External insulation of log baths
Thermal protection of such buildings comes down to eliminating cracks. During the construction process, a special jute insulation is laid between the crowns, but over time the wood begins to dry out, cracks and gaps appear, which have to be repaired regularly.
After completing the construction of the log house and eliminating the shortcomings, the building must remain under the roof for at least six months. During this time, it is advisable not to use the bathhouse. The log house will shrink, the wood will dry out, and new cracks will begin to appear that need to be caulked.
For this purpose, special insulation made of flax and jute is used. Since jute retains heat excellently and does not ignite, but tears easily, flax fibers are added to it, which eliminate this problem. Thin pieces of insulation are driven into the cracks using a metal caulking blade and a hammer. The work is carried out carefully so that the building does not warp.
In addition, when choosing the best way to insulate a bathhouse from the outside, you should pay attention to a special sealant - to fill the cracks you just need to squeeze the mixture from a syringe directly into the voids.
A log house continues to shrink within two years. Experts advise not to cover it with finishing materials during this period, so that there is access to the cracks that arise, which have to be periodically eliminated. To protect the insulation from various precipitations, you should cover the outside of the bathhouse with film, securing it with strips.
Two years after construction, finishing can be done. Buildings made of logs can be sheathed with dies, clapboards, and in addition with a block house, imitation timber. First, the sheathing is installed on the walls. If it is wooden, then it must be treated with impregnations that have antibacterial and fire-resistant properties, and then checked with a building level to ensure that it is horizontal and vertical.
Finishing material is attached to the sheathing, which is then coated with varnish or other protective agent. If metal guides were purchased, they are fixed to special hangers.
A wooden bathhouse is not insulated from the outside, since the logs themselves retain heat well. The building is thermally insulated from the inside - usually a steam room and a washing room. But if you still want to insulate the building from the outside, then a steam or hydrobarrier is placed on the material that is afraid of moisture, secured with strips, on which the finishing is then mounted.
Is external insulation necessary?
Baths come in different types: wooden, frame, built of brick and concrete blocks. And they are used in different ways: some often and throughout the season, others only in the summer, once a week. Before you can cover the outside of a bathhouse cheaply and beautifully (or expensively and solidly), you need to resolve the issue of the need for its external thermal insulation. Then it will be more difficult to do this - you will have to remove and redo the decorative cladding.
When thermal insulation is not required
It is clear that summer baths, even those used daily, do not need insulation. But not all all-season buildings need it.
- Log or timber bathhouse.
They are dressed in a “fur coat” only for commercial use, when it is important to keep warm constantly and spend less money on heating. To insulate private baths, high-quality caulking of the seams is sufficient to prevent heat leakage through the cracks. Wood has very low thermal conductivity, it “holds” the temperature inside the steam room well and does not allow frosty air from the street to penetrate. And if the frequency of fires does not exceed 2-3 times a week, there is no point in external insulation.
In such structures, thermal insulation material is already part of the structure.
- Periodic baths.
If you steam no more than once a week, it makes no sense to insulate the bathhouse from the outside, regardless of the material of the walls. During this time, it will freeze through in any case, unless you maintain a positive temperature in it with heating devices. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about this and think only about how best to line the outside of the bathhouse.
When is it better to insulate a bathhouse?
It is necessary to insulate the walls from the outside if:
- the sauna is heated frequently and it is necessary that it does not get too cold between sessions, especially if there is water left in the tank;
- the number of steamers in a family or company is large, the procedure takes a long time and it is necessary to maintain the desired temperature all this time.
In such cases, external thermal insulation significantly reduces fuel consumption, which ultimately saves money and simplifies the work of the stoker. It is especially needed for buildings built from heat-intensive materials - concrete, stone, brick.
Thermal insulation of baths made of timber
External insulation of bathhouse buildings made of timber is carried out in the same way as in the case of a structure made of logs. The building must also stand, since there are also gaps in it that have to be sealed.
Regarding the question of how to insulate a bathhouse made of timber from the outside, the choice depends on the climatic characteristics of the region and the thickness of the walls. This work is carried out if the thickness of the timber for a given type of climate is not enough to effectively retain heat.
Warming occurs as follows:
- the sheathing is carried out using timber or metal guides, placing the elements in two planes - vertical and horizontal;
- install thermal insulation materials;
- arrange moisture and wind protection;
- they make counter lathing (this is not a mandatory stage of work, but there must be a gap between the protective film and the finishing material);
- perform finishing work.
The outside of the bathhouse is sheathed with clapboard, siding, edged boards, block house, metal profiles and other materials. After finishing, wood trim is necessarily coated with a varnish composition for exterior use; sometimes it is additionally painted before this, although many modern mixtures also have a slight tinting effect.
When siding was used as a finishing material, it becomes mandatory to create a ventilation gap between the sheathing and the insulation. To create the sheathing, it is recommended to use guides, which can be purchased at the same place where the siding is purchased. They are attached to special hangers.
Continuous external thermal insulation depending on the material of the load-bearing walls
How to insulate a bathhouse from the outside if it is not intended to seal the joints, but rather to install a thermal insulating lining? Let's look at the types of load-bearing walls:
Before insulating a bathhouse, it is necessary to correctly calculate the thickness of the insulation layer
- Brickwork or concrete structure. The types are combined into one category because they relate to inertial buildings with high heat capacity and high permissible moisture accumulation.
- Foam concrete and gas blocks. They occupy an intermediate position between log houses and brick baths.
- Log house Requires strict consideration of the relative vapor permeability of each layer of the insulating sandwich.
How to insulate a log sauna from the outside
Almost all insulation of a log bath comes down to carefully sealing the cracks. Even during construction, a special jute insulation was laid between the crowns, but over time the wood dries out, cracks, and new cracks form, which need to be caulked regularly.
Insulation of a log bath
After erecting the frame and caulking the cracks, the building must remain under the roof for at least six months. It is advisable not to use the bathhouse during this time. The log house will shrink, the wood will dry out, and new cracks and gaps will appear. These are the ones that need to be caulked. For this purpose, a special insulation based on jute and flax is used. Jute itself conducts heat poorly and does not burn, but its disadvantage is low elasticity (it tears easily). To solve this problem, flax fibers are added to the insulation for log houses. Thin strips of material are driven into the cracks using a hammer and a special metal caulking blade. This must be done carefully to prevent distortion of the structure.
There is also a special sealant for sealing cracks in wooden buildings. It’s easier to work with: a special syringe fills all available voids.
Insulating a log bath using sealant
A log house shrinks within two years. At this time, it is not recommended to cover it with finishing materials. This way you will have access to newly appearing cracks that need to be periodically sealed from the inside and outside. To protect the insulation from the effects of precipitation, the outside of the building can be covered with film, securing it with strips.
