Bath insulation: advice from masters and recommendations from professionals. Bath insulation from the inside: cheap and safe Working with a wooden base

07.05.2020

A well-planned set of works on warming the bath is able to protect you, as the owners of this "healthy" building, from problems that may appear both immediately after the start of the operation of the bath, and for several years. Insulation for a bath should be selected taking into account the climatic zone, the material of the walls, the available budget, and, most importantly, it should not pose a threat to the health of those who like to take a steam bath in the bath.

Functionally, thermal insulation works on the principle of a thermos: it retains the heat received from the stove inside the room, creating the necessary “atmosphere” for hygienic bath procedures, saving energy (fuel) on heating and maintaining the required temperature, preserving the building structure itself from premature destruction under the influence moisture and high temperature.

Materials for building a bath

When building a bath in the private sector or on a suburban area, any of the currently available building materials can be used. Foam concrete blocks, brick, wooden beam, round timber (rounded log), frame structures "in the company" with creative thinking designers-architects allow you to create a variety of options for planning bath rooms and their design.

At the present time, it has become fashionable (with the solvency of the owner, of course) to build entire bath complexes in their suburban areas. In them, in addition to the traditional three departments: a steam room, a washing room and a rest room, a shower room, a billiard room, a sauna, a second floor with a bedroom and a billiard room, etc.

Therefore, the process of warming each individual bath will also be individual. The insulation scheme will be focused on the specific features of the operation of a particular bath room, on the material of the walls, on the number of storeys of the building, on its area, on the functionality of the second floor, etc.

What should be the thermal insulation of the bath?

The bath works in special "harmful" conditions for building materials: high humidity, high temperature. This justifies the list of requirements for the thermal insulation of the bath, the properties of the insulation for the bath, the features of its installation. So, the heater for the bath should:

Thermal insulation of the entire bath with one insulating material is practically impossible. You will have to use a suitable insulation for the ceiling of the bath, the best insulation for the walls of the bath from the inside, a heater for the roof of the bath. It is also necessary to choose a floor insulation for a bath - suddenly you will have a desire to supply your bath with a "warm" floor.

High-quality insulation involves the integrated use of various heat and waterproofing materials in combination with various technologies for their use. Some materials are not compatible with each other - this fact also needs to be paid attention to.

To warm the bath are used ...

For the thermal insulation of the bath, as already mentioned, a wide variety of materials in various states of aggregation are used. Granular materials (amorphous fillings), fiber materials, extrusion agents, liquid insulation, which hardens on contact with air and forms a light polymer coating, kraft paper and polyethylene film.

Metallized heaters for a bath (aluminum foil) tend to reflect heat radiation, returning it back inside the insulated room. Wooden structural elements can also be protected with a special compound or " folk remedies"- sawdust in a clay mixture.

Attention! Insulating materials such as roofing felt or roofing felt are CONTRAINDICATED for use in a bath, as at high temperatures they release substances harmful to human health.

All used thermal insulation materials can be divided according to "origin":

natural heaters;
artificial origin;
mineral origin;
organic heaters.

Natural heaters

Since ancient times, baths in Russia have been insulated with hemp hemp, linen tow, moss, and woolen felt. These materials did not “clog” the bath room hermetically due to the excellent natural air exchange through them. For this quality, such natural heat-insulating substances are “respected” even now. For example, red moss is used for caulking interventional compounds - it not only does not rot, but also “carries” bactericidal substances that are also present in cuckoo flax and sphagnum moss, which are now added to linen tow.

On the opposite side of the scale from "natural" are some of the disadvantages of these substances: significant cost, "prolonged" insulation work, as well as the possibility of damage by birds, mice or moths.

There is an option for processing such substances with chemicals, but the “environmental friendliness” characteristic in this case sounds rather doubtful!

An excellent option for natural insulation for a bath can be flax jute products - flax jute cloth. This is an elastic, dense material with an affordable price "characteristic". The combination of fragile jute with elastic fibers of flax made it possible to obtain an affordable effective natural insulation for wooden walls baths, which can be used both for internal insulation of wooden walls, and for external.

"Organic" insulation

Organic raw materials for such heat-insulating materials are: waste from the woodworking industry, peat, reeds. They are used to make chipboard, fibreboard, as well as peat and reed boards. These plates are "contraindicated" to be very often in the area of elevated temperatures. Therefore, such materials cannot be used in a steam room - they can be used to insulate a rest room in a bathhouse or a locker room.

