How and with what to treat shelves in a bathhouse - proven means for treatment

What is the benefit of processing

Almost all owners of personal plots who build steam rooms strive to build a room not only for washing, but for comfortable relaxation.
That is why they choose natural wood as the building material for the shelves, which is ideal for a steam room. The technical characteristics of lumber make it possible to use wooden boards in rooms with extremely high air humidity, but at the same time, the service life of natural raw materials without pre-impregnation of the shelves is too short. Since the high hygroscopicity of wood leads to the rapid absorption of moisture, the material of the shelves becomes an ideal place for the appearance of various kinds of microorganisms. The result of all these processes will be rotting of the wood. It turns black, fungus and mold appear on it. Often, the lack of impregnation leads to the accumulation of a large amount of dirt in the pores of the wood, which, in turn, provokes the appearance of parasites in it that destroy the structure of the tree.

Today, stores have a huge number of different products that cover the shelves in the bathhouse. They are effective impregnations that not only protect natural wood from rotting, but also give it an aesthetic appearance.

For wooden floors, walls and ceilings

Today there are many impregnations and bleaches for wood in the bathhouse.

The most popular of them is the product of the Slovenian company Belinka; it perfectly protects wooden elements from moisture, fungi and parasites.

It is unacceptable to use this type of product for residential buildings.

Many people believe that simple whitening can be used to bleach the wooden surface of shelves or other elements, but this is completely false and also dangerous.

Attention! Contact of bleach with human skin in a hot steam room can result in second-degree burns, and its vapors themselves are very dangerous for the human body.

Bleaches and classic impregnations have a number of advantages:

1. Easy to apply;
2. Comprehensive protection;
3. Low cost;
4. A small amount of time required to dry the applied product;
5. Preservation of the appearance of the wooden element.

How to treat shelves in a bathhouse

When starting to build a bathhouse, many beginners believe that the entire complex of work will be completed after the interior decoration of the steam room, but this is not entirely true, because the steam room must be treated with special compounds that protect the wood from heat and moisture. In this article we will tell you about the best way to treat the inside of a bathhouse.

If you built a sauna using the right technologies, you probably insulated the steam room from external cold as well as moisture. After taking care of the wood from the outside, do not forget to treat the internal components of the steam room, because this will increase the strength and durability of any structure in the bathhouse.

The center of the steam room is the shelf where visitors spend most of their time, so it must be durable and safe. Despite the fact that wood is a material that is not resistant to moisture, it is usually used to build a shelf, which, if done incorrectly, will last no more than a year.

To achieve strength and long service life of the shelf, it is necessary to choose the right wood, as well as treat the finished product with a suitable impregnation, which can be made on the basis of natural or artificial components.

First we should talk about the choice of wood. The following types of wood are excellent for structures inside the steam room:

• Alder is an ideal material for a steam room, but it is difficult to find on the market;
• Linden is an inexpensive but high-quality material with a soft texture, great for steam rooms;
• Aspen is also an excellent tree for a bathhouse with high moisture resistance (more details: “Which aspen is best for a bathhouse - planning a log house”);
• Oak, ash, abash sedela, ofram and miranti are expensive wood species that are rarely used for finishing baths.

There are cheaper alternatives, such as pine or spruce, but they have a number of disadvantages and the savings are small, so it is recommended to use the above wood, which has good moisture resistance and is easy to process.

Next, it’s worth talking about treating the shelf with special compounds. Before treating the shelves in the bathhouse and sauna, you should think about whether it is worth doing. It is impossible to give a definite answer, so we will help you resolve this issue by providing some facts:

• Long-term contact of human skin with poor-quality impregnation can lead to unpleasant consequences, for example, a rash;
• If the steam room has excellent ventilation, then the shelves can simply be sanded;
• An untreated shelf can quickly turn black and develop mold on its surface.

Everything that has been said about the shelves and their processing also applies to other elements of the bathhouse, for example, doors, benches and walls.

All products used to process wood inside a bathhouse are divided into two groups: impregnating and coating agents. They are also often divided into colored and colorless, for example, wax, varnish and some impregnations.

Less common are bleaching agents, which are used in cases where the shelves have already darkened. Next, we’ll talk in detail about specific types of processing agents.

Varnishing

When thinking about how to cover the shelves in a bathhouse, most often what comes to mind is varnish, which is classified as a coating agent. Varnish is in demand due to its moisture resistance, but it is not always the best product for a bath. The problem is that at high temperatures, the varnish begins to release toxins and crack, after which fragments of the surface will stick to the body, and water will again get onto the wood.

