How to properly make a steam room in a bathhouse - detailed instructions from experts

Why is this type different from interior ones?

Today, in almost any suburban area or dacha you can find a bathhouse. In most cases, it is erected independently, without turning to specialists. And, if everything is clear with the design and general requirements. The question may quite naturally arise - what kind of door to the steam room should be in the bathhouse? Are there any fundamental differences from the standard interior? What are the basic requirements for materials and characteristics?

The main differences from standard doors include:

1. Good thermal insulation;
2. Increased heat resistance;
3. Moisture resistance.

The entrance door of the bathhouse may not meet all of the listed requirements. Its main purpose is thermal insulation and heat preservation. Therefore, the standard one can also be used. Doors for a steam room in a bathhouse must meet the listed requirements and are made using special technology.

Solid wood is always used for production, because... The classic technology for producing interior doors is not suitable. Heat-resistant glass can be used; plastic is not suitable for the door to the steam room. Of the wood species, preference is given to linden, aspen and larch; the use of pine is allowed.

Previously, for better heat retention, smaller openings were used. Now this rule has practically lost force; it is allowed to install a door of a standard size. In rare cases. You can find a door of reduced size, which requires you to bend down when passing through it.

Tempered glass has become widespread. You don’t need to make it yourself; it’s enough to know the necessary parameters of the sauna door and its dimensions. You can buy a ready-made sample of a glass door in stores that specialize in bath materials.

Materials used

Edged board
Of the known types of wood, such common species as spruce, linden, larch, aspen, pine or cedar can be used for arranging doors to a steam room. If you can choose from the range listed above, preference should be given to linden, which is easy to process, has a unique texture and, when heated, releases pleasant-smelling substances that also have medicinal properties.

As for the door leaf itself, the following types of wood blanks can be used for its manufacture:

• planed board 5 cm thick;
• timber with a section of 50×50 mm;
• paneled design.

Optimal entrance sizes, what they depend on and which ones to choose

The main purpose of the entrance door to the bathhouse is not only heat preservation, but also reliability. It can be performed in the following options:

1. Wooden. The most optimal option, it perfectly retains and retains heat inside the room; it is necessary to monitor the condition of the door leaf to avoid deformation and the appearance of mold. It is recommended to treat with special compounds for wood.
2. Metal. It will reliably preserve the owner’s property; if there is an additional seal and the cladding is practically in no way inferior to wooden. The handles on such a door must be made of wood to avoid inconvenience, for example, when going out in the cold.
3. Plastic. The simplest and most convenient, but its use is allowed only in cases where the bathhouse is located in close proximity to the house, because it can be easily opened.

The choice of the size of the entrance door to the bathhouse is purely individual, but if you stick to the classic version, the following dimensions of the doors for the bathhouse are considered the most optimal - 1.80 x 0.65 cm, it should only open outward. It is imperative to install a threshold with a height of at least 15 cm. If possible, from the inside it should coincide with the upper edge of the floor, only in this case a gap will be formed that will work as a hood.

There are no strict requirements for the material, so you can use classic 5-centimeter tongue-and-groove boards or use ready-made samples. For better heat retention, you can additionally cover the door with insulation or make a box at least 10 cm wide.

Methods and technology for insulating a door block in a bathhouse

There are only 3 methods and technologies for insulating a door. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it makes sense to talk about each option in more detail.

Additional wooden frame

An additional wooden frame is a design that is aimed at combating the main source of heat loss - heating of incoming air and drafts. The point of modernization is to reduce the distance between the door frame and frame as much as possible.

To do this, perform the following steps:

1. The platbands are removed, and felt is laid between the platbands and the wall. Instead of removing the box, you can install an additional one. To do this, you just need to lay felt over the entire area of ​​the door frame, and then cover it with a second layer of platband. The felt is nailed down with a construction stapler.
2. The pie made from platbands must be covered with facing material: slats, clapboard or fiberboard
3. The door is adjusted to the new dimensions of the casing
4. The space between the door and the platband is laid with strips of felt or rubber sealant. The main task is to get rid of drafts

Thermal curtain

A thermal curtain is more of a temporary solution than a real solution to the problem of drafts and heat loss. The curtain is used in regions with particularly low temperatures in winter or as a temporary shelter in newly built baths. In essence, it is just a curtain made of heat-insulating fabric: leatherette or felt.

To arrange a curtain, you need the material itself, a block or baguette on which the material is hung.

There are two arrangement options:

1. In the first case, simply nail the fabric to the block with a lath, or use the bar itself to press the fabric against the wall. Thin nails are used to press the strip. The advantage of this method is more efficient heat retention. The curtain will close on its own after entering the steam room. The disadvantage is obvious: entering the room will be extremely inconvenient.
2. The second option is to hang the canvas on rings, which in turn are placed on a baguette. It's more convenient, but not as productive.

If we are talking about a temporary curtain, then it is better to use the first option, since temporary inconvenience can be tolerated for the sake of thermal efficiency.

But talking about constant discomfort when going to the steam room is stupid, so the second option is often used as a permanent solution.

Double chamber door

A two-chamber door or double door is the most popular and technologically advanced way to insulate a bathhouse door. The point is to replace the door leaf with a cake in which the insulation sheets will be sandwiched with fiberboard slabs.

To make a two-chamber door you will need:

• Fibreboard boards
• Bars for creating a frame. The width of the bar must correspond to the width of the insulation sheet. The same value is the future thickness of the door
• Insulation
• Nails or self-tapping screws for securing fiberboard sheets.
• Door fittings: hinges and handle.

Two-chamber door to the bathhouse
First, a frame is created. As a rule, these are just bars around the perimeter of the door with one lintel in the middle. A sheet of fiberboard is attached to the frame on one side. The space between the bars is filled with insulation, and then the pie on the other side is covered with the same fiberboard. Additional insulation of the door around the perimeter will allow you to forget about the cold and drafts in the steam room forever.

To summarize, we can say that insulating the door to a steam room or dressing room is a fairly simple task

It is important to choose the right material and carefully carry out insulation. But implementing even the most complex decisions does not present any special problems. https://www.youtube.com/embed/dpiEudASF-c

Optimal sizes for a steam room

Before you start making doors, you need to decide on the dimensions. To maintain optimal temperature and retain heat, it is recommended to make doors up to 10 centimeters thick. Experts recommend using the following parameters for the steam room door size:

• the width of the door to the steam room is 65-70 cm;
• height from 150 cm but not higher than 185 cm.