Mineral thermal insulation wool. Briefly about such materials, we can say - a practical and cheap insulation for a bath. And these are the qualities that have determined the leading position of these materials in the market of “thermal insulation of premises”. Mineral wools are different in composition depending on the raw materials: basalt, diabasalt, dolomite, slag, etc.

They can be used in virtually any building structure, and can also be "quietly" used as a heater for baths and saunas.

Advantages:

high rates of thermal insulation characteristics;
This non-combustible insulation for a bath, "extinguisher" of fire;
long service life;
elasticity, that is, the absence of significant deformation during installation and during operation;
ability to repel water.

For convenience and acceleration of installation, such insulation materials are supplied in the form of ready-made slabs-mats. Another advantage of mineral thermal insulation materials is their "inedibility" for rodents. One gets the impression that such heat insulators - the best insulation for a bath. But let's dig deeper...

If this can be called a disadvantage, then due to the significant specific gravity, basalt insulation for a bath or stone, for example, is often used to insulate the floor, while keeping in mind the need for high-quality waterproofing.

According to its operational and technical characteristics, mineral insulation is close to glass wool. Although the latter has more flexibility, which in some cases is convenient during installation.

Polymers in the "bath insulation" family

Thermal insulation materials of synthetic origin have a serious resistance to both moisture and high temperatures, and at the same time they have a low specific gravity, they are easy to install. Today, the following types of insulating "synthetics" are available:

foams;
foam plastics;
cellular heaters.

All of them are united, as already mentioned, by low specific gravity, "longevity", ease of processing and installation. Recently, antiprenes have been added to these polymers, which turns such heat insulators into non-combustible substances that can “extinguish an accidental spark, even become a fire barrier in the path of a flame. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor exterior finish baths.

Attention! It is IMPOSSIBLE to use foam plastic for the interior decoration of the bath, since at high temperatures it is able to release phenol, which is harmful to human health! Carefully study the documentation for thermal insulation, in particular for the possibility of using it in high-temperature rooms.

Bath insulation sequence

Having decided which insulation is better for a bath, we will deal with next steps. The process of thermal insulation of the bath can be simply divided:

Work on internal insulation baths;
External insulation work.

Now in order:

1. We heat-insulate the floor and foundation using one or a combination of several heaters: expanded clay, slag or stone wool, polystyrene foam or other synthetic mats.

Today, before starting the construction of a bath complex, each owner must ask himself how to insulate the bath from the inside. The construction market offers dozens of options. The main thing is not to get confused and choose such a heater for the bath so that it meets the building requirements.

Principles for choosing a heater

When buying material, you should pay attention to the most important features of an effective product:

environmental friendliness;
maximum degree of moisture resistance;
resistance to harmful microorganisms;
the ability not to deform during long-term operation;
thermal conductivity index: the higher it is, the better;
compatibility with building materials;
minimum value of moisture absorption;
conformity fire safety requirements, the norms of the sanitary and epidemiological station;
ability not to accumulate condensate;
ease of installation.

Varieties of insulation materials

Before you run around the shops and grab anything, you should understand the range of materials offered.

Bath heaters are organic and inorganic.

organic materials

This includes a group of heaters that are made from natural raw materials:

sheep wool or felt;
jute;
tow;
heat-insulating materials from peat, reeds and wood shavings.

The main advantage of natural materials is environmental friendliness.

But warming the bath from the inside with their help has a number of disadvantages:

Natural thermal insulation in the interior decoration of the sauna is a laborious and time-consuming process.
Natural heaters are short-lived, require regular updating.
Linen, moss, felt, tow - a favorable environment for the life and reproduction of insects, rodents and other harmful microorganisms.
They are suitable for dressing rooms, rest rooms, but are not suitable for thermal insulation inside hot rooms, even after additional treatment with fire retardants.
Buying natural materials significantly "hit the wallet."

Inorganic or synthetic materials

There is no need to talk about absolute environmental friendliness here. Unlike natural ones, they will last for decades and provide better thermal insulation. Synthetic insulation for a bath is easy to install and resistant to high humidity and hot air.

Inorganic thermal insulation materials are divided into several types:

1.Polymer insulation

The group of these materials is foam plastic, foam plastic, honeycomb plastic insulation.

Styrofoam is easy to use to insulate the sauna ceiling. It does not absorb moisture, practical and easy to handle.

Foam glass, which embodies the best properties of foam plastic and stone wool, has become a novelty in the construction industry. The material lends itself to carving with a knife and is perfectly attached to the surface.

