Forum about the construction and operation of a bathhouse. Flow-through bath floor My project of a bathhouse with a flow-through floor

The technology for making floors in a bathhouse is very different from the design in residential premises. This is largely due to high temperature and humidity, which, even with periodic exposure, affect finishing and facing materials. Following step by step guide, you can make the floor in any room of the bathhouse with your own hands.

Installation of the floor in the washing department of a Russian bath

The washroom is a room for receiving water procedures located in front of the steam room. Usually, in order to save space and for convenience, the washing room is combined with a shower room. It can also accommodate a font, barrel or small bathtub. In a Russian bath, the washing room is combined with a steam room.

The temperature in the wash room may vary. When cold air enters from the dressing room, it drops, sometimes below 30°C, and when hot steam penetrates from the steam room, it rises to 50–60°C.

This directly affects the method and technology of floor construction. It should be well ventilated and dry quickly. Moisture and water retention should not be allowed, but it is necessary that the underground space is well ventilated without creating strong drafts.

To arrange a steam room, it is best to use one of two types of flooring:

The leaking one is a wooden plank, located on a supporting joist structure, which, in turn, is fixed to support pillars, lower crown or concrete base. To ensure free flow of water, the floorboards are laid in a collapsible manner with a small gap of up to 5–6 cm.
A non-leaking floor is a monolithic sealed covering made of wood or concrete with a slight slope. At the lowest point on the plane, a hole is mounted, connected to a sewer system that discharges dirty water into the drain hole.

Both types have their advantages and disadvantages. A leaking floor can be installed fairly quickly, but if insulated insufficiently, it can cause the temperature in the washing room to be too low. This is especially noticeable when the bathhouse is small or poorly insulated.

A non-leaking floor has a more complex structure, but allows you to lay a full thermal insulation layer, which significantly increases comfort and reduces heat loss.

But when carrying out repairs, you will have to completely dismantle the front layer, while for a leaking one you will need to remove only part of the floorboards.

What material can be used Wooden boards, concrete, insulation materials , plastic or metal pipes

, galvanized fasteners, etc. The total amount of materials required directly depends on the chosen floor design and its design.

In the bathhouse, you can make a leaking poured monolithic concrete floor with tile or plank cladding. This design is suitable only if the building was constructed on a strip foundation. If piles were used, it is recommended to lay galvanized steel with sheathing.

To make a monolithic floor in a washing room you will need:
fine-grained sand and expanded clay;
bitumen mastic;
roofing felt and polyethylene film;
extruded polystyrene foam;
waterproofing material with a reflective layer (when using heated floors);
steel mesh for reinforcement;
metallic profile;;
cement-sand mixture
porcelain tiles or planed wooden boards;

siphon and plastic pipe. The described design may include laying a heated floor system, which allows maintaining a constant temperature regime in the washing room. This will also affect performance qualities

coating - moisture will evaporate faster without penetrating into the seams between tiles or boards.

Video: what material to lay on the floor in the bathhouse

Calculation of the amount of materials for the washing room The size of the washing room depends on the total area of the bath, so in each specific case it will be necessary to calculate the materials according to individual parameters

. In order to understand how to do this, the calculation of material for a 3x4 m room is given as an example. The floor is usually located at a height of 50 cm from the ground level.

To install the floor you will need:
Fine sand. It will be used as backfill on the ground. The layer thickness is 10–15 cm. The total volume of sand is: V=(3×4)x0.15
=1.8 m3. Expanded clay is used for filling before thermal insulation material
Extruded polystyrene foam is a heat-insulating material laid on top of an expanded clay cushion. Layer thickness 50–100 mm. When purchasing expanded polystyrene from Penoplex, for thermal insulation of a floor with an area of 12 m2, you will need 3 packs of insulation.
Cement-sand mixture. It can be purchased at finished form or prepared with your own hands. The first option is recommended. The thickness of the poured layer is 7–12 cm. The mixture consumption for a layer thickness of 1 cm is indicated on the bag with the dry mixture. For example, when purchasing Polygran sand concrete, the consumption is 18 kg/m2. To fill a floor 1 cm thick you will need: V=(3×4)x18=216 kg. For a 7 cm layer: V=216×7=1512 kg, or 84 bags.
Reinforcing mesh is used to strengthen the cement-sand layer. Optimal size cells - 50×50 mm. The total coverage area is 12 m2.
Roofing felt is used to isolate expanded clay fill from the sand cushion and soil. Total quantity - 12 m2. It is better to purchase roofing felt made according to GOST with a density of 350±25g/m2.
Polyethylene film is used to insulate the gravel bed. Total quantity - 12 m2. The optimal density is 150 microns.
A metal profile will be needed to make beacons for leveling the screed. If total area washing area is 12 m2, then approximately 25 m of profile will be required.
Siphon and drain pipe. Usually, it is brought to the center or the far wall in the washing room. Taking this into account, 4–5 m will be required polypropylene pipe diameter 25–32 mm. To install the turn, you need an elbow made of similar material.

