Draft floors in a wooden bath. Repair of the floor in the bath: replacement, installation, useful tips. Leak-proof wooden floor

Once a person becomes the master country house, he has a quite predictable desire to have a bathhouse as well. This building is very easy to construct with your own hands, and you do not have to spend large financial resources. When building a bath, close attention should be paid to the floor structure - a well-mounted coating will ensure the outflow of water, and will not rot, and will not stop functioning ahead of time. In addition, pleasant appearance will always please the eye.

In order to adequately cope with the task, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the varieties floor covering and specifics of their application.

Peculiarities

It is very important to pay attention to the design and implementation of the floor structure in the bath. If everything is done with high quality, it will be possible to provide high comfort to everyone in the room, as well as the durability of its service and versatility.

The peculiarity of the floor in the bath is that it performs several equivalent functions. Firstly, the coating ensures the safety of movement of a person who is at the junction of "two elements". Secondly, in the steam room area, it is responsible for removing excess water. Thirdly, it is an important part of the whole structure of the sauna house. It is worth adding that the floor also contributes to the retention of heat in the room.

Most often, the floor in the bathhouse is made of wood and concrete. Sometimes a brick is also used, which is characterized by high cost and a complex installation procedure.

Floor device

To design a steam room, one of two basic types of floor is used: leaking and non-leaking. The leaky one is always represented by a wooden structure made of floorboards, which is mounted on a supporting lag system. As for the logs, they are mounted at a certain height on the support pillars, lower crown or concrete screed. In order for the water to descend unhindered, a tiny gap is left between the rugs.

A non-leaking floor is made of wood or concrete. It is a monolithic coating with a small slope, at the bottom of which a hole is cut, connected to the sewerage system. Through it, the used water is sent to the drain hole.

Both varieties show certain advantages and disadvantages. A leaky floor collects pretty soon, but just as quickly it fails. It is worth adding that if it is not insulated, then the temperature in the steam room will be problematically low.

The impermeable layer exhibits a complex structure, which makes it possible to provide high-quality waterproofing and thermal insulation. In the event of a breakdown, you will have to completely remove the final layer, while for the leaking one, removing only part of the rugs is enough.

materials

According to experts, it is best to make the base of the floor from concrete, especially if there is a desire to build a capital building of brick or stone, with several rooms, which will be used throughout the year. The concrete floor must be supplemented with a water drainage system and provided with waterproofing. This design is strong and durable, it is not afraid of water, steam, or temperature changes. Concrete floors can be used for up to 45 years without additional repairs.

However, there are also certain disadvantages. Firstly, they are cold, so you have to insulate with an additional coating, for example, tiled or bulk. Secondly, concrete floors require significant investments, both financial and labor. Concrete floors can be poured in three stages.

If a small bathhouse is being built, which is operated only during the summer season, then it makes sense to choose wooden floor. It is quickly and easily built from environmentally friendly materials (preferably a larch board), looks very attractive and creates a unique atmosphere of an old Russian sauna in the steam room.

Unfortunately, such structures are not durable, because in any case, wood will lose its original characteristics, being treated with water and temperature changes. From this it follows that it is worth being ready to re-lay the floor after a certain period of time.

When installing wooden floors, it is recommended to choose coniferous trees - fir, larch, pine and others. Since such wood contains a large amount of resin, it will be less susceptible to moisture, and the released essential oils will positively affect the health of those taking water procedures. It is worth adding that softwood floorboards, when wet, will not become slippery, which means they will prevent falling.

Wooden structures are divided into leaking and non-leaking. The pouring floor does not have a heater, therefore it is suitable for bathhouses located in the southern regions, or for options operated exclusively in the warm season.

A non-leaking floor is built from two layers of boards. The upper one, which will go on top of the lag, is preferably constructed from a pine or hardwood board, and the lower, dry one, can be equipped with a heater.

Logs are installed on the embedded beam in the case of a column foundation, or on the edge in a situation with a strip foundation. Contact points are insulated with roofing material coated with bitumen, eurobitumen or similar waterproofing material.

If the bath begins to stand on screw piles, then a hanging, leak-proof plank floor will be a good option. An additional layer of insulation will help you use the bath at any time of the year.

Wooden floors should not be painted or treated with chemical solutions. This is unlikely to add durability, but it will deprive the boards of the opportunity to breathe and fill the steam room with a unique coniferous aroma. The most acceptable solution would be to carefully sand the boards before starting construction. You can also cover the floor with a heat-resistant varnish on water based withstanding up to 120 degrees. The elastic coating resists moisture, fumes and dirt from penetrating into the boards.

The two-layer composition is applied to the sanded and disinfected coating using a paint brush. The whole procedure is carried out in a ventilated room at a temperature of 5-30 degrees. Only after the varnish has dried after 2-3 hours is it allowed to start laying the floor covering.

Preparatory work

Having decided to create a floor in the bath with your own hands, you need to start with high-quality preparatory work. The owner must deal with the type of soil that is present on his territory. If sand, then this is the best option, because in order to equip spaces for outgoing drains, you only have to fill in gravel 25 cm thick. If there is soil that does not filter well, for example, clay, then you will have to make a tray for moving liquid waste outside the bath .

In the case of large-scale bath buildings, it is also worth considering in advance and supporting pillars. Under each column with a cross section of 25 cm, a small foundation is prepared or sand is rammed. An asbestos pipe with the required diameter, buried in the ground, will become a good support. Soil is rammed around, and then cement mortar is poured into the finished formwork. Before installation, the lag columns are aligned.

Before installing the floor, it is also necessary to remove excess rubbish, roots, large stones and the like from the ground. If the inside of the bearing blocks is clearly damp, then work will have to be postponed until they are partially dry.

Mounting

A concrete floor is a conventional screed made from a solution of sand, cement and special fillers such as crushed stone, gravel or natural marble chips. Ready mixes are sold in all hardware stores in dry form and are completely ready for use. The mixture is diluted with ordinary water, according to the step-by-step guide, mixed with a perforator with a suitable nozzle and used for its intended purpose.

If the screed will be the final coating or light boards will be fixed to it, no additional ingredients need to be added to the mixture. If the concrete is to be covered with tiles, then it is recommended to introduce gypsum and anhydrite into the initial composition. You can make your own or purchase suitable option in the shop.

The concrete floor is mounted on logs or directly on the ground. If you follow the step-by-step instructions, then first of all you have to create a system for removing water. It is a construction of a small hole dug in the ground and two pipes. The pit measures 40 x 40 x 30 centimeters and its walls and bottom are to be covered with concrete. On one side of the pit, a pipe with a cross section of 20 cm is inserted, which will go into the gutter or into autonomous septic tank. The second pipe will connect the pit to the bath itself.

It is recommended to provide it with a valve to prevent unpleasant odors from entering the steam room. In addition, it is recommended to make “vents” from asbestos pipes in the basement of the bath. They will help to eliminate unpleasant "olfactory effects".

At the second stage, it is necessary to prepare a platform on which the screed will be placed. To create a "pit", the top layer of soil is removed, then sand, brick breakage, gravel and crushed stone are poured into the resulting recess. A layer of the first three components should reach a thickness of 25 cm, and gravel - 10. Everything is well compacted and poured with a mixture of sand and cement, up to 6 centimeters thick.

It is important to concrete layer turned out to be sloping towards the prepared hole with pipes.

After the mortar has dried, thermal insulation and waterproofing are laid. Mineral wool and foam plastic or vapor barrier and felt insulation are used as insulation. Roofing material or ordinary polyethylene film can act as a waterproofing agent. The last material is placed under the thermal insulation and on top of it. The next step is to mount metal grate for high quality reinforcement.

Finally, from the far corner to the exit from the steam room, the main screed is poured. Immediately you need to level the solution with a trowel and, if necessary, correct the flaws, which will require the help of another person. The floor will dry out for 2-3 days, and then boards or tiles can already be mounted on top. The trim is also laid at an inclination of 2 cm in the direction of the drain. If the concrete is chosen for the final floor, then it needs to be processed: leveled and sanded. Drain holes for comfort and aesthetic appeal should be closed with wooden bars.

The concrete floor is quite cold, so it is also recommended to prepare special wooden gratings for people to walk on. These grilles are dried after each visit to the bath. The same designs are used in the presence of ceramic tiles. They allow you to limit slipping on the floor and excessive heating of the tile.

The floor in a wooden bath is created in two different ways. The first allows you to make a leaky coating, and the second - non-leaking. In the first case, suitable for beginners, a deck of boards is mounted at intervals of approximately 3 mm to remove liquids. Through them, the water moves immediately into the hole for drainage. The dominant trump card is the fact that such a floor can be removed and dried, which means that it will not rot and can be used for a longer time.

The plot of land is leveled and sprinkled with gravel. Next, a usually clay surface with a pit is formed. If the choice is given to a cement screed, then it must be provided with waterproofing. Wooden logs, which should be pre-treated, are mounted on supports through a gap of 50 cm - so the air can freely blow over the structure from all sides. Then the flooring is laid, leaving gaps of 2-3 mm between the walls, floor and boards. A slope for water drainage is arranged under a wooden deck, for which gravel is used. The descending water will be directed to the filter well.