Despite the advantages, foam is not recommended for insulating the ceiling inside the sauna. On the one hand, it is considered a fire hazard. On the other hand, with an increase in air temperature, the foam deforms and releases bad smell, vapors of a toxic substance - phenol.

If you still decide to use foam, then it is better to insulate the walls of the dressing room with it from the outside.

2.Basalt insulation for a bath

Made from mountain parody, the material is used in last years demand. It has a number of advantages:

Not subject to combustion;
Resistant to humid air;
Does not deform under the influence of temperatures;
Excellent sound and heat insulation;
Service life up to 30 years;
It does not cause difficulties in the process of installation of the finish.

As for the shortcomings, with the exception of the cost of the material, there are none.

3.Mineral wool

The main difference between the production technology of mineral wool and the production of insulation from basalt fibers is the use of inexpensive industrial waste.

This has a positive effect on the price of the material, but negatively on the mechanical strength of the insulation. Therefore, during the installation process, be extremely careful.

Along with the disadvantages, mineral wool not without benefits:

Reliable thermal insulation;
Not afraid of moisture;
High degree of sound insulation.

4.Glass wool

Warming a glass wool bath will cost no more than its counterparts. And according to certain criteria, it is not inferior to other materials: it keeps heat well and is easy to install.

A significant disadvantage of glass wool is the instability to hot air.

5. Foil insulation

To insulate the ceiling of the sauna, it is recommended to use materials that reflect light. Mirror heaters have become widespread. Due to the special aluminum coating, they reflect and do not let heat through the ceiling. Foil insulation for a bath is recommended to be used in combination with classic materials.

Sauna insulation

Having decided on the choice of one or two heat-insulating materials, proceed directly to work. Warming the bath from the inside with your own hands is a difficult process that requires skills in the field of construction. If you are confident in your abilities, then go for it. Otherwise, it is better to resort to the help of Marisrub specialists.

It should be noted that the process of thermal insulation of a wooden or brick sauna is almost the same. Therefore, it is not worth focusing on an insignificant difference.

Before you start insulating the walls, ceiling and floor, it will be right to take care of the vapor barrier. Even if you have chosen a moisture-resistant insulation, during operation, condensate will gradually begin to penetrate the inner layers of the heat-insulating material and have destructive effects.

To isolate the insulation from moisture, aluminum foil is used. The solidity of the vapor barrier is achieved by metallized adhesive tape, which is used to glue the joints of foil sheets.

We warm the floors

It is correct to start warming the sauna not from the ceiling or walls, but from the floor. In the bath, it is continuous or leaking. Given that the designs differ from each other, the insulation of each type occurs in different ways.

It is better to use mineral wool. It is laid on a draft floor of boards and covered with a layer of waterproofing. Final stage- filling the floor.

When installing leaking floors, they dig a pit 50 cm deep and fill it with 5 cm of sand. After careful tamping, a 20-cm layer of insulation is laid - foam, which is poured cement mortar with styrofoam chips.

After drying, the concrete is covered with a layer of waterproofing, while not forgetting about the walls.

Then again they are poured with cement with vermiculite, a reinforcing mesh is spread and covered with a layer of concrete with fine gravel. On the this stage work make a slope in the direction where the water flow will be.

The work is completed by laying the finishing floor on the posts.

We insulate the walls

Warming the walls of the bath from the inside occurs in stages:

1.Using wooden slats or timber, we apply a crate to the surface of the walls. The gap between the rails must be made smaller than the width of the heat-insulating material.

This is done in order for the insulation to fill the resulting spaces and prevent the formation of bridges for cold air. As a heater, it is recommended to use mineral wool or basalt fiber slabs.

2. After laying the heat insulator, cover it with any vapor barrier with foil. In this case, the reflective side of the aluminum surface is located inside the sauna.

The vapor barrier is placed between the rails, and fixed to them.

Thermal insulation of the walls of the steam room is ready! By the same principle, other rooms of the sauna are insulated. Instead of foil for vapor barrier, thick kraft paper for wrapping is suitable.

When insulating buildings made of bricks or blocks, it is advised to increase the thickness of the basalt insulation so as not to lose heat.

We insulate the ceiling

Thermal insulation of the ceiling occurs by analogy with the principle of wall insulation.

According to the laws of physics, the closer to the ceiling, the hotter the air will be. Therefore, fire-resistant insulation is chosen for the ceiling. Mineral wool is perfect.

If there is an attic in the bath, then a layer of vapor barrier is made above the insulation - an aluminum film.

