Insulating a bathhouse from the outside with your own hands: tips on how to insulate a bathhouse from the outside

When it comes to insulating a bathhouse, for most cases the best is insulation from the inside, because this method is the most common and effective. External insulation is more typical for residential buildings. For any bathhouse, ceiling insulation is necessary, especially for buildings with an attic, it may be necessary to insulate the floor and roof, but wall insulation is a more variable issue.

It is not at all necessary to insulate a wooden bathhouse, you cannot do without insulating frame walls, but brick and block walls - here again you need to think about whether it is necessary. And if necessary, then how: from the inside or from the outside.

To provide the most complete and objective information, we will also consider possible options for insulating baths from the outside. The choice of insulation is discussed in another section.

External insulation of log baths

Thermal protection of such buildings comes down to eliminating cracks. During the construction process, a special jute insulation is laid between the crowns, but over time the wood begins to dry out, cracks and gaps appear, which have to be repaired regularly.

After completing the construction of the log house and eliminating the shortcomings, the building must remain under the roof for at least six months. During this time, it is advisable not to use the bathhouse. The log house will shrink, the wood will dry out, and new cracks will begin to appear that need to be caulked.

For this purpose, special insulation made of flax and jute is used. Since jute retains heat excellently and does not ignite, but tears easily, flax fibers are added to it, which eliminate this problem. Thin pieces of insulation are driven into the cracks using a metal caulking blade and a hammer. The work is carried out carefully so that the building does not warp.

In addition, when choosing the best way to insulate a bathhouse from the outside, you should pay attention to a special sealant - to fill the cracks you just need to squeeze the mixture from a syringe directly into the voids.

A log house continues to shrink within two years. Experts advise not to cover it with finishing materials during this period, so that there is access to the cracks that arise, which have to be periodically eliminated. To protect the insulation from various precipitations, you should cover the outside of the bathhouse with film, securing it with strips.

Two years after construction, finishing can be done. Buildings made of logs can be sheathed with dies, clapboards, and in addition with a block house, imitation timber. First, the sheathing is installed on the walls. If it is wooden, then it must be treated with impregnations that have antibacterial and fire-resistant properties, and then checked with a building level to ensure that it is horizontal and vertical.

Finishing material is attached to the sheathing, which is then coated with varnish or other protective agent. If metal guides were purchased, they are fixed to special hangers.

A wooden bathhouse is not insulated from the outside, since the logs themselves retain heat well. The building is thermally insulated from the inside - usually a steam room and a washing room. But if you still want to insulate the building from the outside, then a steam or hydrobarrier is placed on the material that is afraid of moisture, secured with strips, on which the finishing is then mounted.

When to carry out insulation and finishing work

When thinking about how to sheathe the outside of a log house, many bathhouse owners first build it and then almost immediately begin finishing.

If this is a bathhouse based on a log house or timber, then in the first 2-3 years the construction experiences significant shrinkage. On average this is 20 centimeters during the first 3 years.

As shrinkage occurs, cracks appear that will have to be constantly closed. Otherwise, unnecessary cold will enter inside, disrupt the microclimate, and also destroy the building itself.

Another big mistake is finishing immediately after construction, when the material is mounted as firmly as possible using lathing. As a result, the resulting design does not allow the bathhouse to sit properly.

So the first years of finishing are not carried out. Or you can cut grooves in the sheathing in such a way that the nails can gradually slide into them. But objectively this is not the best solution.

The finish will interfere with the process of caulking the cracks, which is necessary outside and inside. And the finishing material will not allow this work to be carried out fully and efficiently.

There is only one conclusion. The bathhouse should be given at least 1 year, or better yet a full 2 ​​years, to shrink. When you see the result, then the process of insulation and finishing begins.

Thermal insulation of baths made of timber

External insulation of bathhouse buildings made of timber is carried out in the same way as in the case of a structure made of logs. The building must also stand, since there are also gaps in it that have to be sealed.

Regarding the question of how to insulate a bathhouse made of timber from the outside, the choice depends on the climatic characteristics of the region and the thickness of the walls. This work is carried out if the thickness of the timber for a given type of climate is not enough to effectively retain heat.

Warming occurs as follows:

• the sheathing is carried out using timber or metal guides, placing the elements in two planes - vertical and horizontal;
• install thermal insulation materials;
• arrange moisture and wind protection;
• they make counter lathing (this is not a mandatory stage of work, but there must be a gap between the protective film and the finishing material);
• perform finishing work.

The outside of the bathhouse is sheathed with clapboard, siding, edged boards, block house, metal profiles and other materials. After finishing, wood trim is necessarily coated with a varnish composition for exterior use; sometimes it is additionally painted before this, although many modern mixtures also have a slight tinting effect.