Such a design can last up to 6 years if the coating is periodically dried. It is recommended to collect it from larch or coniferous species, but in no case from oaks, which are very slippery when wet. The boards should be 4–5 cm thick. Usually, leaking floors are used in summer cottages, where the owners come periodically during the summer season.

The second type of wooden floors is non-leaking with a drain, which is chosen by the owners of year-round heating bathhouses. The floor is placed on a concrete screed with a slope, which is formed so that the water drains without problems and is directed to a sump adapted for this. These coatings can last up to 12 years, due to the presence of draft and heat-insulating layers.

First of all, a hole is made with pipes according to the algorithm given for concrete floors. Then the site is prepared, and, if desired, a concrete screed is poured. The floor base is covered with roofing felt for waterproofing and expanded clay foam for insulation.

The logs are mounted on solid bedside tables, which are cut out of reinforced concrete and decorated with brick or concrete stands, through a gap of 50 centimeters. Then the intermediate base is installed. The height at which the lags are planned is determined depending on the height of the embedded beam (with a columnar foundation) or concrete "tapes" (with a strip foundation). Logs are placed in parallel with the narrow side of the steam room away from the walls of the bath - it is recommended to consider a gap of 3–4 cm. Cuts should also be made on the logs to achieve an inclined surface.

A water collector with dimensions of 40 x 40 cm and a depth of 30 cm is placed between the supports and compacted with concrete mortar or clay. At a height of 2 cm from the bottom, a pipe is mounted at an angle so that the liquid calmly enters the cesspool.

The "lower" floor of low-grade boards, fixed at the bottom of the beams, is covered with another layer of insulation and roofing material, as well as vapor barrier, which will protect all previous levels from liquids. After that, with a slope of 10 degrees, a finishing layer of tongue-and-groove boards is mounted. The mounting groove must fit inside the structure. The slope occurs due to the fact that the clearing in the lag increases on the side that goes to the collection point.

It is important that the boards adjoin closely, and the coating is attached to the joists with screws and nails at an angle of 45 degrees. The boards are selected with a thickness of 3-5 cm. The foundation for the stove-heater is mounted after installing the log, but before laying the flooring.

Upon completion of all these works, the room is dried, the boards are finally nailed, and the floor itself is supplemented with skirting boards. The plinth should be mounted so that the flowing moisture cannot be under the slats. This means that there should not be any gaps, and the sheathing should lie down on the baseboard itself.

Warm floor

The warm floor in the bathhouse allows not only to achieve the optimal microclimate in the room, but also to dry it with high quality. Thus, there is an extension of the duration of the operation of the finish and lower floors. The underfloor heating system is actually expensive, but it creates additional comfort for its owners.

To design a heated system in a bath, you can use two methods: water pipes or electric cable. The first option is rather complicated in terms of installation. Water pipes are heavy, especially under water pressure. This means that you will have to make reinforced reinforcement of the floor screed. It is a closed pipeline system through which, due to the operation of the pump, the liquid heat carrier moves. Usually it is water, but antifreeze, ethylene glycol and other varieties are also allowed. In order to equip such a system, you will need a boiler, a pump, plastic or copper pipes, as well as fittings.

The design is complex, so it will be problematic to identify the cause of the leak, especially if there is a concrete screed. And in case of serious damage, you will have to change the entire system. The disadvantages of the water floor in the steam room also include:

• installation complexity - many bends, it is difficult to maintain the necessary gaps between the pipes;
• the use of a water pump is a plentiful waste of energy resources;
• difficult temperature control.

There are two ways of laying a water floor: concrete and flooring. The first is similar to laying electronic cables, but is thicker. The pipe laying step reaches 40 cm. Sharp bends and kinks that interfere with the circulation of the coolant should not be observed. The second is carried out on a special basis made of wood or polystyrene foam. In addition, a warm floor can also be mounted on a wooden surface.

For the installation of a floor with water heating, pipes made of metal-plastic, polyethylene or steel are most often used. Their laying is carried out in two ways: "snake" or "snail". The first method is available only to professionals, as it is considered very laborious. Its main disadvantage is that the floor surface experiences different temperature conditions. At the entrance, they are usually the highest, and the farther away, the colder. The fact is that the water supply occurs from one side, and leaves - to the other. The second laying method allows you to evenly distribute heat throughout the floor.

For the construction of the electrical system, factory "cable floors", film infrared models or rod infrared mats are used. Very often there are concerns about the safety of using an electric heated floor in a steam room or washroom. The owners are worried that due to a breakdown there will be a threat of electric shock. However, this option is impossible, because the possibility of the appearance of liquid in the system tends to zero. The design warms up under the action of high temperatures and dry air, and even in the event of a breakdown, moisture simply does not have time to get inside.

Electrical cables are quite simple and in every way easy to install. They are sold ready-made "submarines", which remains to be placed on the floor surface and poured with concrete. The cable must be laid on a mesh base. This system has no special problems with repair and installation. In addition, it is equipped with temperature sensors.

Infrared electric underfloor heating is called the most affordable and the easy way providing auxiliary heating. Thermal film, sold in rolls, is rolled out on the coating, and strips with heating elements are glued to the base with a primitive adhesive tape. There is no need for a cement screed, nor for additional waterproofing and thermal insulation.

Tile adhesive is immediately poured on top of the film, and tiles are mounted, usually from porcelain stoneware or clinker. The floor covering can be placed directly on the warm layer, but the masters still prefer to leave an insulating and leveling layer between the film and the floor lining.

Infrared floors are completely sealed and electrically safe and can be used even on floors with wooden components. The maximum heating temperature is 45 degrees and is very comfortable for visitors.

Elements of a rod infrared heat-insulated floor are also called mats. The heating elements in them are rods that are attached to the power wires. Rod “joins” are made in parallel, so the failure of one rod will not lead to disruption of the entire system, which is very thoughtful. The core floor is mounted in tile adhesive or cement screed.

Conventional underfloor heating is placed on thermal insulation, then leveled with a screed, on top of which the final coating is placed. Professionals also recommend not saving on waterproofing, which can prevent condensation from appearing during the work process. As a waterproofing, a simple polyethylene film is used, as a heater - mineral wool, expanded clay, expanded polystyrene and penofol.

Do not forget that when choosing a warm floor, it is extremely important to correctly approach the purchase of the final floor covering. If it will tile, which heats up quickly, you will have to put wooden grates on top.

Design

There are a huge number of options for finishing bath rooms: steam rooms, washing rooms, rest rooms. However, the design of the flooring is not particularly original - as a rule, it is concise and functional, and other decorative elements are responsible for the aesthetic component. Usually the choice depends on personal preferences and financial capabilities. The main criteria are still the use of natural materials, minimalism and convenience.

The following materials are suitable for the floor:

• wood- looks natural, creates the right atmosphere, affordable and environmentally friendly;
• concrete- durable, but aesthetically unattractive, and the problem of cold is still acute;

• tile- many colors, it is possible to choose non-slip models;
• porcelain stoneware- looks aesthetically pleasing, but slippery, so if applied, it is better for a rest room, matte or polished.

The traditional finish of the steam room involves the use of hardwood lining as a wall covering. Such walls warm up quickly, but their temperature is considered comfortable for casual touches. In no case should pine lining be used to decorate a steam room, since this base, when heated, produces toxic substances. For ceiling fit lining made of class A or B linden. the best option finishes.

The floor in the steam room can be made of wood or concrete, and a block of tiles can be placed near the stove. If it is decided to cover the entire surface with tiles, you will have to take care of wooden grates that will not heat up.

Most often, preference is given to wooden coatings. The interior should be lively, natural and without the presence of synthetic materials.

If preference is given to a steam room - a sauna, then you can use a variety of design solutions. For example, combine lining with stone, and brick with granite slabs and a block house. However, for the floor, only wooden coverings are again recommended.

For the washroom, as a rule, combinations of wood and ceramic tiles are chosen. For example, it can be softwood, which has high water-repellent characteristics and an attractive appearance.

The tile should be anti-slip and maintain a comfortable temperature. Otherwise, a special mat is required.

In the vestibule or rest room, aesthetic combinations of porcelain stoneware, natural stone, wallpaper and plaster are used. The design is carried out by a harmonious combination of furniture, accessories and finishing materials. There are no special requirements, the only thing is that the rest room should set in the right mood and allow you to spend time comfortably.

So that the process of installing the floor in the bath goes “without a hitch”, experts recommend following a number of regulations.

• For insulation, you should choose materials that are least responsive to elevated temperatures and humidity. That is, it is better to simultaneously organize not only heat, but also hydro and vapor barrier.
• The bars should be laid correctly so that the liquid has the opportunity to descend along the joint line.
• If there is a possibility of moisture filling the space under the floor, it is necessary to lay a gap from the internal backfill over the ground to the wooden base. Its size reaches 15 centimeters.
• Fiberglass floor pads on waterproofing will make movement on the floor inaudible. They are made in the form of a thick tape, which is extremely convenient.

