The answer can be given right away - it is possible. Unless the owner bothered to find out the details about the material or has an unlimited budget. Indeed, aspen is not the most the best option, a log house made of aspen receives unflattering reviews. Details of the disadvantages are below.
Why is an aspen log house unsuitable for construction?
- The length of the whips used does not exceed 4-5 m. It is difficult to imagine a solid mansion made of this breed - numerous joints do not contribute to beauty. Usually, bathhouses are built from short units.
- Rottenness and rottenness. The wood received this feature thanks to the always present wormhole throughout the entire core of the trunk - another unpleasant moment. Therefore, only the tops of the trunks are harvested.
- Thickness insufficient to retain heat on its own. Craftsmen allow log houses made of aspen without additional insulation only in diameter from 25 cm.
The breed can boast of this only in the form of individual units, the price of which is unacceptable to the working class. And aspen is rarely handled by companies that produce logs; it can rather be found in the form of lumber.
- The shrinkage is simply fantastic - the wood shrinks in half when completely dry. It is not difficult to imagine what will happen to a prefabricated log house - it will be bent and turned inside out. Of course, not immediately, but over time for long years the owner will have to correct emerging new defects, gaps, cracks and other troubles.
You should wait for the material to be completely dry before building it in compliance with the technology and mechanical devices– holders. Before construction, the stacks should be carefully protected from precipitation and ventilated in hot weather.
- Appearance. A log house made of aspen will definitely require sanding, chipping, painting, varnishing and other decoration.
Sometimes it’s easier to sheathe it than to put in the effort to make it presentable. The valuable aspen kernel is absolutely white. It makes beautiful furniture.
There are a lot of minuses. There are few advantages. Among them:
- Price. It's really a budget option construction. But it’s not hard to guess how the long-term operation of a log house made of problematic material will end. It is best to purchase edged tongue and groove material from it, dried and prepared according to all the rules. By the way, such floors are distinguished by their unusual strength.
- No resin. This quality is valuable for sauna log houses - at elevated temperatures, leakage is excluded.
But because high humidity and as a result of rot, it is recommended to make wall cladding in dry rooms and, again, furniture from aspen. By the way, bath furniture is good because it does not heat up.
Lovers of all sorts of myths claim that the energy of the tree is not good, if you remember who ended their earthly life on it. Maybe so, who checked?
Offers from companies
If, nevertheless, the owners did not heed the above arguments and want a log house made of aspen, the price of which is the decisive argument, then you should carefully consider the following:
- Select your supplier carefully. In fact, reputable companies always warn their customers about problems associated with the material and offer an alternative or lumber. If representatives do not provide anything like this, you should refuse their services completely.
- You will have to verify the quality of the material personally. If it is delivered from places difficult to reach for personal vehicles, then you should not complain about rottenness and other “bad things”.
- You will have to immediately prepare a place for storing the material and, during the time allotted for construction, tirelessly take care of its safety - wood rots quickly outside the log house. It is also necessary to treat the stacks almost immediately and carry out this regularly and in a timely manner.
- The selected aspen log house, the photo of which is publicly displayed on the Internet, is often not reliable. Therefore, it makes no sense to doubt the veracity of what is written about the shortcomings of aspen.
- Turnkey proposals should be carefully considered. They carry a lot of useful and economic benefits - professional cutting and assembly will cost less than handicraft attempts to portray a top-class carpenter.
Based on everything described, sensible owners will understand that an aspen log house has unequal pros and cons, among which the latter predominate. The material should not be cheap decisive factor when faced with the task of deciding on raw materials for the construction of a private house.
After all, this is a long-term financial investment and a legacy to one's own generation. It is unlikely that descendants will want to use the dust that the object will turn into in ten years.
The aroma of the forest is present in a bathhouse built even from bricks, panels, blocks, if interior decoration made of wood. Narrow wooden plank, called lining, is a widely demanded, environmentally friendly, beautiful, durable material.
Which tree is better
Aspen - how best panel for finishing a bath
Local traditional raw materials for lining are oak, linden, aspen, alder, poplar, and pine.