When siding was used as a finishing material, it becomes mandatory to create a ventilation gap between the sheathing and the insulation. To create the sheathing, it is recommended to use guides, which can be purchased at the same place where the siding is purchased. They are attached to special hangers.

Sealing bathhouse-log house joints

It should be noted right away: the insulation of a wooden bathhouse from the street side consists, as a rule, not in the installation of additional layers, but in sealing the inter-crown joints. This operation does not relate to external insulation, but to providing the main thermal insulation, the role of which is played by the structural material. However, if the owner of a log bathhouse has enough time, he can easily caulk it efficiently on his own.

External insulation with jute rope

Seals placed at the joints of logs act as hydrophobic elements and a wind barrier. They eliminate heat transfer by convection and, at the same time, are decorative elements that emphasize the aesthetics of a log structure. Specialists involved in the arrangement of log houses recommend using jute cord for external sealing.

In some cases, it is permissible to caulk the outside of a wooden bathhouse using latex or rubber-based sealants. However, this is only permissible in those baths that do not have interior decoration. The condition is associated with the prevention of moisture condensation between the wall beams, which can be provoked by the combined use of internal insulation and external vapor-tight sealing.

Thermal protection of brick baths

The question often arises about how best to insulate a bathhouse from the outside or inside if it is made of brick. Such buildings must be thermally insulated, since this building material has high thermal conductivity, and without external thermal protection it is extremely difficult to warm the premises to the required temperature.

The sequence of arranging insulation remains the same:

1. Frame.
2. Insulation.
3. Wind and moisture insulation.
4. Ventilation gap.
5. Finishing.

It is recommended to use mineral wool as an external insulator. When solving the problem of how to properly insulate a bathhouse from the outside or inside: it should be borne in mind that mineral wool is not suitable for interior work, since formaldehyde begins to release when heated. From the outside, you can protect a brick building with polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam boards (they are more expensive, but last a long time) and foam glass (the main disadvantage is the high cost).

In order to improve the quality of thermal insulation, experts recommend laying two layers apart, offset by half the length - this allows you to reduce heat loss by overlapping the seams. True, this method is more expensive, since it requires 2 times more material, and besides, the work takes a lot of time. For this reason, insulation is usually carried out in one layer, laying one mat tightly to the second, and the joints are connected with reinforced tape.

Siding or wood cladding is used to cover a brick bathhouse. Another method of exterior finishing is the use of plaster if foam glass, polystyrene foam or polystyrene boards were chosen for thermal protection. In this case, a reinforced mesh is laid on top of this material, a primer is placed and then plaster is applied.

They also use the following method, how to insulate a bathhouse from the outside with your own hands - following the example of a ventilated facade. In such a situation, special L-shaped brackets are attached to the wall with a gap of 1 centimeter less than the width of the insulation. Then slabs or insulation mats are tightly secured between them.

For reliability, they are reinforced with dowels, although this is not mandatory - the material will hold on well on its own, which is why this fixation step is done. The joints of the slabs are connected with reinforced tape or treated with an adhesive composition, a waterproofing film is laid on top and secured with strips. Afterwards, guides are mounted on the brackets, which hold the insulation and at the same time serve as the basis for finishing. Using this algorithm, you can also thermally insulate baths made of cinder blocks, foam blocks, and aerated concrete. It will also be useful for you to know how to insulate a brick bathhouse from the inside with your own hands to minimize heat loss.

Wooden floor

A wooden floor can be installed in the bathhouse with waterproofing and insulation work carried out. It is also necessary to take into account that special ventilation must be provided to allow drying of wooden structures. When arranging a wooden floor, the following operations are performed:

1. The drain pipe is installed.

2. The soil is compacted over the entire floor area and a layer of roofing material is laid, taking into account the overlap of the connecting layers and the reserve for the walls.
3. A layer of expanded clay is poured onto the roofing felt, taking into account the free space between the layer of expanded clay and the floor beams with a distance of at least 25 cm for ventilation of the space.
4. Wooden floor beams are mounted on the waterproofing layer, which are pre-treated with a protective layer of antiseptic.

   
   The process of installing beams on roofing felt

5. The beams and floor are covered with protective film.
6. Thermal insulation in the form of expanded clay or mineral wool is laid between the beam ceilings.
7. The layer of thermal insulation and beams are once again covered with waterproofing film.
8. Logs are mounted perpendicular to the beams, and a flooring of boards is laid, taking into account the drainage hole for water drainage.
9. Slats are fixed along the flooring, oriented towards the drain hole.

10. Insulation is placed between the beams of the sheathing with a layer of foil in the upper position and glued with tape, forming a single layer of thermal insulation, protected on top by a layer of foil.