The flooring is selected individually, taking into account the owner’s requirements. If you plan to lay tiles, they must have anti-slip properties. For example, porcelain tiles measuring 30x30 cm are suitable for a washing room. One package is designed to cover 1.30–1.5 m2 of floor. Therefore, for a room with an area of 12 m2, 8–10 packages will be required.

If you plan to lay a plank floor, then it is better to use tongue and groove floorboards floorboard from larch with a thickness of 20 mm. It is advisable that the material has already been dried to natural moisture.

Necessary tools for installation of the structure

To arrange and manufacture the floor you will need:

shovel;
concrete mixer;
water container;
container for concrete mixture;
metal rule;
bubble level;
construction knife;
paint brush.

In addition to the basic tools, to lay porcelain tiles you will need:

manual rail tile cutter;
putty knife;
mallet;
container for tile adhesive.

When laying tongue and groove boards, use:

jigsaw;
hammer;
galvanized screws or nails.

How to properly make a concrete heated floor with tiled tiles in a sauna

Before installing the floor, you need to clean the soil inside the foundation from construction waste, branches, leaves, etc. If the inside of the supporting blocks is very damp, then you should wait until they are partially dry.

The sequence of actions when installing a monolithic floor in a washing room is as follows:

The soil surface must be carefully leveled, compacted, and large stones removed, if any. Inner surface strip foundation processed bitumen mastic in 1–2 layers.
At this stage you need to think about the input drain pipe through a strip foundation. For example, in concrete block using a hammer drill, a hole is made into which the piece is mounted steel pipe. A polypropylene pipe will be introduced through this jumper under the floor structure.
The drain must be carefully installed in the place where the corresponding hole will be located. You need to put a plastic plug on the end of the pipe to prevent sand, expanded clay or concrete mixture from getting inside.
Fine-grained sand must be poured onto the surface of the soil and compacted thoroughly. The layer thickness is 10–15 cm. If the sand is too dry, then after leveling the surface is slightly moistened. This will help compact the pillow more quickly and efficiently.
Now you need to lay roofing felt on the inner surface of the foundation with an overlap of 18–20 cm. When laying rows, it is recommended to leave an overlap of 13–15 cm. For a more rigid fixation, the edge of the sheet is coated with bitumen mastic. If necessary, roofing material is attached to the surface of the foundation.
Next, you need to lay out a layer of expanded clay up to 40 cm thick. After filling and leveling this material, there should be 6–8 cm left to the upper edge of the foundation.
It is recommended to lay an expanded clay pillow plastic film thickness 150–200 microns. The joints are covered with paper adhesive tape. After this, thermal insulation material up to 10 cm thick is laid on the polyethylene.
Now you can install beacons to distribute the concrete mixture over the surface. The pitch between the guides is 60–100 cm. A cement-sand mixture is used to install the beacons. When making guides, a reinforcing mesh is laid on cement so that it is located between the insulation and the beacons.
When installing beacons, it is necessary to ensure that there is a slight slope to the side drain hole. To do this, each guide is checked for level.
At the bottom of the wall around the perimeter of the sink you need to glue a damper tape. The processing height is 10–15 cm. After the concrete has dried, the excess tape sticking out can be cut off.
Now you need to fill the screed. It is recommended to prepare the mixture for this in a concrete mixer.

