is a row of alternating 4 C1/n with 1 unknitted stitch.
3 rows before the end, the elongated loops are not knitted, but the decreases are not stopped. The posts close and turn the product inside out.
The comb is formed with a red thread from the middle of the top (8-9 sc.b/n and 1 row of sc.b/n).
The outline of the eyes is embroidered from black thread.
For the beak, take 4 VPs and attach them to the base. The surprise for the children is ready.

Disadvantages of flexible tiles

Flexible tiles are not without their disadvantages:

poor frost resistance. Over time, due to temperature fluctuations, flexible tiles become deformed, cracks and tears appear on them;
the material shows weakness when exposed to sunlight, susceptible to aggressive environments, and flowering. The rough surface becomes a place where dust and tree leaves accumulate. In order to protect the material from fungus, treatment with special means is required;

To protect the coating from fungus and mold, the roof surface can be treated with special protective solutions.

water absorption. This figure is about 10%. As a base, it is necessary to use moisture-proof slabs of wood or plywood;
Working with this material is not advisable on hot days, especially during repairs. Large bursts of bitumen products are possible;
Thermal resistance is only +100°C.