In addition to expanded clay and mineral wool, vermiculite can be used as thermal protection using a special laying technology.

Exterior design of block baths

As for how to insulate a bathhouse from the outside, for a building made of blocks it is allowed to use the same options as in the cases described above. Another way is to decorate the bathhouse building with decorative brickwork, but this method can only be used if the building maintains a constantly above-zero temperature.

If the decision is made to lay out the bathhouse from blocks with bricks, then the additional wall can be made incompletely, retreating by 5-10 centimeters. Thanks to this, the thermal insulation performance will improve somewhat. The gap is either left empty or filled with thermal insulation material - processed sawdust, expanded clay, and so on.

Three main insulation methods

Any insulation of walls involves attaching a layer of insulation and structures holding it to it. Several methods have been developed for this purpose and each of them has its own advantages and implementation features.

The principle of wall insulation is the creation of an additional protective “pie” Source lestorg32.ru

Hinged ventilated facade

This technology itself was developed as a decoration for the facade of a house, but since the installation procedure involves attaching a layer of mineral wool or a similar material to the wall, this method can be considered as insulation.

Advantages of using ventilated facades:

• Long service life (up to 50 years), excellent heat and sound insulation.
• Easy to install.
• Wide selection of facing materials in various colors.
• The dew point moves outward.

Installation technology:

• Pre-treatment of lumber is carried out with compounds that prevent rotting and make the tree unattractive to insects.
• A sheathing is attached to the outside of the house, onto which a sheet of hydro- and wind protection is placed. Air circulates freely in the space between the sheathing slats, due to which condensation or moisture that appears in other ways will be removed from the insulation.
• The sheathing is leveled with a plumb level.
• Next, slats are placed on the sheathing, the distance between which should correspond to the width of the heat insulator. The height of the slats is selected accordingly - for central Russia it is recommended to use insulation with a thickness of at least 70 mm.

A feature of a ventilated façade is that a gap is left between the insulation and the claddingSource builderclub.com

• Insulation mats are placed between the slats, secured with dowels.
• Then bars with a thickness of at least 5 cm are additionally stuffed onto the slats so that there is always a gap between the insulation and the cladding.
• Cladding (siding) is installed.

Laying insulation under siding.

There are practically no fundamental differences from the previous technology - insulation is also used here and a decorative coating is also used on the outside. But if the very name of the ventilated facade indicates the place of its use, then in any case the entire house is covered with siding.

Installation nuances taking into account the selected material:

• The distance between the slats is set equal to the width of the mat if foam or sheet extruded polystyrene foam is selected.
• The distance between the slats is set to 10–15 mm less than the width of the mat if mineral wool is used. This must be taken into account when calculating the amount of mineral wool.
• According to the technology, wool slabs are mounted by surprise; polymer slabs are placed in cells, the joints are treated with polyurethane foam.
• When using mineral wool, a waterproofing layer (diffuse membrane) is additionally installed on top. It is not needed when using fiberglass or polystyrene.

Covering a log house with sidingSource stroyfora.ru

Polyurethane foam spraying method

The principle of this technology is clear to anyone who has seen how they work with polyurethane foam. The difference here is that the volumes of material required to create a thermal insulation cushion are much larger, so a spray gun using compressed air from a compressor is used to process polyurethane foam. Advantages of the technology:

• Easy to use and high speed application of thermal insulation mixture on large surfaces.
• Excellent adhesion (cohesion) with most building materials, long-term preservation of properties.
• Environmental friendliness, fire resistance and protection against rotting of the treated surface.

Spraying of insulation can be done on any prepared surfaceSource keeninsulation.com

About the importance and necessity of thermal insulation

The atmosphere in the steam room can be described in two words: hot and humid. To be precise, the temperature in the bathhouse (we will consider the traditional Russian one as an example) reaches about +80 degrees (or even higher - up to +90), and the humidity is about 70%.

It goes without saying that such conditions are not easy to maintain, and this depends not only on the power of the stove. You can install even the most expensive unit, but if the bathhouse is not properly insulated, it will not be of much use.

It simply won’t be possible to create the necessary conditions, and if they do, it will be very difficult to maintain them: the heated air will easily escape outside. To summarize the above, we can form the following list of disadvantages of the lack of insulation:

• increased heating costs (it doesn’t matter what exactly the stove runs on - much more fuel will be needed, which means you will have to pay more);
• accelerated equipment wear (due to the fact that the furnace will have to be loaded more);
• Slow heating of the steam room.

In addition, we should not forget about the negative impact of moisture and cold on the building itself. Regardless of what it is - brick or expanded clay concrete blocks - in any case the building will deteriorate.

This happens due to the fact that in winter (or generally at sub-zero temperatures), moisture entering micropores, as well as cracks, joints and holes, freezes, while increasing in volume. At the same time, you cannot ignore the insulation of the floor in the bathhouse.