If you decide to use varnish, then you should apply special acrylic varnishes from companies: Tikkurila, Belinka or Supi Saunasoja. Such varnishes for steam rooms are distinguished by a natural base that does not emit harmful substances.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with: Log rafters

The frozen surface perfectly withstands temperature changes. Using varnish, you do not have to additionally apply antiseptics, because they are already included in the varnish. When deciding how to treat the doors in the bathhouse, you can safely use a special acrylic varnish.

Do you need to build shelves in a Russian bath? Please note that the design of furniture in a steam room must meet clear rules and regulations, the implementation of which will allow it to withstand the harsh “climate” of the room, be comfortable, safe and easy to use.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DAmqqDffas

We will dwell in detail on how to make shelves in a bathhouse, dividing all the useful information into several thematic blocks.

• Choosing the right building material
• Design of shelves for a bath; types, parameters and installation rules
• How to make comfortable shelves in a bathhouse? Additional accessories for them
• Making and installing shelves for a bathhouse with your own hands
• How do you protect shelves from premature “aging”?

After reading the material, you will have sufficient information on the topic and will be able to properly equip a steam room of any size.

Shelves in a Russian bathhouse are made from those types of wood that meet a number of mandatory conditions׃

• Low thermal conductivity
• High fiber density
• Low resin content
• Tolerates extreme heat and moisture

Several “candidates” ideally fit the listed parameters, with whom we will get to know each other better.

This tree is famous for its beneficial properties and is ideal for arranging a steam room, since when heated, the boards emit a gentle, unobtrusive aroma endowed with healing powers. Linden is easy to process, does not suffer from flaws (knots), heats up slowly and dries quickly, does not crack, and there are no sweat stains on its surface.

The tree is known for its role as a “charger”; it improves well-being, gives a portion of positive energy and a surge of physical and moral strength. The list of benefits is completed by economic benefits - building materials are sold at a very affordable price.

Among the disadvantages, it can be noted that under the influence of steam and heat, the boards over time lose their original color and noticeably darken.

Aspen is also endowed with medicinal properties; the tree absorbs all the negativity that has accumulated in a person. After a visit to the steam room, decorated with aspen boards, you feel relief and satisfaction, as you get rid of all the heavy “burden” on your soul. Aspen is an accessible and cheap material, therefore, along with linden, it is popular among builders.

The main disadvantage of aspen boards is “invisible” defects; they can rot from the inside, so it is difficult to distinguish high-quality lumber from a tired sample.

This tree is a record holder for a high-quality set of useful characteristics. “Foreigner” is not afraid of heat or moisture and heats up so slowly that even at extremely high temperatures, it is impossible to get burned on a board made of this wood. But the main thing is the durability of the material. The color of abashi products varies from pale yellow to light cream, and does not change at all during use, maintaining its fresh, neat appearance.

Building a bathhouse is a complex process that includes many different tasks. The basis of the bathhouse is a log house, which is additionally lined inside. The lining most often used is lining made from alder, aspen or spruce, which have high strength and resistance to steam and moisture.

On the building materials market there is a huge number of different products for treating platforms in a bathhouse. They differ from each other not only in price, but also in quality. Moreover, each impregnation has its own characteristics, which are taken into account when purchasing.

Therefore, when choosing a product for treating shelves in a bathhouse, pay special attention to its properties.

1. The main quality that impregnation should have is to provide reliable protection to wooden shelves without reducing the breathability of the wood.
2. The environmental friendliness of the product is also very important. After all, the shelf is not only located in a room with a high level of humidity, but is also exposed to high temperatures, which provokes the release of harmful substances from the impregnation.
3. Also, when choosing a preparation for treating shelves in a steam room, you need to take into account the resistance of the oil used to systematic wet cleaning. Therefore, in a huge assortment of products, you need to find oils for bath shelves that are absorbed into the wood structure as much as possible.
4. In addition, it is important to use products that do not form a kind of film on the surface of the shelves, which can cause burns during vaping.

All wood compositions are divided depending on the formula, the properties they have and the methods of their application. They can be colored or colorless, have different consistencies, have whitening properties, and are also available in the form of aerosols, gels or other solutions. Modern products most often have several properties at once, but the main thing that unites them all is the water-repellent effect. Thanks to this, the shelves are reliably protected not only from high temperatures, but also from high humidity in the room.

