- Dimensions of timber for the bath
- How to treat timber
Most often you can find information about birch lining, which is used for lining the inside; linden, pine, cedar, and alder are used for the same purpose; little is written about bathhouses made of birch.
Birch is a specific tree with its own characteristics; this material does not resist rotting as well as we would like. The structure of wood is very dense, so it is extremely difficult to process, especially since it will crack if handled incorrectly. Our ancestors made houses from birch; this wood is dense, like stone, but is not suitable for use in a humid environment. Coniferous species last much longer in such conditions; if the log is thoroughly soaked, there is a chance that the birch material will last longer. Old log houses made of birch showed good results; their walls cannot be taken with a chainsaw!
Is it worth making a bathhouse from birch?
When we say the word “bathhouse” we mean a complex structure, the components of which are exposed to different influences in different places.
Rotting processes begin to develop in places where it is very humid and warm, as well as in places under windows. There are not so many such places in the bathhouse, a simple conclusion arises: you can combine materials that are more stable and durable with those that do not have such high performance properties. On the territory of Northern Kazakhstan, a very long time ago, people learned to use bathhouses made of birch and aspen, since pine needles are not available to them. Finnish bathhouse lovers also prefer birch as a building material for a bathhouse, despite the abundance of needles. They have mastered technologies that make it possible to extend the life of this material.
In Soviet times, birch was not used as a building material; firewood, plywood, and carpentry were mainly made from birch; the material was a kind of substitute for oak and beech. The main advantage of birch is its hardness. Easily available conifers made it possible not to be burdened with finding a substitute. Whether this is worth doing now remains a big question.
Log, timber, lining
In this article we are not talking about firewood or crafts made from birch, not about industrial use, but only about the possibility of using it in construction. There are few such possibilities: either to be built from logs/timbers, or to decorate the inside of the bathhouse with birch clapboard.
On sale you can find advertisements for the sale of birch beams or rounded logs, they are inexpensive, you can build from them, but only on the condition that you check the entire batch, because this tree has a strong tendency to warp.
ATTENTION! If birch is dried without a press, then warping will occur. Find out the drying conditions and measure the moisture content of the purchased wood - if you have to dry it at home, then only under pressure.
We said above that there is no need to rush to conclusions. You can very well build from timber or logs, but on the condition that you have very good ventilation, and you make internal thermal insulation, and then line the bathhouse with clapboard made of another tree, more resistant to a humid atmosphere.
Of course, one could say that in dry rooms it is possible to line the walls and ceiling with birch clapboard. But we won’t, because the humidity in the bathhouse always increases during procedures, no matter in what room.
ADVICE! It is birch lining that should not be used in a bathhouse. It's good where it's warm and dry, but it's not about a bathhouse.
Returning to the construction of a log house, take care in advance of treating the logs or timber with an antiseptic and water-repellent compound. In this case, the bath will last longer. But remember that processing must be resumed from time to time.
We have a lot of materials on processing, we recommend you look at: Choosing what to process boards in a bathhouse, Logs for a bathhouse: which is better and how to process them?, Methods of processing and laying timber in a bathhouse.
In general, there is no categorical ban on construction from birch. But in practice it is used only if there are no other alternatives. Because they understand the characteristics of a given tree and take them into account. The birch ax handle behaves just fine. And a building or a fence...
Properties of birch
The wood has high strength, but is inferior to oak and larch. The wear resistance of wood in conditions of low humidity and above-zero temperatures is defined as high, a good material for parquet. But it does not differ in good resistance to rotting and resistance to fungi. Indian teak, Australian eucalyptus, oak and larch have the greatest resistance - they are in the lists of high resistance classes; birch belongs to the last fifth class of species in terms of resistance.
Conifers
Coniferous trees are not uncommon in Russia, and they have long been considered an inexpensive but high-quality building material. True, the bathhouse has its own specifics; not every tree can withstand its hot steam. The most commonly used coniferous species for sauna logs are spruce, pine and larch.
Pine and spruce
The wood of these species is similar in its properties. It is one of the most affordable and budget-friendly. Spruce and pine logs are quite long, smooth and well processed. When heated in a bathhouse, they give off a resinous pine aroma, which is not only pleasant, but also useful, as it contains natural antibacterial substances - phytoncides.
However, a log house made of spruce or pine has serious disadvantages.
- This wood does not tolerate moisture well - it grows mold and fungi, so the log house requires special treatment with various impregnations;
- Due to the changes that occur in spruce and pine logs under the influence of hot steam, baths made from them are short-lived; You can extend the life of such a structure by constantly treating the logs with special mixtures. Baths that are heated black are more resistant to rotting.
- In the hot air of the bathhouse, coniferous logs begin to “cry” - resin is released from them, which quickly heats up and can cause serious burns. Therefore, it is recommended to line the walls of a bathhouse cut from pine or spruce from the inside with linden or aspen lining.
As you can see, the need for additional investments in impregnation and cladding negates the low cost of the material.
Larch
Compared to spruce and pine, larch wood is more resistant to moisture. Under its influence it only becomes stronger and stronger. In addition, larch contains substances that are natural antiseptics. Therefore, a log house made from this tree is not threatened by either fungus or mold, and a healthy microclimate is created in the bathhouse. The essential oils secreted by larch are good for treating lung and heart diseases.
