It's hard to find a person who doesn't love a Russian bathhouse. A lot can be said about the benefits of bath procedures: they have a restorative, rejuvenating and healing effect on the human body, give strength and strengthen the immune system.
Recently, baths are used not only for taking water procedures, but also for joint family recreation and in the company of friends.
That is why, during the construction and arrangement of this room, you need to pay special attention to every little detail and choose the right pieces of furniture and accessories.
This will help create a special cozy atmosphere here.
Features of bath furniture
The main difference between a bathhouse and all other rooms is the large number of wooden objects, regardless of the size of the bathhouse and the style in which it is made. The only exception is the shower or pool, where tiled finishing is mainly done.
The heat and moisture inherent in a bathhouse impose special requirements on the choice of material for furniture.
The reasons for the abundance of wooden elements are quite justified:
- Wood retains heat perfectly, does not burn at high temperatures and is pleasant to the touch during the cooling process. Unlike metal, which gets very hot and poses a risk of burns, or unlike plastic, which simply melts when heated too much.
- Spruce, pine, linden or cedar are easy to process. Furniture for a bath or sauna is manufactured in record time. And there is always the opportunity to make such furniture with your own hands.
- Easy to attach to wooden interior items. You can do without metal nails or screws. For example, during assembly, wooden dowels are often used to connect parts.
- Wood has a low volumetric weight.
- Environmental friendliness. Being in a bathhouse with a wooden interior is not only pleasant, but also beneficial for health.
The bathhouse needs a certain set of furniture, which should include a table, shelves, and wooden benches.
The main disadvantage of wooden furniture is its susceptibility to rotting and fungus. Therefore, not all types of wood are considered suitable. And, in addition, they use treatment with special compounds.
Based on the requirements, the most suitable material for a bathhouse is wood.
Types of wood
The main criterion when choosing wood for bath furniture is not its natural beauty or density, but its resistance to moisture and temperature changes. Moreover, this matters both for the furniture in the steam room and for the rest room.
For the steam room you need breeds that respond well to humidity, for the locker room and rest room - any.
- Pine. One of the most popular types of wood for bath interiors. It is distinguished by its affordable price, natural aesthetics and ease of processing. Ideal for a relaxation room, but it is not recommended to use pine for a steam room - when the wood is heated too much, resin is released.
- Spruce. Also not an option for high temperatures and high humidity. In addition to the fact that it releases resin when heated strongly, it also differs in its tendency to rot.
- Larch. A unique breed that can withstand not only high humidity, temperature changes and extreme heating, but also looks very dignified and impressive in appearance. However, due to its high density, larch is very difficult to process. Making furniture will take a lot of time and effort. And it’s unlikely that a beginner can cope with this breed.
- Oak. One of the most expensive breeds. Its peculiarity is that under the influence of humidity and steam, the wood only becomes stronger and harder. Processing solid oak requires professional skills. And the finished products are very heavy.
- Aspen. Like oak, wood becomes stronger when exposed to moisture and steam. But only completely healthy trees have this feature. And finding them is very difficult.
- Linden. An excellent choice for DIY furniture made of natural wood for a bath or sauna. The wood is soft, not prone to rotting, and easily withstands temperature changes and exposure to steam. It has a pleasant hue, and when heated, it will also delight you with a delicious aroma. The only drawback is that linden is not as durable as, for example, larch.
- Cedar has been used for finishing rooms and making furniture, as they say, from time immemorial. The wood is very beautiful in appearance, resistant to humidity and temperature changes. An additional bonus for the lucky owners of cedar bath sets is a wonderful and truly medicinal aroma, the healing effects of which on humans have already been confirmed today.
Stylistic design
Bath furniture is designed in the following styles:
Classical
This furniture has a strict design and clear lines. The items are not luxurious, but provide comfort to the premises. However, they cannot be called cheap. They look elegant and sophisticated. To make furniture, smooth boards of the same dimensions are used.
Antique
They are massive interior items with rounded backs, edges, and unusual cutouts. Products are artificially aged to give the desired look.
Rattan furniture
This is a relatively new trend. Rattan is a type of liana palm. The main distinguishing feature is the unique structure of the stem: a hard top layer, a soft and porous middle layer and a very hard “core”. Thanks to this “structure,” the material bends very well, and interior items made from it are amazingly durable.
Rattan furniture is appropriate in a dressing room or relaxation room, but is not suitable for a sauna.
The natural color of rattan is almost white, but most often products made from this material are painted. Rattan palm has practically no wood pattern as such. And the process of making furniture is very interesting: a frame is made from thicker “aged” vines, and then they are braided with younger and more flexible ones.
Recently, rattan bath furniture has become increasingly popular.
Rattan palm furniture is ideal for a relaxation room, but not for a sauna. Because under the influence of high temperatures the material loses its shape.
Visually, furniture made from artificial rattan is almost no different from its natural counterpart.
Upholstered furniture for baths
It turns out that even soft sets can find their application in a bath complex. Of course, provided that they meet certain criteria.
A sofa for a bath is an integral attribute of comfort and the key to a good rest in a steam room.
Of course, we are talking about headsets for the rest room. If the furniture frame is completely hidden, then it can be made of any material. And in the event that any of its parts will be “visible”, the frame must be wooden. Otherwise, during the heating process, metal parts will be unpleasantly hot to the touch, and plastic parts will be close to melting.
Soft surfaces increase the comfort of using the products.