Shelf treatment products are divided into two main classes

We suggest you familiarize yourself with: Material for concrete screed

The versatility of modern means for treating shelves makes it possible to increase the service life of wood and prevent the occurrence of fungus. They also give a change in the color of bath furniture. If we consider drugs depending on their composition, we distinguish the following types:

• water soluble;
• oil

Water-soluble preparations are produced on an acrylate basis and protect wood well from moisture, contamination, and also from the occurrence of microorganisms in it. These products are colorless. Therefore, if you want to add brightness or a certain color to your shelves, then you should use the color scheme offered by manufacturers.

The main advantages of this type of impregnation for shelves are the absence of a specific odor after treatment, preservation of the external structure of the wood, and the ability to leave the color of the furniture unchanged. The only drawback of water-soluble products for treating shelves is the rapid leaching of the product from the wood structure. Therefore, the need for re-treatment compared to other impregnations increases several times.

Can I do it myself?

Of course you can. And many do just that. Here is one of the possible recipes suitable for the steam room:

The proportion between linseed oil and wax is 92:8, 93:7, 94:6, 95:5. That is, we take 92-95 parts of oil and 7-5 parts of beeswax.

The oil must be prepared first. To do this, it is boiled for 20 minutes. During this period of time, excess water evaporates from it and the characteristic odor disappears.

After boiling is completed, wax is added, which should be crushed in advance. As the mixture cools, it should be stirred to prevent the wax from curdling.

It is better to store the finished mixture in a glass container. Shelf life - no more than a year.

Well, for those who prefer not to bother with preparing oil wax, we will name the most well-known companies that make good impregnations of this type.

How to treat shelves in a bathhouse

The composition is applied to the shelves using a roller or soft brush. Moreover, special attention is paid to the ends of the timber and boards. The shelves are covered with several thin layers at intervals of 40–50 minutes. If the oil is not completely absorbed, remove the excess with a lint-free cloth. This processing method makes it possible to saturate the wood as much as possible and compact it, thereby increasing the life of the furniture.

If the shelf has already begun to rot or become moldy, then you should first treat the wood with a product that protects the wood from further destruction. Many masters recommend using “Nortex” for this. But for whitening, Belinka is best suited. Such preparations are applied to the shelves using a sponge, which is used to rub specific areas of infection or darkening of the wood.

The shelves are treated with antiseptics at the assembly stage. Moreover, in order to protect yourself and your loved ones from harmful substances, it is best to treat the internal parts of the structure. After impregnation of the shelves, you can use the bathhouse or sauna after 3–4 days. If all the work is done efficiently, the furniture will last quite a long time. But still, experts recommend treating the shelves 1-2 times a year.

Imported funds

For example, Supi Saunasuoja is a water-based acrylic impregnation for steam rooms. Holds temperature up to 120°C. Purpose – antiseptic protection against darkening and mold. There are colorless options - preserving the natural color of the wood, and tinted (allowing you to add shades). When choosing a color, it is recommended to do a test coating.

Apply with a wide flat brush or spray in two layers. Second layer after 2-3 hours What is covered – walls. Not recommended for bath shelves and ceilings. There are other impregnations from the same manufacturer for this purpose.

Supi Laudesuoja is an oil-based impregnation. The substance is odorless and practically colorless, although after application it “highlights” the natural texture of the wood. Purpose - water-repellent and dirt-repellent paraffin impregnation of deep penetration. Creates a protective film layer on the surface. Easy to clean. Apply in one layer to cleaned surfaces. What is covered - bath shelves.

To clean the wooden surfaces of the bathhouse, including before applying impregnation, use the acidic detergent Supi Saunapesu.

Purpose: disinfection and dissolution of lime deposits. In addition, it whitens the surface. The substance is odorless. What it cleans is bath shelves, walls and floors.

All three of these products are specially designed for use in bathhouses and allow you to carry out the process of not only impregnation, but also maintenance. And all of them belong to class M1 (the highest level of environmental safety)

Of course, there are many other foreign manufacturers, but in order not to occupy your attention for a long time, I chose the most “rated” one, based on reviews and purchases

Bath wax: how to choose and use

Natural wax and impregnations based on it have been popular when processing wood in the steam room for centuries. Environmental friendliness and excellent antiseptic properties are not all the advantages of wax compositions. You can treat the surface with them yourself. Special attention is paid to the arrangement of the steam room.

The decoration and furniture in this room must be resistant to high temperatures and humidity. Deciduous wood, which is traditionally used in the steam room, is environmentally friendly and has low thermal conductivity. However, the performance characteristics of untreated wood quickly deteriorate. Therefore, the issue of selecting impregnation must be addressed as soon as the finishing work is completely completed.