Insulation is placed under, above or between the rafters. If you are looking for an easy way, then lay the insulation in a continuous layer between the rafters.

Finally, cover the heat-insulating material with a layer of waterproofing. At the same time, do not forget about the air gap with a size of 20 mm. This is done taking into account the increase in insulation by a third of the width under the influence of moist air.

In the absence of an attic in the bath, expanded clay is often used as a heater for the ceiling. A layer of heat insulator of 25 cm is poured onto a layer of vapor barrier.

The construction market offers heat-insulating panels for warming the bath room. The main advantage of the material is the possibility of refusing waterproofing, minus - they require a reliable vapor barrier layer.

Properly performed interior decoration baths guarantee not only a pleasant stay in the company of friends, but also safety. Therefore, approach the choice of building materials and perform work with maximum responsibility.

One of the most important stages in the construction of a bath is the warming of a steam room, since only a stable temperature regime in this room will achieve excellent performance, as well as a comfortable and beneficial microclimate. Further in the article we will talk about this procedure.

The danger of improper insulation of the steam room

Any errors in the performance of insulation work can lead to a low quality of accepted bathing procedures and a deterioration in the overall performance of the room. Intense leakage of steam and thermal energy can lead to deformation finishing materials, to the formation of fungi and mold on them, etc.

In this regard, it is possible to form a set of rules that should be followed when warming the steam bath compartment:

thermal insulation must be of high quality in everything: correct installation, reliability of materials, etc.;
the tightness of the floors is very important, since the effectiveness of the procedures depends on the degree of steam conservation in the room;
in no case should you save on the purchase of thermal insulation materials, since this can lead to their rapid deformation and deterioration of the general visual condition of the steam room in the photo or during visual inspection.

Optimal building materials for steam room insulation

If a we are talking about how to insulate the steam room from the inside, it is immediately worth pointing out the main qualities that the selected materials should have:

environmental cleanliness without the release of any harmful human body substances;
high degree of fire safety required for a room where extreme temperatures are reached;
moisture resistance, which allows you not to be afraid that the material will get wet and become unusable after the first bath procedures.

Most of all, all the declared requirements correspond to materials based on basalt. We are talking about stone and mineral wool. The vapor barrier layer in the ceilings can be created from aluminum foil.

It is possible to start laying steam and waterproofing materials, as well as the steam room insulation itself, only after all the wooden floor elements have been treated with antiseptic agents. It is always worth remembering that floors contain more than one layer of material and thermal insulation is not the crown of the whole structure. In fact, the walls and floor are sandwiches, in which each layer is responsible for certain functions.

Proper drafting of the bath project is the key to success

In addition to carrying out the warming of the steam room in wooden bath, it is necessary to create a competent project of the entire structure.

When developing a project, the following parameters should be taken as a basis:

To begin with, it is worth deciding on the size of the bath. For this, the maximum capacity of visitors and the number of rooms that are planned to be equipped inside the building are taken into account.
The project itself is created with an emphasis on taking into account all possible losses thermal energy and their minimization. For example, the dressing room is located at the exit from the bathhouse in order to minimize the access of cold air masses to the main part of the building where the steam room is located.
Between the washing room and the steam room, a vestibule should be equipped, which will not allow steam to leak into a room with a lower temperature.
The door in the steam room should not be large, but its joint with the floor should be raised with a special threshold, which does not allow cold air to enter the room.
The greatest convenience of the steam room is achieved when the room has the shape of a square. One of its corners is reserved for installation heating furnace. It is desirable that this be the corner closest to the front door.

Also, do not forget that when designing it is necessary to determine the materials used. If we are talking about how to insulate a steam room in a bath, then artificial or natural materials can be used.

Natural materials are the following types:

tow - used to seal cracks that are formed during the creation log cabin or buildings from wooden beams;
sphagnum - is laid between the crowns;
construction moss is a standard wall insulation.

If the warming of the steam room in the bath is made with artificial materials, then we are talking about the following varieties:

extruded polystyrene foam;
mats made of stone or mineral wool.

Each of these materials has a long service life, a high level of mechanical stability, moisture resistance, etc.

The importance of insulating ceilings in the steam room

The ceiling has a greater amount of insulation material compared to wall ceilings. The reason for this is the convection of air: when heated, it rises to the ceiling, and cold air descends in its place. The same thing happens with water vapor. In this regard, heat-insulating materials are laid in ceiling ceilings in two layers, which will reduce the level of heat loss.

