Why is there a cold floor in the bathhouse: what to do and how to insulate it? Why is the bathhouse floor cold? How to fix it? The floor in the bathhouse does not warm up

In order to know all the intricacies of building a bathhouse, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the basic principles of the design and construction of a cold floor in a bathhouse.

The bathhouse is not just a place for cleansing procedures, it is an ancient way to strengthen health and spirit. In order for the steam room to be beneficial, you need to make sure that the bathhouse meets all the criteria: the right materials, good stove and heated floor. What if the sauna has already been built, but the floor does not heat up at all? What could be the reasons and what can make the floor warm?

The floor temperature depends on several determining factors: weather conditions on the street, correct installation walls and ceiling, as well as from the coating itself.

The most popular and widespread floor in a bathhouse today is a concrete floor. It is durable and reliable; concrete does not rot, does not decompose and does not emit harmful compounds, fits easily into the concrete, is easy to clean and is easy to lay. However, like any stone or tile, it conducts heat well, which is why even with high temperatures, remains cold and does not raise the heat above 30 degrees. So that the water can drain into concrete floor leave small gaps that allow drafts to pass through even in warm weather. Moreover, these holes, despite the quality of the concrete, with constant moisture and airflow, cause mold to appear. Unnecessary cold air can also enter if the ceiling is poorly laid. Random cracks, poorly laid vapor barrier materials and insulation is one of the reasons for the cold floor in the bathhouse. To deal with this problem, you need the help of a professional.

Not really the right decision for insulation is laying tiles, because has already been said earlier - its thermal conductivity is like that of concrete, so the necessary will not be provided (although appearance with a tiled floor changes for the better).

Concrete flooring is dependent on external temperatures - there will be no severe cold if the thermometer outside the window shows +30 degrees, but if it is frosty outside, then the concrete will practically not be heated.

Many people try to lay it on a concrete surface wooden boards, so to speak, “tightly”, but with this arrangement problems will arise with the wood - it is inconvenient to dry the pieces of wood and at times treat them with an antiseptic. And even this option warms up to no more than 40 degrees and will not provide the necessary comfort.

Wooden is considered sufficient warm option, however, there are glitches with it too. A cold wooden floor can occur if the distance between the boards and the earthen foundation is minimal. The solution here is simple - lay another layer of insulation. The obvious cause of the cold is the absence of the so-called subfloor (a layer of scraps mixed with waterproofing). The temperature of the floor also depends on the type of wood. Coniferous or deciduous wood varieties are excellent for steam rooms and dressing rooms - they retain heat best and provide comfort to the feet. Wood will provide warmth in the bathhouse if it is laid in the form of gratings on any base covering.

Perhaps a cold floor will not cause discomfort to some, but it does not bring any health benefits. If you step on it after intense heating, the possibility of heatstroke and loss of consciousness increases. So you should carefully approach the problem associated with cold floors.

Just before New Year's Eve, I launched my unfinished construction project.
The structure itself is like this:
The log house is 10 years old, external size 5.2*3.2.
For the first 8 years of its life, the log house stood on another site, of which the last 3 years were not in use.
Then it was moved to concrete slab 2.25 m and my personal unfinished construction has already begun.
The log house stood with me from the summer of 2010 until September 2011 in the same form as can be seen in the photo.
Inside there was a clapboard ceiling, and foil insulating material was laid on top of the clapboard.
In September, I had an aggravation and the log house was caulked in such a way that it would not be lined with anything inside. Along the way, volume washing department was divided into two parts - the washing and drinking room and the steam room itself. Well, plus the waiting room, which was there originally.
However, the partition was lined with clapboard, which came into terrible dissonance with the darkened logs, and as a result, a decision was made inner space sew up with clapboard.
Then it turned out like this: the washing and glass compartment was lined from the inside with the same foil insulator, with foil inside, and a lining was sewn on top. The partition between the washroom and the steam room has a foil bath on both sides, and inside roll insulation. The ceilings throughout the entire area were also lined with insulation, alas, I don’t know the name - gray-yellow crap, with a total thickness of 15-20 centimeters on the ceiling. It's all covered with glassine on top.
In the master's steam room there is foil on outer wall They refused to put it there, they said that it would rot under it without any options. They convinced me that I wouldn’t achieve anything other than condensation with foil.
The oven was installed with Thermofor Compact-12:
The volume of the steam room is a little more than 11 cubic meters in total.
The steam room has a window. I decided to make it out of plastic:
The stove is heated from the washing room. The pipes are a sandwich, just over 4 meters high, with a house on top. There are no valves in the pipe.
Well, now the actual question: the temperature in the steam room does not rise above 75 degrees according to the Harvia thermometer.
So far I have only stoked it a few times, the first time the starting temperature in the steam room was +15 degrees, the subsequent times +25. Outside - from zero to minus 4 degrees. I brought it up to +15 with an electric convector installed in the washing room - before that, the inside was the same as the outside.
After the first experience I carefully studied external walls- I didn’t find any perspiration. I found drops of moisture on the door between the washroom and the hallway - I walked with tow and subsequently did not observe any perspiration there.
What confuses me is that on a fully heated stove, I put it on the stones, and the water lazily evaporates as if it wasn’t so hot there either. I can touch the lining near the pipe - that is, it heats up within 65 degrees, the pipe itself is of course warmer...
So - what did I do wrong and what are the ways to solve the problem?