Impregnation of wooden surfaces with wax is called waxing and has been popular for many years due to its distinctive properties:

1. Versatility. Suitable for processing all wooden elements in the steam room and auxiliary rooms.
2. Environmental friendliness. Does not emit toxic substances under the influence of high temperatures.
3. Safety. Does not heat up or burn the skin.
4. Biosecurity. Prevents the appearance of small insects, which is especially important if the bathhouse is not used often.
5. Moisture protection. Thanks to this, the wood does not crack, is not affected by mold and mildew, and at the same time “breathes.”
6. Preservation of original appearance. The wood does not lose color and structure, becomes pleasant to the touch and acquires a honey tint. In addition, waxing sauna shelves protects them from scratches.
7. Hypoallergenic. Due to its natural origin, it does not cause discomfort to allergy sufferers.
8. Simplicity and efficiency of processing. The impregnation process can be carried out independently, and the steam room will be ready for use the very next day.
9. Keeping the surface clean. Caring for wood is easy because it does not absorb dirt.

The ceiling, walls, floors in the steam room and washing room, as well as shelves are treated with different compounds. For steam room shelves, wax is the most popular. It does not create a film on the surface, and therefore does not burn the body at high temperatures. This is its main difference from compositions for walls and ceilings, as well as for auxiliary rooms.

Wax is successfully used to impregnate the floor in a steam room because it does not make the coating slippery, which is very important in conditions of high humidity. They need to treat the ceiling very carefully, since it is this surface that is exposed to the most severe temperature effects. Some even coat wooden buckets and tubs in the washing room with wax.

If desired, you can treat the surface with natural liquid wax or use industrial impregnations based on it, which additionally contain insecticidal and antiseptic components. Experts recommend using a natural composition directly in the steam room (you can additionally use linseed oil).

We suggest you familiarize yourself with: Insulating a pipe in a bathhouse: how to wrap a chimney to prevent fire, how to do it in a sauna, how to insulate it from the ceiling, how to cover it from a stove

Ready-made wax antiseptics can be used in the washing area, dressing room and rest room. Some of them take on a whitish appearance when applied. This will help in the process to distinguish already treated surfaces.

The main thing is to purchase a certified composition from trusted suppliers. Manufacturers of wax and wax-based impregnations for treating wooden surfaces in bathhouses, such as Belinka, Biofa, Kreidezeit, Bona, Saicos, Caparol, Tikkurila, have proven themselves well on the market. The price for these compositions starts from 500 rubles. It is important to choose a wax that is suitable specifically for treating wood in a bathhouse.

The most popular among manufacturers of wax-based compositions for baths is the Finnish company Tikkurila. In her arsenal of products there is a line called Supi Saunavaha. Treatment products contain natural wax, which firmly seals all cracks and holes, protects the surface of the wood from rot, fungi and mold.

As for domestic manufacturers, it is worth paying attention to the OilWax product. It costs an order of magnitude cheaper than imported analogues, but copes with its tasks no worse. OilWax does not contain paraffin, and is based on natural beeswax.

It is forbidden to cover wood in the steam room with varnish compounds, since they are toxic when heated and cause burns to the body.

This composition is suitable for treating surfaces in the steam room and washing room. Before treating the boards in a bath with impregnation with wax, you need to completely complete the mechanical processing of the wood. However, you shouldn’t delay this either, since the wood will lose its original appearance and darken over time.

• Thoroughly sand the surface with a P150 grain sponge. It should be completely smooth and even.
• We degrease the wood. You can use white spirit for this. Before you begin waxing, you need to wait until the degreaser has completely evaporated.
• Dip a rag swab (it is not advisable to use a cotton swab because of the lint) in the bath oil-wax and lightly apply it to a completely dry surface in a circular motion along the fibers. There is no point in rubbing vigorously, since at high temperatures the wax will melt and fill the pores.
• We immediately heat the steam room for maximum deep penetration, which is achieved thanks to gum turpentine.
• After hardening, polish the surface with a felt cloth and apply a second layer.

Wax for baths and saunas should be applied at a temperature of 10 degrees and humidity up to 80%.

Environmentally friendly and effective treatment of shelves in the steam room is carried out with a suspension of beeswax and alcohol.

1. Thoroughly mix equal parts of liquid wax paste and alcohol until a suspension is formed.
2. Clean and dry the surface.
3. Apply the resulting composition to the shelves and leave until completely dry.
4. We warm up the steam room to completely absorb the remaining wax grains (65 degrees is enough). If you decide to treat the shelves before installing them in the steam room, then after application you can lightly heat them with a gas burner.
5. Polish the surface and rub it with a felt sanding wheel. Make sure that there are no wax streaks left on the coating.
6. After reheating the steam room, you can repeat the polishing.