By adhering to these parameters, it will be possible to maintain an optimal microclimate not only in the steam room, but also in other rooms. Indeed, often modern designs use not only a dressing room and a steam room, but also a washing room, as well as a relaxation room.

The presence of a threshold on the door to the steam room is mandatory; its size is at least 15 cm. The size of the door will be calculated from it. If we are talking about a sauna, it is not necessary to install a threshold; it is enough to leave a ventilation gap between the floor and the door leaf of 5-10 mm.

The size of the door leaf for self-made doors for the specified sizes is usually as follows:

1. wooden beam with a section of 65x80 mm;
2. tongue and groove boards 40 mm thick and 150 mm wide;
3. lining 12 mm thick.

Baths, saunas and swimming pools

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Today it is difficult to imagine a country house or dacha without such a useful and convenient structure, which is a bathhouse. But during construction, a completely natural question arises: what should the doors for baths and saunas be like, what requirements should they meet, how to make them and from what materials? In this article we will consider all the important issues related to the design of doors to the steam room.

Table of contents:

1. Basic principles
2. Requirements for the design of the door to the steam room
3. Safety requirements
4. Bath door system
5. Wooden doors
6. Glass doors to the steam room
7. Combined doors to the steam room
8. Insulation of entrance doors
9. Door parameters
10. Preparing elements for the doors to the steam room
11. Collection of door panels
12. Covering the doors to the steam room
13. Additional elements for doors
14. Features of door installation

Basic principles

There are a number of requirements that apply to the design features of door frames and leaves for these premises. In addition, they must meet safety requirements, because no one wants to wash in a bathhouse where they can bump into hot iron in a steam room.

Important! Similar requirements for the quality of door blocks are also put forward for the quality of window frames, if they are prescribed in the design of your bathhouse.

Ordinary interior doors cannot cope with such tasks. Here we need special doors and windows for the bath, which are made from appropriate materials and using a certain technology.

Requirements for the design of the door to the steam room

Undoubtedly, the main conditions that doors to the steam room must satisfy are the following:

• they should serve to preserve heat in the steam room; it should not go to another room, passing through the canvas itself or through the cracks around it;
• the door leaf should be tightly installed in the frame, creating a sealed structure;
• the door structure should not deform from constant high humidity and temperature;
• in a Russian bathhouse, the door frame should be significantly lower than the standard one. Typically, the parameters of doors for a steam room do not exceed 180 cm in height and 75 cm in width, and for a steam room the height does not exceed 160 cm;
• All internal door panels in enclosed spaces are installed at a height equal to 5 cm from the floor; this gap serves for ventilation.

Important: If a ventilation system is provided in the bathhouse and steam room, then there is no need to leave a ventilation gap between the floor and the sheet.

Safety requirements

When producing bath door structures, it is necessary to take into account some safety rules:

• the door to the steam room must open outward; in the event of dangerous circumstances, it is extremely easier to leave the room, and it also eliminates the possibility of getting burned on the door hinges in the interior of the steam room;
• the canvas itself and the box should not burn your hands when a person touches them;
• all internal handles and locks in the steam room must be made of wood;
• For safety reasons, it is advisable to make a window in the door leaf leading to the steam room.

Making doors for a bathhouse following all the rules will help describe your bathhouse as a favorite vacation spot for the whole family.

Bath door system

Any bathhouse has several different rooms:

• dressing room;
• locker room;
• washing;
• steam room

There may be additional rooms, and each requires its own door design.

At a minimum, two such structures must be installed in the bathhouse:

• external entrance door for the bathhouse;
• internal door to the steam room.

Based on the material of application, there are three options for choosing for the manufacture of door structures for bathhouses or saunas.

Wooden doors

The wooden door leaf is constructed from tongue-and-groove boards and then wrapped with clapboard. The material for such structures must meet the specific requirements for this product. It happens that doors are made with artistic carvings, but their cost in this case increases significantly.

Let's look at the materials that can be used:

• linden is the main material that suits all parameters, and the price of linden lumber is not too high;
• aspen is a high-quality material that meets all requirements; aspen doors do not swell or crack;
• alder - this wood is not exposed to moisture, does not crack or warp, and is very often used for cladding the interior of saunas;
• Canadian cedar - its wood has antiseptic properties and has a beneficial effect on the human body;
• abash - the wood of this species is distinguished by its extraordinary lightness, and at the same time it does not heat up at all;
• oak is the best option in all respects, but the door leaf made from it is quite heavy and expensive.

Glass doors to the steam room

In recent times, door structures for steam rooms and saunas made of special tempered glass have become especially popular. They are especially often installed in saunas and Turkish baths. Glass doors to the steam room are a modern and popular option among bathhouse builders.

The material for such structures is durable 8-mm tempered glass.

This glass has all the necessary qualities, it:

• water-repellent;
• heat-resistant, can withstand temperatures up to 300 ° C;
• safe;
• inexpensive;
• easy to maintain, easy to clean and clean.

Combined doors to the steam room

The combined variation contains wood and glass, which is very convenient and beautiful. Usually, a glass window of various sizes is inserted into the frame, which is made of wood of suitable species. It can be the size of almost the entire canvas or very small, a matter of taste in door manufacturing. A bathhouse, a steam room as its separate element, determines different forms of door designs, depending on the wishes of the customer.

Insulation of entrance doors

In most of our country, winters are very harsh, and bathhouses are usually built separately, unlike Finnish saunas, which can also be located inside a residential building.

We'll tell you how to make sure that in winter, preferably, the heat from the steam room does not escape into the street, and the frosty air does not penetrate into the bathhouse and does not cool the feet of visitors. To do this, you need to install the designated structure yourself.

Insulation instructions:

• we take bars 20 mm thick and nail them along the entire contour of the existing door leaf from the outside so that the bars protrude beyond the edge of the door by about 15 mm;
• We nail insulation around the perimeter of the installed frame, preferably felt folded in half; the insulation should protrude with its folded side 15 mm beyond the edge of the block;
• any insulation can be introduced into the void of the frame that is formed between the bars;
• We stuff a sheet of fiberboard or plywood onto the frame directly according to the parameters of the frame itself, so that the rolled felt peeks out around the entire perimeter of the door from under the plywood.

