Construction of a bathhouse from spruce

The construction market offers a large list of materials for the construction of various structures. Before starting the construction of residential buildings, warehouses, garages, the buyer purchases the material that has proven itself well. Therefore, choosing the necessary material does not cause much trouble. But the situation changes when you want to create a real Russian bathhouse in the courtyard of your private house. As already noted, the market offers a considerable list of materials for construction. However, a traditional bathhouse is made exclusively from wood materials.

And if during the construction of a residential building you know exactly what type of brick is needed, then when choosing a wood species you will have to rack your brains. Most people choose material made from spruce.

Material selection

When choosing timber, you should pay attention to its quality. The manufactured spruce beam must be even and smooth . You need to choose the material very carefully, because... there should be no knots on it. You also need to pay attention to the color of the log.

Spots of characteristic shades are a sign of rotting wood. The timber should be light and monochromatic without various pigmentations. It is necessary to carefully examine the timber for cracks. The fewer cracks in the wood, the longer it will last.

Properties of spruce logs

Practical and economical for construction, this breed is quite widespread. To the east of the Urals grows Siberian spruce, to the west - European spruce, which practically do not differ in quality. The cut wood has a pinkish or yellowish tint and exhibits annual rings of varying thickness.

Advantages of spruce:

Quite durable, soft wood with low weight;
Good heat saving properties;
Durability of structures;
Releases a pleasant and distinctive resinous odor when heated.

Disadvantages of spruce logs:

Quite significant shrinkage, which over time can provoke the appearance of deep cracks;
The trunks are not as straight as those of pine;
Many branches and twigs;
Abundant content of resins that are released to the surface for a long time.

The main steps when creating a bathhouse from spruce

As with any construction, the first stage is the foundation . It is this that is the key to the stability of the future structure. In addition to stability, the foundation protects the structure from groundwater.

Then the laying of the timber begins. Each subsequent link is superimposed on the previous one. At the same time, at the junction points, the logs should fit perfectly on top of each other. To lay logs in the areas of window and door openings, the material must be adjusted in advance in size, based on the design of the bathhouse.

Fastenings and additional elements when building a spruce bathhouse must be purchased in advance, depending on the main material used.

In order to understand why many people choose this tree species, it is necessary to understand its positive and negative qualities.

Cedar

Cedar is considered the most elite building wood, having enormous strength and low thermal conductivity. Compared to brick, cedar has an index of 1/5, i.e. 10 cm of cedar replaces 50 cm of brick. Therefore, baths built from cedar are very warm. Even without additional insulation, you can safely steam in cedar barrel saunas at -25 degrees!

In addition to strength, cedar has a number of very important advantages over its counterparts. The phytoncides secreted by cedar are considered medicinal. Houses made from cedar will be the cleanest and easiest to breathe in.

Benefits of cedar wood

Low thermal conductivity - retains heat well
Healing phytoncides for healing the body
Strength
Rot resistance
Does not require additional antiseptic treatment

Cedar wood has a beautiful texture and a pinkish tint. It lends itself well to processing. If we compare pine and cedar in terms of resistance to rotting and cracking, then cedar has absolute superiority in this regard.

Disadvantages of cedar wood

Relatively high price (more expensive than pine)

With all the advantages of cedar, there is also a minus - cedar is more expensive than pine, which means baths made of cedar will cost more. But they will last longer and you can steam in them even in cold winters.

Cedar is the best wood for a bathhouse. Cedar phytoncides heal the body. The saunas are durable and warm, you can take a steam bath in winter

Due to the antiseptic properties, cedar baths and houses are free of mold fungi and microbes. Cedar baths have a special advantage - an extraordinary aroma, light air and healing steam.

Positive aspects of using spruce in the construction of a bathhouse

Spruce belongs to the category of coniferous trees. One of the main advantages of this material is its availability in the markets . Prices for this material leave much to be desired, so when building a bathhouse, you can choose the most optimal size of the structure based on your own budget.
Because This breed is easy to process; the material can be easily manipulated and modified at will.
Spruce is a fairly durable material, so when the wood dries, the deformation of the elements is insignificant, which helps to avoid cracks in the wooden elements.
It is worth noting that wood has the property of natural filtration. This allows you to minimize dampness in the bathhouse.
The use of coniferous wood is determined by the lightness of the material. Thanks to this property, there is a small load on the foundation. Therefore, when creating a foundation for a bathhouse, you can significantly save on the amount of necessary materials.
The quality of this material is reflected not only by its technical properties, but also visually. Spruce retains its shade of whiteness relatively longer than other tree species. Therefore, the process of treating the bathhouse with pesticides from the inside can be eliminated.