Please note that the wax-alcohol composition must be applied in a thin, even layer.

In ancient times, this composition was even used to process painted spoons and plates.

• Put two parts of oil on the fire. Flaxseed is considered the best option. However, it must be boiled in a ventilated area. You can also use hemp. But vegetable oil is not suitable for these purposes, since at high temperatures it emits a characteristic odor.
• After boiling for 20 minutes, when excess water and smell have been removed, turn off the heat, add one part of beeswax and mix thoroughly.
• During the first impregnation, we sand and degrease the surface; during seasonal impregnation, we carefully sand it.
• Apply the emulsion to the wood using cloth, felt, cotton cloth or a brush. For better penetration, it should be used heated to 80 degrees.
• We heat the steam room and remove the excess with a waffle towel.
• Wipe the shelves again in a circular motion.

Oil-wax for a bath can be used to treat all wooden elements both in the steam room and in the auxiliary rooms of the bath. Some manufacturers make it with the addition of colors. It can also be used for external processing of a wooden steam room. It needs to be done in two layers, but even so, such impregnation is inferior to many synthetic antiseptics for external use.

Types of floors

The baths themselves are different - summer temporary huts with a pouring floor, solid all-season buildings made of wood, brick, foam blocks or frame.
But in general, we can say that the floors can be either wooden or concrete (in the steam room, provided that gratings are installed). Concrete floors are often turned into tiles in steam rooms and sinks, and they don't need painting, so we won't cover them in this article.

Wood

Wood, especially in such a humid environment as in a bathhouse, needs protection. There are several types of protection:

• impregnation;
• varnishes;
• paints.

Impregnations

These are compounds that penetrate the wood to a certain depth, performing one or another function. Some impregnations protect against mold and insects, others make the wood non-flammable or difficult to ignite, and still others make it waterproof. You can find out more about them here.

INTERESTING! Nowadays, many impregnations are made according to the “two in one” principle - it is both protection against moisture and an antiseptic. But fire retardant (from fire) must be purchased separately.

Lucky

As for varnishes, it is clear that you can use them not in all rooms, but only in conditionally “residential” ones. Although, some owners also paint the floors in the steam room and washing room with varnish.

Professionals say this: alkyd varnishes smell very long and very unpleasant, although they are inexpensive, water-based varnishes smell much less, both in strength and in time, and are much more pleasant to use.

BUT! A dispute immediately arises over imported or local products. There is an opinion that water-based varnishes are only good from Western Europe, while in the CIS and Eastern Europe they are of poor and average quality.

The price of Western European varnish “bites painfully” if the bathhouse as a whole is budget-friendly. And since few people live in the bathhouse during the period of its construction and finishing, there will be no one to be poisoned by alkyd vapors. True, the smell will completely go away only after a few months. But the price is low.

You can also paint a wooden floor in a bathhouse with “vodnik” - a water-based varnish. Remember that the addition of polyurethane gives more hardness and wear resistance to your coating. Acrylates are less resistant to wear. But again, who goes to the bathhouse a lot and constantly? So these varnishes are also suitable.

Paints

• water;
• organic solvents.

The latter smell very strongly and for a long time. Organic solvent paints include:

• enamels;
• alkyd paints;
• oil paints.

Only acrylates are soluble in water; after drying, they polymerize and no longer dissolve in water.

Acrylates are more expensive than paints based on organic solvents, but they are safer than them, have no odor that can cause poisoning, and dry quickly. But you need to paint in two layers.

For dry rooms, any type that suits your liking and pocket is suitable.

Concrete

Actually, an alternative to laying tiles could be the decision to paint the concrete floor in the bathhouse.

What does paint do? Concrete without any coating will gradually deteriorate under constant exposure to water. Of course, this is not a quick process if the cement is of high quality, but it is better not to have reasons for repairs for as long as possible.

In general, paints for concrete are quite specific; on sale you will find the following varieties:

• epoxy;
• acrylic;
• polyurethane.

ADVICE! Since we are talking about floors exposed to water, pay attention not to those varieties that are intended for industrial premises and are characterized by increased wear resistance to abrasion, but to those that, for example, are created for covering concrete pools - an excellent option for washing and steam rooms

You may be interested in more detailed material devoted to the analysis of all types of paints that can be used in a bathhouse.