• Wooden materials must be treated with an antiseptic. It is desirable to use a composition that can destroy all microorganisms and prevent damage to boards and beams. In addition, all wooden parts are pre-dried or purchased already in this form. If this is not done, the material will curl during operation, cracks will appear and the shelf life of the floor will be significantly reduced.
• If it is necessary to arrange ventilation, it is important to organize its correct output. Usually a separate pipe path follows the wall to the attic. If the foundation is monolithic, then it is recommended to make holes that will connect the ventilation gaps with the air outside.
• If the area of ​​​​the steam room is large, then one drain will not cope with all the water. It will be necessary to think about a few so that the material does not rot too quickly.
• Pouring floors not only eliminate moisture, but also lead to heat loss. In this situation, it is necessary to insulate the foundation and the basement of the log house, and place the sauna stove below the floor level.

• The floor in the steam room rises relative to ground level. And in a separate washing room, on the contrary, it should be lower than in other rooms.
• It is necessary to leave a ventilation gap under the floor. It can be installed with a height of 10-15 cm.
• It is worth mounting the finishing floor so that there is an angle of inclination in the direction that is directed along the length of the boards, and not in width. This will help extend the life of the products, since the direction of water is also one of the causes in the processes of decay.

• To prevent the board from bursting when screwing in the screw, you need to work at an angle of 45 degrees.
• In no case should you use linoleum, laminate and other synthetic coatings in the baths, even in the rest room. In any case, such materials will begin to heat up and release substances that can poison the body. In the dressing room, such a coating should be placed on top of a special flooring that makes it possible to dry the floors.
• Selected boards must be edged or tongue-and-groove. Their thickness varies from 25 to 30 mm.

Beautiful examples

High-quality processed concrete screed on the floor will go well with wooden walls and ceilings. The materials for the latter can be boards and lining, forming an original combination. A large window, a laconic stove and simple wooden shelves will perfectly complement the interior.

The tiled platform under the heater can become bright accent steam room and, echoing the washing room, combine two interiors into one. You can add brutality to the room if you replace it with natural or artificial natural stone. He, in turn, will require inserts on the walls of the steam room itself.

Arrangement of the floor in a private steam room should be given Special attention. The level of comfort during use and the functionality of the bath itself depend on how competently its design is thought out and implemented.

Materials for arranging floors in the steam room - what to use?

The floor base in the bath performs several important functions at once. It not only ensures the safety of human movement during water procedures, but is also part of the water removal system. A properly constructed floor in the bath does not wear out ahead of time, does not rot due to high humidity, and effectively retains heat in the room. In private steam rooms, the foundations we are interested in are most often made of wood and concrete. Brick coatings are used much less frequently. They are expensive and quite difficult to arrange with your own hands.

If you want to build a capital stone or brick sauna room with a rest room, a washing department, a dressing room and use it all year round, experts advise opting for a concrete base. It must be equipped with a well-thought-out water drainage system and effective waterproofing. But for small jars, operated exclusively in summer time, simpler wooden floors will do. They are built much faster and easier, are environmentally friendly, have a very presentable appearance.

Wooden bases have been used for a very long time. They create special comfort in the steam room, saturate the room with pleasant natural aromas, make each bath procedure a small holiday for the true Russian soul. True, there are many disadvantages of wooden floors. The durability of such structures leaves much to be desired. No matter how hard you try to protect wood from the harmful effects of water, it will quickly lose its initial performance characteristics. Therefore, be prepared for the fact that after a while you will have to re-lay the wooden floors in the steam room.

Concrete structures are much more preferable in terms of durability. They are not afraid of water and steam, temperature changes.

Concrete products withstand even the most difficult operating conditions. On average, such foundations are used for 40–45 years without additional repairs. We immediately note the obvious disadvantages of concrete coatings. They are very cold (for this reason, a suitable finishing material, for example, a tile, is laid on top of them), time-consuming to install with your own hands, require a serious investment of time and financial resources.

Concrete foundation - we build for centuries!

The floor for a bath made of concrete, in fact, is an ordinary screed. It is made from a solution in which there is sand, cement and some special fillers (crushed stone, natural marble chips, gravel and others). We advise you not to bother with mixing the required ingredients to obtain a concrete composition, but immediately purchase the finished mixture at the nearest construction store. Factory sand-cement compositions in dry form are completely ready for use. They only need to be diluted with ordinary water in the recommended volume, thoroughly mixed with a perforator with a nozzle, and then used for its intended purpose.

If the screed will serve as a finishing floor covering, or a simple board flooring will be mounted on it, there is no need to add any special components to the purchased mixture. For cases when it is planned to lay tiles on top of the concrete pavement, it is advisable to add a little anhydrite with gypsum to the cement-sand composition. It is even easier to buy a self-levelling compound designed specifically for such cases.

The concrete base for the bath can be mounted on logs or directly on the ground. The first stage of work is the arrangement of an elementary system for removing water. It consists of an intermediate tank (this role is usually played by a small hole 0.4x0.4x0.3 m dug in the ground) and two pipes. The walls and bottom of the pit should be concreted and a tubular product with a cross section of 20 cm should be brought to it. Its second end is led into an autonomous septic tank at the site or into the gutter. We start another pipe from the pit into the bathhouse. It is desirable to provide this part of the system with a valve that prevents the penetration of unpleasant odors into the steam room.

Next, prepare the platform for the screed. We remove the top layer of soil, pour sand into the resulting pit, ram it, pour brick or gravel on top. We should get a layer of about 0.25 m. Add 10 cm of crushed stone on top. Once again we ram the whole cake and fill it with a sand-cement mixture (about 5-6 cm thick). An important nuance! The concrete layer must have a slight slope towards the reservoir pit.

When the solution hardens, lay mineral wool or polystyrene on it (you can pour a layer of expanded clay, perlite). These materials play the role of an effective insulation. Under the foam and cotton wool, we must put waterproofing (it is most reasonable to use roofing material). We cover the thermal insulation with the same material. Then we mount a metal mesh (wire). It makes it possible to perform high-quality reinforcement.

Now you can pour the main screed. We serve the solution from the far corner and gradually approach the exit from the steam room. When pouring, the composition is necessarily leveled (you need to work with an assistant). This operation is performed with a trowel. And to tighten the concrete in a circular motion, we use the rule. After 2-3 days, the screed will harden. It can be laid flooring from boards or tiles. We mount the trim with a two-centimeter slope towards the drain. If the concrete is planned to be used as a finishing coating (you can do so), just carefully level and grind its surface. But remember that such a floor in a private bath will be cold. In winter, it is problematic to use a steam room with it.

Leaking wood floor - acceptable quality with minimal labor

You can make a floor in a wooden bath using two technologies. The first involves the construction of leaking foundations, the second - non-leaking. Advice. If you have little experience in construction work, it is better to build leaking floors. They are made in the form of flooring from boards, between which gaps are specially left. Through them, the used water goes into the ground. Insulation of such structures is not carried out, the sewer system is not being built. Instead of the latter, a simple drainage pit is used. They dig it under the bath.

You can make a floor in a bath of this type according to the following algorithm:

1. 1. We level a piece of land, fill it with a layer of gravel, which should be well compacted.
2. 2. We prepare wooden logs (we cut them to the required dimensions, apply an antiseptic composition) and support pillars for them.
3. 3. We mount the processed logs on the supports, keeping the distance between the individual elements at the level of 0.5 m.
4. 4. Stacking boardwalk. We leave gaps of 2-3 mm between the wall of the bath, the floor and the boards to be mounted.

It is not necessary to fix the flooring elements to the lags. The described coating is recommended to be regularly removed and taken out under the sun to dry. If necessary, at any time it is possible to replace rotten boards. The service life of the described floor structure is 4–6 years. Then you have to build a new one. Such leaking floors are best used in the country, where you visit from time to time and rarely use the steam room.

There is another way to arrange simple boardwalks. It is less difficult to implement. After preparing the plot of land, bars-beams with a section of 10x10 to 15x15 cm should be placed around the perimeter of the foundation. Be sure to apply an antiseptic on them! We install logs on the beams, fix them, and on top we mount the flooring from the boards.

Leaking floors of both types can be constructed from hardwood and softwood. It is not recommended to install Oak planks. They become very slippery when wet. It is better to opt for products made of pine, linden or larch. The last option is considered the most optimal. One more nuance. The flooring is made from planed edged boards 4–5 cm thick. Thinner products in high humidity conditions will not last long.

Non-leaking wood floor - environmentally friendly and quite reliable

Now let's try to properly make a non-leaking base. It will take more time to build such a structure. But the result of the work will be of better quality. Leak-proof wooden floors are suitable for year-round steam rooms. The design of such bases requires the arrangement of a rough intermediate coating and the mandatory installation of a heat-insulating layer. Due to this, the service life of such structures reaches 10-12 years.