Two years after construction, you can begin finishing. For many this will sound ridiculous, but structures made of logs can be sheathed with a block house, clapboard, imitation timber, or dies. To begin with, a sheathing is mounted on the wall (if it is made of wood, it must be treated with antibacterial impregnations and increases resistance to fire), which is checked for verticality and horizontality using a building level.
Lathing for insulation and finishing
Finishing material is attached to the sheathing, which is then coated with varnish or other protective compounds. If you choose metal guides, they are mounted on special hangers.
Insulation on the outside of a log bath is almost never used, and the inside is only sometimes additionally insulated in the steam room and washing room. If you decide to play it safe and insulate the building, if the insulation is afraid of moisture, a vapor or water barrier is laid on top of it. It is secured using strips, onto which the trim is subsequently attached.
Insulation of a bathhouse made of timber from the outside
The insulation of a bathhouse made of timber from the outside is absolutely no different from the insulation of a bathhouse made of logs. The building must also stand, cracks also appear in it, which are sealed in the same way.
Insulation of a bathhouse made of timber
The need for external insulation depends on the thickness of the timber. If its thickness is insufficient for your climate zone, insulation will need to be done according to the following scheme:
- lathing made of timber or metal guides (be sure to align them in both horizontal and vertical planes);
- heat insulator (thickness depends on the climate zone, wall thickness, and type of thermal insulation);
- moisture and wind protection;
- counter lathing (not necessary, but there should be a gap between the protective film and finishing materials);
- Decoration Materials.
Insulation of a bathhouse from the outside The
outside of a bathhouse is usually sheathed from timber: clapboard of any type, edged board, siding, metal profile, block house, etc. After completion of the work, the wooden finish is coated with varnishes for exterior use, sometimes pre-treated with coloring pigments, but many modern compositions also have a tinting effect, which, of course, is convenient.
If siding is used as a finishing material, then the presence of a ventilation gap between the insulation and the finishing is mandatory. In this case, it is advisable to use special guides as lathing, which can be purchased in the same place where siding is purchased. The guides are mounted on special hangers.
Metal siding guides are mounted on special hangers
Insulation of a brick bathhouse from the outside
It is imperative to insulate a brick bathhouse from the outside - this material has high thermal conductivity, so without external insulation it will be extremely difficult to warm the room to the required conditions. The sequence of insulation is the same: frame, insulation, moisture and wind insulation, ventilation gap, sheathing.
Insulation scheme for a brick bath
For external insulation, it is usually recommended to use mineral wool. According to recent studies, they are not suitable for internal insulation of a bathhouse - they emit formaldehyde, but for external insulation they are one of the best options. You can also insulate a brick bathhouse from the outside with polystyrene foam boards, polystyrene foam (it is cheaper, but polystyrene is more durable), foam glass (its disadvantage is its high price). To ensure high-quality work, it is recommended to lay two layers intercut (offset by half the length) to reduce heat loss by overlapping the seams. But this method takes more time, and it takes twice as much materials for insulation. Therefore, most often, insulation is done in one layer, tightly laying one mat to another, and the joints are taped with reinforced tape.
Interesting: Technology and features of wood impregnation
Fabric reinforced PVC tape
To cover the outside of a brick bathhouse, you can use wooden finishing materials or siding. There is another option for exterior finishing: you can decorate the outside of the bathhouse with plaster. This is possible if polystyrene boards, foam glass or foam plastic were used as insulation. Then a reinforcing mesh is placed on top of this material, a primer is applied, and then the walls are plastered.
Scheme of insulation of a brick bath and finishing with plaster
You can insulate a brick bathhouse using the type of ventilated facade. In this case, special L-shaped brackets are attached to the wall (the installation step is 1 cm less than the width of the insulation), between which mats or insulation boards are tightly installed.
Insulation scheme for a brick bathhouse based on the principle of a ventilated facade
For reliability, they can be reinforced with special dowels, but this is not necessary - the material itself must hold quite firmly (that’s why they make the fastening step of the guides 1 cm less than the width of the insulation - it is held in place by elastic force). The joints of the slabs are glued with reinforced tape, or treated with special glue, a waterproofing film is laid on top, and secured with strips. Now guides are installed on the brackets, which support the insulation and at the same time serve as the basis for installing the exterior trim. Using this scheme, you can also insulate baths made of foam blocks, cinder blocks or aerated concrete.
Finishing the outside of a bathhouse made of blocks
Any of the insulation schemes described above can be applied to block baths. In addition, there is another option: to cover such a bathhouse with decorative bricks, but this option of finishing and insulation is possible if the temperature in the bathhouse is maintained above zero at all times.
Exterior decoration of the bathhouse with decorative bricks
If you decide to line a bathhouse made of blocks with bricks, you can lay out the second wall not closely, but retreating 5-10 centimeters. In this case, the thermal insulation characteristics of the building will be much improved. The gap can be left empty, or it can be filled with thermal insulation material: expanded clay, sawdust that has undergone special treatment, etc.
Insulation scheme for aerated concrete baths
To prevent moisture from accumulating in the space between the walls, small ventilation gaps are left in the outer wall, and to securely fix the finishing wall, small pieces of fastening reinforcement are driven into the load-bearing wall.
Recently, finishing material such as a block house, which emits a log wall, has become increasingly popular. Block houses are made from different materials: PVC (vinyl), metal or wood. A bathhouse made of blocks, lined with a block house, looks as if it is made of wood.
Block bathhouse covered with a block house
Thermal protection of brick baths
The question often arises about how best to insulate a bathhouse from the outside or inside if it is made of brick. Such buildings must be thermally insulated, since this building material has high thermal conductivity, and without external thermal protection it is extremely difficult to warm the premises to the required temperature.
The sequence of arranging insulation remains the same:
- Frame.
- Insulation.
- Wind and moisture insulation.
- Ventilation gap.
- Finishing.
It is recommended to use mineral wool as an external insulator. When solving the problem of how to properly insulate a bathhouse from the outside or inside: it should be borne in mind that mineral wool is not suitable for interior work, since formaldehyde begins to release when heated. From the outside, you can protect a brick building with polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam boards (they are more expensive, but last a long time) and foam glass (the main disadvantage is the high cost).
In order to improve the quality of thermal insulation, experts recommend laying two layers apart, offset by half the length - this allows you to reduce heat loss by overlapping the seams. True, this method is more expensive, since it requires 2 times more material, and besides, the work takes a lot of time. For this reason, insulation is usually carried out in one layer, laying one mat tightly to the second, and the joints are connected with reinforced tape.