Why can the floor in a bathhouse feel cold? One of the main reasons for the “coldness” of floors can be their improper arrangement. Non-compliance technological rules, as well as the use of low-quality building materials can lead to large heat losses in the room. We will talk about the factors that contribute to the cooling of floors, as well as ways to insulate them.

Reasons for heat loss

Why can the floors in the bathhouse be cold? In fact, there are a lot of factors that can trigger the problem. But in most cases, heat leakage through the flooring occurs for the following reasons:

Lack of thermal insulation. Some bath rooms, such as steam rooms and sinks, may not be insulated. The absence of a heat insulator leads to a more intense exchange of heat between the floor and the cold foundation, which is why the bathhouse flooring begins to feel cold;
Poor quality waterproofing. If, during the process of waterproofing the floor, the water-repellent layer is depressurized, over time this will lead to the thermal insulator getting wet. As you know, water is a good conductor of heat, and therefore a wet thermal insulator automatically loses its properties;
Absence air cushion between the floor and the foundation. The underground with an air gap plays the role of a thermal insulating plug, which prevents the floor in the bathhouse from cooling. If during the installation process between rough and finishing coat do not leave an air gap, this can cause large heat losses;

Use of “cold” materials. If in bath room no thermal insulator is used to prevent heat evaporation; it is advisable to use wood as a floor covering. Concrete and tiles are excellent heat conductors. Laying them on an uninsulated base will certainly make the floors cold.

In addition, a bathhouse is a room with a specific microclimate. High humidity, temperature fluctuations and pouring water on the floor do not help retain heat. To correct the situation, it is advisable to take care of insulating the base, which will not only help maintain a constant temperature in the room, but also prevent damage flooring materials. Constant temperature fluctuations provoke expansion and contraction of concrete or wood, which ultimately leads to the appearance of cracks.

The best insulation materials

What to do if the floors are very cold? To correct the situation, you need to take care of high-quality thermal insulation of the base. It is immediately worth noting that mineral insulators such as ecowool and mineral wool won't fit. When wet, they lose their thermal insulating properties and, moreover, become an ideal environment for the development of microbes, mold and fungi.

What heat insulators can be used in a bathhouse? To the number optimal insulation materials for floors in “damp” rooms include:

Expanded clay is an inexpensive thermal insulator that is used in the construction of concrete floors. The smaller the expanded clay granules, the less heat loss. Since the material is made of clay, it is not exposed to water, so it can be safely used in a bathhouse to insulate the base;
Penoizol – liquid foam, which fills everything hard to reach places. Thanks to this, it perfectly copes with the task of thermal insulation in rooms with harsh microclimates. With its help, you can seal cracks and crevices not only in the floor base, but also in the foundation, which is why the floor can draw cold;
Polystyrene foam is non-hygroscopic and very lightweight material with good thermal insulation performance. Even when wet, it does not lose its qualities and prevents heat exchange between the floor and the foundation. Its thermal insulation properties are approximately 25 times higher than those of expanded clay concrete. It is often used when installing a “floating” screed, when laid in sections between joists, onto which cement mortar is subsequently poured.