Ceiling thermal insulation of the steam room of the bath is carried out in stages:

The rough surface of the ceiling is covered with paper in rolls. The sheets are overlapped with each other with a sufficient spade. Sheets are fixed with wood blocks measuring 5x5 centimeters.
Empty spaces between the bars are laid with heat-insulating material.
Then all segments of the ceiling are covered with aluminum foil, which is fixed with adhesive tape. It is important to avoid the formation of gaps and cracks in this layer. It is the foil surface that maximizes the safety of water vapor in the steam room and prevents condensation from forming. In the absence of aluminum foil, the ceiling of the bath steam room can be insulated with paper or cardboard impregnated with special compounds. It is worth finding out in advance how to insulate the ceiling in the bath is best in your case.
From above, the coating is once again lined with bars measuring 2x3 centimeters. This improves the ventilation of the ceiling.
On top of these bars, the selected facing material is mounted.

Features of steam room wall insulation

After the ceiling has been insulated in the steam room, you can begin to process the walls. The rough surface must be specially prepared for this procedure. Any joints, cracks and other cavities must be plastered or sealed with sealant.

First, aluminum foil is fixed with wooden blocks 4x4 centimeters in size, placed horizontally.
Thermal insulation material is laid between the bars.
Then the foil is finally fixed with a construction stapler. It is important to stretch the material, but not to allow the formation of gaps, cracks or tears in the foil.
All joints of the structure are glued with a special aluminum tape.
On top of the tape, bars are longitudinally attached for laying the selected facing material.
The work is completed by laying the finish coat.

When finishing, materials of low density should be used, since the insulation of the steam room in the bath requires the main thing from all structural elements - to keep the heat in the room. It is best to pay attention to materials from pine, linden or aspen wood with a small thickness of the planks. They not only reliably protect the steam room from heat loss, but will also look aesthetically pleasing in the photo and during visual inspection.

The installation of the material should be carried out in a horizontal way in order to reduce the total load distributed over the main structural elements. Penofol, which is gaining its popularity in the construction market, should be chosen as a warming material.

How to insulate a concrete floor in a steam room

In the end, you should move on to warming the floors in the steam room. In addition to thermal insulation, you should also take care of waterproofing floors. There are two types of materials mounting algorithm. AT this paragraph we will talk about floor insulation in a steam room with a concrete base.

The following algorithm for heat and waterproofing is simplified, as it is used when laying under a tile.

Work is carried out as follows:

The base is leveled to a perfectly flat state.
Apply over it bituminous mastic and wait for it to dry completely.
Then roofing material and a polymer film are laid.
Top Mounted tile(read: "").

Better construction for concrete floor insulation:

A plywood sheet is mounted on a draft base.
A waterproofing layer is laid on it with a spade on the walls.
All joints are glued with aluminum tape.
The gaps are sealed and insulated with a building hair dryer.
A reinforcing mesh is laid on the layer and poured with a layer of concrete mortar.
After the screed hardens, you can begin laying the tiles.

When pouring concrete screed it is important to take into account the age of the wood used to create the chopped bath. It is important to use material from the age of 2 years. Otherwise, the structure will shrink, which will cause deformation or destruction of the foundation.

Working with a wooden base

Work is carried out as follows:

Mineral wool is laid under the logs.
A rolled roofing material is laid on it.
All wooden elements in the floor structure are treated with special antiseptic agents.
A subfloor is laid on the roofing material.
The work is completed by finishing the surface with a finishing floor covering.

After the insulation for the steam room is embedded in the floor from the inside, the “pie” of the floor looks like this:

foundation;
wooden beams;
vapor barrier material;
lining and heat-insulating material;
floor board.

Also, in the process of laying floors, care must be taken to create a high threshold under front door. This is the most important functional measure aimed at protecting the steam room from cold air masses entering it. Naturally, the complete preservation of water vapor indoors can be ensured only when door leaf fits as tightly as possible to the frame and sill.

We must not forget that a separate area in the room should be allocated for the installation of the furnace and the subsequent chimney outlet. A separate foundation base is mounted under the furnace with a height greater than that of the main foundation.

When equipping the walls and ceiling, it must be taken into account that a chimney will exit through one of the ceilings, for which a square hole will have to be cut out and a frame equipped in it. Regulations require that the chimney from the stove be placed at least 20 centimeters from any wooden elements in the structure of the bath. This hole is closed with a stainless steel sheet.