Full strength concrete screed gains on 25–28 days. After 3–5 days, you can carefully dismantle the guides and fill the resulting voids. During the drying process, especially in the first week, the screed should be moistened with water 2-3 times a day. Plank flooring no earlier than 25 days.

Video: do-it-yourself sauna drain (step-by-step instructions)

How to treat a spilled wooden floor

The composition is applied with a paint brush to a cleaned and dry surface that has been previously sanded. Disinfection is also recommended.

The interior of the washing room can be dried (use a special substance based on vegetable oils, forming a film coating). This material perfectly protects wood from negative influence high temperature and moisture.

The room where the sink is located can simply be painted, but it is recommended to use only special water-repellent compounds.

If the bath is used frequently, it is necessary to carry out periodic impregnation wooden surfaces(once every six months), since this coating tends to wash out. average cost semi-matte varnish for baths and saunas varies from 550 to 800 rubles per 1 liter.

Installing a floor in a steam room with your own hands: a step-by-step guide

The steam room is the central room in the bathhouse. The air temperature in it can reach 70°C with a humidity of 80%. IN Finnish sauna the air is 10–20°C hotter, but the humidity is noticeably lower.

The requirements for the floor structure in the steam room and washroom are almost the same. Water and condensed moisture must be freely removed from the surface, while heat must be retained and the lining must have anti-slip properties.

According to the type of arrangement, the floor in the steam room is also divided into two types: leaking and non-leaking.

The best option for baths on pile foundation there will be a construction of an insulated leaking floor with plank or grating flooring.

The most common layout of such a floor will consist of:
Floor beam.
Skull block.
Plank flooring subfloor.
Pit for forming a drain hole;
Drainage polypropylene pipe.
Expanded clay insulating pillow.
Reinforced concrete screed.
Wooden lattice flooring.
Waterproofing with an overlap on load-bearing walls.

When installing the floor, you can use expanded clay backfill and concrete screed. This labor-intensive process, requiring certain skills in working with cement mixture.

Expanded clay can be replaced with regular ones mineral insulation, and instead of the screed put a sheet of galvanized steel.

Selection and calculation of material

The size of the steam room directly affects the amount of material required. Therefore, as an example, a calculation is given for arranging a floor in a 3x3 m room.

To make a leaking floor you will need:

A polypropylene pipe, an elbow for drainage and a drain are purchased taking into account the installation location of the drain hole. To organize a drain in the middle of the room, you will need to lay a pipe, put on a swivel elbow at an angle of 90°C, and make an extension to drain the drain flush with the floor surface.

Floor making tool

You will need the following tool:

jigsaw or wood saw;
construction knife;
metal scissors;
screwdriver;
electric plane;
hammer;
square;
chisel.

How to lay the floor in a frame bath on a pile foundation

Before installing the floor, you will need to carefully inspect lower crown and load-bearing beams. If there is any damage or signs of rotting, then this element requires partial or complete replacement.

The technology for making a pouring floor in a steam room consists of the following:

In the lower part load-bearing beams, embedded in the crown, rough bars are attached. To fix the elements, galvanized nails 60–70 mm long are used. The fastening step is 50 cm.
A rough flooring made from edged boards is laid on the support bars. To do this, it is sawn off to a size corresponding to the width of the opening between the beams. No fasteners are used during installation. A hole is cut in the rough flooring for the entry of the drain pipe.
After laying the flooring, the floor surface is covered with roofing felt with an overlap of 15–20 cm on the wall and an overlap of 10 cm with each other. The joining seam is coated with bitumen mastic.
The space between the logs is filled with thermal insulation material. Most often used basalt wool in rolls, but you can also make an expanded clay pillow.
The guides are laid from timber or thick boards. To do this, the material is laid in such a way that a slope is formed, for which you can use pads under the beam at the base.
The guides are attached directly to the support beams using galvanized nails or self-tapping screws 50–80 mm long. After this, the space between them is filled with basalt wool.
A galvanized sheet is laid on top of the guides with an overlap of 15–20 cm on the wall. For fastening, only special self-tapping screws with a flat head are used. The fastening step along the wall is 15–20 cm, along the guides – 20–30 cm. After installation, a small hole is carefully made in the center of the sheet to drain the water.
The support beams are being fastened under the plank poured floor. To do this, a beam with a cross-section of 70×70 mm is attached to the wall using an “L”-shaped galvanized corner with a pitch of 70–100 cm. Floorboards made of polished boards are laid on top of the beams (it is better to use larch). The distance between them should be 3–5 mm.