Conclusion

What to do if there is a cold draft from the floor base in the bathhouse? First of all, you need to determine the cause of heat loss. In most cases, the problem arises from poor-quality thermal and waterproofing, as well as the use of “cold” materials. To insulate the base, you can use expanded clay, polystyrene, penoizol and other non-hygroscopic insulation materials.

I built a bathhouse, put oak posts on the screed in the washing room, and 40 floor boards on top of them. In the steam room I only put a couple of ladders, so the floor level in it turned out to be a little lower than in the washing room, and the height of the threshold was about 20 cm. However, , when you enter the steam room, you feel cold in your legs, not that strong, but it still exists. I’m thinking of improving the situation by using a hood and raising the floor level in the steam room, but first I wanted to ask - is it worth it, I don’t really want to sacrifice the height of the steam room?Installing a floor in a steam room is a very important process. If everything is done correctly, then both washing and relaxing in the bathhouse will be a pleasure. But if you do anything wrong, the consequences will be the most unpredictable. As it happened in your case - a low floor level, a thin screed, all this entails cooling the room. It is possible to correct the situation. It is better to raise the floor level in the steam room, since the lower it is, the colder it is. It’s not surprising that there’s a draft moving across the floor. To eliminate this drawback, you can use a layer of insulation, and make a ladder on top, which will need to be lifted and dried periodically. However this method very inconvenient. It is more expensive, but much more rational, to lay the floor again. That is, the existing boards should be removed. In this case, it will be possible to lay an additional layer of insulation, which will definitely not be superfluous. After the insulation layer, waterproofing is laid. Typically, polyethylene is used for the floor in a bathhouse. waterproofing material. The edges of the film should be left slightly longer and wrapped under the insulation. Next, the slats are filled, and then the floor boards. It makes no sense to install a heated floor in the steam room, but it can be installed in the dressing room and rest room. Or in these rooms you can lay a layer of insulation under the ladder. It is for these premises that this method is rational. But when laying ladders, one should not forget that the insulation remains poorly protected from fire. Accordingly, you should remember the technique fire safety.

There is also the option of installing a heated floor, since the steam room should be warm, not cool. If the stove does not heat, then you will have to warm up the room using additional “devices”. But if you increase convection, then while the floor warms up, the walls may “melt”, and no one has yet canceled the fire safety rules.

Video: Forced air convection in a bathhouse

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How to get rid of a cold bath floor

If the floor in the bathhouse is cold in winter, then it needs to be insulated. To keep it warm, you have two options. The first option is when a concrete floor is made from two layers, and insulation is laid between the layers. To prevent the floor from being cold with this design, good insulation is enough. But if you are a supporter of a more comfortable bathing experience, you can also organize an additional one, which will make the bathing procedures even more comfortable.

Expanded clay and perlite can be used as insulation. They are better suited for this role. Some also use polystyrene foam in various variations. He is also good insulation. The use of such insulation in a bathhouse will not only make a cold floor warm, but will also increase its service life. After all, this material is not afraid of dampness.

Briefly, the process of insulating a cold floor in a bathhouse consists of the following points: The first layer of concrete is made, waterproofing is laid on top - usually various mastics play this role. Next, the insulation is laid, an additional waterproofing film can be laid on top, and then a finishing concrete screed is made.

Such a floor must have a slope to allow water to flow into drain hole. It is also not uncommon when organizing such a floor to install a heated floor system into the finishing screed, and the floor is tiled. Some, where a heated floor system is not used, additionally lay boards on the floor or make a grating wood flooring. The boards are pre-treated with special impregnations - you can read more about this.

Concrete floor in the bathhouse of course a good option but it is not only labor-intensive but also expensive, especially if you also want to install a heated floor system.

The second option to make cold floors warmer is to build non-leaking wooden floors and lay insulation underneath them.

The essence of such floors is that the logs are laid first, the space between them is filled with insulation that is not afraid of moisture. A waterproofing film must be laid on top and bottom of the insulation. Next, the boards are laid very tightly on the logs so that there are no gaps; the sides of the boards must have a tongue and groove. Naturally, the boards are impregnated with special waterproof impregnations. And don’t forget about the slope, which must be present so that water can flow freely along the boards into the sewer pit.

With the help of such simple manipulations you can turn a cold floor in a bathhouse into a very comfortable warm one. You can find out all the ways to insulate a wooden floor.