When closing the front door, the leaf fits precisely into the door block, and the insulation, bending outward, reliably cuts off the possibility of frosty air entering the interior.

Recommendation! You can use leftovers from unnecessary old things as insulation material. Thick material from an old coat or fur from a worn-out jacket can serve this purpose perfectly.

Door parameters

In order to begin the process of making steam room doors with your own hands, you need to decide on the output parameters. As a rule, all doors should have a thickness of about 10 centimeters, which will help maintain a special microclimate in each section of the bathhouse, as well as in the steam room. To keep the room warm longer, the door sizes may be smaller than usual. In such cases, experts recommend choosing a door width of 65 - 70 cm, and the height can be from 150 cm to 185 cm, but not higher. Perhaps such parameters are not very convenient, but it helps to retain all the heat in the steam room.

Doors to the steam room are chosen based on the principle of heat conservation, so all installations in the steam room, for example, walls, doors, cladding, and so on, should contribute to this. It is worth noting that the costs of materials will differ in each room of the bathhouse, so in certain cases separate parameters are necessary.

Preparing elements for the doors to the steam room

Before starting work on the manufacture of steam room doors, each builder needs to create projects with diagrams that will indicate the exact dimensions of your structure. During operation, all parameters may change, depending on the structure of the room.

At the beginning of the work, the length and height of the doors are determined, which should correspond to the door opening. Experts recommend adding a few extra centimeters to all sizes. During the work process, all excess can be cut off or reduced. During the preparation process, it is necessary to prepare the following tools:

• square;
• saw;
• miter box;
• drill;
• roulette;
• wooden mallet;
• square;
• · level;
• grinding machine;
• nylon thread;
• manual frezer.

In order to correctly set the dimensions of the doors to the steam room, choose smaller door sizes. All parameters must be accurately marked when the process of assembling the structure is already underway. For wooden doors, it is necessary to connect a timber frame with tongue and groove boards. When all the elements are connected, then you can trim off all the extra centimeters. The outer rim is processed with the assistance of a milling cutter to form fastening tenons.

Collection of door panels

The opinions of some experts differ regarding the manufacture of doors to the steam room, because some offer single-layer structures, while others offer two-layer ones. All work on assembling the door structure can be carried out in the following stages:

1. All tongue and groove boards must be connected to each other. The work process is not difficult, since all parts are easy to combine using the tongue-and-groove method. To connect all parts of the structure, glue is used.

2. It is recommended to attach boards across the door structure at the top and bottom so that all elements are securely fixed. You can also stuff the beams on the sides.

3. It is necessary to check the diagonal of the structure.

4. It is worth taking into account that all door elements are securely glued together; it is recommended to place them on a certain plane, for example, on a piece of plywood. Then, you should put a weight on top of it, which would evenly distribute the weight throughout the entire structure.

Covering the doors to the steam room

Most often, lining is used as cladding. But, before you start making the trim, you need to complete the design of the door leaf. For example, doors need to be slightly reduced in size to leave room for trim. The structure, covered with clapboard, should increase the ability of thermal insulation, as well as increase resistance to moisture. After measuring all the dimensions, it is recommended to number all the parts so that during the assembly process, all the parts are not mixed up.

After the door leaf is made, the prepared lining parts must be threaded onto countersunk screws. The entire surface of the door is carefully processed; it is especially important to remove all splinters and nicks. Minimal gaps should be left between the parts.

Tip: To prevent wood from being strongly influenced by moisture, mold, fungus or insects, it is recommended to treat it with stain. Such a substance will not only protect the wood, but will also allow you to choose the right shade for the doors to the steam room.

Additional elements for doors

When the doors have already been manufactured and assembled, everyone selects the fittings to complete the structure. First of all, they try to select hinges that should be strong and reliable, and their approximate number should be about 3 pieces. Most builders prefer card-type models.

The second additional element of the fittings is the door handle. An important aspect when choosing this element is that the product does not heat up, and therefore wood is used for it. If desired, you can make a handle yourself or buy it. A wooden product can be replaced with a plastic one, but it is not recommended to use metal fittings.

Features of door installation

In the article, we have already considered all the issues related to the choice of material, preparation of the canvas, recommendations, and requirements for the manufacture of doors to the steam room. There is only the last stage left, which consists of the features of installing the door structure.

The first and important factor remains the question of the size of the threshold; according to the data, it should be overestimated, and the door frame underestimated. All this is installed taking into account the conservation of heat in the room, and will also help protect against drafts. Approximately, for the threshold, the height of 30 centimeters is chosen, and the ceiling inside the steam room should be quite low.

When installing the door, it is important to ensure that the person entering does not get burned by the stove. For this, the door is specially treated with boards on both sides. To prevent the door structure from conducting heat, it is necessary to secure the frame on the inside with foil and insulation. Regarding the material for doors, the use of a glass base has recently become more popular. This material embellishes the steam room and makes it more impressive.

Selecting and installing doors to the steam room is no less important a process than constructing a bathhouse. It is worth considering that the manufacture of a structure requires a careful approach to the selection of materials, determination of parameters, preparation of thermal insulation items, and so on. We hope that in this article you can find all the answers to your questions about installing steam room doors.

What you need to make your own wooden

Anyone can make their own wooden steam room doors. You need to follow simple instructions. First of all, you need to prepare the necessary tools:

1. screwdriver;
2. roulette;
3. plane;
4. pencil;
5. level;
6. saw or hacksaw;
7. milling cutter

What wood to make it from?

The choice of wood type is individual; there are no clear boundaries. The main requirement is resistance to high temperatures and durability. Conditionally wood for making doors for steam rooms. Can be divided into two categories:

• deciduous species - alder, linden, aspen and oak;
• conifers - larch, cedar, spruce, pine.

The main advantage of the latter is the low price, ease of processing and manufacturing of the necessary structures. The most common is linden. It is used not only for the manufacture of doors, but also for the internal lining of the steam room. Compared to others, linden is simple and easy to process, and does not warp or shrink over time. The aesthetic appearance of the wood is also important - a delicate creamy shade, without knots or wormholes.

