The steam room is a room in which all building materials are tested for strength. Extreme temperatures and high humidity require not only the correct choice of insulation, but also the correct installation.
Walls
For wall insulation, you can use different materials - mineral wool, foam glass, peat blocks, etc. When choosing rolled foil mineral wool, the process of protecting the walls will include several stages:
- make markings for mounting rails (their width should match the width of the insulation);
- nail the two extreme slats and check their vertical position using a level;
- stretch the ropes between the slats and pin the remaining beams. When installing rails, remember that the distance between them should be 1-2 cm inferior to the width of the mineral wool;
- prepare the lining - move it indoors and leave it for several days;
- put insulation in the spaces between the slats. During the installation process, it is important to ensure that all gaps are covered with material;
- fix the mineral wool using special hardware with large hats;
- process the seams between the joints - self-adhesive aluminum foil or adhesive tape is used as a sealing layer;
- fix the slats to cover the walls with clapboard (the thickness of the slats is ~ 2 centimeters).
Ceiling
Popular insulation materials for the ceiling include mineral wool, ecowool and expanded clay. One of the simplest methods of thermal insulation involves the use of expanded clay. The operation consists of only two stages:
- lay a vapor barrier material on the ceiling. For these tasks, you can use ordinary plastic wrap or special non-woven materials;
- cover the film with an even layer of expanded clay, the thickness of which should not exceed 20 cm. From above, the stones must be covered with a second layer of film.
Covering expanded clay with insulation from above is a mandatory step that cannot be skipped. The stones are covered with pores through which air passes easily. This leads to an increase in heat loss and puts an end to the work done.
To prevent warm air from leaving the steam room quickly, the second layer of film blocks its path. To avoid the accumulation of condensate in expanded clay, it is recommended to ventilate it once a year.
Floor
Insulation is required primarily for ceramic floors. Thermal insulation materials are not used for wood flooring. It is necessary to think about floor insulation even at the stage of building a bath. It involves several sequential steps:
- level the ground under the steam room and fill a layer of sand 10 cm;
- compact the sand, install plastic pipes and place a layer of waterproofing (roofing material or polyethylene);
- prepare concrete (it is recommended to use foam concrete as a base or add expanded clay to the cement mixture (1 part of cement: 2 parts of sand: 3 parts of expanded clay);
- install beacons - the water outlet is often located in the middle or in one of the corners of the steam room;
- make a slight bias in the direction where the shelves and the door will be located;
- put ceramic tiles.
As an additional step, you can concrete the wires that are intended for electric floor heating. This should be done if it is planned to supply electricity to the bath.