And since more than one hundred such freezing-thawing cycles can occur during a season (!), in just a few years the surface of the walls will be covered with a network of cracks, and over the years the process will accelerate.

Add here the sharp temperature drop that occurs during the heating of the steam room: let’s say it’s -30 outside, and the temperature of the walls will quickly, literally within an hour (depending on what your bathhouse is made of and how powerful the stove is), will rise to +70 and above. It goes without saying that a difference of about a hundred degrees will also not be useful for construction.

Why insulate the outside?

When insulating a bathhouse, done with your own hands, many often believe that the first step is to insulate the steam room from the inside. This is true - after all, it is in this room that you need to maintain the desired temperature. Insulation for saunas and baths Izover Sauna can serve as an excellent material.

However, the use of only internal insulation shifts the dew point - it ends up just between the insulation and the surface of the walls . As a result, moisture begins to accumulate, and the building itself, again, remains unprotected.

So, in addition to internal work, do not forget that insulating a bathhouse from the outside is an equally important and pressing issue. In addition, additional thermal insulation will not be superfluous - using another layer of insulation on the outside of the walls will further improve the microclimate inside the steam room. By the way, insulating a steam room with your own hands is quite simple

How to insulate a bathhouse from the outside

To insulate a bathhouse from the outside, two technologies are used: “wet facade” and “ventilated facade”. In the first case, the thermal insulation is slabs of polystyrene foam, expanded polystyrene or basalt wool. First, they are glued to the wall with foam, additionally secured with plastic dowels and umbrellas, and decorative plaster is applied on top. In the second case, a lathing is attached to the wall of the bathhouse. The cells are filled with mineral wool or basalt slabs, covered with windproof film, and a counter-lattish is filled onto which the facing material is attached. A gap remains between the film and the lining, forming a ventilated space.

Insulation using mineral wool insulation

Mineral wool insulation has been used for several decades, and judging by the fact that the number of products on this basis continues to grow, there is still a demand for it. An alternative to mineral wool is Rockwool Sauna Butts for baths.

Despite the fact that there are now many other insulators that are higher quality, more reliable and easier to use, such materials are still relevant.

Mineral wool is usually sold in rolls or slabs. For walls, of course, the second option is more convenient - rolls are best used for horizontal surfaces. In addition, it can be used to insulate the ceiling in a bathhouse.

The thermal conductivity of the product is not the best: this indicator is around 0.04 W/mK (depending on the type and brand). However, since the insulation will be attached from the outside, this is not a significant drawback - it can simply be used in a thick layer. But some properties of mineral wool make it not the most successful material:

• poor resistance to moisture - when exposed to moisture, the material crumples and cakes;
• increased complexity of work (compared to foam plastic);
• the need to use protective equipment for the skin and face.

One of the tangible advantages (besides the relative cheapness) is the fact that mineral wool can be mounted even on uneven wall surfaces that have protrusions and differences in height.

The process itself, if you do it yourself, looks something like this (the list of steps is the same for both a brick bathhouse and a building made from expanded clay concrete blocks):

1. The surface of the walls is checked - there should be no cracks, chips or holes on them. If there are any, they should be sealed with plaster.
2. The surface of the walls is primed at least once.
3. Wooden sheathing is being installed.
4. A vapor barrier film is glued to the wall (you can skip this point).
5. Insulation is laid between the sheathing.
6. A waterproofing film is stretched over the sheathing (when insulating with mineral wool, this is a mandatory nuance).
7. Installation of facing material is in progress.

Insulation with foam or polystyrene foam

Insulators from the category of gas-filled plastics have also been known for quite a long time. The brightest and most popular representative is ordinary polystyrene foam. This insulation is extremely easy to use - you can easily install the blocks yourself, even if you didn’t even know how to do it before.

It is not surprising that this particular material is widely and universally used for insulating various parts of buildings, including as insulation for saunas.

Its higher quality and more efficient “brother” is extruded polystyrene foam. This insulation has better thermal conductivity (approximately 0.03-0.035 versus 0.04 for polystyrene foam) and is completely resistant to moisture. By the way, the thermal insulation of baths and saunas can be done with his participation.

The materials themselves are similar in appearance, light in weight (which, again, simplifies DIY work) and are absolutely identical in terms of application. By the way, as for the work itself, such insulation does not require any precautions (like mineral wool).