Galvanized sheet is not used often, but it is quite good decision, allowing you to unload load-bearing structure floor. If the bathhouse is built on a strip foundation or is located in the basement of a house, then it is better to give preference to a grate with further pouring of a concrete screed.

Video: how to make a plank floor with a slope in a larch steam room

How to prevent rotting of joists and floorboards

To treat the floor in the steam room, heat-resistant (withstands up to 120°C) varnish is used. water based. This is an elastic coating that protects wood from penetration of moisture, vapor and dirt.

The composition is applied to the prepared floor covering using paint brush in 2 layers. Application is carried out in a ventilated area at a temperature of 5–30°C. When installing a leaking floor, treatment should begin after laying the load-bearing joists. Only after the composition has dried (2-3 hours should pass) can you proceed to laying the floor covering and impregnating it.

This composition is not suitable for treating furniture in a steam room. Benches, stools, and chairs cannot be covered with it.

The average consumption of the mixture is 18 m 2 /l.

Installing a floor in a bathhouse is a technologically complex and time-consuming process, largely dependent on individual characteristics structure, its dimensions and type of supporting foundation. Before performing this work, it is recommended to draw up a diagram where you need to identify its main elements and components. This will allow you to more accurately think through the flooring technology specifically for the parameters of your bathhouse.

The classic Russian bathhouse has a wooden pouring floor. Why torrential? When washing, water pours directly onto the floorboards and goes into the cracks between them. The water seems to “spill” through the floor and then goes underground. It must be said that nowadays, in the construction of bathhouses, pour-over floors are increasingly being abandoned in favor of a waterproofed floor, however, spill-over floors are still widespread, especially far from big cities. Why do people choose poured floors?

The first advantage of a poured floor is the simplicity of its design. Anyone can make such a floor in a bathhouse.

There are several options for laying pouring floors in a Russian bath:
The boards are laid on the joists with a gap. Water goes into the cracks between the boards.
The boards lay tightly, without any cracks, with a slight slope towards one of the walls of the bathhouse. Near this wall there is a drain in the form of one long slit through which water enters the gutter. It is important that the water rolls along the boards, in this case it will not stagnate.
An option that has long been used in Russian villages: the floor in the steam room consists of two halves, sloping towards the center, where a gutter made of three boards is located to drain water. One edge of the floor boards rests on this gutter. The gutter is blocked from drafts by a damper.

In general, the gutter can be located in any convenient location. The main thing is that the boards should be positioned with a slight slope towards it, and the water would roll into the gutter along the boards. The water drain is often made round; in this case, an ordinary ball can be used as a damper. With any flooring option, it must be completely isolated from the walls of the bathhouse and the foundation. The problem of waterproofing is solved extremely simply - by strengthening it on the wall even before laying the floor boards with roofing material or galvanization.

The second important advantage of a pouring floor is low price materials for its construction. To install a poured floor, a minimum of lumber is required. There is no need for a heavy strip foundation, which costs a lot. In addition, to build such a foundation you will have to hire qualified performers. All you need for a bathhouse with a pouring floor is a lightweight columnar foundation.

Third advantage. Wooden floors

Natural wood, environmentally friendly safe material. The wooden floor is “warm”. When the stove is fired in a bathhouse, it heats up quickly, even in winter. By wooden floor It’s pleasant to walk and, importantly, without the fear of slipping.

The fourth advantage of a poured floor: easy repairs if necessary

Repairing a flooded floor comes down to replacing rotten floorboards and joists. The work is simple and can be done on your own. The cost of repairs is not high.

Unfortunately, it is the need to periodically replace rotten floor boards that is the main disadvantage of flooded floors. Even in a well-built bathhouse, the service life of a pouring floor rarely exceeds ten years. In most cases, this period is much shorter.

To summarize what has been said, pouring floors in your bathhouse are justified if: You do not want to invest significant money in the construction of a bathhouse.
The bathhouse is used periodically, from time to time. What is usual for summer cottages.
There is no reliable power supply in your area. Unfortunately, this is a problem for many dacha plots and villages in the outback of Russia. In this case, the only option is a pouring floor.