Making a box

When making a door to a steam room with your own hands, you need to know how to make it and install the door frame. To do this, you will need a wooden beam with a cross-section of 6x15 cm; the material should be selected in such a way that the thickness of the door leaf is at least 5 cm less than the width of the frame.

The elements are fastened using the tongue-and-groove method. The bath door must necessarily swing outward, so the joining grooves must be cut out on the outside of the crossbars. They are cut out on the top and side posts in the doorway.

Before the box is assembled, it is necessary to sand the entire surface with sandpaper to remove all irregularities and chips. Then connect the lintels and corners, and then check the assembled structure with a level to avoid future distortions and sagging of the door.

Making canvas from treated boards

After the dimensions of the door to the steam room in the bath are determined, we begin to manufacture the canvas. A board with a length of at least 164 cm is used; the protruding tenon is cut off from the first board with a circular saw to form an even end. All manipulations are carried out only on a flat surface, assembly using the tongue-and-groove method, and the width of the workpiece should be greater than the size of the future door.

After everything is prepared, the final assembly of the canvas is carried out using PVA glue. First, it is recommended to lay out the prepared boards together and make sure they are the same length.

During the assembly process, it is necessary to knock the boards with a hammer so that the grooves are better secured, after which it is necessary to leave it for several days, first securing it or creating a press effect. Then you need to cut a piece of the required size from the canvas and process it with a plane.

If gaps appear, they can be immediately sealed using a mixture of glue and sawdust. The final stage will be attaching the strapping and installing stiffening ribs, which are located outside across the canvas. After that. Once the door is ready, it must be coated with special protective compounds that will protect it from the formation of mold and rot.

Using moldings, you can give the room a finished look, especially in cases where the size of the doorway differs from the door. All necessary materials are baseboards. Thresholds and other things can be purchased in specialized stores.

The process of making boxes and canvas

The best choice for a bathhouse would be single-leaf doors that open outward. The simplest design of the door leaf is frame. Even inexperienced craftsmen can do such a door, and its durability and reliability are not inferior to more complex structures.

The main rule for such a door is its lightness. If jammed, the heavy structure will be difficult to dislodge, and this can be extremely dangerous in emergency situations.

First, we need to mark the dimensions of the door frame. Since the canvas will be constantly exposed to high humidity and will swell over time, it should be narrower than the inner perimeter of the jamb by 3-4 mm on each side. If you make it to size, such a door will not close tightly.

For one door leaf we will need dense tongue-and-groove boards 8 cm thick. We knock them into a frame, strengthening them with two cross members. We cover the door with a layer of thermal insulation material.

To fix the heat-insulating material, we use plywood, on top of which we stuff the lining. It will add aesthetics to our door.

To ensure that the door in the bathhouse closes tightly, stick a seal around the perimeter of the canvas, which can be used as foam rubber, jute tape, felt, etc. The presence of such a seal will ensure that the door closes tightly even if there is a slight misalignment of the door leaf.

Now you can start making the box. We have already decided on the sizes, so let’s start with the blanks. We need 2 horizontal crossbars with a section of 5 x 8 cm and 2 bars for the hinge and hinged vertical posts 12 wide and 5 cm thick (our door leaf is 8 cm thick).

Making a door frame in a bathhouse consists of several steps:

1. In the blanks, you need to select quarters for a canvas measuring 2 x 8 cm. A chisel or a hand router will help with this;
2. On the hinge stand, outline the contours of the future hinge flaps and select seats with a chisel or a hand router, taking into account the thickness of the flap;
3. We lay out long pieces on a flat surface, and the selected quarters on them;
4. On the side of the hinges, a gap of 2-3 mm is made with wooden wedges, for the rest - 5 mm. This will help the door open freely;
5. Place horizontal ones between long pieces and measure their length. Use a hacksaw to cut to the required size;
6. Make quarters in the corners and connect all the parts of the box together;
7. It is necessary to “try on” the door. Place the canvas in the unassembled box and fasten the loops in the places intended for them. Now, using wedges, create the desired gap around the entire perimeter of the door. Check the angles: deviation from 90 degrees is unacceptable;
8. Now we need to finally assemble the box with attached hinges, set the gaps and fasten the joints with self-tapping screws (2 pieces for each). To avoid cracks, the drilled holes for screws should be 0.5 mm larger;
9. Test the door by opening and closing it several times. If the canvas fits tightly to the box and opens freely, then everything is done correctly.

Useful video

Determining the floor level in the bathhouse, for which a difference is created between the height of the floors of the steam and washing compartments, an educational video about creating a subfloor, design features.

Basic requirements for floors

The optimal functioning of the bathhouse, as a narrow-profile room, largely depends on the correct arrangement of the floors. This condition must be fully observed, since it is associated not only with the trouble-free operation of the complex itself, but also with the comfortable stay of a person in it.

Three fundamentally important requirements apply to floors in a bathhouse:

• they should not be cold, but warm;
• drain water easily and quickly;
• physical activity when cleaning them should be minimal.

In bathhouses, like in no other room, the laws of convection of air masses apply. The floor temperature in any steam room does not rise above +30°C, no matter how hard the stove is heated. Therefore, the flooring can be created from any material, be it concrete, wood or clay.

But the main point in the construction of the facility is the creation of a two-layer floor - rough flooring and finishing with drainage arrangement. When installing a drain, the surface is mounted with a slope towards collecting waste water and discharging it into a sewer system or a pit located outside the foundation line.

Floor level in relation to the ground

The ratio of the ground level to the zero level of the final coating must be at least 300 mm. Calculating this distance is quite simple:

• support columns installed in the sand or concrete underlying layer are built flush with the top line of the foundation;
• wooden logs are laid on them;
• A covering consisting of a board, tongue-and-groove or edged, with a thickness of at least 25 mm is mounted on the logs.

By simple addition it is not difficult to calculate the value required for the installation of the lower ceiling in the bathhouse.

In a paired compartment, the flooring can be either pouring, when water flows freely between the cracks of the laid boards. Or non-leaking, with floorboards tightly adjacent to each other, made of tongue-and-groove boards. Through them, water flows into a specially equipped drain with discharge into the sewer system.

When installing non-drainage ceilings, an insulation cushion is created in the underground. A variety of materials are used as insulation - from waste slag, as the most inexpensive material, to extruded polystyrene foam, as the highest quality insulation, in which rodents do not live and there are no chemical reactions formed when exposed to hot air. The most common insulation material is expanded clay.