The upholstery material must also meet a number of requirements. Since the bathhouse is not always heated, the material must withstand temperature changes. And also be resistant to high humidity. After all, even in the dressing room the humidity is much higher than in an ordinary apartment or house.
Most of the furniture in the bathhouse is solid. However, in the relaxation room, sofas will not be superfluous.
- Genuine Leather. This is perhaps the best option for upholstering furniture in a relaxing bath room. The leather perfectly withstands temperature changes and humidity, does not absorb odors, is resistant to stains and retains its original appearance for a long time.
- Eco-leather or leatherette. The main thing is that this material is of high quality, then it is almost as good as its natural counterpart. The only difference between good leatherette is its shorter service life. And according to all other indicators, he does not lose in anything. If the substitute is of poor quality, then cracks appear on the surface very quickly due to temperature changes.
- Tapestry. High-quality material is strong and durable. For bath complexes, sofas with tapestry trim are additionally treated with special compounds to prevent moisture absorption.
Craftsmen, of course, will be able to make everything they need with their own hands.
Basic material requirements
The modern specialized market offers a huge number of different models of bath furniture.
When choosing the best option, you should take into account the requirements that the materials used for the manufacture of such structures must meet:
- High strength, density and durability;
- Environmentally friendly, when heated, the material should not emit toxic substances;
- The material should be easy to process;
- The surface of the structures should not heat up.
From all of the above it follows that the ideal material for making bath furniture is natural wood.
Bath set
Of course, a set of furniture for a bathhouse is selected depending on the preferences and financial capabilities of its owner. But the standard gentleman's set looks like this:
- Hanger. The shape and size can vary, but most often it is a wooden panel with several hooks. The calculation is as follows: per visitor 3 clothes hangers and a pair of hooks for bath accessories.
- Bench. This interior detail is intended not only for sitting, but also to provide a place where you can fold clothes. Often there is also a shelf under the seat. In some cases, chairs or armchairs are placed instead of benches.
- Closet. To be fair, it is worth noting that this element is not always present due to limited space. And yet, if the area allows, think about where you can install it. The closet can be used to store towels and cleaning supplies.
- Mirror. Ideally, the mirror should be full-length. But if this is not possible, then at least up to half.
What should be in the steam room? The entire “set” consists of a wooden shelf. Depending on the area of the bath and its shape, choose one of the following options:
- If the bathhouse is small, then the seating shelf is 60 cm wide, and the length, as a rule, is either determined by the usual number of people present, or by the length of the wall.
- If the sauna is spacious, then a recumbent shelf is installed. Then its width will vary from 80 cm to 1 meter, and the length should be comfortable for all visitors. For maximum convenience, organize 2 or 3 tiers. It’s just important to remember that on the third tier the temperature will be much higher than on the first.
- More rational use of space - L-shaped or U-shaped shelves.
Shelves are the most important component of a bathhouse interior and making them yourself is absolutely simple and inexpensive.
If there is a need and space allows, then additional stairs are installed for convenience.
Shoe rack assembly technology
Making a shoe rack does not require a lot of time and labor, so you can cope with such a task in a couple of hours.
The shoe rack in the bathhouse is assembled and installed as follows:
- 2 side parts of the structure are being prepared, 35 cm wide and up to 90 cm high, as well as upper and lower parts 60 cm long.
- The workpieces are thoroughly cleaned with fine-grain sandpaper or a grinder.
- 2 cuts are cut from the slats for the vertical shelf, the length of which is equal to the width of the side parts (35 cm). The parts are fixed to each other with self-tapping screws; the sides of the structure are reinforced with metal corners or wooden blocks.
- Markings for the shelf are made on the side elements and holes of the required diameter are made.
- The finished product is a box with sides, top and bottom slats, and a vertical shelf (or several shelves) for shoes.
How to make bath furniture with your own hands
Making a bath set with your own hands is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Some woodworking skills will be required, as well as diagrams and drawings for the job.
Let's look at the process of making bath furniture with your own hands using a shelf as an example. Since this is the main place in the bath compartment, the shelf should be as comfortable as possible and suitable for your height and weight.
Self-production will allow you to realize all your wildest fantasies and make optimal use of the bath space.
After the necessary measurements have been made, you can begin to work. First, a frame is mounted from wooden posts (the distance between the posts is 50 cm), which are fastened together. The racks are made of wooden beams. At this stage of work, you can use metal screws, since this part of the structure will not be in contact with the body.
The frame is attached to the wall. Then boards are attached to it. When installing this part of the structure, metal parts can no longer be used. Plan the placement of the boards in such a way that there is at least 1 cm between the adjacent ones. This will allow water to flow freely and the boards will dry faster.
When making furniture with your own hands, it is important to process the parts well: round the edges, sand the surfaces until they are absolutely smooth.
The bathhouse bench is made according to a similar principle. It will require planks (for the seat), timber (for the frame), and fasteners. By the way, an important point: when making furniture for a bathhouse, a grinding machine or sandpaper must be used. Surfaces must be well treated to avoid injury later.
The bars are cut and hammered together into a frame - this is the frame. Planks are placed on the frame at a distance of 1 cm from each other. Wooden nails are used as fasteners. After the structure is ready, carefully sand all the corners and once again “walk” over the surface.
The shelf at its base may have a lattice made of wooden planks. You can also make the back of furniture from it.
The furniture set for the bathhouse is extremely laconic: bench, table, shelves. An important nuance: interior items should not only correspond to the general style, but also create coziness, promote relaxation, comfort, and pleasure.
When assembling furniture for the bathhouse, the boards should be positioned loosely against each other, leaving small gaps.