What compounds should absolutely not be used?

All wood treatment products have an organic or chemical basis. But here it is worth understanding that the furniture in the steam room is often exposed to high temperatures. Therefore, in order to avoid the release of toxic substances that are found in the compositions of antiseptics and other chemical-based preparations, craftsmen categorically do not recommend using such compositions for furniture in the steam room.

Most often, chemical-based preparations are presented in the form of varnishes or paints. There are also a large number of aerosols, impregnations and other products that contain aggressive chemicals. Therefore, when choosing drugs for shelves, you need to carefully familiarize yourself with its main components.

Tags: steam room, paint, shelf

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How to make shelves with your own hands - step-by-step instructions

After developing the drawing, you can proceed to preparatory work.

Materials, tools

Materials you will need:

1. Bars or thick boards for the frame. Standard section - 50*50 mm, 50*80 mm, maximum permissible - 100*100 mm.
2. Edged boards, lining for flooring. Thickness - up to 25 mm. The width is taken no more than 4 times the thickness. The quantity depends on the fastener pitch. The recommended fixation step is from 1 to 2 cm.
3. Fastening elements - galvanized self-tapping screws, steel corners. To make folding shelves, stainless steel hinges are also used.

The wood used must be free of defects. The surface is checked for roughness.

Tools you will need:

• screwdriver;
• hacksaw for metal;
• construction mallet;
• hammer;
• tape measure, pencil;
• chisel;
• jigsaw;
• sandpaper.

Next, you should start making future benches.

Build process

It is necessary to pre-cut the supports of the required length and transverse lintels (the length is determined by the depth of the shelf).

The assembly steps are as follows:

1. The frame is made from the top tier, close to the wall.
2. Support bars are fixed to the walls along the edges of the future shelf and in the gaps. This creates a binding belt.
3. Opposite these supports, a second row of racks is placed in parallel and connected to the first row by transverse jumpers.
4. The supports are fastened together using the same horizontal jumpers, forming an external frame.
5. The frame of the lower tier is attached to the outer trim. The procedure is repeated step by step in the same sequence.

To minimize the effect of moisture on the supports, before attaching the flooring, rubber or plastic gaskets are fixed to them.

To lay the flooring:

1. Take a 20*120 mm edged board. Length - 3.5 m.
2. Laying is done perpendicularly, along the frame posts.
3. Fixed with pins or wooden nails. Step - 1-2 cm.
4. The corners are rounded and carefully polished.
5. An alternative is to secure the boards with galvanized screws from the inside of the frame so that they point outward.
6. External screwing of screws from top to bottom is allowed, but the caps must be carefully sunk into the board so that when heated, the person sitting on the shelf does not get burned.

Vertical cladding also has its disadvantages. The main thing is that this becomes an obstacle to the wood drying quickly and complicates maintenance and cleaning of shelves.

In Finnish saunas it is customary to make a backrest above the top shelf. You can buy this accessory ready-made or assemble it yourself.

The partition is covered with slats up to 2 cm thick in increments of 40–60 cm, on top of which boards or lining are fixed.

Installation

Sheathing a steam room with your own hands is quite simple if you do everything according to the rules and do not deviate from the installation instructions for this particular finishing material. You should not violate installation technology, since the profile, if installed incorrectly, will quickly become unusable.

Although the aspen profile has a high level of moisture resistance and has a considerable margin of safety, this will not save the panels, if installed poorly, from rapid wear of the material. To avoid negative consequences, a number of necessary requirements must be met:

• Mandatory gap between the profile and the wall to ensure ventilation;
• If the wall is subject to moisture or is itself damp, then it is necessary to treat such a wall with a moisture-proof solution;
• Impregnate the wooden planks of the sheathing generously with primer to prevent the appearance of rot and bark beetles. Also, the sheathing should be impregnated with a fire retardant compound;
• The profile is also treated with protective solutions, after which it must be dried in the yard or on the balcony, and then the panels are put into a steam room - a day before the start of work. During this time, the lining adapts to room temperature and, in general, to the atmosphere of the steam room. This condition must be met to avoid deformation of the panels after installation due to significant temperature differences.

The lining can be installed in three ways: horizontally, vertically and diagonally. The preparation of the walls will depend on which installation method you choose.

Another thing is important: no matter how you install your panels, the sheathing should be positioned perpendicular to your profile.