Video about installing lower floor beams and laying insulation:

Indoor floor level

To preserve heat, the main product produced by the steam room, the walkways in the compartment are raised above the zero mark of the finishing level by a distance of at least 100, but not more than 200 mm.

In the washing room, as in the most water-rich room, where streams of water are constantly pouring down, on the contrary, they are lowered below the zero mark of the finished floor to a distance of no more than 50 mm. Thus, water does not splash on the flooring of adjacent rooms, and does not flow out of the washing room through the threshold.

Installing floors at various levels in a bathhouse is very advisable, but not everyone resorts to this technique. The positive aspects of using floors with different levels:

1. When the walkway is raised even by 150 mm, the volume of the room decreases. This leads to the heating of surfaces in the steam room much faster.
2. By quickly heating surfaces, fuel consumption is reduced, and therefore energy resources are saved.
3. The thickness of the thermal insulation layer increases in proportion to the raised level, which leads to other, higher temperatures inside the steam room, and the floor covering becomes even warmer.
4. The difference in the height of the thresholds between the dressing room and the washroom plays the role of additional waterproofing, in which excess moisture does not penetrate into other areas of the room, but seeps into the underground.

In order for the temperature in the bathhouse or sauna to remain at the desired level for a long time, it is necessary to correctly select and install the doors that lead to the steam room, and to the bathhouse itself. Since bathhouses and saunas are premises with non-standard conditions and tasks, the equipment they require is not quite ordinary.

Entrance doors to the bathhouse

There are no special features here. You need to keep warm and protect yourself from thieves. Therefore, you can install any doors to the bathhouse from the street, even metal ones. The main thing is good thermal insulation: heat cannot be released. But there are problems with the iron door. They do not lead, they do not swell, they are reliable and retain heat well (if they are well insulated). But in winter, having opened it and jumped out to cool off, you will definitely close it - don’t let the bathhouse dry out. But back, if you accidentally touch the surface, you will freeze instantly. Here is a review of the entrance metal door in the bathhouse:

I have a metal entrance door in my bathhouse. There are no problems with opening and closing. But in a good frost I froze to it. I jumped out of the steam room - everything was fine. And when I came in, I touched it by accident and that’s it, I immediately froze. It’s good that you did it with your hand, although there was no time for jokes either.

Metal steel door to the bathhouse - reliable and warm, but you can freeze

This problem is also solved: the outside is sheathed with wooden slats or clapboards and varnished. No problem.

In general, there is nothing better for thermal insulation than a well-made solid wood panel. A thick board (you can use tongue-and-groove flooring) retains heat well, and also suits the style of most country baths. There are some for sale, but if you don’t trust factory-made ones, you can make the outer door to the bathhouse yourself. If you need good insulation, then you can knock down two panels, fill the bars between them, and fill the gap with insulation. Then connect both shields and decorate the perimeter with a thin strip. The result will be warm, economical and reliable.

Entrance door for baths and saunas made of wood

But the wooden entrance door to a bathhouse is not without its drawbacks: it rots and swells. Rotting can be combated with impregnations and antiseptics. There is no way to deal with swelling. This was the case in a bathhouse near Arkhangelsk:

We came to a friend’s dacha to take a steam bath. The door was swollen and did not want to open. In our attempts, we tore off the handle, then took the tire iron out of the car and picked it apart. We took a steam bath, left, but we couldn’t close it - the lock was inside. It was good to have a sledgehammer and nails. They scored. And then a friend says, how to open it later? Here's what we came up with: we'll bring an iron handle, fasten it with healthy self-tapping screws, tie it to the car and pull it. They did so, but the doors had to be changed.

And here is another review about a wooden street door to a bathhouse:

I have a wooden door leading from the bathhouse to the street. But I did it wisely: dry wood, which I impregnated before I did it, and after. But on the door there is a water barrier, insulation, and foil on the outside. The cladding on both sides is made independent.

The third option - the entrance door to the bathhouse - is plastic. If there are no security issues, then this is a good option. And the color can be made to order: exactly like wood. The imitation is so good that until you touch it with your hand, you won’t understand that it’s plastic. Their cost is higher than white ones for the door by about 2 thousand rubles.

Door materials

Each owner of the plot can independently decide which design and style of the bathhouse to choose. Manufacturers made sure that everyone could choose the most suitable material for the job.

Design option for a wooden door with forged elements

Most often, the choice is made on the following raw materials for making doors:

1. Wood.
2. Glass.
3. Plastic.
4. Metal.

Each of these materials has its own advantages, disadvantages and features. Therefore, before placing a bet on any of them, you need to familiarize yourself with the nuances.

Wood

There are different materials for making doors leading to the bathhouse. People choose to finish the structure using eurolining prepared for the process, while other owners prefer to buy a solid frame and carry out the construction on their own.

Homemade wooden door for a bathhouse

In any case, wood is at the top of the list of materials for bathhouse doors.

Material advantages

1. Resistance to moisture.
2. Adaptation to temperature changes.
3. Wood itself is a heat insulator, so the owner of the site will not have to spend a lot of money on additional materials to insulate the canvas.
4. And of course, aesthetic characteristics. Wood fits perfectly into the overall interior of the bathhouse. A wooden door will look harmonious and create a pleasant atmosphere in the room where you can steam.

Flaws

The material requires additional processing and not all types of wood are suitable for bathhouse door construction.

Important nuances

Also, due attention should be paid to the question of what material to make the door handle from. It makes the most sense to also use wood for this purpose, because metal, plastic and similar materials under the influence of high temperatures can become deformed and also heat up, which reduces the level of safety in the bathhouse;

Therefore, when the question comes about what material the entrance door to the bathhouse should be made of, it is worth paying attention to wood

It is best to give preference to aspen or linden wood. Internal doors leading to the steam room can be achieved by installing a glass door.

Glass

To enter the steam room, as well as the shower room located inside the steam room, glass doors are often installed.

Advantages

1. This design looks harmonious in the opening.
2. The glass door is easy to clean.
3. The material tolerates high temperatures well, which are not uncommon in a steam room.
4. There are many designs of glass doors, so everyone will choose the best option for themselves.