Outcome

The article describes in detail the procedure for insulating walls, floors and ceilings in the steam bath compartments. It is important to take into account all the recommendations and advice given in the article, as well as pay special attention to the standards for conducting construction works, since installation errors can lead to an unfavorable outcome.

Also, the work can be entrusted to specialists who will take responsibility for all stages - from procurement necessary materials before installation and commissioning of the bath.

A bath is a room that serves not only for hygiene, but also for strengthening human health, cleansing the body of toxins, and strengthening immunity. The bath involves the creation in its internal space of an atmosphere with high temperature and humidity, like a thermos. Naturally, any loss of heat and steam is unacceptable here, otherwise positive effect from bathing procedures can not be achieved. Therefore, for the owners and builders of baths, the first task is to insulate the walls of the bath from the inside, which contributes to the fullest use of the benefits of this wonderful type of recreation and recovery.

During the construction of a bath, first of all, there is a question about the environmental friendliness of all materials used - from supporting structures to decoration and interior equipment. Many try to initially use only natural materials in the construction. So, log cabin baths are, of course, the most popular today, although the most expensive. But often the owners prefer to build baths from cinder blocks, trying to use natural materials to a greater extent when processing the inner surface of the walls.

natural materials

Most often, for the thermal insulation of the bath, the owners use such natural materials as construction moss, felt, flax tow or hemp hemp. All these tools are excellent for fumigation of cracks in log cabins, as well as in baths made of other materials. These are environmentally friendly heaters, used for both internal and external thermal insulation.

Building moss based on plant components, such as cuckoo flax or sphagnum, is considered especially valuable because of its bactericidal properties. During the operation of the bath, moss gives a pleasant aroma, contributing to the most complete relaxation during the procedure. However, as a heater, moss has several disadvantages:

Moss, like other natural materials, is easily damaged by insects, rodents and birds;
It dries quickly, especially if the bath is not used for a long time;
Moss is prone to decay, the formation of mold and fungal plaque, and this contributes to the destruction of the entire structure of the bath;
thermal insulation process natural materials quite labor intensive.

Some owners may recommend the impregnation of vegetable insulation with chemicals, but this leads to the loss of all the valuable qualities of the natural material. Chemical impregnations themselves, when used in a hot and humid atmosphere, can harm human health with their fumes. To date, universal materials that contribute to best insulation bath walls from the inside, jute and linen fibers are considered.

Benefits of jute and linen

The thermal insulation of the bath from the inside can be done with jute felt, flax or flax-jute fibrous material. The advantages of all these insulating means are:

Excellent thermal insulation qualities due to the low thermal conductivity of materials;
Ease of laying and caulking;
Resistant to rot, mold, fungus, insect, bird and rodent damage;
Environmental friendliness - materials, although they have a factory-made type, but basically contain exclusively natural components of plant and animal origin without any chemical impurities;
High resistance to temperature and humidity changes, as well as to drying out;
Strength and durability.

Most often, mixtures of jute and linen fibers are used to insulate the walls of a bath structure, which can be purchased in the form of rolls of fibrous material of various thicknesses and widths.

Warming with other materials

In addition to flax and jute, when insulating a bath, ordinary heat insulators are often used, such as expanded polystyrene, polyurethane foam, mineral wool and dry bulk insulation - expanded clay, brick chips mixed with sawdust, etc. In addition, for the thermal insulation of the walls of the bath, fibreboard and chipboard are actively used.

Particular attention should be paid to the vapor barrier of the walls of the bath. The materials for the vapor barrier layer complement the overall heat-saving function of the walls, but at the same time protect them from rotting and mold formation, since high humidity inside the room can quickly destroy not only the insulation itself, but the entire building.

Vapor barriers

As a vapor barrier for a bath, you need tools that can withstand temperature extremes. Such materials include polyethylene film, glassine, aluminum foil and others. The vapor barrier layer must, first of all, be environmentally friendly, since in a warm and humid environment it will inevitably undergo evaporation, and then harmful substances can penetrate from its surface into the air of a bath or steam room if the owner did not right choice.

by the most best material aluminum foil is considered for moisture insulation. It withstands high temperatures up to 150 degrees, is absolutely harmless, resistant to decay, mold and is very durable. Often, heat-insulating materials are used to insulate the walls of the bath, which already have a layer of aluminum foil on one of the surfaces intended for the interior space. For example, prefabricated styrofoam or fiberboard often has a foil surface on one side.