Siding or wood cladding is used to cover a brick bathhouse. Another method of exterior finishing is the use of plaster if foam glass, polystyrene foam or polystyrene boards were chosen for thermal protection. In this case, a reinforced mesh is laid on top of this material, a primer is placed and then plaster is applied.
They also use the following method, how to insulate a bathhouse from the outside with your own hands - following the example of a ventilated facade. In such a situation, special L-shaped brackets are attached to the wall with a gap of 1 centimeter less than the width of the insulation. Then slabs or insulation mats are tightly secured between them.
For reliability, they are reinforced with dowels, although this is not mandatory - the material will hold on well on its own, which is why this fixation step is done. The joints of the slabs are connected with reinforced tape or treated with an adhesive composition, a waterproofing film is laid on top and secured with strips. Afterwards, guides are mounted on the brackets, which hold the insulation and at the same time serve as the basis for finishing. Using this algorithm, you can also thermally insulate baths made of cinder blocks, foam blocks, and aerated concrete. It will also be useful for you to know how to insulate a brick bathhouse from the inside with your own hands to minimize heat loss.
How to insulate a bathhouse from the outside
Not every material is suitable for insulating a bathhouse. Although it is similar to a living space and you can even live in it for some time, nevertheless, the bathhouse has its own specifics in external insulation. The fact is that the walls are subject to periodic use and special temperature conditions. Basically, the bathhouse is used several times a week, heating it to a temperature of 80°C and above. The rest of the time, its walls can freeze in winter to -30°C, depending on climatic conditions.
Different insulating materials are used for external and internal insulation. They also differ in cost and installation technology. For example, sprayed insulation (cellulose and polyurethane foam) requires special equipment and skills to work with it. Insulating the walls of a bathhouse from the outside with your own hands will not work this way.
Log caulking
Insulation materials of natural origin, such as jute, felt, linen, and inorganic origin - mineral glass wool, expanded clay and polystyrene foam - are used in both types of insulation.
Jute and flax wool are excellent for caulking log baths. These modern natural insulation materials have a number of positive qualities. They are durable, resistant to rotting and do not accumulate moisture, and also provide a favorable microclimate.
Moss, tow, and felt are also used in inter-crown compaction.
At first glance, it seems that the log house is a hermetically sealed structure, but over time it shrinks. And you can’t do this without high-quality interventional caulking. To do this, you need to know how to insulate a wooden bathhouse from the outside.
Insulation of a wooden bathhouse from the outside occurs in several stages. First, insulation is laid when laying the beams. Six months later, the cracks are stuffed with strands of jute or other material, having previously cleared the gaps of dust and treated them with antiseptic agents. During this time, the logs will shrink, cracks and drafts will appear. Fill the cracks with the same tool - caulk and a special hammer.
Caulking occurs from the bottom up along the perimeter of the bathhouse simultaneously outside and inside the room, so that the frame does not warp. They caulk the frame a third time, when it is completely seated. Then they begin to decorate the room. If the insulation of a bathhouse made of timber from the outside is done correctly, then additional insulation of the walls is not required.
Using mineral wool
An uninsulated steam room built of brick cools down faster and takes longer to heat up. It is recommended to use basalt mineral wool for its insulation. It is fire-resistant, absolutely harmless, does not rot and does not attract insects and rodents. Basalt wool is also an excellent heat and sound insulator. Its service life reaches 50 years.
Basalt wool is a type of mineral wool, which includes glass wool, stone and slag wool. These types are also good at insulation, but are slightly inferior to basalt wool in terms of characteristics.
1 - insulation; 2 - diffusion film; 3 - siding
The technology for external insulation of a brick bath wall is as follows:
1. Metal brackets are installed on the wall according to the width of the mineral wool slab. It will be better if the mounting step of the brackets is one centimeter smaller. Thus, the slabs themselves will be held between the brackets. And to do this, applying effort, the cotton wool must be pushed between the corners.
There is no need to skimp on insulation. Ideally, mineral wool is laid in two layers, that is, the thickness should be 10 cm. This will prevent the appearance of “cold” bridges.
2. For better sealing and strength, the joints between basalt wool slabs should be sealed with construction tape.
3. Mineral wool needs additional protection from moisture. Isospan is placed on top of it.
4. To complete the insulation of the bathhouse from the outside with mineral wool, a wooden frame is mounted to the brackets, to which the decorative trim will be attached. This, in turn, will additionally retain the insulation.
Thermal insulation materials of artificial origin
In the process of building a bathhouse made of bricks or heat blocks, “well” insulation can be used. In this case, the insulation is placed inside the wall. Penoizol, expanded clay, and cellulose insulation can be used as insulation. The only drawback is that some insulation materials can last 10 years, which means that after this period the quality of the insulation will decrease. To check its condition or change it, you will have to disassemble the wall.
A bathhouse built from wood concrete or fiberboard does not need insulation, and the construction process is simpler. Although the material itself can be used as insulation, it only has a lower density. These insulation materials contain wood, which does not allow heat to pass through it.
Cellulose insulation made from recycled paper has durability and excellent insulating qualities. It does not rot, is fire-resistant and gives off moisture well.
It is worth noting foam glass - the only insulation that combines many properties: strength, frost resistance, ease of installation, environmental friendliness, non-flammability, durability. Foam glass is resistant to acids and bacteria, moisture- and vapor-tight and does not emit smoke when burning. And that's not all of its properties.
Among the insulation materials of artificial origin, the leaders are foamed polymers: polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam and others. In terms of their thermal insulation properties, these insulation materials are not inferior to materials of natural origin. They are also environmentally friendly, noise-absorbing, waterproof, and have low thermal conductivity. Available in different types, shapes, weights and densities.
Due to its light weight, polystyrene foam is an ideal option for insulating a frame bathhouse with your own hands, which cannot withstand heavy loads. You can simply glue it to the wall and then plaster it. It should be borne in mind that polystyrene foam is very fragile, so thermal insulation must be carried out carefully. Follow the link to find detailed instructions on how to insulate walls with foam plastic.
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Exterior design of block baths
As for how to insulate a bathhouse from the outside, for a building made of blocks it is allowed to use the same options as in the cases described above. Another way is to decorate the bathhouse building with decorative brickwork, but this method can only be used if the building maintains a constantly above-zero temperature.
If the decision is made to lay out the bathhouse from blocks with bricks, then the additional wall can be made incompletely, retreating by 5-10 centimeters. Thanks to this, the thermal insulation performance will improve somewhat. The gap is either left empty or filled with thermal insulation material - processed sawdust, expanded clay, and so on.
External insulation of a bath: what do you need to know?