Flaws

• the cost of such a design is quite high, because the glass must be durable and quite thick if the question is about a door;
• You won’t be able to make such a door yourself, unless the owner of the site with the bathhouse has his own workshop for the production of glass products.

In any case, the glass in the doorway of a steam room or shower looks elegant and harmonious.

Plastic

If you prefer plastic, you need to choose a heat-resistant one; other options are not suitable for installation in a bathhouse.

The process of installing a plastic door to a bathhouse

Advantages

1. Heat-resistant plastic is a fairly durable material.
2. This door raw material is durable.
3. Withstands changes in air temperature.
4. Able to tolerate high levels of indoor humidity.

Flaws

The material is not natural, which means it will not release aromas into the air that one would like to hear in a steam room or dressing room.

Design options for plastic doors for baths

Metal

If you wish, you can create an armored metal door with your own hands, however, this will require additional materials and tools.

Advantages

1. Such a canvas will certainly protect the dressing room from drafts.
2. This design looks harmonious.
3. A large selection of designs of such canvases will help satisfy the needs of even the most demanding apartment owners.

Flaws

• high price;
• such a canvas is not suitable for installation at the entrance to the steam room.

The choice of material depends solely on the preferences of the owner of the land plot. Any raw material will fit perfectly into the space of the bathhouse, the main thing is to do the work with soul.

To the washroom

The doors to the washing room from the rest room or dressing room are made of regular sizes, perhaps smaller in width - in order to minimize the entry of humidity, which is inevitably increased in such a room. The width of the door to the washing compartment is desirable 600 mm.

There are also requirements for resistance to moisture: this factor must be taken into account. If you choose wood, then leave a larger gap between the door leaf and the door frame. In normal interior doors it is 2-3 mm, but when installing a door in a washing room it is worth making at least 5 mm. Otherwise, the swollen door simply will not open or close.

Glass doors for baths and saunas can be opaque

Glass door panels are good in this sense: they don’t care what humidity is, the dimensions remain unchanged. They do not necessarily have to be transparent; rather, they are the exception. They are made from special heat-resistant glass, they are quite difficult to break, and are usually sold complete with hinges, and often with a door frame. So there should be no problems in terms of installation and operation. People have been using it for years and are happy. Glass doors in the washroom are an innovation that has caught on well.

Sometimes they put plastic doors in the washing area. They are good for everyone in this room: they keep warm, they are not afraid of moisture. There are not only white colors, but also “wood-like” ones, so they won’t spoil the interior. Not everyone simply likes the idea of ​​using plastic in a bathhouse in principle, although there is plastic on the windows in a Russian steam room and nothing melts.

It is better to place the hinges on the outside, i.e. from the sink side

If the walls are made of logs or timber

A wooden bathhouse made from a log or timber is quite common, and the installation of doors in such a bathhouse differs in technology from a similar installation in a room with walls made of a different material. The fact is that wood constantly changes its overall dimensions, and this has to be taken into account in buildings made from it.

In particular, the installation of doors and windows is usually accompanied by the creation of a specific frame. This is a well-known tongue-and-groove connection, which creates the possibility of the box sliding during the period of continued shrinkage of the wooden frame.

Pit under the door in a chopped bathhouse

IMPORTANT! An increased vertical opening size is mandatory - the gap between the jamb and the wall is needed for the future if the height of the log house is reduced. If it suddenly turns out that you made it too large, then you can make a transom above the door. The “tenon and groove” can be done in any way you like - cut a groove in the logs or, conversely, cut a tenon in the wall and a groove in the frame

Both options are viable. The tools usually used are a hand-held power saw and chisels. However, it is worth warning in advance that the work is not the easiest and will take quite a lot of time.

The “tenon and groove” can be done in any way you like - cut a groove in the logs or, conversely, cut a tenon in the wall and a groove in the post. Both options are viable. The tools usually used are a hand-held power saw and chisels. However, it is worth warning in advance that the work is not the easiest and will take quite a lot of time.

Doors to the steam room

This is where the difficulties begin. The conditions that are sometimes created in this room are far from normal: high temperature and humidity. In addition, it is very undesirable to let off steam during the procedures. Based on these requirements, the door height is selected. Let's take a closer look.

Steam in the steam room accumulates under the ceiling. The normal thickness of this layer is 60-80 cm. This is exactly enough for normal vaping, subject to its periodic renewal (it needs to be updated during the procedure). It is at this height - 60-80 cm from the level of the finished ceiling - that the lintel (the upper edge of the door) should be located.

Let's give an example. With a ceiling height of 230 cm, we get the height of the bath door: 230 cm - 60 cm = 170 cm. But it is better to leave a larger pocket for steam. In general, the normal height of a steam room door is considered to be no higher than 160 cm.

To maintain heat in the bathhouse, a threshold is needed, and the door should be low

With all this, we still need a high threshold - about 20 cm. It performs more than one task:

• Does not let in cold air when walking back and forth.
• Prevents drafts across the floor.
• Serves as insurance against hitting the top of the head against the ceiling: when raising a leg, a person instinctively bends lower. So a high threshold is a cure for cones.

The height of the door to the steam room has been determined; we need to decide on the width. It’s all at your discretion: you can make it wider than the standard, and by a lot. It will be more convenient this way. With a door height of 160 cm, its width can be 130 cm - this makes it more convenient to enter. We have decided on the size of the door to the steam room, but when planning, you need to take into account that they should only open from the steam room. This is a safety requirement: if necessary, it is easier to knock it out.

There is no disagreement with the materials for the door to the steam room: wood. There may be a question about the breed. Some people don’t install conifers because they contain a lot of resin, and hot resin is no joke. But if this is a Russian steam room, then there are no temperatures capable of “melting” the resin in it - the maximum to which the air is traditionally heated is 70-85°C. So, both pine and spruce are suitable for a Russian bath. For saunas - only hardwood, but about the doors to the sauna - a little lower.

Here is a review from an experienced bathhouse lover from Chelyabinsk:

Everything in my bathhouse, except the floor (larch) and ceiling (aspen), is made of pine. There are pine tongue and groove boards on the walls. There is resin only in two places, and then in the corners where its presence does not bother me at all. The doors are made of pine imitation timber, the jamb is made of thick boards, there are no drips. The window is varnished pine, does not leak, the shelves and the one are made of pine - 50*150 mm board. The feeling is great. I often have guests: it’s cold, they run in to warm up. Everything is fine.