Pine wood and its characteristics

Pine is an excellent building material for the construction of a log house or bathhouse. This is due not only to the wide habitat of the breed, but also to other advantages:

Good quality of the finished log.
The building material is easy to process.
Minimal cracking due to slight shrinkage.
A small amount of resin inside the workpiece.

A distinctive feature is the reddish-brown color of the core and the light yellow color of the outer layer. As for the disadvantages of pine, it is that it is quite difficult to impregnate the wood with protective compounds due to the resinous nature of the log.

Disadvantages of using this type when building a bathhouse

The use of spruce in the construction of a bathhouse, along with its positive qualities, also has some disadvantages:
One of the negative qualities of using not only spruce, but also other types of wood is the release of resin . This property is especially active at high temperatures. And because The bathhouse requires exactly this temperature, which makes it inconvenient to use. Moreover, in some cases, this can negatively affect human health. Resin is released in smaller quantities only after a couple of years of operation of the bath. After about three years of using the sauna, the resin will no longer seep through the log. Because The release of resin is comparatively greater than that of other species; the tree is finished with material from deciduous plants.
Along with the cessation of resin secretion, the dried spruce will begin to accumulate moisture, and this is fraught with the appearance of fungus. To avoid exposure to fungus and mold, the log will have to be treated with special chemicals.
Over time, the log settles up to 14%. Because of this, you will have to make some efforts to preserve the positive properties and visual qualities of the bathhouse.
The outer walls of the bathhouse are exposed to natural phenomena: rain, sun, etc. This has a negative impact on conifers. In order to extend the life of the log, it is necessary to treat its outside with protective agents.

Which wood is better to build a bathhouse from: spruce or pine?

What kind of building material is better to use for the construction of a bathhouse - spruce or pine? When deciding in favor of one option or another, you should initially familiarize yourself in detail with these types of wood, as well as evaluate the advantages of each of them.

Advantages of a wooden bathhouse

Today, the construction of a bathhouse can be done from the following building materials: brick, aerated concrete blocks, wood concrete blocks or wood. The majority of developers prefer to use brick, arguing for the high durability of the material, but wooden baths are characterized by a large number of advantages, not to mention the fact that their construction will cost much less.

The wooden bathhouse cannot be compared with any other building, since it embodies the spirit of the Russian bathhouse. Let's look at a few arguments that will help convince you that it is more prudent to build a bathhouse from wood:

the need for a minimum amount of firewood to heat the room;
the feeling of dampness is completely absent;
wood is considered a natural and environmentally friendly material, therefore beneficial for human health;
low level of thermal conductivity;
significant budget savings;
wooden walls retain heat better than brick walls.

If you decide to build a bathhouse made of wood, then we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the following information, which will help you choose only the best option for building materials, based on their specific advantages and disadvantages of each material. Next, we will talk about wood species such as pine and spruce.

Pine

Today, pine is the most common solution among all developers, primarily due to the following reasons:

The relatively low cost of the material is one of the main factors influencing the choice. Pine is much cheaper than most types of wood, which is why almost everyone can afford to use it;
This type of wood does not deform, the logs are quite stable, and are also not prone to various types of chips and cracks;
In addition, pine is a lightweight material that can be easily processed, which is important in the process of independently constructing a bathhouse;

It should be noted that pine is also characterized by the presence of shortcomings that must be addressed:

Constant exposure to moisture deteriorates the wood, after which it begins to rot, so replacement may be required within a few years without proper treatment;
This type of wood, such as pine, is susceptible to various pests, including fungal damage;
Please note, like all conifers, pine secretes resin. This process can take place especially intensely at high temperatures in a steam room, and hot resin can burn and stain. The arrangement of a wooden bathhouse made of pine is usually as follows: the inside of the room is lined with hardwood clapboard. This method allows you to neutralize the negative properties and characteristics of pine.

Important! If you prefer to build a bathhouse from pine, then do not forget about the need to periodically check the structure and also cover it with protective substances. This can significantly extend the life of the tree.

Spruce

This wood has many similarities with pine: ease of processing, as well as affordable prices, influence the fairly high popularity of spruce among buyers.

It is necessary to note one more advantage that is inherent to spruce: unlike pine, spruce does not darken over time, but for many years, on the contrary, retains its light golden color in an exclusively original form.

Also, you should pay attention to the negative aspects: the release of resin from spruce occurs even more intensely than from pine. That is why it is very important to apply additional cladding inside the bathhouse.

What is better to use for building a bathhouse - spruce or pine?

It should be noted that in terms of thermal characteristics, both options are approximately the same; however, spruce wins slightly in this matter, since the structure of its wood is loose. Its fibers contain significantly more air, which in turn determines its rather low thermal conductivity. However, a bathhouse made of pine may be characterized by thicker walls, due to the fact that the diameter of this tree is much larger than that of spruce. As for durability, it should be noted that spruce is inferior to pine, as it absorbs more moisture and is thus more susceptible to decay processes, as well as the formation of mold and mildew.