However, laying blocks requires a perfectly flat surface, which complicates the process somewhat. The sequence of do-it-yourself actions is as follows (the same for both a brick building and a structure made of expanded clay concrete blocks):

1. The surface of the walls is checked - there should be no cracks, chips or holes on them. If there are any, they should be sealed with plaster, then insulation for the walls of the bathhouse is applied.
2. The surface of the walls is primed at least once.
3. Starting from the bottom corner (any) and moving sideways, the foam/EPS is glued to the surface using a special adhesive solution (sold in the same place as the insulation itself).
4. Each of the blocks is additionally fixed with self-tapping screws (approximately 5 pieces per 1 sheet).
5. The joints between the sheets are taped or foamed. Alternatively, you can simply cover them with plaster.
6. A waterproofing film is stretched over the insulation onto the sheathing.
7. Installation of the facing layer and further finishing are carried out.

Insulation using sprayed polyurethane foam

A relatively new insulation technology is spraying polyurethane foam. This insulator is a liquid insulator - it is obtained by mixing two components. Preparation is carried out directly at the work site, in a special installation.

The container of such units is equipped with a stirrer to maintain the desired consistency of the solution. Higher quality and more expensive models are also equipped with heating (necessary for the same purposes).

The selection of insulation for a bath can be based on this material. The insulation itself can safely be called ideal: it is lightweight, not afraid of moisture or any other negative factors (rodents, mold), and has minimal thermal conductivity (around 0.025 W/mK).

Interesting: How to install lining correctly: how to fix it yourself

In addition, the surface of expanded clay concrete (or any other) walls does not require leveling, and the resulting insulation layer is monolithic and has no seams or joints.

Its main disadvantage is the impossibility of using it yourself: the above-mentioned special installation is expensive. And the spraying service itself is also expensive.

To familiarize yourself, here is the sequence of actions when using this technology:

1. The surface is checked for cracks and chips. If available, they are covered with plaster.
2. PPU is being prepared.
3. The sheathing is mounted on the wall.
4. PPU is sprayed onto the surface.
5. On top of the insulation, along the sheathing, the cladding is installed and further finishing is carried out.

Selection of insulation materials

The optimal solution for insulating a bathhouse from the inside is considered to be basalt wool. Hard mats of 10 cm thickness are used. When thermally protecting the ceiling, the thickness of the thermal insulation layer should be about 15-20 centimeters, since heat loss mainly occurs through the ceiling.

To insulate the bathhouse inside, you still need to have the following materials at your disposal:

1. For sheathing . The most reliable option for bath buildings made of brick or stone is to build a frame from a profile used for plasterboard (read: “How to insulate a brick bathhouse with your own hands correctly”). Often the CD ceiling profile is chosen, and the UD guide profile is used to make edging along the perimeter of the walls. The fixation step for direct hangers is from 60 to 80 centimeters. The gap between the profiles must be made smaller by 1-2 centimeters compared to the width of the insulation boards. In wooden baths, bars are used as a profile.
2. For water vapor barrier . A heat-resistant material with foil is required that is impermeable to moisture and steam. There is a large selection of such products on the construction market. For example, you can purchase foamed foil polypropylene, designed for temperatures up to 150 degrees. This material is able to protect the walls of the room from dampness and reflect radiant heat, thereby reducing heat loss. Thus, a 3-millimeter thick layer of Penotherm provides the same level of thermal protection as a 150-millimeter beam.
3. For finishing . Usually the insulation is placed in the bathhouse under the lining, as in the photo. This material is produced for final finishing from linden or aspen, since products from these wood species are resistant to decay processes, do not heat up even at high temperatures, and retain their original appearance for a long time.

Internal insulation

Floor and underground space

Foiled polyethylene foam, kraft paper or glassine can be used for vapor barrier. They protect the insulation layer from getting wet, in addition, a layer of metal foil reflects heat into the room.

We fill up the expanded clay

If you plan to insulate a bathhouse with your own hands, you need to start work from the floor:

• We lay sheets of roofing felt on the concrete base. On top of them we install supporting wooden beams, on which the logs will then be attached.
• Pour a layer of expanded clay onto the roofing felt. The thicker the layer, the warmer the floor in the sauna rooms will be.
• We fix the logs to the support beams, having previously leveled them on the plane using a level.
• Between the logs we lay insulation on the expanded clay - mineral wool or polystyrene foam. In some cases, it is possible to fill the underground space with ecowool, a heat-insulating material based on cellulose fibers.

All that remains is to make a vapor barrier, and you can lay the floors

We cover the heat insulator with a vapor-proof membrane, after which we lay the subfloor.

How to choose insulation

What is the best way to insulate a bathhouse? For this, natural or synthetic materials are used.

Natural insulation:

• cuckoo flax;
• red moss;
• flax tow;
• hemp hemp
• sphagnum.

These materials do not require serious material costs, are highly environmentally friendly and will help create a special atmosphere in the bathhouse, filling the interior space with natural aromas.