We build a non-leaking floor in the bath according to the following step-by-step guide:

1. 1. We make a hole-reservoir, we lay pipes for drains by analogy with the arrangement of drainage for concrete pavements.
2. 2. We prepare the site. We remove the layer of earth, fill the cleaned area with sand and gravel. Each layer of material is rammed. If desired, pour a concrete screed (5–6 cm). This part of the operation is optional. If you want to save time and money, skip it.
3. 3. We cover the floor base with a waterproofing layer. The best protector from moisture in this case will be roofing material.
4. 4. We perform insulation using polystyrene foam or expanded clay. Mineral wool is not used for thermal insulation of non-leaking bases.
5. 5. We install logs with a step of 0.5 m on pre-mounted beams. For the manufacture of the latter, you need to use bars 10x20 cm. These supports, as you remember, are fastened along the perimeter of the foundation.

Then we mount the intermediate base. We fix the draft floor from the bottom of the beams. We cover it with an additional heat-insulating layer (mounted on roofing material). On top of the insulation we lay another layer of waterproofing material. Last stage works - installation of a finishing floor. We install it with a slope, we lay the boards close to each other. The finish coating is attached to the lags with nails or self-tapping screws.

We take boards for non-leaking floors, tongue-and-groove, 3–5 cm thick. We make logs from wooden blocks with dimensions of 5x7 cm. Pay attention! The lower edge of the floor base made of wood must rise 10–20 cm above the level of the basement (its upper edge) of the bath. We hope that our instructions will help you build a truly reliable floor in your steam room.

Upon completion of the assembly of the frame of the bath structure, you can do interior finishing work, including special place occupy procedures for arranging floors. In this article we will try to talk about how to make the floor in the bath with our own hands from wood and concrete, we will give a step-by-step guide, as well as photo and video instructions.

First of all, it should be noted that both wood or concrete and ordinary ceramic tiles can be used for the manufacture of bath floors (in some cases, floors can be made directly on clay).

The main thing to focus on when carrying out work is to ensure the normal outflow of used water. We also note that when finishing floors in “hot” rooms, in no case is it allowed to use synthetic materials (linoleum, for example), which, when heated, can release toxic and harmful substances.

Particular attention in the production of such work should also be paid to the insulation of the flooring, which most directly affects the comfort of the procedures taken. In those cases when you decide to make a concrete floor, be sure to make sure that it is covered from above with wooden flooring or special cork slabs that provide comfortable washing conditions.

Wooden

From the foregoing, it follows that before you make the floor in the bath, you will definitely need to decide on the material used to make it.

Wooden floors are recommended to be made from coniferous wood (fir, pine, larch or spruce); and in this case you can use two options. The first of them involves the arrangement of a continuous, water-impervious coating, and in the second case, the floorboards are laid with a small gap, providing a free drain of washing waste.

Solid or "non-leaking" floors are made by embedding the lag directly into the clay or setting them on concrete (preferably with a slight indentation) followed by a dense covering with tongue and groove boards. But before that, a classic screed is made on the concrete surface, which has a slight slope towards the drain. At the same time, at a certain point, on the edge or in the middle of the room, a collection of drains is installed, connected to the sewer system of your home.

The preparation of the so-called leaking floor is usually carried out according to the following scheme:

1. First, well-leveled and compacted soil is covered with a layer of gravel with sand, which is subsequently poured with liquid concrete.
2. In its shape, the poured surface should resemble a funnel with gentle slopes and with a center at the place of collection of wastewater (with a protective grate installed in the drain).
3. Then wooden logs are mounted on brick columns, which serve as the basis for placing the flooring.
4. And at the end of the work, edged floorboards are laid on these logs with a gap of 5-6 mm.

When arranging such a floor, take care of the waterproofing of the columns supporting the logs by lining sections of roofing felts or roofing felt, folded in several layers, under them. In the absence of bricks, fragments of old concrete slabs can be used as a support. You should also pay attention to the fact that it will be possible to start preparing the floors in the steam room and washing room only after you have completed the installation of the water drainage system and prepared the foundation for the stove.

We must not lose sight of the need for antiseptic treatment of wood structural elements, and also do not forget about the ventilation of the spaces under the floor, which ensures their safety. In particular, the removal of wet fumes can be organized through the use of a furnace blower.

Concrete floor in washroom and steam room

Many experts consider the arrangement of the concrete floor in the bath to be an economically correct and profitable solution. The long service life of concrete speaks in favor of this method of arranging the floor. A quality screed can last more than 30 years. Among the advantages of this floor it is worth noting:

• Resistant to temperature extremes and high humidity.
• Doesn't rot.
• Concrete does not develop harmful microorganisms and fungi.

To care for the concrete floor, you do not need to buy expensive products. household chemicals. In addition, you have the opportunity to decorate the floor, for example, with tiles.

The bath uses a lot of water. This suggests the need for arranging a drain. Before concreting the floor, a drainage system should be designed and implemented. To do this, you need to determine the point that will most easily equip the sewer system. At this point, an intermediate tank should be placed, which can be made in the form of a small pit, having a size of 40 × 40 × 30 cm. The simplest method for processing the pit is concreting, with a layer of at least 5 cm.

Then, from this tank, drainage should be made into a manhole / septic tank. For these purposes, you can use a fan pipe with a diameter of 200 mm.

The soil should be leveled and then rammed. Then fill the floor with coarse gravel 15 cm thick. Gravel can be replaced with a brick fight. The next layer of crushed stone is 10 cm thick.

After the crushed stone has been compacted, a layer of concrete 5 cm thick should be poured. It should be made with a slope towards the preliminary wastewater tank.

To significantly reduce heat loss in the bath, the concrete floor should be insulated. This is done after the first layer of concrete has cured. Expanded clay can be used as a heater. It needs to be covered with a layer of 5-8 cm.

This is not the only insulation that is suitable for arranging a concrete floor. Often, building felt or mineral wool is used for these purposes. But, it is worth considering the fact that when laying mineral wool as a heater, you will have to additionally waterproof it. Roofing material can be used as a waterproofing layer.

Between the floor and the wall should be filled with bitumen.

Another option for floor insulation is pouring cement mortar with perlite ( rock volcanic origin). It has been used in this direction relatively recently. The advantages of this component are high water absorption and thermal insulation characteristics.

Perlite is a very light material and must therefore be handled indoors.

The batch is done in a concrete mixer. In this case, it is important to strictly follow the instructions that are indicated on the packaging for the product.

On insulation or waterproofing (it depends on the insulation material) a second concrete layer should be poured. In this case, it is necessary to lay a reinforcing mesh (it can be wire or reinforced mesh) before pouring concrete. In order for the concrete to be strong as a result, it must be tamped, leveled with a rule, and the tightening concrete should be poured on top.

For pouring the screed, a sand-cement mortar or self leveling compound. If tiles will be used to decorate the floor, then it is better to buy a cement mixture designed for this purpose.

The screed must be poured in one go, so you need to act quickly. Start pouring from the far corner, leveling the solution with a trowel. You need to tighten it with the rule in a circular motion, which would be directed towards the exit from the room. After the screed should harden, this process takes several days.

With the addition of plasticizers, the hardening process of concrete is accelerated. They, among other things, enhance the strength of concrete, securely connect the constituent components of the mortar together and prevent the possibility of cracks.

The screed fully hardens in 3 weeks. In the first week, it must be watered from time to time.

The surface quality is determined after the concrete has completely dried. If the screed has a plain gray shade, this indicates its homogeneity. In addition, on a durable and quality concrete there will be no visible marks from a hammer blow.

Ceramic tile is most often used as a concrete floor finish in a bath. The tile will also look spectacular. A significant disadvantage of tiles is that when wet, it becomes slippery, which increases the risk of injury. Therefore, on the practical side, it is better to lay metlakh tiles on the concrete floor.

You should not use linoleum and other synthetic coatings in bath rooms (even in those in which temperatures are not as high as in a steam room). The fact is that in the process of heating, substances are released from them that can lead to intoxication, that is, severe poisoning of the body.

Auxiliary premises

In rooms with a low level of humidity and relatively low temperature, it is allowed to use laminate and linoleum prohibited for steam rooms. In the dressing room, such a coating is covered over a special flooring, which makes it possible to dry the floors. When using this basis flooring it turns out double, consisting of a rough and finishing flooring.

When working with the floor, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

• the optimal height of the floor base above the ground is considered to be a level exceeding this mark by at least 30 cm;
• for the manufacture of natural wood flooring, edged or tongue-and-groove boards with a thickness of about 25–35 mm are selected;
• laying logs on brick columns in such structures is mandatory.

The procedure for arranging floor coverings in a bathhouse made in the old Russian style, in fact, is no different from the procedures described above (taking into account the fact that the floors in the steam room can even be earthen). Before preparing them, you will need to do the following operations:

1. Along the perimeter of the base, at a distance of about 50 cm from the foundation, soil is first selected (to a depth of about 45–50 cm).
2. The resulting site is filled up to the required level with a mixture of fine gravel and sand, and then carefully compacted.
3. The boards are laid directly on the prepared base, which is quite consistent with the floors made according to the old methods.

Video

This video will answer the most frequently asked questions about the floor in the bath:

A photo

Scheme

These schemes will help you in arranging the floor in the bath:

The floor in the bath performs a number of functions that distinguish it from the coating in living rooms. It not only provides free movement with constant moisture, but is also part of the sewer system. Therefore, before installing such a floor, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the features of its installation.