In our article we will talk about the technology and procedure for insulating a bathhouse from the outside. You can make your own decision about the need for such actions, based on the information provided.
Basic principles for creating an insulation pie
First of all, it must be said that if you decide to insulate the bathhouse from the outside, then do not forget to use steam and windproof layers.
The correct insulation “pie” should look like this:
- lathing for separating pieces of insulation and then attaching the remaining layers and finishing to it;
- insulation;
- wind protection;
- counter-lattice (not mandatory, but guarantees the presence of a ventilation gap, otherwise you will have to adjust it “by eye”);
- finishing materials.
We also recommend following the rule: from denser material to less dense material.
About the importance and necessity of thermal insulation
The atmosphere in the steam room can be described in two words: hot and humid. To be precise, the temperature in the bathhouse (we will consider the traditional Russian one as an example) reaches about +80 degrees (or even higher - up to +90), and the humidity is about 70%.
It goes without saying that such conditions are not easy to maintain, and this depends not only on the power of the stove. You can install even the most expensive unit, but if the bathhouse is not properly insulated, it will not be of much use.
It simply won’t be possible to create the necessary conditions, and if they do, it will be very difficult to maintain them: the heated air will easily escape outside. To summarize the above, we can form the following list of disadvantages of the lack of insulation:
- increased heating costs (it doesn’t matter what exactly the stove runs on - much more fuel will be needed, which means you will have to pay more);
- accelerated equipment wear (due to the fact that the furnace will have to be loaded more);
- Slow heating of the steam room.
In addition, we should not forget about the negative impact of moisture and cold on the building itself. Regardless of what it is - brick or expanded clay concrete blocks - in any case the building will deteriorate.
This happens due to the fact that in winter (or generally at sub-zero temperatures), moisture entering micropores, as well as cracks, joints and holes, freezes, while increasing in volume. At the same time, you cannot ignore the insulation of the floor in the bathhouse.
And since more than one hundred such freezing-thawing cycles can occur during a season (!), in just a few years the surface of the walls will be covered with a network of cracks, and over the years the process will accelerate.
Add here the sharp temperature drop that occurs during the heating of the steam room: let’s say it’s -30 outside, and the temperature of the walls will quickly, literally within an hour (depending on what your bathhouse is made of and how powerful the stove is), will rise to +70 and above. It goes without saying that a difference of about a hundred degrees will also not be useful for construction.
Why insulate the outside?
When insulating a bathhouse, done with your own hands, many often believe that the first step is to insulate the steam room from the inside. This is true - after all, it is in this room that you need to maintain the desired temperature. Insulation for saunas and baths Izover Sauna can serve as an excellent material.
However, the use of only internal insulation shifts the dew point - it ends up just between the insulation and the surface of the walls . As a result, moisture begins to accumulate, and the building itself, again, remains unprotected.
So, in addition to internal work, do not forget that insulating a bathhouse from the outside is an equally important and pressing issue. In addition, additional thermal insulation will not be superfluous - using another layer of insulation on the outside of the walls will further improve the microclimate inside the steam room. By the way, insulating a steam room with your own hands is quite simple
Roof insulation
An important area of thermal insulation work, because A lot of heat escapes through the roof
If the roof is well insulated, insulation of the ceiling can be eliminated. However, it is possible to insulate the roof only if the bathhouse is a separate building with a pitched roof. For insulation, you can use any heat-insulating material that is laid on the attic floor.
The procedure for using synthetic insulation, wool or polystyrene foam is no different from laying it on the wall.
Execution scheme:
preparation of sawdust. If sawdust is poured in the form of a dry mixture, then it must be dried, deresined, and impregnated with an antiseptic. Dry sawdust can be poured in the form of a mixture between the cells of the frame and covered with a membrane or covered with ash. But more often they are placed in plastic bags and stacked in bags;
Note. In its pure form, sawdust is used only in wooden houses.
First, mix the dry materials and then add water to the desired consistency.
– sawdust – 5 parts; – clay – 5 parts.
Insulating a bathhouse with a mixture of sawdust, clay and straw
Recommendation. Boric acid can be used as an antiseptic - 10 ml. for 1 l. water.
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Advice. Instead of sawdust, you can use straw (densely packed).
An effective insulation will be a 100 mm layer of sawdust mixture.
Insulating the roof of a bathhouse with sawdust. Backfilling ash around the exit of the bathhouse stove pipe from the attic floor.
How can you insulate the roof of a bathhouse? This problem can be solved depending on the use of the room. If the bathhouse building is intended only for hygienic procedures and relaxation, to insulate the roof it will be enough to lay roofing felt on the sheathing before installing the roofing pie. In the case when brooms will be dried inside the bathhouse, linen and other equipment will be stored, the roof must be thoroughly insulated.
Selection of insulation materials
The optimal solution for insulating a bathhouse from the inside is considered to be basalt wool. Hard mats of 10 cm thickness are used. When thermally protecting the ceiling, the thickness of the thermal insulation layer should be about 15-20 centimeters, since heat loss mainly occurs through the ceiling.
To insulate the bathhouse inside, you still need to have the following materials at your disposal:
- For sheathing . The most reliable option for bath buildings made of brick or stone is to build a frame from a profile used for plasterboard (read: “How to insulate a brick bathhouse with your own hands correctly”). Often the CD ceiling profile is chosen, and the UD guide profile is used to make edging along the perimeter of the walls. The fixation step for direct hangers is from 60 to 80 centimeters. The gap between the profiles must be made smaller by 1-2 centimeters compared to the width of the insulation boards. In wooden baths, bars are used as a profile.
- For water vapor barrier . A heat-resistant material with foil is required that is impermeable to moisture and steam. There is a large selection of such products on the construction market. For example, you can purchase foamed foil polypropylene, designed for temperatures up to 150 degrees. This material is able to protect the walls of the room from dampness and reflect radiant heat, thereby reducing heat loss. Thus, a 3-millimeter thick layer of Penotherm provides the same level of thermal protection as a 150-millimeter beam.
- For finishing . Usually the insulation is placed in the bathhouse under the lining, as in the photo. This material is produced for final finishing from linden or aspen, since products from these wood species are resistant to decay processes, do not heat up even at high temperatures, and retain their original appearance for a long time.
Practical aspects of insulating a bathhouse from the outside with your own hands
By choosing to manufacture an external heat shield with a ventilated gap, you get a reliable, durable façade system. If you show maximum care and use only materials recommended for these types of work, then the exterior of your building will delight you for many years, and it will not require repairs.
So, let’s look at the practical aspects of how to insulate a bathhouse from the outside with your own hands. We believe that the internal vapor barrier layer has already been installed or will be installed at the stage of cladding the premises.