In addition, seams and joints between insulation should also be sealed using foil tape, which often has a double-sided adhesive surface. Thus, the walls of the bath are covered from the inside with a continuous layer of heat and moisture insulation, which helps to create the appropriate atmosphere for wellness procedures to the maximum extent.

In addition to the foil vapor barrier, kraft paper is also successfully used. It is good to use for a steam room, as it creates an excellent sealing of the room and at the same time insulates it in addition to other heat-insulating means.

Usually, a special frame made of wood material, the so-called crate, is superimposed on top of the insulation inside the bath. It is necessary for further finishing the walls of the bath, because it is to the crate that finishing finishing products are fixed - panels, plates, interior fittings, shelves and others.

Ventilation gaps

When insulating the walls of a bath building, many owners create a system of ventilation gaps - special spaces located between the insulating material and outer wall. These are very narrow slots necessary to remove excess steam and air from interior. Moreover, such ventilation does not affect the microclimate of the bath from the inside, since excessive moisture goes into the ventilation gaps very slowly, gradually, through microscopic pores in the heat-insulating layer of the walls.

Even at minimum speed and invisibility to the internal atmosphere of the bath, ventilation largely protects the entire building from premature destruction due to increased dampness, rotting and mold formation. Narrow air gaps can be left in the thickness of the walls, foundation and ceiling, and can be equipped with special outlet pipes.

Thus, using all these nuances - the right choice of insulating materials, the use of suitable vapor barriers, the creation of a multilayer insulation structure, leaving ventilation spaces - you can create an excellent source for rest, recovery and relaxation - a Russian bath.

Most types of baths need to be insulated from the inside. This will lead to fuel savings and more efficient and faster heating of the steam room.

Warming from the inside is an inevitable event for most types of baths. It allows you to spend less fuel, faster and better to warm up the steam room. Properly made insulation protects the walls of the bath from fungus, decay, prolongs its service life. In this article, we will select inexpensive and safe types of thermal insulation, depending on the material of the walls of the bath, and consider how to install them correctly.

We warm the bath

Bath heaters
Floor insulation in the bath
Summarizing

Bath insulation from the inside: materials

Baths are presented to different rooms different requirements, we will focus on the steam room and washing room, the features of which are high temperature and high humidity. Also, the insulation is selected depending on the material of the walls of the bath.

But, regardless of the material of the walls and the purpose of the room, the insulation should be:

Non-toxic, so as not to cause poisoning under the influence of high temperature;
Non-hygroscopic, so as not to absorb moisture;
Resistant to high temperatures and steam;
non-combustible;
Retaining shape even after several years of extreme use;
Resistant to fungus and mold;
Selling at a reasonable price.

Bath heaters

insulation	What room is used	Note
Natural materials: rolled jute, felt, reed and sawdust insulation, moss, tow, etc.	Dressing room, rest room.	Natural materials ignite at high temperatures, therefore they are not suitable for steam and washing rooms. But materials from jute and flax are the best interventional heaters for a chopped bath. There are excellent modern roll insulation from natural materials, but they are very expensive, so they are practically not used for warming the bath.
Mineral heaters.	They can insulate any room in the bath. Most often, plate heaters (mats) that are easy to install are used.	Do not rot, serve up to 30 years, fire resistant, inexpensive. It is with such materials that most Russian baths are insulated.
Polymer materials	Masters are not recommended for warming the steam room.	Styrofoam is a wonderful heat insulator, but combustible, and at high temperatures it releases substances harmful to humans. You can not use foam in the steam room. Extruded polystyrene foam or penoplex is considered a safe material (the bath of Russian polar explorers in Antarctica is insulated with it). But masters do not recommend using this material in the steam room either.
Aluminum foil insulation.	It is used in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations for a particular room.	The principle of operation of such heaters is the effect of a thermos, the reflection of heat from the walls and ceiling due to the foil. Some types of foil insulation are made specifically for steam rooms and other rooms with high temperatures, while others begin to release harmful substances when the temperature rises. Foil in the bath is used as a vapor barrier.

Warming the ceiling of the bath from the inside

The bath is insulated from the inside in this order: ceiling - walls - floor. The main part of the heat in the bath goes through the ceiling, so

The thickness of the ceiling insulation is twice the thickness of the wall insulation and is at least 10 cm.

Regardless of the material of the walls of the bath, the ceiling is insulated in the same way.

In the insulation of the ceiling, foil is used necessarily.

Insulation of the frame bath from the inside

For warming frame bath most often used rolled mineral insulation.