But a larch frame will cost much more than a spruce or pine one. In addition, this is also a coniferous tree, and also releases resin when heated. True, the walls made of larch logs have been “crying” for about two years. You can be patient.
Yes, there is also cedar. This material is very good, but too expensive. For a bathhouse this is luxury.
White birch tree under my window. It’s a pity that you can’t build a house from birch (c) Yesenin the Builder
We find out why birch is impractical in house construction.
We find out why birch is impractical in house construction.
Do not consider our small construction modification of the lines of the great Russian poet Sergei Yesenin as blasphemy, but it was hard to resist doing so when mentioning birch in the context of a material for building a wooden house.
After all, this beautiful and even somewhere sacred tree for Russia is well suited for anything - firewood, furniture, plywood, tools, brooms and even sap - but not for the walls of a private house.
Let's figure out why a house (or bathhouse) made of birch in our time is the rarest exotic, despite two seemingly significant factors: 1) the wide distribution of this type of tree in Russia; 2) cheap.
Let’s make a reservation right away: we cannot say that there are no houses/baths made of birch at all. For example, one of the readers of our Zen channel the day before published his opinion in an article about houses made of fir: “houses made of birch stood for 300 years, they need to be felled and chopped in winter, the wood becomes very strong like bone when it dries.”
He is not alone. It turns out that every month about a thousand people are interested in birch houses in the Yandex search engine:
Word service data from Yandex
Word service data from Yandex
But it is still obvious that birch is very inconvenient for construction - namely as a full-fledged material for walls - and in practice it is very difficult to find log houses made entirely or partially from birch. In addition, discussions of birch as a log material are very rare on construction forums on the RuNet.
And there are objective reasons for this:
- fragility - birch is susceptible to rapid decay. The absence of resin, which has a protective function, affects;
- low moisture resistance - very afraid of moisture, like a sponge absorbs moisture. The reality is that often within 4-5 years the log literally turns into dust;
- does not retain heat well - it will be very cool in a birch house;
- Birch logs warp greatly along their length - due to their high dependence on atmospheric influences. Birch has poor resistance to splitting in radial directions; in general, the tree cracks easily;
- a house made of birch takes several times longer to dry out than, for example, one made of pine;
- birch wood is susceptible to attacks by insects, in particular wood-boring beetles;
- high degree of curvature - usually the birch trunk is not as slender as that of coniferous trees, it is more difficult to make a long straight log or board from it;
- birch is hard and at the same time viscous - the density varies from 630 to 680 kg/m3 - this corresponds to a place between medium-heavy and heavy types of wood. Birch is difficult to process; it quickly dulls construction tools. It is more difficult to hammer a nail into a birch than into a pine tree.
It should be noted that birch still plays a role in the construction of wooden houses and bathhouses - it is often used to make dowels - these are special wooden nails that are used to fasten logs together to prevent them from twisting during drying. In addition, birch is sometimes used as a finishing material.
To summarize, it can be noted that birch logs and beams for housing should be used only when no alternative exists.
In Russia, houses are most often built from coniferous trees, or much less often from deciduous trees - oak and aspen.
Previously, we published detailed review reports on the nuances of houses made from various trees. If you missed this, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the corresponding hyperlinks: a house made of pine, a house made of larch, a house made of cedar, a house made of spruce, a house made of fir, a house made of aspen and, finally, a house made of oak.
Would you dare to build a house or bathhouse from birch? Have you seen birch houses/baths anywhere?
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Hardwood
Not all hardwood is suitable for construction. For example, birch is only suitable for firewood or, in extreme cases, for decorative finishing details. But there are several species that have proven themselves well as a material for a log bathhouse.
Oak
Contrary to popular belief, oak was rarely used in the past for the construction of log houses, and even more so, bathhouses made from it are very rare.
This is, of course, a durable tree that is not afraid of moisture, and a structure made from it will last for centuries. However, oak logs are extremely difficult to process due to the high strength of the wood, and they weigh a lot. Therefore, a heavy oak frame requires a massive foundation.
There is another drawback of oak logs - when drying, they often develop longitudinal cracks.
Well, this material is expensive. Not everyone can afford an oak frame even for their home.
Linden
Linden is considered a popular tree in bathhouse construction. Its wood is light, perfectly processed and fills the hot air of the bathhouse with the aroma of honey. A log house made of linden logs does not require a massive foundation and produces insignificant shrinkage, which is important in construction. However, linden is most often used not for log houses, but for interior wall cladding, for making benches and shelves.
The fact is that the linden log house is short-lived. This wood is susceptible to rotting, fungal attack and quickly deteriorates when exposed to moisture. A sauna made from linden logs requires very careful care - it must be dried and ventilated after each use. Or even replace rotten crowns from time to time.
In addition, linden is an expensive option. The more offensive is the fragility of such a bath.
Aspen
So we got to the main hit of the parade of tree species. Aspen is considered the best tree for baths. It was valued in the old days, and now craftsmen prefer to cut a bathhouse from aspen logs.
- This material, like linden, is well processed, and an aspen frame is quite light, so it does not require a massive foundation.
- When dry, aspen logs do not warp or crack.
- What is most important is that aspen is not afraid of water, and is not as affected by fungi and mold as linden.
- A log house made of aspen logs is strong and durable.
- In terms of price, this is a fairly budget option, especially since such a log house does not require mandatory interior finishing.