Walls
Walls made of brick or other block building materials are inspected for cracks or voids in the seams, which should be additionally strengthened with mortar (rubbed, embroidered). It’s even better if the sides of the rooms are completely covered with a layer of vapor-proof plaster.
According to classical technology, insulation of walls in a bathhouse, the frame of which is made of logs or timber, begins with caulking with tow, flax strands, jute or other natural materials. It is best to perform the operation after the complete shrinkage of the structure, which depends on the timing of the initial moisture content of the wood (can last for several years). Otherwise, cracks will still appear, and eliminating them under the inner and outer cladding will be problematic.
There is also a more modern method of sealing crown and other cracks using sealants. For bathhouse walls made of wood with normal humidity, it can be used almost immediately after their construction, but “raw” log houses should still be allowed to stand for at least six months. Usually they wait out the winter, and closer to summer they begin to process the seams.
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This type of sealing, unlike the classical one, guarantees stable functionality regardless of the occurrence of multidirectional deformations of the wood. Synthetic sealants have good adhesion to the substrate and work for both compression and elongation up to 300%. Before using them, the seams of the bathhouse walls from the outside are primed and sealed with a cord made of extruded polyethylene foam. The method of laying the sealant depends on its packaging. The most convenient way is tape - the protective film is removed from it, it is placed in the seam and rolled with a roller. If you purchased the composition in tubes for a mounting gun or buckets, then after application it still needs to be smoothed with a spatula.
Energy saving screen frame
Insulating baths on the outer surface of the walls using mineral wool or ecowool requires the installation of a frame support. Initially, it will serve to securely attach a layer of effective thermal insulation to the enclosing structures, and then to fix the wind barrier and install the façade cladding. The frame can consist of one or two tiers. The second type, with a cross-layer arrangement, provides the best thermal protection characteristics.
Thermal insulating layer
The principles for choosing the type of thermal insulation have already been discussed above, in the section “Selecting materials”. If you give preference to ecowool, then, although it is an effective material, you will have to involve third-party specialists who have the appropriate equipment for applying it under pressure. The existing alternative method of free backfilling of ecowool is not the most successful solution for walls, since its column becomes compacted and subsides over time, which leads to a violation of the integrity of the thermal contour of the building. Therefore, it is easier to organize the insulation of a bathhouse with your own hands using mineral wool products made from glass or stone fiber.
Attention! When purchasing such products, you should carefully familiarize yourself with the scope of their application. For example, it may be intended to solve problems of acoustics or fire protection, while its thermal resistance will be inferior to the corresponding profile materials.
Manufacturers of mineral thermal insulating wool produce it in both standard or universal versions, as well as specialized products for assembling ventilated facades. Narrow-profile products can have useful advantages:
- tongue-and-groove locks along the perimeter of the slabs, simplifying the insulation of bathhouse walls, and also eliminating air circulation at the joints, even with a single-layer placement;
- fiberglass coating, which reduces the movement of convective flows through the insulating layer;
- additional hydrophobic impregnation, due to which the droplet liquid is not held between the fibers, but flows down freely.
Universal or specialized mineral wool used for facade systems of utility buildings must have a density of at least 35-40 kg/m3. With a decrease in this parameter, heat transfer in all its forms increases: convection, thermal conductivity and radiation. The maximum density, for reasons of profitability, is usually chosen no higher than 80 kg/m3, since heavier and more expensive products are already used in industry.
Fixation of insulation boards on the walls of the bathhouse is carried out due to their tight fit in the frame of the sheathing and point compression with disc-shaped dowels.
Wind protection and ventilation gap
The windproof fabric is secured to the vertical elements of the supporting frame using spacer slats for a ventilated gap. In this case, preference should be given to special vapor-permeable wind-moisture-proof membranes, which are rolled directly over the layer of insulation for the bath.
Important! For such installation, the use of roofing felt, PE films and other sealed materials is not allowed. The vapor permeability of the wind barrier should be at least 700-800 g*/m2 per day.
The joints of the strips are glued with tape intended for such work. The average overlap of adjacent panels is 15 cm, and the width of the ventilation gap between them and the cladding ranges from 2 cm to 5 cm (the parameters are set by the manufacturer).
Facade cladding
One of the main advantages of ventilated facades is that, regardless of the type of building frame and its condition, you can sheathe the outside of the bathhouse with one of the materials available on the construction market in a wide range. This can be vinyl or metal siding, lining, block house, fiber cement board, or other hanging cladding. This type of finishing is installed according to similar schemes, the main uniqueness of which is dictated by the dimension of the spacer sheathing step. For example, for vinyl siding it is about 40 cm.
External insulation of a bathhouse using a ventilated facade system allows not only to solve energy saving issues for new buildings, it can radically change the aesthetic characteristics of even a dilapidated building, practically providing it with a new life.
How to choose insulation
What is the best way to insulate a bathhouse? For this, natural or synthetic materials are used.
Natural insulation:
- cuckoo flax;
- red moss;
- flax tow;
- hemp hemp
- sphagnum.
These materials do not require serious material costs, are highly environmentally friendly and will help create a special atmosphere in the bathhouse, filling the interior space with natural aromas.
The main disadvantages of organic materials that need to be taken into account when choosing which insulation is best to insulate a bathhouse:
- fragility of the material;
- significant labor costs;
- the need to constantly update the insulation.
It is necessary to provide protection from small rodents, birds and insects.
Many homeowners believe that it is better to insulate a bathhouse with synthetic materials that do not rot and are not damaged by rodents.
Jute felt
What is the best way to insulate a bathhouse from the outside or the inside? Jute felt can be used as inter-crown insulation for a bath. This is an organic natural material made from plant fiber. Flax-jute felt is used not only for thermal insulation, but also to remove excess moisture from the interior of the bathhouse
To improve performance qualities, flax fiber is added to jute fibers. The result is flax wool or flax jute felt. The form of material release is tape reels. This allows you to select insulation for logs of different diameters.
Preparatory work
When the insulation is selected, it is necessary to purchase all additional materials necessary to work with it and prepare the tools. To insulate a bath you may need:
- construction knife;
- roulette;
- level;
- hammer;
- brushes and/or spatulas;
- sledgehammer;
- construction mixer;
- container for mixing solutions;
- work clothes, mittens, rags.
It is better to make a list of everything you need after it has been determined how best to insulate the walls of the bathhouse, floor or ceiling, and all the necessary materials have been purchased.
How to insulate the foundation of a bathhouse?
Polystyrene foam is excellent for foundation insulation. But we must not forget that the insulation crumbles and is afraid of mechanical damage. To protect it from the outside, it is necessary to make a protective partition from boards or bricks.