The main disadvantages of organic materials that need to be taken into account when choosing which insulation is best to insulate a bathhouse:

• fragility of the material;
• significant labor costs;
• the need to constantly update the insulation.

It is necessary to provide protection from small rodents, birds and insects.

Many homeowners believe that it is better to insulate a bathhouse with synthetic materials that do not rot and are not damaged by rodents.

Jute felt

What is the best way to insulate a bathhouse from the outside or the inside? Jute felt can be used as inter-crown insulation for a bath. This is an organic natural material made from plant fiber. Flax-jute felt is used not only for thermal insulation, but also to remove excess moisture from the interior of the bathhouse

To improve performance qualities, flax fiber is added to jute fibers. The result is flax wool or flax jute felt. The form of material release is tape reels. This allows you to select insulation for logs of different diameters.

Plastic panels

The use of plastic panels makes it possible to carry out cladding work quite cheaply. This is due to the cost of the material itself, which does not need to be painted or carefully processed. A bathhouse made of plastic looks monolithic and has all the qualities of one covered with siding. The log house should be treated with bioprotective liquids before installation work.

Plastic paneling

But you will never need paint for such cladding, which is what makes finishing a bathhouse with this material such an economical option. Panels, like all previous cladding methods, require a frame. Thin wooden slats are perfect for this. But the log house of the bathhouse should be made only of timber.

Preparatory work

When the insulation is selected, it is necessary to purchase all additional materials necessary to work with it and prepare the tools. To insulate a bath you may need:

• construction knife;
• roulette;
• level;
• hammer;
• brushes and/or spatulas;
• sledgehammer;
• construction mixer;
• container for mixing solutions;
• work clothes, mittens, rags.

It is better to make a list of everything you need after it has been determined how best to insulate the walls of the bathhouse, floor or ceiling, and all the necessary materials have been purchased.

How to insulate the foundation of a bathhouse?

Polystyrene foam is excellent for foundation insulation. But we must not forget that the insulation crumbles and is afraid of mechanical damage. To protect it from the outside, it is necessary to make a protective partition from boards or bricks.

Foam plastic is optimal for insulating the foundation. It does not allow water to pass through and the foundation will be reliably protected.

Polystyrene foam has proven to work well as insulation for the foundation of a sauna on loamy and clay soil. Since moisture does not get inside the material, it will protect the base of the bathhouse from moisture and heaving in spring and winter. But you should not use insulation when the groundwater level is higher than usual and flooding cannot be avoided. Moisture getting under the foam cannot evaporate and the foundation will begin to collapse.

The thickness of the foam for insulating the foundation of a bathhouse is chosen according to your region, so for the middle part of Russia 50 mm is suitable. In the corners of the structure, thicker material of 100 mm is used, since heat loss in the corners is the highest.

Progress of foundation insulation work:

The foundation is first excavated and cleaned of dirt. Apply a primer made of bitumen mastic and a waterproofing agent, for example, liquid rubber, to the wall. The coating is left to dry for 1–2 hours.

The foam is attached directly to the foundation wall using bitumen mastic or a polymer-based adhesive. The slabs begin to be laid from below, and they must rest on a hard base. If the foundation is just being built, then a protrusion is specially left for the foam slabs. For the old foundation, gravel is added on which the slab will rest.

The joints and the part that is glued are completely lubricated with bitumen mastic. On sale you can find foam boards with an L-shaped lock. These are easier to glue together and the protection will be more airtight.

When the slabs are laid, they are once again covered with bitumen mastic and a protective partition is made. It's easier to install boards, but they will rot quickly, so use brick. A half-brick wall is made from it along the entire foundation. Among modern materials, geotextiles have performed well. It is simply rolled out along the foam and the protection is ready. But the price of geotextiles is high.

The entire structure is buried on the side with soil and a concrete blind area is made on top. Making such insulation is labor-intensive, but the bathhouse will be protected reliably.

Is it necessary to insulate the foundation of a bathhouse from the outside?

To make sure of the importance of external foundation insulation, it is worth considering 5 reasons:

1. On a cold foundation in winter, a temperature difference forms in a heated bathhouse. The resulting condensation destroys the concrete base.
2. The problem with condensation occurs even in summer. An uninsulated foundation is heated by the sun from the outside, but the cold and moisture of the earth is drawn from the inside. The temperature difference is similar.
3. A foundation that is not insulated from the outside cools the steam room faster. The bathhouse has to be heated more often.
4. On the outside, thermal insulation in winter softens the impact of heaving soil on the foundation.
5. A thick layer of thermal insulation on the outside protects the foundation from destruction and accidental mechanical influences.

The listed 5 reasons convince us that insulating the foundation of a bathhouse from the outside is necessary. It can be carried out simultaneously with thermal insulation from the inside. It is impossible to do only internal insulation of the base of the bathhouse. Due to temperature changes, concrete will begin to collapse on the street side.