Peculiarities

Before choosing a floor for a bath, you need to consider some of the nuances. The first thing to consider is the season in which the premises will be used. If the bath will be used all year round, then showers, a dressing room, an additional steam room and rest rooms are usually placed in it. In such a bath, a capital floor is installed: an insulated coating with ventilation and drainage. It is enough to make the floor in the summer sauna leaky.

Installation of a leaking floor is carried out by laying boards measuring 1.5 meters by 50 millimeters. The boards are laid on top of the logs - bars with a diameter of about 150 mm. When installing a log, it is necessary to take into account the type of base. For example, for a columnar foundation, logs must be supported on a mortgage beam. The logs are laid sequentially, starting from the shortest wall, the bars are placed at a distance of about 60 cm. The points of contact between the log and the foundation are treated with bituminous mastic or roofing material to ensure insulation.

Next, the subfloor is installed - a layer of soil is laid on top of the boards. The material and its quantity are selected based on the type of base soil. If the soil absorbs water well, then the subfloor is covered with a layer of rubble about 25 centimeters thick. Clay soils, which swell when wet and poorly conductive to moisture, must be covered with a material that provides water runoff. After laying the floor boards, leaving a distance of 2 cm around the entire perimeter.

There should also be a small gap between the floorboards. The boards are fixed to the beams with nails. To provide protection against dampness and prevent the development of fungus, the coating is treated with drying oil.

A leaking floor is also called "cold" because its temperature is always low. The disadvantages of such a coating are that it is recommended to install it only in regions with a mild warm climate. Premises with such a floor are almost impossible to use in the cold season, because it cannot be insulated. However, there is an option to install the stove below the floor level. This design allows you to warm up the boards and better protect them from decay.

The process of creating a non-leaking floor is technologically more complex and resource-intensive. Before laying the log, it is necessary to install a subfloor. Next, the wooden flooring is covered with layers of waterproofing coating. To reduce heat leakage from the premises, the floor must be protected with mineral wool or fiberglass insulation boards. To natural heaters did not lose their properties under the influence of water, a moisture-resistant coating is laid on top.

The rough floor is poured with a layer of bitumen and prepared for the installation of floorboards. The technology of laying boards depends on the purpose of the room. The floorboards in the steam room should look in the direction of the falling beam of light. In the dressing room, the floor covering is laid in the direction of travel. It is important not to forget to leave a space of at least one centimeter along the contour of the room. This distance provides ventilation.

A Russian bath with a heated floor resembles a pie in terms of the drainage system. The boards are placed at a slight slope, which ensures the flow of liquid into the built-in collector. Further, moisture flows through the pipes and is removed outside the extension. The advantages of a warm floor are that the coating is additionally protected from the cold, the moisture removal system allows you to increase the shelf life of the boards.

What coverage to choose?

In the room of a classic Russian bath, high humidity, and the temperature can reach 65 degrees. Under such conditions, the probability of floor rotting, especially wood flooring, is high. It is important to understand that each bath room has different operating conditions and the coating material and operating technology can vary significantly in each room. Apart from individual features, the floor must have some general physical and mechanical characteristics.

The coating must be resistant to critical temperature differences: from above, the floor interacts with hot water, and from below, cold soil acts on it. Also, the flooring must withstand both mechanical stress and contact with chemical reagents of detergents. A mandatory characteristic of the coating is resistance to constant interaction with moisture and saturated water vapor. It is important to remember that the floorboards must be anti-slip and low maintenance. In addition to the above mechanical properties, the floor in the bath should look aesthetically pleasing.

The classic flooring is wooden flooring. This method of laying the floor in the bath is still used today. This is not only a tribute to tradition - wood has a high heat capacity and a beautiful appearance. A significant drawback of the boards is low moisture resistance: the coating is subject to decay and requires additional protection. Before deciding on the installation of a wooden floor, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of each tree species. For example, oak becomes too slippery when exposed to moisture.

Concrete flooring is no less popular than the plank counterpart. The cement screed has a high mechanical strength, which ensures a long service life. It is important to understand that it is necessary to lay the finish coat on the concrete base. Masters advise using tiled masonry. Ceramics is easy to install and use. A significant disadvantage of the concrete floor is the need for thermal insulation. Also, such a floor must be laid at a slope to ensure the drainage of water.

In the construction of baths, more and more preference is given to laying stone and tiled floors. Ceramics perfectly imitates a natural stone and has a relatively low cost. In addition, this coating is durable and water resistant. Important point– joints between ceramic fragments require additional treatment to protect against dampness and prevent the formation of fungus.

For the right choice of flooring, you need to take into account all the operational features of the selected room. In the steam room, you can lay floors made of concrete, stone or ceramics - these materials can withstand extreme conditions. Coatings containing formaldehyde must not be used. Under the influence of water and high temperature, such materials release toxic substances.

If there is a desire to decorate the floor with paint or varnish, then some restrictions must be taken into account. Most safe way decoration of a wooden coating - the use of water-based or dispersion acrylic paint. It is strictly forbidden to use in the steam room oil paint or alkyd composition.

The requirements for the floor in the washing room are not as high as for the surface in the steam room. However, the poured coating must withstand prolonged contact with water and detergents. Floors must also withstand critical temperature fluctuations. Ceramics fully satisfies these requirements. Wood is also actively used in washing, but it must be treated with a special impregnation or varnished.

The floor in the dressing room practically does not come into contact with water and steam, so there is no need to increase its water resistance. There is a firebox in the dressing room, so the floor covering must be protected from fire and overheating. As a rule, boards are laid here. A metal plate measuring 60 by 90 centimeters is mounted in front of the firebox. This device is necessary to protect the floor from falling sparks and fire.

In the rest room, you can lay carpet or linoleum. The floors in this room should be comfortable and cozy. The main requirement for such a coating is that it must retain heat well. Since rest rooms do not come into contact with moisture and do not withstand temperature changes, they do not require additional protection. They can also be placed on the floor or shelves to place the legs, which will add comfort.

Necessary tools and accessories

In order to obtain a high-quality floor with a long service life, it is necessary to follow the laying technique and the technology of preparing materials. The success of installation largely depends on the correct choice of tools. The floor can be installed under the guidance of a specialist or independently.

Some of the tools needed to install a concrete floor in a bath:

• The correct screed cannot be laid without the use of special rakes. These devices level the concrete mass during the laying process. It is important to understand that the coating should be as even as possible: violations in the technique can lead to serious consequences.

• A laser or water level will help to get the surface of the required evenness. With it, you can also vary the angle of the boards. The grooves for draining water must be even: no level difference is allowed along the flow of the liquid. Such moments must be corrected both at the initial stages of installation and during the laying of the slabs.

• Trowels are needed to spread cement over the entire surface from the far corner of the room to the edges. With the help of trowels, impregnation or varnish is also applied when finishing the surface. Trowels come with both pointed and semicircular edges. The rounded edges of the tool do not leave visible marks on the screed.

• Grater for cement. This device is required for flat surface. It is necessary to make circular movements on the surface of the laid mass. With their help, excess material is also removed and an even coating is obtained.

• Smoothers are also necessary to obtain a flat surface. Due to their design, they are able to cover and smooth a larger area than floats or trowels. Smoothers are used for global work on rolling cement over the entire surface. Among such tools, one can distinguish corner-type trowels - they are used to obtain a smooth coating at the junction of the floor with the wall.

• In order to qualitatively mix expanded clay or expanded clay concrete, you need a concrete mixer and a container for the solution. The mixing technology depends on its composition and installation method. Before working directly with cement, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the technology and mode of preparation of the mixture. This process can be carried out manually, but there is a risk of obtaining a heterogeneous mass. Incorrectly mixed composition will not provide the desired performance properties of the floor.

• Also, do not forget about simple tools. A shovel will greatly facilitate the process of spreading the concrete mass over the surface. A Velcro towel or any other rag material is needed to clean the tools during work. An even screed will be obtained only when working with cleaned equipment. Also, keep a container of water handy.

A different set of tools is needed to install a wooden floor.

• Metal profile for laying boards. A special grate is mounted from small steel gutters, on which the boards are laid. Such a frame is necessary in order for the sauna floor to be laid evenly and firmly held. Profiles are sold complete with special fasteners.

• An electric screwdriver and a drill are needed to fix the boards. They can be replaced with a metal hammer, but this will require a lot of time and effort. In addition to ordinary screws, brackets are used to fix the planks.

• To get bars required size use electric planer and a wood saw. The work of sawing wood is quite dusty, so the craftsmen recommend laying it on the floor working area rug or sheets of newspaper. This will significantly reduce the time of subsequent cleaning.

• In any work on laying the floor, you can not do without a level. The laser device is much easier to operate and helps to achieve an even coating or the desired slope.
• The final wood layer often needs to be varnished or painted. To do this, stock up on rollers and brushes. Also, many materials are sticky and toxic, so all work must be done with gloves.

How to do it yourself?