Foam plastic is optimal for insulating the foundation. It does not allow water to pass through and the foundation will be reliably protected.
Polystyrene foam has proven to work well as insulation for the foundation of a sauna on loamy and clay soil. Since moisture does not get inside the material, it will protect the base of the bathhouse from moisture and heaving in spring and winter. But you should not use insulation when the groundwater level is higher than usual and flooding cannot be avoided. Moisture getting under the foam cannot evaporate and the foundation will begin to collapse.
The thickness of the foam for insulating the foundation of a bathhouse is chosen according to your region, so for the middle part of Russia 50 mm is suitable. In the corners of the structure, thicker material of 100 mm is used, since heat loss in the corners is the highest.
Progress of foundation insulation work:
The foundation is first excavated and cleaned of dirt. Apply a primer made of bitumen mastic and a waterproofing agent, for example, liquid rubber, to the wall. The coating is left to dry for 1–2 hours.
The foam is attached directly to the foundation wall using bitumen mastic or a polymer-based adhesive. The slabs begin to be laid from below, and they must rest on a hard base. If the foundation is just being built, then a protrusion is specially left for the foam slabs. For the old foundation, gravel is added on which the slab will rest.
The joints and the part that is glued are completely lubricated with bitumen mastic. On sale you can find foam boards with an L-shaped lock. These are easier to glue together and the protection will be more airtight.
When the slabs are laid, they are once again covered with bitumen mastic and a protective partition is made. It's easier to install boards, but they will rot quickly, so use brick. A half-brick wall is made from it along the entire foundation. Among modern materials, geotextiles have performed well. It is simply rolled out along the foam and the protection is ready. But the price of geotextiles is high.
The entire structure is buried on the side with soil and a concrete blind area is made on top. Making such insulation is labor-intensive, but the bathhouse will be protected reliably.
Thermal insulation of floors, windows and doors
When deciding how to insulate a bathhouse inside with your own hands, take into account the possibility of increasing the degree of thermal resistance of the ceiling and walls. True, a cool floor and the presence of drafts also take away a lot of heat.
To thermally insulate the door leading to the steam room, a thick felt frame is attached to it, which will reliably cover the cracks. Wooden frames at the windows located in the steam room, dressing room and washing room are insulated with cotton wool.
As for plastic, it is not installed in places with high temperatures, but in other rooms there is no need to be afraid that polymers will undergo thermal decomposition. Self-adhesive foam strips are used to protect plastic windows.
The choice of products, the better to insulate the bathhouse inside, depends on the type of floor covering. Expanded clay is poured onto the surface of the leaking wooden floor, and boards are mounted on top of the leveled backfill.
They begin to equip a concrete leaky floor by digging a pit 50 centimeters deep.
The layers of the thermal insulation structure are arranged from bottom to top in the following sequence:
- sand –5 centimeters;
- polystyrene foam – 20 centimeters;
- concrete mixed in a 1:1 ratio with foam chips - 5 centimeters;
- waterproofing;
- concrete combined with vermiculite in a 1:1 ratio (this is the name of a natural material with low thermal conductivity) – 5 centimeters;
- reinforced screed –5 centimeters.
During the process of pouring the base, it is necessary to arrange a slope. A boardwalk is installed on top of the concrete screed on the joists.
In the case when a continuous floor covering is needed, heat-insulating material is laid on top of the rough base in a layer of 10-20 centimeters, this can be mineral wool or polystyrene foam. Then it is covered with waterproofing, not forgetting to overlap the walls. A reinforced screed 5-10 centimeters high is mounted on top of this layer.
Do-it-yourself insulation of a bathhouse from a block from the inside
Internal thermal insulation of the walls will reduce the time for heating the steam room and reduce heat loss from the room. The thermal insulation layer must withstand high temperatures and not absorb moisture. Expanded polystyrene is not suitable for interior work; insulation of the ceiling and walls of the steam room from the inside should be done using mineral wool, which must be additionally protected with a vapor barrier membrane, otherwise the mineral wool will absorb moisture.
How to insulate a bathhouse made of foam concrete block
Photo. Insulation of a foam block bath from the inside
Before laying mineral wool on the walls, the entire surface should be covered with a waterproofing film to prevent moisture from getting into the insulation from the blocks. Guides made of wooden blocks are placed on top of the waterproofing. The distance between the bars should be 15 - 20 mm less than the width of the basalt thermal insulation slabs. After laying the insulation, a vapor barrier membrane is laid on top of the entire structure with seams taped.
It would not be amiss to remind you that the vapor barrier should be laid indoors with the smooth side facing the insulation. The bars are again placed on top of the vapor barrier, which must first be treated with an antiseptic, and the entire structure is upholstered with clapboard. The walls next to the stove, if it is installed in a bathhouse, should not be insulated or lined with clapboard for fire safety purposes. In this place you can plaster the foam block walls and lay tiles.
How to insulate a bathhouse from an expanded clay block
Photo. Insulation of a bathhouse made of expanded clay block from the inside
The technology for carrying out work in a bathhouse made of expanded clay block is no different from the thermal insulation of foam block buildings. Regardless of the material of the block walls, the facade should be plastered or covered with siding on the outside to protect the structure from moisture and precipitation. If thermal insulation of a bathhouse from the inside is associated with large financial costs (the finishing of the walls has already been done), then the insulation can be laid on the walls from the street.
Arrangement of thermal protection of walls and ceilings
Insulating the walls and ceiling of a bathhouse from the inside is similar to how it is done in other rooms, but special attention should be paid to the reliability of laying the vapor barrier layer.
Stage one - creating the sheathing . The procedure for how to insulate the ceiling in a bathhouse from the inside suggests that the distance from the sheathing to the base of the wall or ceiling needs to be made slightly greater than the thickness of the material for thermal insulation.
When using galvanized profiles, this gap is adjusted using hangers, and the block is nailed down using a backing, which can be a piece of block. Galvanized hangers are also used for wooden sheathing.
The sequence for attaching the profile is as follows:
- A UD guide profile is fixed along the perimeter of the walls or ceiling, observing a 60-centimeter step. It is mounted to timber or logs with self-tapping screws, and to brick or concrete walls - with screws and plastic dowels.
- The axes of the CD profiles are marked, taking into account that the gap between them should allow the laying of heat insulation slabs without trimming. Then the hangers are attached to the wall, observing a step of 60-80 centimeters.
- To install and fix CD profiles to the hangers, use metal screws 9 millimeters long. The free edges of the hangers need to be folded.