So you can use pine in the steam room. Nobody got burned.

The dimensions of the door to the steam room are determined based on the height of the ceiling and “working” conditions

Another option is glass doors to the steam room. It doesn't suit everyone, but they look really good. Their main advantage is that you can see the silhouettes of people inside, and if someone feels bad, you can come to the rescue in time.

Designing a steam room

The steam room is the center of the entire Russian bathhouse. This is a closed room without windows and without additional heating. The following elements are present here:

• Stove - only with the help of a heater steam is generated. Cold water is poured onto the hot stones, which helps create light steam;
• Shelves - they are made of wood. The sizes are selected according to the size of the steam room;
• Ventilation system – provides air circulation.

Most popular sizes

Most often, steam rooms are created for 2, 3 or 4 people.

The dimensions of a steam room for 2 people are calculated as follows:

• It is recommended to make at least one side at least 2 m. This approach will smooth out the impression of a cramped and uncomfortable room;
• The area of ​​the shelves should be at least 1.4-0.7 m2 per visitor;
• The total area of ​​the steam room consists of free space in front of the shelves, equal to at least 50 cm in width. This also includes space for the stove, the dimensions of which are decisive;
• The final dimensions of the steam room for two people are 1.8 m x 1.4 m.

The dimensions of a steam room for 3 people are calculated as follows:

• Fasten 2 shelves one above the other on one wall and one shelf along the adjacent one;
• The length of the shelf is at least one meter, and the width is at least 0.5 m;
• The recommended dimensions for the entire steam room are 2 m x 2 m - no less than 4 m2.

The dimensions of a steam room for 4 people can be identical as for 3 people if the shelves are hung in the shape of the letter “L”. But, if they are installed in pairs on opposite walls, then the stove is placed between them. And then the dimensions of the steam room become approximately 2m x 2.5 m.

Insulation of bathhouse doors

There is no need to make a hermetically sealed room out of the steam room. Fresh air should come in at least a little. If the bath door is made of a thick board, there is no need to line it with anything. Neither on the canvas, nor around the perimeter. A good wooden door made of solid wood (tongue-and-groove boards, imitation timber, etc.) in the steam room will retain steam without problems.

Insulation is only necessary in one case: if they are made of thin boards. Then you can cover it with felt, which is sometimes done. But you’ll be tired of drying the felt.

Wooden paneled doors for a bath

If the steam in the steam room does not hold, then the door is most likely not to blame. There could be many reasons for this:

• Incorrectly made pipe passage through the ceiling.
• Errors in vapor barrier of walls and ceilings.
• Gaps in the walls.
• The door size is incorrectly selected or the window is located at the wrong level - steam escapes into the door and window.
• There is not enough oven power.

Adviсe

Experts have prepared several useful recommendations.

To ensure maximum comfort in your bath room, you should pay attention to some recommendations from experienced professionals. For example, it is better to install a sauna on the south side, since in winter, when you sometimes want to take a steam bath, it will be easier to get to the entrance due to the fastest snow melting on the side closer to the south

In addition, it will be preferable if the windows face west, since in the evening the room will be illuminated by rays for much longer. Also, for constant air circulation and excellent heat maintenance, it is recommended to build a bathhouse from wooden logs. When building a foundation, it is better to give preference to a strip structure, since, having the highest strength, it can withstand not only light, compact structures, but also massive structures. Under no circumstances should you coat the wood with varnish or paint, otherwise an unpleasant odor will be released.

Doors in the sauna

Since the humidity in a dry-air steam room is low, there are no problems with wood swelling. There are definitely only two options here: wood or glass with wooden handles. Plastic in the sauna is definitely contraindicated. In any case, it is not worth installing doors to the steam room from it. You can go to the washing room, but not to the steam room.

The doors in the sauna are installed so that there is a gap of at least 2 cm at the bottom

The size of the door here is simpler than in a Russian steam room. Here the situation is different with the threshold: it either shouldn’t exist, or it should be low. And in any case, there should be a gap of about 2 cm between the threshold and the door leaf. Only with such an installation will there be normal air movement in the sauna steam room, and it will be possible to breathe there even at temperatures above 100°C.

Installing a door in a bathhouse

Difficulties may arise when installing doors in a log house - made of logs or timber. The technology here is different.

First of all, doors and windows are not installed in a new log house. It must stand and shrink for at least a year. At this time, the crowns are periodically caulked, which constantly lowers and raises the logs, changing the geometry of the walls. How to install doors/windows here? They will not withstand such loads. You need to wait until the main shrinkage has passed.

To prevent the door frame from getting jammed or crushed during shrinkage, a casing is made

In an established log house, holes are made for windows and doors. Most often, they are cut out with a chainsaw. Marking is done only using a laser level or plumb line. Building-grade precision is not enough here.

In the resulting hole, logs can walk freely, which is unacceptable. In addition, a wooden house, even after many years, can rise a little - during caulking, and settle - after. All the same, you will periodically have to plug the gaps that form.

In such conditions, even the thickest door frame is unlikely to be able to withstand the load. That’s why they came up with the idea of ​​making a frame or casing in the windows/doors. This is a doorway frame made of thick boards that compensates for changes in height and holds the free ends of the logs. They are made in several ways.

Method one

Such an installation is only possible on an established log house. The procedure is as follows:

1. The logs are hemmed, leveling the surface around the perimeter so that platbands can later be installed.
2. Nail two side posts, securing them into each crown with several long and thick nails. The length of the nail is at least three times the thickness of the board.
3. The horizontal stand is nailed 6-8 centimeters below the height of the opening. This gap will serve to compensate for the shrinkage of the building. Later this hole is filled with insulation.
4. The door frame is nailed to the finished frame, then the door leaf is hung.
5. The last stage is the installation of platbands. First, they are nailed on one side, the cracks are foamed with polyurethane foam or lined with flax tow. The gap at the top is filled with insulation tightly folded in several layers. Then everything is closed with platbands on the other side.

When cutting an opening in a bathhouse from a rounded log, half of the log should remain intact at the top and bottom - this way there is less chance that the doors will jam.

Method two

This option for installing a door in a log house is more labor-intensive, but also more reliable. It also involves installation in a not fully established log house.