The device of the flowing floor begins with the installation of lags. It can be wooden beams or metal beams. Before installing the logs, they must be treated with a special antiseptic agent that increases their corrosion resistance. The choice of antiseptics is great, but some prefer to use used engine oil as an analogue. If wood beams are chosen for the lag device, then they must be dried. To do this, the wood is left for some time in a room with a humidity of 10 to 12 percent. To save time, you can buy ready-made wood after drying in the chamber.

Lags are laid parallel from the smallest wall. If the room in the bath is large enough, then it is recommended to create a stiffening frame. For this, reinforced concrete piles are installed under the logs with a step of no more than one meter.

For the correct laying of the lag, there is a step-by-step guide:

• It is necessary to remove the top layer of soil from the installation site. Next, lay out a layer of sand or gravel with a thickness of 10 to 15 centimeters and reinforce the system with a mesh.
• Lay piles of brick or fragments of reinforced concrete slabs. This design will provide the foundation with the necessary bearing capacity.
• The system must be treated with bituminous mastic to protect it from water.

The fixed piles are covered with two layers of waterproofing. Sheets should not be laid too close to the walls. It is necessary to leave a gap of at least 4 cm around the entire perimeter. This will ensure ventilation of the resulting structure.

Next, a water drain system is installed. Moisture must be removed from the foundation. In order to competently equip the drainage system, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the features of the base soil. If the soil absorbs moisture well, then it is necessary to remove a layer of earth from the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe bath and cover the surface with rubble. On soils with low culvert capacity, you need to dig a hole about 40 cm deep and carry out a moisture removal system into it. A special backfill made of clay ensures a uniform flow of water. Floors with this method must be laid at a slope of 10 degrees towards the water intake.

Underfloor heating boards are processed - they are hewn from the front side and leveled. A gap of two centimeters is left between the masonry and the wall for implementation natural ventilation. Boards are laid at a right angle from the location of the lag. This technology provides the necessary strength of the future floor. It is necessary to maintain the same distance between the planks: the craftsmen advise using fragments of plywood for this purpose.

Warm floors can also be laid on logs. previously described step by step bars are laid or steel pipes. To obtain a surface slope in the logs, cuts of four millimeters are made. It is not allowed to cut logs adjacent to the walls. The underfloor heating system is excellent. Between two supports they dig a hole with a depth of at least 300 millimeters and with dimensions of 400 by 400 millimeters.

The walls of the resulting pit must be reinforced with concrete and smeared with bitumen. Installation of the drain pipe is carried out at the bottom of the pit with an indent of two centimeters. The drainage pipe must be at least 15 centimeters in diameter. For these purposes, PVC is perfect.

Boards are laid, starting with a draft layer. This is followed by a waterproofing coating, laid out with an overlap. The joints are smeared with a small amount of bituminous mastic or glued with adhesive tape. After fixing the waterproofing, a layer of insulation is laid. In this case, the masters are advised to pay attention to mineral or ecological wool, expanded clay slabs. More ecological view insulation - a mixture of sawdust with PVA.

Between the finishing coating and the insulation, it is necessary to lay a vapor barrier. It is also important to leave a gap of at least fifteen millimeters between the layers: an exhaust pipe is passed through the hole. The planks of the final layer should not have crevices in the joints, so builders prefer a tongue and groove board. It is necessary not to forget about the installation of the drain system.

The laying of a concrete screed is carried out in several stages. The first concrete layer is poured with a height of no more than six centimeters and left not to dry completely. Thermal insulation of standard thickness is laid on a slightly damp layer. To provide the coating with the necessary rigidity, the insulation is covered with a reinforced mesh. Last layer fills are laid at an angle of 10 to 15 degrees to ensure flow.

The final layer, as a rule, does not exceed nine centimeters in thickness. Further, the surface can be decorated with ceramics or plank masonry. It is important not to forget that the coating must be resistant to temperature extremes and have a given strength. After installing the floor, the walls are polished.

Wooden

Plank flooring is perfect for a leaky floor in a steam room. Wood has good technical characteristics and requires relatively little labor. Masters advise completely newbies to stop on the device of a cold floor. There is no need to create an insulated "pie" of the foundation and laying engineering communications. A leaky floor in a steam room requires only simple drainage.

The flooring does not need to be fixed to the joists, as the covering must be regularly detached and dried in the open air. This design helps to keep the material in good condition even with frequent interaction of the floor with hot water. The board requires replacement after 4-6 years after commissioning. If, nevertheless, there is a desire to fix the coating on the logs, then the boards must be carefully treated with an antiseptic. A cold floor made of larch or pine is considered the most optimal price-quality ratio. Oak flooring does not have sufficient roughness and can lead to injury.

The non-leaking wood floor is suitable for year-round use. AT washing department and the steam room, such a coating will last up to 10 years, if the rough layer is correctly installed and the laying of insulating materials is not neglected. Boards are not recommended to be painted. The chemical composition can clog the wood pores, which will give the coating a lasting chemical aroma.

Also, the paint does not help protect the boards from rotting. Masters advise leaving the surface clean, but sand well. Natural wood has a pleasant smell, and the aroma of pine needles is considered beneficial to health. In order to protect the coating from decay, special compounds are used. But an important point is the drainage device.

Concrete

Concrete has a long service life, which makes it a leader among the materials for installing the floor in the bath. Properly laid coating can last up to 50 years, does not require special operating conditions. The concrete screed is not prone to decay, because the development of microorganisms is impossible in concrete. Caring for such a floor does not require special measures or the purchase of expensive products.

The screed can be poured and used as a finished floor covering or laid on top of the tile. It is laid on the ground or logs. To strengthen the foundation for a warm floor device, a device is often used. screw piles. On these piles, an insulating “pie” is already installed and a screed is poured. The concrete floor is time and resource intensive because it is a complex multi-layered structure.

Before purchasing, you must familiarize yourself with the composition of the product. Some types contain crushed stone or gravel, so they can cause difficulties in the kneading process. A homogeneous mass will be obtained only with the use of a concrete mixer or a perforator. If there are no such devices, then the masters recommend purchasing a solution on a cement-sand base. This material is much easier to mix and pour.

The consistency and composition of the solution largely depend on the conditions for the further operation of the cement screed. If concrete acts as a subfloor for laying boards, then the mixture does not require special additives. If you want to lay ceramic tiles on the screed, you must add gypsum with an anhydrate admixture to the solution. The concrete floor is not recommended to be used as a rough floor for the installation of a synthetic coating. When interacting with critical temperatures, synthetics release complex chemicals that can be hazardous to health.

Proper waterproofing is essential when installing concrete flooring. The floor is located under a slight slope, and a special pit with a drain is mounted under the base of the foundation. Water moves along the gutter and the ground and is removed outside the bath. Technologically competent installation This system will protect the foundation from corrosion and allow the cement screed to serve for a long time.

tiled

Ceramics is widely used for laying cold floors. This material is not subject to decomposition under the action of microorganisms and does not require special operating conditions. The tile is resistant to critical temperature changes. The coating is also resistant to moisture, which allows it to be laid everywhere in the bath.

Designers note a wide color palette of this material, so they often use it to create decor in the rest room. The tile is environmentally friendly, does not emit harmful substances and has no chemical odor. Ceramics are laid directly on the self-leveling concrete floor.

The screed does not always provide a smooth finish and requires additional measures. Surface roughness must be kept to a minimum, as this work requires time and effort. A tile laid on a screed with irregularities will not last long. Water can get into the voids, which will lead to the appearance of fungus between the joints of the mosaic. Gaps between fragments need to be processed special means both during installation and during operation.

A significant disadvantage of the tile is its high thermal conductivity. In order for the temperature in the steam room not to fall, competent thermal insulation is necessary. Another significant drawback is the injury risk of the varnish coating. It is necessary to purchase tiles with a rough surface so that it does not become slippery when in contact with water. To date, there are many ceramic tiles that imitate a stone coating.

Designers highlight the mosaic, stylized as pebbles. In addition to aesthetics and beauty, this coating has a massage effect. Such tiles will be an excellent solution for decorating a rest room in a marine style. Small stone particles are complemented with cut glass inserts. Sparkling inserts have a beautiful sheen and reflect light in an interesting way.

To increase the service life of the ceramic coating, it is glazed and fired several times. In addition, the masters are advised to give preference to thick tiles. Such material is resistant to temperature fluctuations. You should not buy tiles with a large number of pores - they are less durable. Clinker mosaic or porcelain stoneware cladding should be preferred. Pay close attention to the surface texture: glossy sheen should be avoided.

heated

The heated concrete floor creates a comfortable microclimate. This option is necessary when installing a cold floor, especially in a cool climate zone. Also the system warm floors heats the surface from the inside, drying the material. This system allows you to get rid of dampness and increase the life of the floor covering. It is important to understand that such a heated floor is quite difficult to install for a beginner. The instruction of the master and control of the installation process is required.

Underfloor heating - a system of pipes or cables through which warm liquid moves. Convection provides uniform heating of the floor around the entire perimeter of the room, regardless of the location of the heating device. Pipes experience strong internal pressure, so the surface must be additionally reinforced. The contours themselves are easy to lay, but require reliable attachment to the rough surface. For the device of such heating, pipes without seams and joints should be purchased.