In addition to all this, as we already know, pine is less resinous than spruce, which is also an important factor for Russian baths, as well as its high temperature conditions. Please note that a more resinous spruce will emit a pleasant and rich aroma of coniferous forest. However, processing pine is the simplest, as it is characterized by an even and straight long trunk. Spruce wood is much more difficult to process due to the presence of a large number of knots. However, at the same time, such knottyness gives the log house a unique decorative effect.

It should be remembered that both types of wood darken, however, the intensity of darkening of pine is much greater. If pine wood is not treated in the required way, then over time the material will become lumpy-red in color. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to cover the bath room. In addition, it is recommended to cover the material with refreshing substances, for example, wax or varnish. However, remember that neither wax nor varnish should have a pronounced odor, especially in the case of high temperatures. Special substances for coating wood should also not melt when exposed to high temperatures. As a rule, manufacturers of paint and varnish products must warn about these features on product labels.

The pricing policies for spruce and pine are not particularly different. In principle, you can build a bathhouse from both types of wood. The most important thing is that the wood is properly prepared and not damaged by various types of fungi or mold. In addition, a combination of two types of wood is also possible. The lower crowns must be made of a more resistant material to a humid environment - pine, but the upper ones can be made of spruce in order to better retain heat.

Choosing a log house project for a wooden bath: main points

The main question is the expected number of people who will visit the steam room and, naturally, the allowable amount for its construction. Basically, when calculating sizes, they start from the fact that the average room for procedures consists of the following departments :

vestibule hallway;
locker rooms;
steam rooms;
washing

A dressing room with an area of 4-5 square meters. m is quite enough for visitors of 3-5 people. Here it is worth considering installing a window. For a steam room, 6-9 square meters is enough. m, shelves up to 2 meters long are arranged along the wall. For such a project for a log house of an individual bath, the optimal room size will be 3x4.5 m .

A full-size steam room of 4x6 m will allow you to spend time more comfortably, since with such dimensions you can arrange a relaxation room, where benches and a table will be comfortable. If you wish and have the funds, it is possible to equip an attic or a glazed veranda.

Advantages and disadvantages of pine

Pine does not require complex processing, so the cost of the material on the market is not too high. Among the main advantages of this type of wood are the following:

strength;
resistance to moisture due to the high resin content in the composition;
the ability to manufacture products of complex shapes;
a variety of shades - from yellow to red-brown;
resistance to deformation;
minimal need for decorative finishing after completion of construction (it is quite enough to treat the surfaces with varnish).

The disadvantages of pine are the following:

significant weight makes it difficult to carry out construction and finishing work, which, in turn, increases costs;
the material retains heat worse than spruce.

The house, built of pine, is full of the smell of wood. For some this is an advantage, for others it is a disadvantage.

The best coniferous tree for a bath

PINE

Log cabins made of pine baths have become quite widespread (especially recently) due to several of its remarkable properties.

Pine logs are a popular building material for bathhouses

Pine has a fairly soft and light wood that is easy to process. Making a log house for a bathhouse from pine is not difficult even for carpenters with little experience.

A log house made of pine is little susceptible to deformation when completely dried out; the log logs almost do not “lead” and they do not crack.

A significant factor in choosing pine logs for cutting a bath house is their fairly low cost. Pine is the cheapest wood building material today.

However, with all these wonderful qualities of a pine bathhouse, it also has its drawbacks.

The first disadvantage of pine can be considered its poor resistance to rotting in a humid environment, susceptibility to wood fungus and wood parasites, which over time destroy the structure of the log.

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In addition, since pine is a coniferous tree, the pine logs of the log house somehow emit a certain amount of pine resin, especially when they are heated during the heating of the bathhouse. Hot resin on the walls of the steam room can easily cause serious burns, or simply get dirty. Hot resin vapors give the bathhouse atmosphere an overly strong, even suffocating aroma. Therefore, pine log houses can be used in the construction of a bathhouse only if they are further lined with hardwood wood.

SPRUCE

Like pine, spruce has sufficient lightness and softness of wood, and is also easy to process. In addition, compared to pine, whose wood darkens over time, spruce logs are characterized by a pleasant white-golden color that lasts for a long period of use. Like pine, a spruce frame is an economical option for building a bathhouse. Spruce logs are quite inexpensive.

But, like its “coniferous relative,” spruce still has the same unpleasant feature – the presence of resin in the wood structure. Moreover, spruce resin is released from the log even more intensely than pine resin. Therefore, as in the case of pine, it is also impossible to do without internal lining.

