To the floor of the bath, and especially the steam room, special requirements are imposed, other than living quarters. It must withstand constant temperature changes, high humidity and not spoil from spilling water. And still be warm and pleasant to the touch, because in your own bath often walk barefoot.
The options for floor construction are a little - flowing and non-flowing. The flowing is constructed of wood, gaps are left between boards or squared beams through which water flows into the underground, and thence to the sewer, or if in a simple, country way, to the ground under the base of the bath. The non-flowing floor can be either wooden, with tightly fitted boards, and concrete with a tile laid on top. Water from it is diverted through the sewage drain, the device of which I told.
Wood flooring is familiar and safe for humans. It is beautiful in itself and keeps warm well, perfectly combined with walls lined with wooden lining. In addition, wooden floors are much easier to install and do not require extensive preparatory work. But after every visit to the sauna, this floor needs to be lifted and dried. The tile is more hygienic and durable, mold does not spread on it, but the base for it needs to be carefully prepared and taken care of its thermal insulation. For saunas in which more often and a lot of people are hovering, and also located right in the house - this is the best choice.
Preliminary preparation of
Even during the construction of the bath you need to take care of preparing the floor for the floor. The soil under the future bath is rammed and covered with rubble with a layer of 15 cm. If it is impregnated with bitumen, then such a pillow will also have waterproofing properties, and it is better to distribute the load. With poorly absorbent soil, the thickness of the pillow can be increased to 25 cm, and under it, 5-10 cm of sand should be poured.
When designing the premises, it is necessary to take into account that the floor in the steam room should rise above the floor of the washing room by 10-15 cm and 20 cm above the floor of the locker room. This will allow better storage of heat.
If a wooden floor is assumed, the space beneath it should be well ventilated. To this end, pipes with a diameter of 10 cm from plastic or asbestos-cement are laid on the foundation under the sauna from opposite sides so that air can circulate under the floor.
For non-draining floors, immediately determine the location where the drain will be installed, usually this is the lowest place in the building. The space under the taim floor must also be ventilated, and the waterproofing of the floors should be approached with particular attention. The drain is equipped with a siphon connected to a pipe 10-15 cm in diameter connected to a house sewage system. If the bath is far from the house, it can be drained beyond it into an additional tank.
Wooden floor
The floor in the sauna rarely heats above 30 degrees, especially when it comes to a leaky structure that is not insulated. Consequently, it can be made from coniferous species of wood: pine, spruce, larch - because they withstand high humidity and, due to the high resin content, are not so susceptible to the action of the fungus. An additional advantage is that they do not slip when wet. If there is an opportunity to use the same wood for the floor as for the walls - linden, birch - this is the best option( about the best kind of wood for a bath read here).
For a leaking floor you will need:
- brick or concrete for supports, cement mortar,
- waterproofing materials: bitumen mastic, roofing material, waterproofing foil,
- logs or 15x15 or 18x18 cm board, for which boards will be packed,
- board thickness of 5 cm and a width of 15-17 cm for the flowing floor and rough level non-flowing,
- dowel boards for non-draining floors( as dry as possible) and expanded clay as insulation.
Previously, all wood is treated with an antiseptic, and the ends of the log are hermetic. The boards are ground in the most careful way so that the chips can not damage the skin. Cover the finished wooden floor in the steam room is not recommended anything, as any varnish will eventually begin to peel off, and when heated can emit toxic substances.
Since logs are heavily weighted, they are additionally supported by columns of reinforced concrete or brick, whose thickness is not less than 15 cm. Concrete supports are carried out according to all the rules for pouring the columnar foundation. The footprint for both should be 7-8 cm. The height of the supports is the same as that of the foundation. The logs are laid on the foundation and supports, covered with waterproofing material, in case of roofing material - in 2 layers. If the floor is constructed flowing, then they are stacked on one level, if not flowing, then with a slope toward the drain. This bias is regulated by means of gaskets.
For a flowing floor, the boards are nailed across the log or fixed to self-tapping screws. The gap between them is left on the order of 2-3 cm, and the gap is made smaller on the walls.
Non-permeable wooden flooring is spread in several layers. Lower - rough - consists of boards fixed to the lags, as with the case of the flowing floor, only without gaps. On top of it is laid a layer of hydro and thermal insulation, then pile boards with nails or screws. They are stacked so that the groove was turned into the center of the bath or to the place where the drain is installed.
Concrete floor
For the lower layer of concrete floor in the bath, the solution is prepared using rather large crushed stone - about 35 mm. Optimal thickness - 15-20 cm. It is poured, like all ceilings, using formwork and reinforcement. Since the layer is not thick, a metal grid with cells of 10 * 10 or 15 * 15 cm can be used as an armature.
A waterproofing from a roofing material or special film is laid over the lower layer and the insulation is spread or poured. There may be several options:
- claydite( it is not cheap, but its layer can be non-thin),
- sheets of mineral wool or basalt,
- polystyrene foam( low-quality brands may collapse over time),
- foam concrete( absorbs moisture and therefore needs high-quality waterproofing)
- Perlite mixed with cement and water is a very light material with excellent thermal insulation characteristics.
This leveling layer needs to be carefully and extensively leveled, as it will serve as the basis for the floor covering. To water drained to the drain, when leveling the floor, mow down in his direction. It is enough 5-10 mm for each meter of a floor.
Concrete dries within a week or more, so for each subsequent stage you can proceed only after the drying of the previous layer. To ensure that the concrete is not covered with a network of cracks, during drying, its surface is kept moist, sprinkled with sawdust or covered with film for the first days.
On a completely dry concrete base, ceramic tiles or clinkers are laid on the tile adhesive. It is better to choose a tile with a non-slip matte or rough surface. If you are afraid to burn yourself on the tiled floor, then on top of it you can lay the wooden grilles, which will be pleasant to walk on.
In the dressing room and other rooms, the sauna floor is waterproof, with high-quality insulation.