Every tree has excellent properties(more details). Many consumers choose aspen, and here's why:
- after processing, drying the result is a very durable product, no worse than oak. Poplar is superior in resistance to splits and cracks, coniferous trees, maple, beech, walnut;
- the wood is moisture resistant and retains its natural color for a long time;
- during initial processing it is soft, pliable ();
- does not emit resins unlike conifers;
- due to low thermal conductivity, walls, shelves, benches made of aspen do not burn the body;
- cheaper than many of its competitors with similar properties, since it is more accessible and less demanding when grown.
In many characteristics, aspen products are close to linden. Differences in favor of the former: raw material less friable, longer consumption period.
The wood is endowed with antiseptic properties, as a result of which aspen sauna lining is not damaged by fungi and does not multiply on it harmful bacteria. The treated wood is practically not susceptible to putrefactive processes.
Video - how to choose the right panels and what experts recommend:
Since ancient times, the aspen tree was considered capable of relieving a person of pain, fatigue, and negative energy. increases the healing power of a steam bath.
Some shortcomings (blackening from prolonged exposure to moisture, rot inside the barrel) do not detract from the popularity of this material.
Sauna cladding: medium grades of wood are suitable
The quality of products is determined by the raw materials and processing. There are:
General option, not only for aspen wood
- “Extra” class – perfectly processed surface, front side the wood is plain, clean, without knots or mechanical finishing defects;
- class “A” - differs from the above by the possible content of up to two knots per linear meter (the size of a match head), a healthy change in the color of the wood;
- class “B” – healthy knots with a diameter of up to 30 mm, captive dark knots up to 15 mm are allowed (no more than 2 per linear meter), changes in wood color. Chips, cracks, and fallen knots are excluded. In practice, aspen lining for a bathhouse of this class is the best option;
- class “C” – products of the lowest quality.
According to GOST requirements, panels offered by manufacturers must have a humidity of no more than 10 percent. To avoid deformation of the boards, the heat-shrinkable packaging film is removed immediately before installation.
The clamp is the best fitting for fastening aspen lining
Aspen panel with two clamps
IN wooden building install the sheathing directly to the ceiling and walls.
If the building is brick, or it is planned to provide steam, hydro, or thermal insulation, you will need lath lathing.
A vapor barrier membrane, insulation, and other materials are laid behind the slats.
Preference is given to vertical or diagonal fastening: they ensure water drainage and prevent its stagnation in the grooves. Installation should begin from the corner.
Fastening is done:
- using a special clamp - clasp. The next board is inserted into the groove of the first fixed panel, with a clamp on the inner protrusion. The clamps and the last panel are fixed to the sheathing with self-tapping screws or nails. This is the most convenient way to save time and preserve the aesthetic qualities of the finish;
- fastening with self-tapping screws or galvanized nails driven into a special groove and slats.
Video - more about clasps:
If the lining for a bathhouse is made of aspen, this does not exclude the lathing with antiseptics and agents that protect against moisture. The procedure is carried out before installation, after it and during operation, preferably 2 times a year.
You should choose special gels, liquids that do not release when high temperatures and moisture toxic substances, unpleasant odors. Such impregnations are produced directly for baths and saunas.
Price of material, cost of work
The price of aspen depends on the variety and length
The coverage area indicated on the package with aspen lining differs from the useful one by approximately 8.5–9%.
If you expect to finish 5 square meters, you should take material that will be enough for 5.45–5.5 m2.
The price depends on the length of the products. If the lining is made of aspen for a class “A” bathhouse, one square meter will cost 165 - 550 rubles depending on the length.
The price range for class “B” will be from 140 to 380 rubles. The longest panels - from 2.7 m - cost approximately 300 rubles.
Installing aspen lining is not difficult. However, attracting specialists gives benefits in terms of time and quality. Prices for work will cost (per 1 sq.m):
- installation of sheathing – 170 rubles;
- steam (hydro) insulation - 100 rubles, the same amount for insulation;
- installation: straight walls – 350 rubles; on the ceiling - 450; complex shapes – 500;
- installation of skirting boards, corners - 100 rubles. per linear meter.