LARCH

Larch, despite its name, also belongs to the group of coniferous trees, but it differs from pine and spruce in greater strength and durability. When dry, larch logs noticeably harden, approaching the hardness of oak wood.

A log house made of larch will last much longer than log houses made of spruce and pine; it is less susceptible to moisture and fungus, since larch resin contains a natural antiseptic. In addition, a bathhouse built from larch has a healing and restorative effect, preventing diseases of the cardiovascular system.

If you want to build a “sauna that will last forever,” then larch may be a very good option, although the cost of larch logs is approximately twice as expensive as pine logs, but experts say that this overpayment is worth it.

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Don’t forget about the need for interior finishing of the steam room, because larch is literally impregnated with resin, which, by the way, significantly increases its fire resistance.

CEDAR

A cedar bathhouse is a luxury that not everyone can afford. Currently, the procurement of Siberian cedar is significantly limited; a significant part of this truly royal tree is exported, so a bathhouse built from cedar is an elite creation.

Cedar wood is unique in its properties. Thanks to their fibrous structure, cedar logs practically do not shrink, bend or crack. Cedar is far superior to other conifers in its resistance to rot, high temperatures and humid environments. In addition, a cedar log house is very beautiful; its logs have a beautiful structure and a noble shade.

In conclusion, we can mention the valuable essential oils that make up cedar wood. Thanks to their evaporations, the cedar sauna has the properties of real aromatherapy.

That is why cedar log houses are an excellent, although quite expensive, option for building a Russian bathhouse.

Pine

Pine is a good building material, but it is inferior in durability and durability to larch and cedar. It is quite durable and, if you do not plan to steam in the cold season, you will not freeze in a pine bathhouse. In addition, pine is the most affordable, so very often inexpensive baths are made from pine.

Benefits of pine wood

Price - pine baths are the most inexpensive
Strength
Ease of processing

However, unlike cedar and larch, pine must be treated with antiseptic agents, because it is susceptible to rotting. The upper layers of wood are softer, able to absorb moisture and are especially susceptible to “blueing” of the fabric. Such a bathhouse will not last you long, but as an option for an inexpensive summer bathhouse for 5-7 years, it is quite functional.

Disadvantages of pine wood

Fragility
High thermal conductivity - pine baths are “cold” and quickly release heat. You can't steam in winter
The need for additional treatment with antiseptic compounds

If you plan to steam in a sauna both in winter and summer, then cedar is more suitable. The sauna will serve for a long time, reliably and will help improve the health of the body.

Spruce: advantages and disadvantages

Spruce has almost identical properties regardless of the variety. Common to all is a pink or yellow color on the cut and pronounced annual rings. To build a log house from spruce, you need to familiarize yourself with its characteristics:

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It is easier to build a log bathhouse from spruce logs, thanks to the softness of the log. Spruce logs are light in weight. Spruce has high strength. Low thermal conductivity due to the high air content in the capillaries of wood. A finished spruce sauna lasts a long time.

The disadvantages of spruce lumber include:

Large shrinkage, which leads to the appearance of deep cracks. The radius of curvature of the trunk is significantly greater than that of pine. Branchiness and a large number of knots. Resin is released to the surface not only during heating.

If a bathhouse made of pine or spruce is not lined with anything from the inside, then during bathing procedures you can stick to the wall because of the resin or get burned by it, so it’s worth thinking about how to treat the inner surface of the bathhouse.

Comparative analysis

The thermal conductivity of the materials is approximately the same. In spruce, due to the higher air content in the wood, this figure is slightly higher. But pine walls can be much thicker, since the diameter of the tree trunks of this species is larger.

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The durability indicators of spruce are lower due to high moisture absorption, which can provoke the occurrence of fungi, mold, and rotting. The resin content in its wood is lower, and, accordingly, their release into the atmosphere is also lower.

On a note! The evenness and smoothness of the trunks greatly simplifies the processing of pine. The difficulty of working with spruce is due to the knotty nature of the species, but this is compensated by the high decorative qualities of the log house.

Both types of wood darken in approximately the same time, but pine untreated with special compounds gradually acquires a more intense brownish-red hue. This problem can be solved by installing decorative cladding or using special impregnations.

Important! Wood treatment compositions must be safe for health, not melt when heated, and not emit odors or toxic substances!

The ability of spruce to absorb and remove moisture outside causes greater “dryness” of bathhouse structures than those made of pine, which is at the same time subject to “blueing.”

The price of both types of wood is approximately the same, and they can be easily combined provided that healthy raw materials are chosen and the logs are prepared correctly. For example, pine is the optimal material for constructing lower crowns exposed to strong humidity, and spruce is ideal for constructing the upper part of walls, since it has high heat-saving and decorative qualities.