The distance between the contours is called the laying step. It must be maintained during the installation process. Violation of the step leads to uneven heating of the floor. A similar gradient is felt upon contact with the floor. You should also carefully choose the floor covering in the case of underfloor heating. Ceramics tend to heat up quickly, so craftsmen do not recommend using tiles as a finishing layer. Preference should be given to wooden panels.

To date, there are two ways to install a warm floor. water system is carried out by the circulation of the heated liquid from the pump through the pipes. The coolant in this design can be either plain water or special antifreeze compositions. The water system consists of a boiler, a collector and pipes. It is difficult to install, and it is not cheap. However, such a system allows you to reduce heating costs. Water heated floor is often used as additional heating in apartments and houses.

Another way to install a heated floor is electrical system. These "cable" floors are easy to install, but their price is entirely dependent on energy tariffs. The cable converts electricity into heat and heats the surface evenly. To control heating in the floor are mounted temperature sensors. It is important to remember that such a system should not be combined with wooden materials, as there is a high probability of wood overheating and a fire.

Installation of each type of heated floor requires the control of the master. The floor is laid on thermal insulation material. Vapor barrier is an equally important layer when installing a warm floor. After laying the contours, the surface is poured with a cement screed.

All pipe joints must be additionally fixed. It is important to remember that after laying the cement layer, it will be impossible to make adjustments. Otherwise, it will be necessary to completely remove the masonry, re-clean the surface and eliminate violations in the installation of the circuits. It is important to lay pipes on a perfectly cleaned surface. After making adjustments, the surface is poured with a new layer of cement mortar.

Before use, the floors are pre-tested and heated in accordance with the instructions. The problems are fixed and the system is checked again. The cycle must be restarted until the desired temperature is reached. Only after the final tests, the cement screed is leveled and the installation of the final floor covering is started. It is important to understand that each joint of the material requires careful processing. A water-heated floor will last a long time if all its features are taken into account during the installation process, for example, steam and waterproofing of the floor.

For the manufacture of quality coverage masters advise to listen to some recommendations. The causes of floor failure can be varied, but many can be prevented if the laying technology is not violated. Choice quality material also plays an important role.

When installing the log, it is important to install waterproofing between the pillars. Such a coating will protect the frame from rot and rapid destruction. Otherwise, the foundation will quickly collapse upon contact with water. The columns should also be made of materials with high frost resistance and water resistance. Water can accumulate in the soil, which will lead to corrosion of concrete and subsidence of the structure.

The wooden floor must not be installed without ventilation. Its scheme provides for gaps around the entire perimeter, depending on the type of layer being laid. It is not always possible to correct the violation after laying the finish coat, therefore it is necessary not to violate the technology at each stage of work.

Floor boards should not be less than 35 millimeters in thickness. Such a plank will withstand a critical load and last a long time, unlike an analogue of smaller thickness. All floor boards must be cut to the same dimensions. This will not only simplify installation, but also provide the necessary evenness and slope of the surface. In cold periods, such a coating will retain heat longer.

Wood floors must only be installed using stainless steel fasteners. Metal structures can be further treated to protect against rust. Since the coating is regularly exposed to interaction with water, it is necessary to pay increased attention to the choice of metal structures and fasteners.

The floor level of the washroom is always slightly lower than the level of other rooms. The steam room and the rest room should rise by a few millimeters.

Before you start laying boards, the coating must be processed. The material is impregnated not only with a mixture to protect against moisture, but also with a substance that protects against fire. The latter is especially important when installing a warm electric floor. All components of the floor must be protected from fire. These indicators are listed in normative documents and must be supported by material certificates.

Masters advise giving preference to sex with tiled flooring. This combination provides reliable protection against natural phenomena and negative impacts of the bathhouse. The coating is easy to install and use and will save on hiring workers.

When arranging a steam room, it is necessary to properly arrange the ventilation system. Otherwise, water vapor will accumulate and destroy the coating of the ceiling and walls. Poorly ventilated areas require constant ventilation after use. Only in this case, the bath room will last a long time. To bring ventilation to the outside in the attic, it is necessary to lay a pipe through which water vapor and smoke will be removed from the room. At monolithic foundation masters advise to make holes from ventilation pipe out.

Steam room - the main branch of the bath, has special requirements. The room should perfectly retain heat, not be afraid of dampness and high temperature. There are currently a large number building materials and technologies that allow developers to choose an acceptable option for themselves, taking into account personal preferences and financial capabilities. But not only does this affect optimal choice floor in the steam room.

As mentioned above, during the selection, the developer takes into account the desires and possibilities. But professional builders do not recommend focusing only on these factors, there are several more very important points.

Foundation type

Three types of foundations are used for baths: screw or concrete pile, columnar and shallow tape.

1. Concrete or metal pile foundations it is recommended to use on sloping construction sites and waterlogged unstable soils. A feature of pile structures is a large open space between the floor and the ground. This situation has both positive and negative sides. The presence of a distance between the floor and the ground improves the ventilation of the underground space. This has a positive effect on the humidity regime, wooden structures dry quickly, thereby increasing the operating time of the floor in the steam room. Another plus is that in most cases it is not necessary to make special water receivers, it is poured onto the ground, the main part is immediately absorbed, a small amount can flow outside the perimeter of the bath. The negative side - the floors are quickly cooled, the surface is cold, especially in winter. It is necessary to take special construction measures to increase the comfort of staying in the steam room.

   

   

2. columnar. The cheapest options for foundations for a bath. Most often, the underground space is open. The positive and negative sides are the same as those of the columnar ones.

   

3. Shallow-depth tape. Stronger constructions withstand significant forces. Gives you the opportunity to build big baths with different premises. The disadvantages include the complexity of arranging the floors in the steam room. The fact is that the vents provided in the tape cannot provide the same effective ventilation as a completely open space. This worsens the operating conditions of the floors in the steam room; in order to prevent the occurrence of negative processes, it is necessary to thoroughly impregnate all wooden elements with antiseptics. Any impregnation - chemical composition that adversely affect living organisms. From a biological point of view, a person is an ordinary living organism, and also reacts negatively to aggressive compounds. But these are not all problems. In such baths under steam rooms, you should definitely do sewer systems for water drainage. Additional work complicate and increase the cost of the floors in the steam room, require highly qualified specialists.

The above features various types foundations must be taken into account when choosing the option of floors in the steam room, regardless of the wishes of the developers.

Prices for screw piles

screw pile

Soil type

Only two types of soils influence the technology of building floors in a steam room.

1. clayey do not absorb moisture, all water for a long period of time is on their surface. As a result, the humidity in the underground space is high, and the processes of wood decay are accelerated. Under steam rooms on such soils, it is necessary to install a water drainage system.
2. sandy soils quickly absorb moisture and can take a large amount of it. Such physical parameters make it possible to simplify the installation of floors under the steam room and washing room as much as possible.

The climatic zone of the bath

Everything is simple here - colder climate, the warmer the floors in the steam room should be. It is strongly not recommended to install cement floors in the northern regions.

The specified information should be taken into account when choosing a floor option in the bath, but it is not enough to make an informed final decision. You need to learn more about the features of the floors, their pros and cons.

Types of floors in the steam room

This parameter also affects decision making, it should be kept in mind and compared with the type of foundations, physical characteristics soils and climatic zones of the location of the building.

Table. Types of floors in the steam room.

Types of floors in the steam room	Brief description of architectural features and operational characteristics
	The simplest and cheapest design, all the old baths had such floors in the steam rooms. Between the boards, gaps about 5 mm wide are left, the slope of the flooring is not required. Water flows to the ground and soaks into it. There is no need to be afraid that streams will appear near the bathhouse, they do not wash in the steam room, but take a steam bath. Accordingly, little water is consumed. The disadvantage of leaky floors is the low surface temperature. But this problem is not critical for several reasons. Firstly, the legs do not stay on such a floor for a long time, you just need to reach the shelf installed on a hill. Secondly, a short stay on a cold surface does not cause a cold, but hardens the body, improves the functioning of the immune system. Thirdly, if the soles of the feet are very sensitive to low temperatures, then you can make wooden lattices and walk on them.
	The boards are tightly pulled together with social devices, the side surfaces can be flat or have a tenon / groove connection. Such floors necessarily have a slope to one side and a drain. The slope is small, about a centimeter per linear meter. The drain is given underground with a further tap outside the perimeter of the steam room. These are more complex floor designs in the steam room, but in their own way performance characteristics outperform the leaking ones.
	Used only in exclusive expensive baths. The base is a cement-sand mixture or concrete, there is no underground. Be sure to arrange a separate drain, the finish coat is ceramic tiles or porcelain stoneware. Professional builders strongly do not recommend installing such floors in a steam room with a high air temperature. The fact is that the tile has a high thermal conductivity, the hot floor quickly gives off heat, it can be too hot for the feet. In terms of cost and complexity of manufacturing, they occupy a leading position among all options for floors in a steam room.

For traditional wooden baths, it is better to do. best breed larch is considered, it is not afraid of moisture, in direct contact with water, strength increases. The disadvantage of larch is its high cost. In this regard, most developers are advised to make floors in the steam room from coniferous wood.