Laths for sheathing are selected based on the quality of the walls; as a rule, a lath with a cross-section of 40x20 mm or specialized metal profiles are used. If it makes sense to increase insulation by adding a layer of insulation, the slats can be thicker. A distance of at least 400-500 mm must be maintained between the guides. The length of the guide must correspond to the height or width of the walls, it depends on the installation method (horizontal or vertical). If the guide is shorter, the length is increased with an additional beam, the main thing is that the beam is in line with the butt rail.

The sheathing is fixed to the wooden wall with self-tapping screws, but if you have a brick or stone wall, then you need to use dowels. Additional bars are attached around window and door openings, to which platbands and wooden panels are mounted. Holes for sockets and other decorative inserts, as well as for various fasteners, are drilled using a drill attachment - a crown.

After installing the sheathing in your steam room, it is highly recommended to coat the decorative areas of the surface with wood varnish. This procedure will not only significantly improve the appearance of your steam room, but will also significantly increase the service life of the material you have chosen.

Some people use paint instead of varnish, but in this case the unique texture of the wood itself is hidden. The panels should be varnished every year, or at least once every three years. In this case, your profile will be in excellent condition for a long time.

It is important to understand that varnish is a flammable material, so after you have applied varnish to all panels, you need to cover the surface with a special fire retardant solution. Apply the solution to the surface with a roller or brush and then allow it to soak in.

The initial and final aspen panels are fixed at a distance of about 5 mm from the ceiling and walls. This is done to increase ventilation between the panels and the wall. After installing the initial and final panels, minor defects may be revealed, including hidden nail heads or screws; such defects are perfectly masked by baseboards or decorative inserts.

This cladding will serve you faithfully for many more decades; aspen reacts remarkably well to aggressive influences and will not crack, especially with proper use and proper care. Aspen lining for a bathhouse leaves only positive reviews from craftsmen who have dealt with this material, and this material is also widely in demand among modern consumers.

Optimal sizes

As mentioned above, the optimum depends on what type of bathhouse its owner prefers - Russian or Finnish.

The average data for each type of bath are as follows:

• in the sauna, the width and height should be comfortable for sitting - this is from 40 to 60 cm in seat width and 45-50 cm in height;
• In a Russian bath, shelves are needed for lying and sitting. The minimum width is 60 cm, and the height is somewhere around 70-75 cm, but it is better to determine it anatomically, as recommended above.

The length of the shelf is usually equal to the distance between the parallel walls, since it is usually made along one of the walls

On our website there is a more detailed analysis of the nuances associated with the size of bath shelves.

What it is?

It is believed that the ideal material for bath shelves is linden. This is due to several reasons. The main ones include the pleasant aroma that the wood releases when heated, as well as a very small number of knots.

But linden has one significant drawback. She is sensitive to moisture. With prolonged contact with water, wood becomes unusable within several years. The linden begins to rot. Because of this, it has to be changed, which requires additional costs.

The way out of the situation is to impregnate the bath shelves with a special composition, the main purpose of which is to protect them from high humidity.

Impregnation also solves another important problem - it neutralizes pathogenic bacteria and fungal microorganisms that actively multiply on damp wood. This helps maintain the health of those who take a steam bath.

Today, industrial stores offer a huge number of impregnations for bath shelves for purchase. You can also make them yourself.

Choosing material

It is immediately worth noting that in this case only natural materials can be used. You should immediately stop using plastics and especially metal. In fact, the only suitable material in this case is wood. However, it must be of high quality.

Bath shelves should be made exclusively from those types of trees that have low thermal conductivity, have a significant fiber density and contain a small amount of resin. In addition, they should be characterized by heat and moisture resistance. It is best if the shelves are made of aspen, abashi, linden, birch, poplar.

Linden, which has numerous beneficial properties, will provide a delicate aroma in the steam room. Linden boards are easy to process, have virtually no knots, heat up fairly slowly, and dry quickly. Such shelves will contribute to the health of the body for a long time, but may darken over time. Aspen boards can also have a healing effect on humans. However, shelves made from this material may begin to deteriorate from the inside over time. Although this will not be noticeable from the outside.

Abashi, delivered from Africa, also has a wide range of beneficial properties. Such material warms up so slowly that it is simply impossible to get burned on such boards. At the same time, throughout the entire period of operation, it retains its color unchanged. Although the high cost of abashi significantly reduces the volume of its use.

In addition to the above-mentioned wood, black or ordinary alder and maple can also be used. Alder is resistant to deformation. Able to withstand high temperature exposure. Characterized by a fine and uniform structure. At the same time, black alder has a darker surface.