Stage two - installation of insulation . Basalt wool in slabs is placed between the bars (profiles). The insulation of a ventilated façade or loggias is carried out in the same way. The work must be done in a respirator (gauze bandage) and special glasses. The fact is that the small fibers of this material are volatile and, when they get on the human mucosa, they greatly irritate it.
To cut the slabs, use a standard sharp knife. The insulation should not be crushed during installation. Regarding how best to insulate a bathhouse, you need to know that with a constant weight of the material, the smaller its volume, the worse its heat-insulating qualities will be.
Stage three - installation of steam and waterproofing . Strips of material are fixed horizontally from bottom to top, maintaining a 5-centimeter overlap. The foil side of the insulation should be facing inside the room.
The method of fixing the vapor barrier depends on the material from which the sheathing is made. So, before you insulate the steam room in a log bath, you need to stock up on a construction stapler. If there is a galvanized profile, the strips are secured with double-sided aluminum tape.
To create a high-quality vapor barrier, the insulation not only needs to be fixed, all existing joints must be taped with the same tape. Then moisture will not be able to penetrate the insulation.
Stage four - clapboard covering . To make the room cozy and beautiful after completion of insulation, it is necessary to finish the walls.
First, prepare the tools and materials necessary for the work, including:
- circular saw or electric jigsaw;
- drill - screwdriver;
- rasp (required when adjusting and processing the edge of the lining);
- construction square (necessary for marking boards);
- level and plumb line (they are in demand when checking verticals and horizontals);
- metal clamps for fixing wooden lining;
- copper or galvanized screws, which are needed for fastening the clamps to the bars;
- metal screws;
- wooden baseboards for finishing corners.
When carrying out work, you need to consider a number of points:
There should be a small gap between the lining and the vapor barrier layer. In addition, gaps (no more than 1-2 centimeters) are installed along the edges of the ceiling, as well as in the upper and lower parts of the walls.
The end boards in each row of the lining should be fastened with screws through and through, and their caps will be covered by the baseboard. All other boards will be held in place by clamps.
The above-described procedure for carrying out work allows you to both insulate an old bathhouse from the inside and a completely new building. Thermal protection of a bath structure is a very important stage, since the efficiency of the steam room depends on its quality. The main thing in the work is to take into account the slightest nuances and then the result will exceed expectations.
Rating of the best insulation for baths
When building a bathhouse, it is important to carefully choose insulation, understanding that its high thermal insulation characteristics must be complemented by other properties. We are talking about the compliance of the material that will be in contact with the internal atmosphere of the bath premises with safety requirements. Namely:
- The insulation should not have any odor.
- Must have increased fire resistance and fire safety. These properties are especially taken into account when choosing insulation for a stove chimney.
- Does not release any harmful or toxic substances or impurities into the environment under any extreme operating conditions of insulated premises.
- Must exhibit stability of geometric shape and maintain technical characteristics under significant changes in temperature and humidity of the surrounding air. Since the bathhouse is a building that is not constantly heated, the temperature inside can change from negative values to heat with three-digit thermometer readings in a short time.
- It should not disturb the internal healthy atmosphere while visiting the bathhouse. Be environmentally friendly, harmless.
- Should serve well for a long time.
Important! The thermal insulation material of the steam room is subject to increased requirements for environmental friendliness and safety.
The range of materials for thermal insulation forces the consumer to choose which insulation material to choose. We will try to facilitate the process of selecting the best option and describe the most popular materials.
Intercrown insulation
Felt made from jute fibers is widely used for insulating log Russian bathhouses. According to classical technology, a heat insulator with a thickness of 4-15 mm. fixed to a log or beam during the construction of walls. In its pure form, felt is hard and breaks easily. The addition of flax fibers improves the characteristics of inter-crown insulation.
The advantages of a dense and homogeneous heat insulator: good heat retention ability, vapor permeability (excess moisture is removed outside), resistance to rotting and drying out. The intervention seam with tape jute becomes even tighter as a result of the mandatory shrinkage of the wooden structure. The main disadvantage is the limited use only for wooden baths.
Jute insulation for a wooden log house
Foil insulation
70-80% of the stove heat in the bath is transferred using infrared radiation. A reflective layer of hygienic aluminum foil helps to create the effect of a thermos in the steam room and washing room, returning heat rays back into the room. The reflective screen is easy to tear, so it requires a backing, which makes the material stronger and makes it much easier to install it to the sheathing.
Some underlay options also act as an insulating layer. Fiberglass mesh, mineral wool, and polyethylene foam can be glued to the foil. For insulation of concrete and brick walls of a bathhouse, an expensive material of increased strength is suitable - polyurethane foam with double-sided foil.
Don't miss: Installation of expansion and expansion joints in concrete screed for heated floors
Foil protects the insulating layer from moisture, increases fire resistance, and increases the overall efficiency of use.
Sample of foil insulation
Mineral wool
Fibrous materials of mineral origin, used for insulation of various structures, are combined into one group - mineral wool. Let's consider them in terms of possible use for thermal insulation of a bathhouse.
Slag wool has decent, but the highest thermal conductivity among other materials in this group. The insulation is characterized by low price, high hygroscopicity, high acidity, low vibration resistance (prone to settling during operation). For a bathhouse, it can only be recommended as external wall insulation. And even in this case, slag wool will require serious organization of water protection from atmospheric moisture.
Glass wool has improved technical characteristics and increased thermal conductivity. With properly organized hydro- and vapor barrier, the material can be used for external and internal insulation of bath rooms. The exception is the steam room and oven openings (at high temperatures, glass wool fibers begin to sinter).
All types of mineral wool are easy to work with, they have good sound insulation properties and biostability.
Variety of mineral wool used
Do not forget! When working with mineral wool, you need to wear eye, respiratory and exposed skin protection.
Basalt insulation
One of the representatives of the group of mineral insulation materials is basalt wool. This natural material has unique properties. Consumers and professional builders consider it the best choice, including for insulating any surfaces of a bathhouse complex. And the main reason for this choice, despite the cost, is the high degree of security. Detailed information about basalt wool - the undisputed leader of this rating - is provided in the following sections.
Foam glass
A relatively new cellular material has the following properties:
- Strength and durability.
- Light weight.
- Moisture resistance.
- Chemical resistance to aggressive substances.
- Maintains performance at high temperatures.
- Safety for humans.
Foam glass is suitable for insulating bathhouses. But due to the vapor barrier, its slabs must be laid with gaps (similar to ceramic tiles) or drilled in several places (when installed end-to-end). The main disadvantage is the high price.
Styrofoam
Foamed polystyrene is valued for its excellent insulating qualities, lightness, low cost, ease of processing and installation. But when insulating baths and saunas, there are restrictions for it - experts recommend insulating only the dressing room on the street side with polystyrene foam. Reasons: the insulation burns with the release of toxic substances, deforms at elevated temperatures, and is practically vapor-tight.