How to insulate the foundation of a bathhouse from the outside with your own hands

There are different ways to insulate the base from the outside. They all depend on the type of soil where the bathhouse is built, as well as on the design of the foundation itself.

The strip foundation is dug around the outside with a trench 50 cm wide. The depth is maintained at least 80 cm. A 20 cm layer of sand is poured into the trench. The concrete strip is cleaned of dirt and treated with hot bitumen. After the waterproofing has hardened, the base is covered with polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam. Plates 15 cm thick are glued with foam and additionally secured with dowels and umbrellas. When using expanded polystyrene, the gap between the trench wall and the insulation is filled with sand. The foam is covered with a brick wall. From above, the entire pie around the base is filled with a concrete blind area at an angle of 15 degrees.

A monolithic foundation is usually laid under a bathhouse in a swampy area. The base is insulated during the construction stage. Expanded polystyrene is embedded between the layers of concrete screed. On the walls outside the foundation of the bathhouse, insulation with your own hands occurs according to the principle of a strip base.

The columnar foundation creates a gap between the soil and the lower crown of the bathhouse. To insulate it, it needs to be bricked. First, a trench is dug along the perimeter of the bathhouse. The parameters are the same as for insulating a concrete strip. The bottom of the trench is covered with a 25 cm layer of sand and filled with water. When the pillow is compacted, they begin to lay out the wall. Concrete can be poured up to the ground level, and rows of bricks can be laid above. A gap is left between the last row and the crown of the bath and filled with polyurethane foam. The built base is insulated from the outside using the strip foundation method.

Thermal insulation of floors, windows and doors

When deciding how to insulate a bathhouse inside with your own hands, take into account the possibility of increasing the degree of thermal resistance of the ceiling and walls. True, a cool floor and the presence of drafts also take away a lot of heat.

To thermally insulate the door leading to the steam room, a thick felt frame is attached to it, which will reliably cover the cracks. Wooden frames at the windows located in the steam room, dressing room and washing room are insulated with cotton wool.

As for plastic, it is not installed in places with high temperatures, but in other rooms there is no need to be afraid that polymers will undergo thermal decomposition. Self-adhesive foam strips are used to protect plastic windows.

The choice of products, the better to insulate the bathhouse inside, depends on the type of floor covering. Expanded clay is poured onto the surface of the leaking wooden floor, and boards are mounted on top of the leveled backfill.

They begin to equip a concrete leaky floor by digging a pit 50 centimeters deep.

The layers of the thermal insulation structure are arranged from bottom to top in the following sequence:

• sand –5 centimeters;
• polystyrene foam – 20 centimeters;
• concrete mixed in a 1:1 ratio with foam chips - 5 centimeters;
• waterproofing;
• concrete combined with vermiculite in a 1:1 ratio (this is the name of a natural material with low thermal conductivity) – 5 centimeters;
• reinforced screed –5 centimeters.

During the process of pouring the base, it is necessary to arrange a slope. A boardwalk is installed on top of the concrete screed on the joists.

In the case when a continuous floor covering is needed, heat-insulating material is laid on top of the rough base in a layer of 10-20 centimeters, this can be mineral wool or polystyrene foam. Then it is covered with waterproofing, not forgetting to overlap the walls. A reinforced screed 5-10 centimeters high is mounted on top of this layer.

How to insulate a bathhouse ceiling from the outside

Inside the bathhouse, the ceiling is insulated in the same way as the walls, and a ventilated space is provided. From the outside of the attic, another technology is used. When the rough board ceiling is lined, it is covered with two layers of fiberglass. It is not advisable to use roofing material, since heating will cause an unpleasant smell of bitumen to appear inside the steam room.

Even rolled mineral wool can serve as thermal insulation, but in order to save money, natural materials are used for insulation. The space between the beams is filled with expanded clay. Kneading clay with the addition of fine straw, shavings, and sawdust is suitable.

When the clay pouring hardens and dries, slabs of polystyrene foam or expanded polystyrene are laid on top. The thermal insulation is covered with waterproofing, and a thin concrete screed is poured. You can even walk on this surface. If the attic of the bathhouse is allocated for a rest room, after insulation the final layer is laid on the finished floor.

Arrangement of thermal protection of walls and ceilings

Insulating the walls and ceiling of a bathhouse from the inside is similar to how it is done in other rooms, but special attention should be paid to the reliability of laying the vapor barrier layer.

Stage one - creating the sheathing . The procedure for how to insulate the ceiling in a bathhouse from the inside suggests that the distance from the sheathing to the base of the wall or ceiling needs to be made slightly greater than the thickness of the material for thermal insulation.