Floor coverings, directly through which water is removed, are required for the traditional design of a Russian bath. In addition to providing comfort when walking on wood, they replace a waterproofed base. It’s easy to build a pouring floor yourself and with minimal costs. Its design and operating principle are extremely simple.

The system has a number of advantages and disadvantages and can be arranged different ways(see “Floor in a frame bath: implementation methods”). The principle of operation of the floor consists in its construction from wooden boards, laid with 5 mm gaps through which water flows into the subfloor, from where it is discharged outside the bathhouse or simply goes into the ground. The design simultaneously provides the ability to ventilate the space under the covering, preventing the occurrence of dampness, musty odor, and rot. No insulation is used, so the pouring system is considered relatively cold and is used mainly in southern regions. After 6-7 years, as a rule, replacement of floors is required, but their repair is not difficult.

Preparatory excavation work

The nature of the organization of drainage depends on the properties of the soil and the chosen method of drainage:

When building on sandy soils, it is enough to install a 25-centimeter drainage layer of crushed stone - it will ensure a high rate of moisture absorption and prevent its stagnation.
When clay soils having low absorbency, a device is required clay castle and a pit from which water is discharged through a pipe into the septic tank. Another option is to install a tray under the washing compartment to remove waste into the sewer. The castle is constructed by filling it with 10 cm of crushed stone and covering it with a layer of clay 15 cm thick and with a slope of at least 10 degrees towards the pit. The pipe should be straight and inclined towards the septic tank.

Advice! When constructing a lock and coating the walls of the pit, clay can be replaced with concrete.

Laying joists and waterproofing

Brick supports measuring 250x250 mm are built on a concrete or sand pad with a pitch of 800-1000 mm. The pillars are plastered and covered with two layers of roofing felt.

It is advisable to use solid wood to make logs. They are mounted horizontally on supports using metal channels, to which wooden elements fastened with self-tapping screws. The entire structure is covered with bitumen or liquid rubber.

Important! The distance from the waterproofing flooring to the bottom of the leaking floor structure must be at least 300 mm!

To protect the floor structure from the destructive effects of moisture and alkali from soap, the entire underground is covered from the inside with molten bitumen - during the cleaning process, all contaminants are easily removed from it with a stream of water from a hose.

Important! A stove foundation for a bathhouse is constructed only after laying the logs to bring its top to the level of the finished floor.

Leaky flooring

Used for coating edged board 40 mm from hard wood, for example larch. Pine, due to its high resin content, is practically not used for this purpose. The lumber is carefully planed on all sides to prevent moisture from accumulating in the wood fibers.

The flooring elements are not nailed to the joists, but are mounted around the perimeter of the room using cranial blocks. The boards are laid on the joists with a gap of 5 mm between them. This makes it possible, after each procedure, to remove and remove the floor covering from the bathhouse to dry and ventilate it, as well as remove accumulated debris from the underground.