Expanded clay
Dry filling of baked clay granules with a layer of 0.25 m can provide effective thermal insulation. For a bathhouse, the scope of application of inexpensive expanded clay is limited - attic floors and floors. Under the roof, the material is distributed in a continuous layer between the beams. When insulating a floor, granules can be used as a filler for a concrete screed solution or as a dry backfill between the joists.
Expanded clay is environmentally friendly, is not afraid of moisture, is not a breeding ground for microorganisms, and does not attract rodents and insects.
Backfilling expanded clay for floor insulation
Take into account! The choice of suitable thermal insulation and the quality of its installation is only part of the procedure for insulating a bathhouse. For a positive result, it is necessary to take into account the local climate, the design and number of floors of the building, the layout features, the dimensions of the premises, the material of the ceiling, walls, floors and other nuances.
Myths about the purposes and results of external insulation
You can often find the following statements in informational texts and forums:
- “A brick bathhouse must be insulated from the outside. Otherwise, heating it to the required temperature will be problematic.” Note: the speed of heating a steam room depends to a much greater extent on the proper arrangement of internal insulation.
- “For polystyrene foam, it is best to use the “wet facade” finishing system so that the wall “breathes.” Note: EPS boards have practically zero vapor permeability, which cannot be increased by any coatings.
- “You can buy foam glass granulate relatively cheaply and use it as a filler for heat-saving cladding blocks.” Note: such granulate, both in the form of backfill and as the basis for the formation of cellular concrete, is an order of magnitude inferior to the heat-shielding properties of block foam glass. In fact, it is no better than expanded clay.
When is it necessary to insulate a bathhouse from the outside?
According to the general rule of improving the thermophysical properties of domestic buildings, effective thermal insulation should be placed outside. What is the reason for this requirement? The fact is that water vapor migrating through the walls to the street, when the temperature drops, condenses in the thickness of the structures, and in winter it generally turns into ice. Neither wood nor stone materials can withstand such exposure - the former rot, and the latter defrost and crumble. Therefore, the thermophysical system must function in such a way that:
- ensure the operation of walls at positive temperatures;
- prevent moisture from getting into them.
In practice, the best fulfillment of the first condition is easier to achieve by installing an external heat shield. That is, the walls in the bathhouse will be located away from the street behind a layer of thermal insulation - in a warm zone. However, we still have the factor of high humidity, and extreme temperatures (in the steam room) should also be taken into account. Therefore, perhaps the ideal solution would be to insulate the bathhouse from the outside, creating a high-quality reflective internal vapor barrier made of rolled foil or foil paper (Fig. 2).
Why is it possible? Firstly, the efficiency of a thermal insulation system depends on the competent selection of source materials for it and compliance with the technology for their installation. Secondly, there is also a practical aspect of insulating the walls of a bathhouse, associated with the mode of its operation, which even experienced builders rarely take into account.
Figure 2
The influence of the mode of use of the bath on the design of the thermal insulation system
Internal thermal protection will reduce the preparation time for hygiene procedures. After all, the walls are practically located outside the energy contour of the building, so there is no need to warm them up. Air masses in a closed volume are quickly brought to the required temperature by a heat generator of even the smallest power. On the contrary, covering the outside of the bathhouse with insulation leads to the fact that the walls also have to be heated. This is more expensive at the initial stage, but allows you to level out short-term temperature fluctuations. Simply put, arrays of enclosing structures participating in energy exchange increase the comfort of using the bathhouse structure.
From the above we can conclude that the owner of a private building, when deciding how to insulate a bathhouse, can choose the internal option for its irregular use. For buildings that are constantly heated, as well as those in which several people steam at once, it is better to consider installing energy-saving outdoor cladding.
How to properly insulate a roof?
Scheme of a properly insulated roof structure
The question of whether it is necessary to insulate the roof of a bathhouse or not can only arise from an inexperienced owner. Experts know that high-quality insulation of this area will reduce heat loss by as much as 30%. Work is carried out along the perimeter of floors and slopes in the following order:
- At the first stage, the object is waterproofed - if this requirement was ignored during the construction of the building, a moisture-proof and vapor-proof membrane will still have to be laid over the rafters. True, now, for this it will be necessary to dismantle part of the roofing material.
- Next, all roof elements are treated with an antiseptic - if such a procedure has not been carried out previously.
- After preliminary preparation, the insulation itself is installed directly - slabs or rolls of balsat fiber have proven themselves exclusively on the positive side.
- The final stage involves internal covering of the laid material - even an ordinary vapor barrier film that is attached to the rafters will do; ideally, the structure is sheathed with clapboard.
Next to the roof, you can think about how to insulate a bathhouse made of timber from the outside.
Insulation of a brick bathhouse from the outside
It is imperative to insulate a brick bathhouse from the outside - this material has high thermal conductivity, so without external insulation it will be extremely difficult to warm the room to the required conditions. The sequence of insulation is the same: frame, insulation, moisture and wind insulation, ventilation gap, sheathing.
Insulation scheme for a brick bath
For external insulation, it is usually recommended to use mineral wool. According to recent studies, they are not suitable for internal insulation of a bathhouse - they emit formaldehyde, but for external insulation they are one of the best options. You can also insulate a brick bathhouse from the outside with polystyrene foam boards, polystyrene foam (it is cheaper, but polystyrene is more durable), foam glass (its disadvantage is its high price). To ensure high-quality work, it is recommended to lay two layers intercut (offset by half the length) to reduce heat loss by overlapping the seams. But this method takes more time, and it takes twice as much materials for insulation. Therefore, most often, insulation is done in one layer, tightly laying one mat to another, and the joints are taped with reinforced tape.
Tips and tricks
- First of all, do not forget that heated air masses can exit the bathhouse through the windows. And for this reason, you should give preference to small windows. What is also important, experts recommend, if possible, installing frames with more than one double-glazed window. And it is best to have 2 or 3 double-glazed windows (the more, the better, because this will prevent the rapid evaporation of warm air from the bathhouse).
Small window in the bathhouse - photo
- Doors and thresholds have an important influence on the thermal insulation in your bathhouse. Quite often, specialists are contacted with the problem of rapid evaporation of air from the bathhouse. And the reason for this in 90% is the gap between the threshold and the door, due to which all the heat evaporates. To be sure that you will not encounter a similar problem, it is best to install low doors with a high threshold.
It is recommended to install small doors with a high threshold
- Due attention should be paid to the heater. After all, the intensity of heating the bath and how long the warm air will be retained in it will directly depend on the heat capacity of the stones.
Stove-heater