Lining made from aspen performance qualities quite . Aspen is easy to process and retains its shape when high humidity and temperature, hygienic and even healing. A wide range of grades and sizes makes the products accessible to any category of steam lovers.
Aspen is a traditional material often used in the construction of baths. The building is made from solid log or from timber. During the preparation process, the material is dried in a drying chamber. During construction, it must be taken into account that an aspen log house for a bathhouse must meet certain requirements.
Features and properties of aspen
This tree usually grows in swampy areas, due to which its wood is succulent and susceptible to disease and rot. The lifespan of aspen is 90 years, some trees grow up to 150 years. For the construction of bathhouses and other buildings in Rus', trunks aged 45-55 years were used. The material was prepared in certain time of the year, since the minimum humidity of the trunks is observed from August to November autumn.
Interesting fact! IN Ancient Rus' a certain mystical image was placed on the aspen. People believed that a tree of this species absorbs negativity and scares away evil spirits, so a bathhouse made from an aspen log is a symbolic place where one can obtain purity of body and spirit.
IN different time year, the moisture content in wood changes by 50%. Moreover, the humidity indicator along the trunk is different; there is much more water at the top of the tree than at its base. Another feature of this tree species is that the degree of trunk shrinkage is 40-55%. Therefore, only high-quality logs are used for construction, which are dried and treated with chemicals.
Helpful information! To ensure the attractiveness and durability of a house or bathhouse made from aspen logs, antiseptics are used to treat lumber.
During drying, half of the trunk is deformed, and 4.5 m of the felled tree is used in construction. Longer timber, logs and boards from aspen are “twisted” more often than shorter lumber. Therefore, the harvesting of rounded aspen logs is not very profitable for domestic woodworking enterprises.
Helpful information! Aspen is dried in production special method“water hammer”, as a result of its use, moisture comes out slowly, the wood dries evenly and does not rot.
When drying wood yourself, you need to leave not many upper branches, and you need to make longitudinal cuts along the length of the trunk. The logs selected for construction can be used to build a bathhouse only after 6 months. For this reason, harvesting aspen is a technically complex and lengthy process. When purchasing, you need to choose dry and even lumber, checking each log for core looseness and rot.
Positive qualities and benefits of aspen
According to experts, aspen has a number of unique properties and advantages:
- Aspen logs have a uniform structure. It can be processed independently, in any direction and without the use of special tools.
- Aspen boards have a fine-fiber structure and high density. Due to this, the logs are moisture resistant, and the timber becomes stronger when in contact with water.
- High resistance to wood abrasion after hardening and drying. This quality makes aspen buildings and products one of the most durable and durable.
- Well-dried and well-processed aspen timber does not rot when the material gets wet. This lumber is excellent for the construction of rooms with high humidity.
- Aspen wood contains antimicrobial substances, so it is not susceptible to mold and insects do not grow in it.
- Wood contains phytoncides that destroy microbes and cleanse respiratory system person. The aspen sauna provides clean and fresh air.
- Healing properties of aspen. As bathhouse attendants note, after visiting an aspen bathhouse, there is an increase in body tone and an improvement in overall health.
- Aspen log has an aesthetic light shade with original drawing and does not require decorative processing. Even without windows and with little lighting, the room looks bright, cozy and stylish.
- Compared to lumber from other tree species, aspen logs, beams and boards are inexpensive.
Due to moisture resistance, strength, resistance to drying out and others positive qualities Aspen lumber is often used for the construction of bathhouses and other wet rooms. The advantages of using aspen wood as a building material combine into the main advantage - a bathhouse made from aspen logs improves its performance over time and will serve its owners for several decades.
Disadvantages of aspen
Like any lumber, aspen timber and boards have disadvantages. When choosing raw materials for the construction of a bathhouse and other buildings, the following disadvantages of wood should be taken into account:
- High percentage of shrinkage. After drying, an aspen log house decreases in size by 40-50%, so when purchasing blanks you must choose seasoned wood, otherwise it will deform and the structure of the bathhouse will shrink.