Installation of a pouring floor. Advice from experienced bath attendants.
Thank you. Absolutely, right. This is what I was counting on, that my experience would combine with the experience of others and together create a strong visual aid.
So let’s write down other advantages.
Now it’s logical to tell you what was done ten years ago, how it worked and what problems came out. Then tell what was done to eliminate the latter.
Organization of the floor (as it was).
1. The floorboards lie flat against each other without gaps
2. At the end of the slope there is a gap along the entire length of the floorboard for water drainage. Closable slot. in cold weather.
1. The floor was made in frame bath with water discharged outside the bathhouse. The bathhouse stands on poles and has an underground space under all the rooms.
2. First, a V-shaped subfloor was made with a slope towards external wall baths made of boards 20. The boards were not impregnated with anything.
3. The subfloor was covered with roofing felt with the organization of water discharge into a plastic pipe and then into dug drainage grooves along the edge of the site. There are no drainage pits or septic tanks. At the same time, the roofing material was raised along the walls by 30 cm and then covered with clapboard. Those. got a recessed waterproofed bathtub under the main floor.
4. The floorboards were made of edged pine slabs from 10 to 15 cm thick, 20-25 cm wide. They were impregnated several times with Pinotex antiseptic. The floorboards lay and rested on beams covered with roofing felt of the subfloor, located along the perimeter of the soap room. It was possible to lift several floorboards to dry the underground space.
Causes of rotting or what the autopsy showed.
1. The floorboards began to be lifted for ventilation five years after the start of operation, when an understanding of the process began! They became putrefactive throughout their entire thickness, starting from the edges (at the points of support).
2. Raising and lowering heavy floorboards led to a break in the roofing material and water getting onto the subfloor boards. Some of the water began to get under the bathhouse. This made the problem worse.
3. Central beam The fastenings of the V-shaped floor, due to the settlement of the bathhouse and swelling of the soil, began to touch the ground with the lower end - it began to rot.
Conclusion: in general, the board under the subfloor, where it was dry, was perfectly preserved, even remaining white after almost 10 years of use. This means that a dry board located under roofing felt is not susceptible to rotting.
Making a decision to reconstruct the floor, taking into account the shortcomings of 10 years of operation.
1. It was decided to leave the design of the subfloor as before: V-shaped under roofing felt with a drain into the pipe. Just raise the roofing material higher up the wall under the lining and make it in two layers of coating with reinforcement in the places where the floorboards touch. Reinforcement should be made with a 40X40 aluminum angle.
2. Replace wooden floorboards with plastic window sills with stiffeners. To avoid deflection, lay a galvanized thrust pipe in the center to distribute the load.
We purchased: 4 2-meter window sills 50 cm wide and one 2-meter 30 cm wide. Total 2.3 linear meters and 15 cm for drainage.
2,300 rubles were paid for everything.

Yes, it is different and very much! And this needs to be known and understood well. Since, due to improper design, the floor in a steam room or washing room of a Russian bath is likely to rot very quickly. And most often, the lower crowns begin to rot along with the floor, if the bathhouse is made of logs or timber.
If you delve deeper into history, the floors in the baths in black were done directly on the ground. And when they rotted they were simply replaced. When did baths become widespread? in white, then the floors were made either on the ground or poured. That is, boards were laid and gaps were left between them for water to flow through. Most often, directly under the bathhouse, sometimes the water was drained from under the bathhouse somewhere to the side. IN Soviet time due to shortage building materials poured floors in the baths were practically the only affordable option. Under the bathhouses, troughs were made of concrete, roofing felt, metal, or something else to collect the flowing water and drain it outside the bathhouse. Even now, on many sites for bathhouse construction, you can find recommendations from the last century about organizing such troughs.
With the advent available materials The design of the floors in the baths has changed. This coincided with a construction boom in our country. A lot of teams appeared that built everyone is at home, cottages, garages, bathhouses. And these completely different objects were built, out of ignorance, using the same technology - “like a neighbor.” The floors in almost all baths were made of wood and insulated. This classic insulated floor design comes from residential construction. In a residential building, in the absence high humidity and water on the floor, this design is absolutely acceptable. But not every bathhouse can have such floors.
At the same time, again out of ignorance, the mass-built baths were far from the Russian bath. In them, almost everywhere, metal stoves were installed, which heated the steam room to temperatures above +100C. Humidity in such steam rooms usually does not exceed 15-30%. The wood, including the floors, in steam baths of such baths is usually always dry. Therefore, the floor construction was not carried out special significance. And therefore, without hesitation, classic insulated wooden floors were installed everywhere. Problems could only arise in the washrooms. But the builders assured the customers that they had installed waterproofing under the floor boards and everything would be fine. They believed them because they did not know that 100% waterproofing in living conditions extremely difficult to do. Someone coated the floors with sealants and mastics, someone installed shower trays. But in any case, since in saunas and dry-air steam rooms the humidity is low and the temperature is high, these floors usually dried out at least and did not create any special problems.
Recently it has become popular to build Russian baths. But since for the most part they were built and are being built by the same teams of “specialists” with a lack of knowledge of what a Russian bathhouse is, they build buildings using absolutely the same technology and install the same metal stoves, as in saunas and dry-air steam rooms. The building is proudly called the Russian Bath, although in fact it has nothing in common with it. And the floors in such “Russian baths” were made of insulated wood, just like everywhere else. And, since in essence this building is not a Russian bathhouse, there is no high humidity in these buildings. Accordingly, insulated wooden floors are not bad. But this does not mean that in the right Russian baths you can also install insulated wooden floors according to classical technology.
In proper Russian baths there can be only two options for proper floors that will not rot. These are classic poured floors, which I mentioned above, and insulated screed on the ground, which I will discuss in detail below. Wooden floors insulated using classical technology cannot be installed in a real Russian bathhouse! They will rot very quickly and, with a high probability, will rot along with the lower crowns of the bathhouse. In the above photo, the lower crown is rotten timber bath with classic insulated wooden floors.
Many people claim that they will not pour water on the floor, so there will be no problems with the floor rotting. This is true for saunas and dry-air baths, but this is a deep misconception if we are talking about a Russian bath. In Russian baths, the floors in the steam room are constantly damp due to the fact that when giving in, a large amount of steam is formed, which tends to cool down towards the floor and condense on the floor with a large amount of moisture. Steam is also lowered to the floor using a broom while steaming. Therefore, a lot of water collects on the floor in the steam room of the Russian bath and in some cases there are even puddles. So even if the water doesn’t pour on purpose, there will still be a lot of it on the floor.
The type of foundation for the construction of a Russian bathhouse is also important, since not all foundations can have the correct floors. For example, now very popular, the foundation is on screw piles or a columnar foundation is only suitable for organizing a pouring floor. A screed on the ground on such a foundation cannot be done without “dancing with a tambourine.” And poured floors have quite a lot of disadvantages and therefore are not very popular and in demand. So a columnar foundation or a foundation on screw piles is extremely undesirable for a Russian bathhouse. Strip foundation different types and different depths or slab on the ground - best option foundation for the Russian bath.
Next, I will talk about the design of a pouring floor, an insulated screed on the ground and a classic insulated wooden floor. About their pros and cons, I will give recommendations in which cases which of these types of floors is advisable to use.