Casing box for door with groove and block

1. At the end of the opening, a groove is selected in the logs. Its width is 50 mm, depth - 48-50 mm. This can be done with a chain saw or circular saw, but best of all, with a router. Everything is finished and leveled with a chisel and chisels (especially in the corners).
2. A 50*50 mm block is hammered into the groove made. Its length with a settled log house is 2 cm less than the height of the opening, with a fresh one - 5 cm.
3. The top bar is still fixed lower than the height of the doorway and also by 5 cm.
4. The door frame is nailed to a block.

With this method of installing a door in a wooden bathhouse, it turns out that the entire load during shrinkage falls on the timber, and the door frame remains intact.

Method three: timber casing

This type of installation can also be used on an unsettled log house. There is more work to be done here: both the tongue and groove will need to be molded. It is more convenient to make a tenon with a circular saw and a little chisel and chisels. The groove depends on who you want, but the most convenient device for this is a router.

1. A tenon 50 mm thick and slightly less than 40 mm deep is cut out on the vertical parts of the opening.
2. In bars measuring 100*100 mm or 100*200 mm and a length slightly less than the height of the doorway (2 cm shorter for an established log house and 5 cm for a new one), a groove of 40*40 mm is cut in the middle of the width.
3. At the bottom of the doorway we work on a threshold equal to the width of the casing beam - for its reliable fixation. It should be slightly recessed, about 5 mm.
4. After installing the sidewalls, a transverse board is attached to the top. It turns out to be 5.5 cm (or 2.5 cm) below the doorway.
5. With this method, you don’t have to install the bath door frame, but hang the doors. directly to the casing. When choosing this installation method, you need to cut out holes for the hinges in the sidewall, and then hang the door leaf.

Approximate dimensions and design of a casing box with a spike

Watch the video on the topic.

In this video, select a recess for installing racks. Choose any bath door installation. All of them have been tested, but the best, according to experts, is the second. Even with a small amount of work, it guarantees that the frame will not be flattened and the doors will not jam.

Features of the opening and door leaf of the bath door

The vast majority of individual baths are built from wood - either from logs or timber. We have already talked about such an insidious phenomenon as shrinkage of wooden structures. Therefore, the design of a doorway and the choice of canvas for it should also take into account phenomena that do not appear immediately, but in the short or medium term. What you should pay attention to:

1. The relative position of window and door openings, relative to the cardinal directions, in order to maximize the use of natural daylight and the most rational layout of the internal space.
2. Installing a door in a bathhouse must take into account such a feature as the height of the threshold. Thus, the front door very often has a threshold 250 - 300 mm high, which acts as a kind of barrier to the outside cold air. This feature dates back to the era of black baths, where the issue of heat preservation was very acute. A door to a steam room should, on the contrary, have a ventilation gap of within 50 mm and, in the classical sense, no threshold at all. This requirement is especially relevant for Finnish dry saunas, where active convection of air masses is the key to its proper functioning.
3. One should not neglect the indispensable old rule - the door in the steam room opens outward. It is not worth equipping it with latches, bolts, or clamps. The exception is a ball at the end of the leaf to position and hold the door closed with minimal effort. In the event of an emergency, the door will easily open with a slight push.
4. There is no need to use harsh chemicals to treat wooden doors. This is especially true for paintings in the internal volume of the bathhouse. The proven folk recipes that we talked about here will suffice.
5. When choosing a glass sheet, be sure to evaluate its safety from injury. Perhaps, at some point in time, visitors will not calculate their strength when drinking “traditional bath tea” - coordination will be impaired, the reaction will slow down, and phasomotor skills will generally become distorted. In general, the tiles in the bathhouse should be non-slip, all sharp corners should be covered, the stoves should be fenced, and the glass of the door panels should be stalinite. The same thing, which, with a strong blow, crumbles into many tiny cubes, parallelepipeds and trapezoids and will not kill anyone.

Types of doors and features of their fittings

The installation of a bath door directly depends on the type of structure used, and there are many of them used in practice, although two are most widespread:

• Hinged - the movement of the leaf is ensured by one free vertical projection, while the other, opposite it, remains hinged in the door frame, on special moving elements - canopies. This is a classic type of sauna door, successfully used in sauna construction for centuries. The only case when a structure of this type can cause inconvenience is when there is extremely limited space in the area of ​​​​the movement of the canvas. But this happens extremely rarely, either with serious miscalculations in the layout of the interior and the placement of bulky household items and functions there, or when remodeling a finished room and placing additional elements in it, for example, sauna boilers, erecting partitions, in order to highlight a separate functional area, etc. ;
• Sliding ones are a well-known design, especially for those who like to travel on long-distance trains. After all, it is in carriage compartments that such doors are most widespread, due to the limited space in the aisles of passenger cars. The same concept will also help out in extremely cramped bathhouse conditions. And such cases occur in practice. Let's remember the saunas on the balconies. The door is opened by moving the leaf along the plane of the door frame. It is provided by a system of movable carriages rolling along guides. Due to the presence of moving mechanical parts, a much more complex design than a door canopy, carriages and guides must be functional and have a good service life, which is fundamentally different from the concept of “legendary Chinese quality”.

Important! Due to the peculiarities of the microclimate of the bath room, and especially the steam room, all door fittings must have key elements protected from the influence of harmful factors. For example, closed metal rolling bearings or plain bearings based on fluoroplastic, rollers made of high-strength polymer, stainless guide rails, and so on.

Which door should I install?

We will talk specifically about the steam room and what type of door leaf should be. Many put it blank, citing thermal conductivity. But from a safety point of view, it is advisable to see at least the silhouette of a person in the steam room. If someone becomes ill, there will be an opportunity to react and come to the rescue. With a solid door to the steam room there is no such possibility.

Glass doors for baths and saunas look very stylish

What other options might there be?

• Glass doors. They are not necessarily transparent. Matte, tinted, with or without different patterns performed very well. The main thing is that the silhouette is visible. Nothing more is needed.
• Combined. In this case, an insert is made of tempered glass. For those who are concerned about temperature or steam retention, you can install double glass (also opaque). In order to see the movement of a sufficiently narrow long strip. Where to place it is a matter of taste.

When choosing a door, do not forget about this aspect. Still, high temperatures, humidity, hot metal objects and more. High risk area.

Combined doors to a bathhouse or sauna