- Most mature trees have a trunk that is not tall enough or is rotten. If you do not notice this defect when purchasing logs, the structure will rot in 1-2 years.
- More often than not, aspen trunks do not meet the required quality standards. This significantly complicates wood harvesting, since a lot of time is spent searching for suitable wood.
- Aspen timber has a specific smell emanating from wood fumes. If you don’t like it, it’s enough to finish the walls of the room with clapboard made of a different material.
- Lumber requires significant shrinkage. If the manufacturer sells timber that is not ready for use and is not fully dried, then after it dries, the structure of the bathhouse may be damaged.
- The seasonality of aspen wood harvesting does not allow us to order lumber at any time of the year. It is better to process aspen in the spring, after the appearance of tree sap.
- Unlike birch, pine and linden, aspen wood shrinks when dried. The trunk becomes thinner, and if drying is not done well, it can become deformed - curl or crack.
Helpful information! It is necessary to cut the recesses for aspen logs carefully, otherwise wood materials may crack. The best option- use the “paw” cutting method.
Owners of baths and saunas made of aspen often emphasize the positive aspects of lumber. It is recommended to take into account the disadvantages of this type of wood when choosing wood. This will avoid mistakes that affect the quality and durability of the structure.
How to build a log house from aspen for a bathhouse yourself?
The construction of a bathhouse must begin with a competent choice of raw materials. It is especially important that a do-it-yourself aspen log house for a bathhouse meets the following requirements:
- The length of the workpiece should be no more than 4.5 m. More often, for aspen log houses, they take the top of an adult tree with a small number of knots, which is 40-50 years old.
- When choosing a material, you need to pay attention Special attention in place, pay attention to the place where the trunk is cut. The core should be dense on both sides, intact, without any signs of rotting.
- Tree felling must be carried out in humid areas of the middle latitudes of Russia. In this way, you will be able to prepare a high-quality log house.
- A tree of excellent quality, which was cut down in a swampy area, has special characteristics. The timber will quickly become strong, similar to monolithic concrete.
Helpful information! Specialists and owners aspen baths It is recommended to use rough-hewn pieces rather than finished timber for the log house. They are cheaper and, if necessary, easier to process.
Having studied the properties and characteristics of aspen, some owners country houses consider it inappropriate to use a tree of this species for the construction of a bathhouse. Some bath attendants choose aspen, which is characterized by resistance to moisture, temperature changes, as well as the influence of external and internal influences.
You can prepare lumber yourself, taking into account the recommendations of experts:
- It is advisable to choose mature trees 40-50 years old that grow in a place that is not very wet. This will reduce the risk of using rotten trunks in the construction of a bathhouse.
- It is better to harvest during the period of sap flow, then the tree can be cut down without much difficulty and is easy to process.
- To properly dry the log, the bark and branches must be left on the bark. Then the buds will absorb moisture and due to this the leaves will bloom, which will ensure natural drying wood The bark will prevent the aspen log from deforming.
- During the drying stage, it is important to prevent sun rays for workpieces. Otherwise, an aspen log house for a bathhouse will quickly dry out, which will cause cracking and deformation of the trunk.
Starting to describe and characterize aspen as building material (edged boards, timber) I’ll start with the fact that many builders who build wooden houses dislike and try to avoid this type wood, because aspen has a number of negative properties. The negative properties are as follows:
Usually this type wood growing in Middle Zone RF in a wetland, or in an area where there is a lot of moisture. Hence, aspen has very high humidity and, as a rule, in most cases, a rotten structure (core). It is very difficult to select 1st grade aspen for sawing, because out of ten sawlog trunks, only one is not rotten and is ready for sawing and further processing. One cubic meter freshly sawn edged boards and timber weighs 1:1 or 1m3 = 1000kg and is very heavy when loading. This becomes especially obvious when loading timber, say 150x150x6000mm. The vices of aspen do not end there, but are just beginning.
Based on my own experience I will say, that any drying of edged boards and aspen beams is a lottery (natural or chamber, it makes no difference) since 60%-80% of the boards will definitely be rejected because they will definitely move or “twist”, i.e. they will be crooked. Only 20%-40% of the board remains ready for further processing. *
* There is even a pattern: the longer the board, the greater the likelihood that this event will occur.