The pouring floor, as I wrote above, consists of boards that are laid on logs with a certain distance from each other. The distance between the boards is necessary to allow water to drain. I really do not recommend draining waste water directly under the bathhouse onto the ground. Even if the level groundwater short. The fact is that over time, an unpleasant odor may appear from the discharged water and it will enter the bathhouse through cracks in the floor. In order to remove wastewater from under the bathhouse, they make drainage system. Most often, this is a kind of trough made of metal or cast concrete, into which water is collected from all rooms of the bathhouse with a pouring floor and a gutter or pipe is discharged outside the bathhouse into a septic tank, drainage ditch, or some other way.
Underground space in the bathhouse with pouring floors must be ventilated. Most often, vents are used that close during procedures in winter and open again when drying. Otherwise, stagnation of moist air in the underground space of the bathhouse is possible, which can lead to rotting. It is also highly recommended to lift the floor boards to dry after bath procedures. In bathhouses with pouring floors, the floor boards are usually not “tightly” attached.
The advantages of a poured floor: the cheapest and simplest flooring option, can be used on any foundation, inspected when dry, easy to replace if rotting occurs, well suited for summer baths.
Disadvantages of a flood floor: it is not comfortable in winter due to the possible blowing of cold air through cracks in the floor, the need to lift the boards to dry after procedures, due to improper drainage Wastewater possible unpleasant odors from underground space.

An insulated screed on the ground or an insulated slab on the ground is the most preferred floor for the steam room and washing room in the Russian bathhouse. It is arranged as follows: removed fertile soil, pour and compact well sand and gravel pillow, all communications are laid - water, sewerage, ventilation ducts, then a preliminary unreinforced screed of 2-4 cm is poured, then waterproofing is laid according to all the rules, then extruded polystyrene foam - EPPS or otherwise Penoplex 50-100 mm is laid, waterproofing is laid on it, then the final reinforced concrete screed 8-12 cm on which you can lay water or electric heated floors and the final floor - often porcelain stoneware. Porcelain tiles are used because this material is not afraid of frost and frequent temperature changes from minus to plus. Vents in the strip foundation, when using insulated screed on the ground as floors, are not required.