Step-by-step instructions for making a floor in a steam room

For example, we will consider a rather complex and expensive floor in a steam room - non-leaking with insulation. This option is used in cases where there are small children in the family, for them it is necessary to create increased comfort of staying indoors.

Initial data. The steam room is being renovated, the floor is being changed due to the presence of cracks that created inconvenience for small children. Production material - coniferous boards, the front surface will be covered with a special resistant varnish. Durable waterproof extruded polystyrene foam is used as a heater. Work on laying the floor in the steam room is done in two stages. At the first stage, the old coating is dismantled, a revision of the condition of the wooden elements is made and Maintenance. At the second stage, a new floor is laid in the steam room.

Dismantling

Step 1. Remove skirting boards around the perimeter of the room. Undermine them carefully to protect the surfaces of the boards from mechanical damage use wooden linings.

Step 2 Unscrew the screws securing the floorboards.

Practical advice. Never use black self-tapping screws, they are very afraid of moisture and quickly oxidize. Oxidized hats not only worsen the appearance of the steam room floor, such hardware is then very difficult to unscrew. Most often, the boards have to be torn off, and after that they remain big holes. Problem areas must be patched up, it is long and difficult. In addition, seal marks will always be visible.

Step 3 Inspect floor structures for mold and rot, if problems are identified, they must be eliminated.

Step 4 Remove the sex lags. Damaged areas must be removed from the surface of the lumber, for this you can use an electric planer. It is recommended to wipe the surface of the walls under the skirting boards with any antiseptic. The lags must be impregnated with the same composition.

On this preparatory work finished, you can start laying the new steam room floor.

Important. During the construction of the bath, be sure to make effective ventilation of the premises. After taking water procedures, the steam room and washing room should be dried as soon as possible, this cannot be achieved only by opening the doors. high humidity and heat- the main enemies of lumber. No amount of impregnation will prevent boards from rotting if they are constantly wet and warm.

New flooring in the steam room

The floor will be made with a slope, draining the water into the tray. All lumber should be impregnated. As long-term practice shows, the best antiseptic is used car oil. If a specific smell is alarming, then the logs can be held on the street for several days, in sunny warm weather he will quickly disappear. In addition, in our version, the floor of the steam room is solid, which is an additional guarantee of the absence of unpleasant odors during the procedures.

Step 1. Determine the level of the floor and the angle of the boards. The direction of the slope from the front door to the opposite wall of the steam room. You can make marks using an elementary water level or using a modern laser device. The second option allows you to make markup faster, but not every amateur has such professional tools at home.

The upper plane of the plinth should be about five millimeters below the threshold, taking into account its width, mark the lines for the location of the floor boards. On the opposite side, do the same operations, do not forget about the slope.

Step 2 Fasten the lags according to the marks. It is much easier to fix them with special perforated metal corners. They perfectly hold a lot of weight and make it possible, if necessary, to correct the mistakes made. The corners are fixed to the side and bottom surfaces of the log, due to this, the reliability of the structure increases.

Perforated corners have many holes, but this does not mean that a self-tapping screw must be screwed into each. On one side, no more than three pieces are required. Extra holes are provided so that you can choose the optimal place for fixing the screws. There are knots and cracks on the sawn timber; hardware is not installed here.

Practical advice. The surface of the log is strictly horizontal, and the floorboards are at an angle. In this regard, they do not come into contact with the entire surface of the supports. Don't worry, it's much better for a couple. The fact is that the floor does not have large loads, the boards will not sag. And the presence of a small gap between them and the lags accelerates the drying process of lumber, which has a positive effect on the duration of operation.

The lags are much easier and faster to set up on the rope. To do this, fix the first and last exactly on the marks, pull the rope between them and use it as a template for attaching all the others.

Step 3 Proceed with the installation of the water tray. Some models must first be adapted for a steam room. To do this, a grinder with a disk for metal cuts off extra planes that prevent it from being securely fixed to wooden logs. The master must choose a specific refinement scheme on the spot, taking into account all the features of the steam room floor. The purpose of refining a standard tray is that the boards should fit snugly against its surfaces, the appearance of leaks should be excluded.

Check the position of the floor plane again before installing the tray. From the opposite wall, it is recommended to place the tray on the entire surface of one board; for this, it is laid perpendicular to the rest. It is much easier to lay one whole board perpendicular than to use many short pieces. This should be considered at the stage of measurements and preparation of lumber.

To drain water from the receiving tray, lead pipes to the receiver. They can be brought outside, or you can install the receiver inside the steam room. How it's done?

1. Prepare a container. The volume depends on the expected amount of water, but in the vast majority of cases, a plastic or metal barrel of one hundred liters is enough.
2. Dig a hole of the appropriate size in the corner of the room, install several metal bars or corners in diameter at the bottom. Capacity will be based on them.
3. Turn the barrel upside down and gently lower it into the hole. Fill the gaps between the container with sand or earth.
4. Make holes in it and attach drain pipes to them.

Step 4 Nail slats or pieces of boards for the crate (subfloor) to the bottom of the log. Insulation plates will be laid on them. It is needed in order to increase the comfort of staying in the steam room for young children. Wooden slats should also be impregnated with any solution from decay.

Step 5 It is recommended to prepare the floor boards in advance in length. If there are problems with the dimensions of the bath (the angles are not equal to 90 °), then the length of each board will have to be adjusted separately. To facilitate further installation, fitted boards should be numbered.

Practical advice. It is more profitable to prepare the boards before installing the insulation layer: it is dangerous to move along it, it creates significant restrictions on movements.

Do not forget that the end of each board must fit snugly into the groove of the drain tray. Work on fitting the floor will have to be done manually, carefully use carpentry tools. Never violate safety regulations. Professional builders say that tools should not be feared, otherwise it will be difficult to work. But they must be respected, the only way to prevent injury.

Step 6 Install insulation in niches. For a steam room, a thickness of five centimeters is enough. It may seem to inexperienced developers that this is not enough, because everything building codes and the rules recommend a thickness of the insulation layer of at least ten centimeters. In regions with a cold climate, this parameter increases to 25 cm. The recommendations are correct, but only for residential premises, those in which people are constantly. The stay in the steam room is short. During this time, a layer of insulation 5 cm will not have time to warm up to its full thickness, there will be no loss of active thermal energy. And after everyone has accepted water procedures, heat loss does not matter.

The gaps between the insulation and wooden structures must be carefully foamed. It is recommended to use ordinary mounting foam, it is inexpensive, and the positive effect of the application is significant. If there is no practice of foaming, then it is better to learn a little, and then get to work.

Practical advice. If the amount of material is calculated correctly, then the protruding foam does not interfere with fixing the floor boards in the steam room. Cut off the excess should only be in exceptional cases. The fact is that during solidification, the pores close, water does not get inside the foam. And after cutting off the excess, air pores open, moisture calmly penetrates into the thickness of the foam. Negative consequences this situation is well known to all.

Step 7 Start laying boards on the floor, pay attention to the previously made numbering. If the boards are dry and even, then no problems arise. If they are warped due to high humidity or improper storage, then each will have to be pulled together. This is not very difficult to do, but you will need to buy a ready-made tightening device or make it yourself.

Each board is fixed at the edges with two hardware. You can use self-tapping screws (long and expensive) or ordinary nails. The length of the nails is selected depending on the thickness of the boards. But there is one mandatory requirement: the depth of nailing in the log must be at least two board thicknesses. Otherwise, there are high risks of loosening pilaf in the steam room. For example, if the thickness of the boards is 25 mm, then the length of the nails should be approximately 70 mm.

Step 8 The gaps between the floor and the walls along the perimeter of the room can also be foamed. This will be additional sealing.

Step 9 Nail the plinth. If your elements are made of plastic, then you do not need to cut off the protruding foam, we have already told you why. Skirting boards are fixed with small nails or self-tapping screws.

On this, the work on laying the floor in the steam room is completed, you can proceed to the finishing coating of the front surface.

Finish coat

As a topcoat, it is allowed to use a special stable varnish. Before applying the surface should be sanded, dust thoroughly vacuumed. For grinding, it is better to use an electric machine, it not only facilitates the work, but also significantly improves the quality. Never make such a smooth surface with your hands.

Good ones performance Acrylic wear-resistant varnishes have been proven in practice. If the manufacturers are responsible, then the floor will be used for a long time, no periodic repairs due to wear of the finish coating will have to be done.

You can cover with ordinary paint brush, the number of layers is at least two. Moreover, during the coating with the second layer, the brush should move in a perpendicular direction to the first. For steam rooms, it is recommended to do three or four layers of varnish, due to this, the duration of operation increases. Each subsequent one is applied only after the previous one has completely dried, there is no need to try to reduce the number of layers by increasing the thickness of each. Such a gross violation of coating technology has extremely negative consequences.

At the end of the work, it is recommended to ventilate the steam room for several days, during which time unpleasant odors and harmful substances will be completely removed. chemical compounds. After the first warm-up, the ventilation must also be repeated, and only then is it allowed to enter the steam room.

Prices for floor boards

floor boards

Video - Wooden solid floor in the steam room

Video - Draining water from a bath on screw piles