When building, say, a roof (sheathing) where edged boards 25mm thick are used, builders prefer to work with coniferous boards and this is understandable because what will happen to the roof after a little time when the sheathing boards are unscrewed from aspen does not need to be explained, I think I’ll disassemble the example with the rafter part of the roof not worth it.
These are, in fact, all the main reasons why builders avoid working with aspen as a building material.
HOWEVER:
Let us turn to the origins of Russian Construction Architecture, history wood construction dates back more than one thousand years. After all, just a century ago there were no such huge drying chambers, chainsaws and sawmills. The work was painstaking and time-consuming, the construction workers were less selfish and were not familiar with modern technologies and all the work was done by hand (from procurement, processing to construction). Consequently, the craftsmen understood more about how and what kind of wood they need to work with, and what approach this or that wood needs. It is for this reason that knowledge was passed on to the master “through hands” with experience or by inheritance “from father to son”, so this profession was respected and in demand throughout Holy Russia.
Properties of aspen edged boards:
- the material is very durable, and when dry it practically has the properties of concrete (monolith). With age this material It only gains its weight, i.e. it becomes stronger. Anyone who has worked with dry aspen can tell you how often you need to sharpen a chainsaw chain (it gets stuck in the dense texture of the wood, the chips are very large, and fly off in flakes the size of “popcorn”), and how difficult it is to work with an ax or hammer. That is why selected, large, dry aspen was used in the manufacture of inter-storey floors and roof trusses.
*Example:
I myself was not familiar with this property of aspen until I was 25 years old. Until I started converting the roof of my parents’ house from a gable roof to a sloping one. I decided to saw through the rafters with a regular hacksaw. After sawing a little, I realized that neither I nor the tool were suitable for this job. Later, I learned from my grandfather that the rafter part was made from edged aspen 150x50 and cost about 30 years. When asked how he dared to put aspen on the rafter part. It was clearly explained to me in Russian that before this board was put on the rafters, it went through “natural selection.” That is, the board in a stack lay on pads for six months and dried out, after which the normal boards went into use and the boards that were used were used for rough work. *
- the material is not afraid of moisture, and being in a humid environment is not subject to rotting; in addition, once in a natural dry environment, it restores all its properties.
*Here is a vivid example:
I had aspen boards laid in the lower rows of the stack almost on the ground itself and lay under for about 2 years open air. I couldn’t get to them due to the fact that the goods are constantly renewed. Having taken them out and laid them out in the sun, they turned white and took on the same shade as they were when they were brought to me.
That is why it is used to make tables, chairs, benches, wells, floorings that will be located all year round open air. *
Having gone through all the stages of sorting and processing, Russian craftsmen used, as strange as it sounds, in roofing (shingles). The aspen is not even planed to good quality sunny weather has a silvery white tint. And in the rays of the sun it shimmers like silver metallic paint (this can be seen in the photo of the well frame). Those who have not seen it, are welcome to visit the open-air museum of the city - Suzdal, where houses and temples of wooden Russian architecture from all over Russia are collected.
has a subtle pleasant smell that is not “tart” like pine needles and does not hit the nose with its pungency when the temperature rises and does not emit resin, moreover, it does not burn when touched. It is for this reason that aspen and not pine needles are used for finishing the steam room, or even for the construction of the entire bathhouse.
very cheap, due to its mass production. At the moment, the price for 1 m3 of ordinary edged aspen boards in Moscow is 3900-4200 rubles, while pine needles do not exceed 5500 rubles. for 1 m3. . Selected aspen is very expensive and is probably not worth comparing with pine needles.
Aspen firewood is used as a chimney cleaner. That is, they remove the soot. And they are often or usually mixed with birch fagots.
Based on the above, I strongly recommend that the first crowns of a log house (timber or chopped log) be made from aspen. It is expensive, and it will take a lot of time to find the right aspen in sufficient quantities, but it is necessary, because this house will outlive you and will go to your children without major repairs.
TorgLes LLC Sergey