In the case of installing a screed on the ground inside a strip foundation, it is necessary to make an expansion joint of 30 mm thick EPS. This seam breaks the concrete of the strip foundation and the furnace foundation, if required, from the screed along the ground. An expansion joint is required to compensate for seasonal movements of the screed relative to the strip foundation and the furnace foundation, especially on heaving soils.
Also, in the case of installing a ground screed inside a strip foundation, it is necessary to lower the insulated ground screed below the upper edge of the base. This is done in order to protect wooden structure walls of the bathhouse from the inevitable splashes of water from the floor. It is recommended to make the distance from the upper edge of the plinth to the finished floor 15-30 cm. There, porcelain tiles are installed vertically to prevent water from reaching the foundation strip.
When installing porcelain tiles on the floor, it is recommended to use frost-resistant tile adhesive for porcelain tiles; grout the seams not with classic grout, but silicone sealant. This is required to compensate for possible seasonal movements of the tiles and ensure waterproofing. Eat positive examples installation of porcelain tiles directly on EPS sheets without the use of reinforced screed. Such floors warm up quickly and are more comfortable. Before installing the tiles directly on the EPS, it is necessary to lay the EPS slabs very evenly; it is advisable to glue them in a preliminary screed to prevent possible movements. Then the EPS surface mechanically are made as rough as possible. Porcelain tiles are glued to EPS using conventional tile adhesive for porcelain tiles.
Insulated screed on the ground due to the thick layer of concrete in reinforced screed is a fairly cold surface. Especially in winter. Therefore, it is recommended, if possible, to install water or electric heated floors in the screed. Such floors are very pleasant for bare feet in the bathhouse, and also help to dry the bathhouse after procedures. If it is not possible to lay a heated floor in a screed, then I recommend laying foam bathroom mats and wooden gratings on the tiles in the washing room and steam room. It is quite comfortable to walk on these surfaces with bare feet even in winter. And in the rest room I recommend using 10mm thick cork. Walking on such a surface with bare feet in winter is much more pleasant than on tiles or laminate. Plus, cork is not afraid of water.
To remove waste water in an insulated screed over the ground, a sewer system. The screed is filled with ordinary plastic sewer pipes, pre-wrapped with compensation porous material such as penofol. If the bathhouse is not constantly heated in winter, then ordinary sewer drains will not work with a water seal. The water in them will freeze and the ladder will be inoperable, or the ice may rupture the body of the ladder. Therefore, in such cases, I recommend using a drain with a dry mechanical seal.
In the rest room, you can make finished floors on an insulated screed on the ground, not necessarily from porcelain stoneware. Can be used moisture resistant laminate, cork coverings, wooden floors and other coverings. Materials that are afraid of moisture and linoleum are not recommended.
The advantages of an insulated screed on the ground: a very reliable and safe floor in terms of rotting, it is done once and for all, it is possible to use water or electric heated floors, big choice finishing coatings, convenient in terms of organizing sewage drains.
Disadvantages of insulated screed on the ground: expensive and complex design, without water or electric heated floors, cold in tactile sensations.

A classic insulated wooden floor can be used in saunas and dry-air baths, but in the Russian Bath it is highly not recommended. Because of large quantity moisture on the floor is very likely to get into the floor insulation. This will lead to a rotting process. Moreover, the lower crown, which is usually located inside the “pie” of a classic insulated wooden floor, can also begin to rot. Many people believe that it is possible to waterproof a floor 100%, but practice shows that achieving this in domestic conditions is extremely difficult.
A classic insulated wooden floor consists of a rough wooden floor, which is hemmed to the joists from below, then a vapor barrier is laid, and insulation is laid on top of it. Usually this is mineral wool with a thickness of 100-150mm. Waterproofing and a finished floor are laid on top of it. In buildings with a classic insulated wooden floor, a sufficient number of vents in the foundation is necessary for high-quality ventilation of the underground space.
Pros of class
assic wooden insulated floor in the Russian bath: relative simplicity and low cost of construction, suitable for all types of foundations, pleasant to the tactile sensations even in winter, does not require the installation of a water or electric heated floor.
Disadvantages of a classic wooden insulated floor in a Russian bath: not suitable for floors in the steam room and washing room of a Russian bath, the impossibility of inspecting for rotting, difficulties in organizing the collection and drainage of wastewater into the sewer.