The thickness of the insulation depends on the type of operation of the bath: if it is supposed to heat it only in summer, a layer of 5 cm is enough; if you plan to heat the bath all year round, the insulation layer should be 10-15 cm (depending on the climate zone).
To insulate the walls of the frame bath from the inside:

A heater is laid in the interbeam space of the structure;
The next layer is a vapor barrier (foil);
ventilation gap;
Sheathing.

The foil acts as a vapor barrier, so it is important that even the slightest holes and damages are absent in it, and all joints are well glued with high-quality tape. The tape is always sold with foil, and its quality must be checked in the store (glue the tape to the foil and try to tear it off).

Do-it-yourself warming of the bath from the inside: log house

Insulating a chopped and well-caulked bath from the inside will be a tragic mistake. This is not only pointless and destructive for the walls, it contradicts the very idea of a chopped bath.

Log cabins for a bath are made for two reasons:

To get a classic Russian steam bath, which is heated for a long time and keeps the required level of heat and humidity for a long time. It is the tree that accumulates heat and moisture and gradually “gives it away”. In this case, the bath cannot be sheathed from the inside; you will also have to put up with a large consumption of firewood.
For an image. Not a single bath looks as cool as a chopped one. But often you don’t want to waste time and firewood, you want the bathhouse to be heated in an hour, so insulation, vapor barrier and clapboard lining are done. The frame works only as an external frame, the meaning of the material is lost. In this case, it is cheaper and more correct to build a frame bath.

It happens that a person gets a ready-made bathhouse from a log house, and different reasons she can be cold. Such a bath can be insulated, but only from the outside.

The pie looks like this:

insulation;
wind protection;
vertical crate to create a ventilation gap;
outer cladding.

And from the inside, you can put foil and sheathe it with clapboard, not forgetting about the ventilation gap.

In a chopped bath, only the floor and ceiling are insulated!

If the ceiling of the chopped bath is made of thick boards, it is not necessary to use a heater, but then they pour on the ceiling in a cold attic:

ash;
sand;
expanded clay (it is preferable that the granules are of different sizes);
clay coating.

Insulation from the inside of a brick bath

Brick is not the best suitable material for the construction of a bath, but if there is a brick factory somewhere nearby, then brick baths begin to grow like mushrooms. Due to the high thermal conductivity of the brick, such a bath needs to be insulated without fail. Warming is carried out only from the inside, and to make the bath look cool from the outside, they make decorative stitching.

Usually insulated wall cake brick bath looks like that:

brickwork;
waterproofing,
insulation;
vapor barrier;
sheathing.

Waterproofing between brickwork and insulation is optional: if the walls are built correctly and waterproofed from the foundation, they will not dampen. If there is no confidence in the walls, then it is better to do waterproofing.

Insulation on brick walls bath is attached to the frame.

Insulation of a bath from blocks from the inside

For the construction of a bath, durable and moisture-resistant expanded clay concrete blocks are preferred. Warming of such a bath is thought out even at the stage of its construction. The most important thing here is to remove the ice mass of concrete from the heating circuit. There is a technology promoted by our user ZYBY, which allows us to solve this problem by building a frame-wall from boards indented from the walls of the bath. It is suitable for warming all baths with stone walls.

In order to ventilate and dry the space between the frame and the walls, in the walls of the bath, at the top and bottom of the outside, several vents are made. The products are closed for the time while people are steaming in the bath, the rest of the time they are open for drying.

Insulation cake for the steam room and washing room using this technology:

concrete wall with air;
insulation on the frame-wall (with an indent from concrete wall);
frame-wall;
foil;
finishing with the 50th unedged board (aspen, linden or cedar) to get solid wood in a steam room.

With this approach, you do not have to heat the ice walls. And the insulation will dry out between soarings.

But many owners of a block bath insulate it from the inside traditionally:

concrete wall;
insulation (attached to the frame);
foil;
ventilation gap;
lining.

Such a bath needs insulation from the outside.

Floor insulation in the bath

Precious bath heat also leaves through the floor, so it also needs to be insulated. For floor insulation in the bath, it is recommended to use expanded clay, as the lightest and most environmentally friendly material.

Expanded clay is poured between the layers of the concrete floor as follows:

pour the first layer of concrete;
wait until it is completely frozen;
expanded clay is poured (layer thickness - 10 cm);
install reinforced grating.
pour a layer of concrete;
make a cement-sand screed.

Summarizing

A good bath is a warm bath. And in order for it to warm up well to the desired temperature, it is necessary to choose the right thermal insulation and insulate all structural elements.published

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