The use of coniferous wood should be abandoned. During operation, they can release resin under the influence of high temperature. In the most exceptional cases, they can be used to make stands that cannot be touched by humans. However, this will reduce the durability of the structure as a whole, since it is desirable that all elements are made of the same material. to the begining

The shelves inside the steam room can be located in different ways. Most often there is an “L”-shaped, stepped arrangement or in a “coupe” shape. Stepped placement involves the presence of three steps, each of which is designed for a different temperature: the hottest will be on the top, coolest on the bottom. This is the best option for large spacious rooms.

The “L”-shaped type also provides for the presence of three shelves. In this case, the upper and lower ones are located against one wall, and the middle one is located against the adjacent one. The coupe type is ideal for small double rooms. In this case, two shelves are installed: upper and lower. Moreover, the top one is folding. It can always be lifted and mounted on the wall, thereby saving the small space available.

Rules for applying oil impregnations

1. Before applying impregnation, the surface is thoroughly cleaned of dust and dirt and, if necessary, the old coating is removed.
2. Then the wood is sanded, dried and the dust and shavings formed as a result of sanding are removed.
3. The impregnation is mixed well and applied to the surface with a short-bristled brush.
4. Within 7-10 minutes after treatment, remove excess with a soft, lint-free cloth.
5. The surfaces are allowed to dry and then polished.
6. If necessary, repeat the treatment.

The drying time for each layer ranges from 4 to 24 hours. The exact time required for a particular product to dry is indicated in the instructions. In addition, the drying time is affected by the humidity and temperature of the room, as well as the absorbency of the wood species. In any case, it takes at least a day for the surface to dry completely.

Remember! Wood is only reliably protected from moisture when it no longer absorbs moisture.

Precautionary measures

Many products require human protection when working, for this you need to wear gloves and safety glasses, and contact of materials with the skin should be avoided. They must be stored out of the reach of children.

Many products require human protection when working; for this you need to wear gloves and safety glasses.

The article described in detail how you can varnish a bathhouse. Choosing a quality product will ensure a beautiful and reliable coating that will highlight the grain of the wood itself, without harming human health. And the structure itself will last longer.

The undeniable advantages of aspen

This type of wood is deciduous and has a fairly high density, about 490 kg per cubic meter. Aspen is a worthy competitor to coniferous wood, has unique characteristics, and, of course, its moderate price is an undeniable advantage. Thanks to all these qualities and many others, lining made from this material is in demand among consumers and is a favorite material of craftsmen.

Everyone will agree that a bath should not only tone up, but also relieve tension and relax. And it is deciduous trees, such as aspen and linden, that will give such a result. A bathhouse lined with panels of such species will increase the relaxing effect of bathing procedures.

Aspen has unique advantages, first of all, it is the smell; the aroma of the wood of this species fills the bathhouse with a fresh, bitter spirit of health. Well, and secondly, but not least - high sensitivity to air humidity - such material remarkably absorbs moisture, which creates in the steam room the effect of moisture formation not only from the surface of the heater, which was doused with liquid, but generally from the entire area of ​​the wall.

Of course, when choosing material for cladding, quality should be the main priority. It is much better to purchase high-quality lining from inexpensive wood than to buy more expensive linden, but of lower quality. Low-quality and insufficiently dried material will lead to the fact that in a couple of years you will have to change some cladding elements, or, well, replace all the panels.

Design features

The most widely used shelves are those consisting of a seat and support posts. Racks (thick vertical beams) are installed across the entire width of the shelf and connected by jumpers. As a rule, there are only two racks.

The seat is made of thinner boards. They are nailed to the frame in such a way that there is a distance of at least 1 cm between them. To prevent water stagnation, the shelves should be made inclined. To do this, it is enough to maintain an angle of about 2°. The width and thickness of all nailed boards must be the same. The required strength of the structure being constructed can be ensured if the thickness of the board is four times its width.

The shelves must be 1.5 meters or more in length. The optimal length is 1.8 m, which is comfortable for people of average height. The width of the top and bottom may be different. For the top one, it should be at least 0.9 m. The bottom one can be made 0.6 m wide, but not less than 0.4 m. When determining the height at which the top flooring will be attached, you can adhere to the principle that there should be between it and the ceiling more than 1.2 m. Between the remaining tiers it is enough to maintain 0.5 - 0.7 m. The lower tier should be located no lower than 0.2 m from the floor.

Your vacation will be more comfortable if you provide additional elements, not just flooring. This can be a special footrest, which should be placed so that the feet are above head level. Two boards fastened at an angle are suitable for this. It can be made removable. to the begining