When using galvanized profiles, this gap is adjusted using hangers, and the block is nailed down using a backing, which can be a piece of block. Galvanized hangers are also used for wooden sheathing.

The sequence for attaching the profile is as follows:

1. A UD guide profile is fixed along the perimeter of the walls or ceiling, observing a 60-centimeter step. It is mounted to timber or logs with self-tapping screws, and to brick or concrete walls - with screws and plastic dowels.
2. The axes of the CD profiles are marked, taking into account that the gap between them should allow the laying of heat insulation slabs without trimming. Then the hangers are attached to the wall, observing a step of 60-80 centimeters.
3. To install and fix CD profiles to the hangers, use metal screws 9 millimeters long. The free edges of the hangers need to be folded.

Stage two - installation of insulation . Basalt wool in slabs is placed between the bars (profiles). The insulation of a ventilated façade or loggias is carried out in the same way. The work must be done in a respirator (gauze bandage) and special glasses. The fact is that the small fibers of this material are volatile and, when they get on the human mucosa, they greatly irritate it.

To cut the slabs, use a standard sharp knife. The insulation should not be crushed during installation. Regarding how best to insulate a bathhouse, you need to know that with a constant weight of the material, the smaller its volume, the worse its heat-insulating qualities will be.

Stage three - installation of steam and waterproofing . Strips of material are fixed horizontally from bottom to top, maintaining a 5-centimeter overlap. The foil side of the insulation should be facing inside the room.

The method of fixing the vapor barrier depends on the material from which the sheathing is made. So, before you insulate the steam room in a log bath, you need to stock up on a construction stapler. If there is a galvanized profile, the strips are secured with double-sided aluminum tape.

To create a high-quality vapor barrier, the insulation not only needs to be fixed, all existing joints must be taped with the same tape. Then moisture will not be able to penetrate the insulation.

Stage four - clapboard covering . To make the room cozy and beautiful after completion of insulation, it is necessary to finish the walls.

First, prepare the tools and materials necessary for the work, including:

• circular saw or electric jigsaw;
• drill - screwdriver;
• rasp (required when adjusting and processing the edge of the lining);
• construction square (necessary for marking boards);
• level and plumb line (they are in demand when checking verticals and horizontals);
• metal clamps for fixing wooden lining;
• copper or galvanized screws, which are needed for fastening the clamps to the bars;
• metal screws;
• wooden baseboards for finishing corners.

When carrying out work, you need to consider a number of points:

There should be a small gap between the lining and the vapor barrier layer. In addition, gaps (no more than 1-2 centimeters) are installed along the edges of the ceiling, as well as in the upper and lower parts of the walls.

The end boards in each row of the lining should be fastened with screws through and through, and their caps will be covered by the baseboard. All other boards will be held in place by clamps.

The above-described procedure for carrying out work allows you to both insulate an old bathhouse from the inside and a completely new building. Thermal protection of a bath structure is a very important stage, since the efficiency of the steam room depends on its quality. The main thing in the work is to take into account the slightest nuances and then the result will exceed expectations.

Continuous external thermal insulation depending on the material of the load-bearing walls

How to insulate a bathhouse from the outside if it is not intended to seal the joints, but rather to install a thermal insulating lining? Let's look at the types of load-bearing walls:

Before insulating a bathhouse, it is necessary to correctly calculate the thickness of the insulation layer

• Brickwork or concrete structure. The types are combined into one category because they relate to inertial buildings with high heat capacity and high permissible moisture accumulation.

• Foam concrete and gas blocks. They occupy an intermediate position between log houses and brick baths.
• Log house Requires strict consideration of the relative vapor permeability of each layer of the insulating sandwich.

Brick or concrete walls

Of the two methods for selecting insulation relative to the structural material, it makes sense to use the dew point shift method. What does this mean? A thermal insulator with vapor permeability close to zero (for example, polystyrene foam) is taken and glued to the rough wall. The internal insulation also contains a vapor-impenetrable layer - a foil infrared screen. It turns out that the moisture condensing in the thickness of concrete or brick has nowhere to evaporate.

To prevent overmoistening, it is necessary to ensure that the dew point is located outside the rough wall - in polystyrene foam. To do this, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the external insulation to approximately a wall thermal resistance value of 4.0 - 5.0.

In central Russia, this corresponds to a thickness of EPPS slabs of 200 mm.

Wall insulation scheme

The material will cost a decent amount, but the work budget will be less than when implementing ventilated facade technology (with mineral wool, an air gap and molded finishing cladding). In addition, self-pasting walls with EPS boards is much more affordable for a non-professional than any other methods of external thermal insulation. For everyday use of such a steam room, only the reflective screen and clapboard lining should be left in the internal lining. For pair sessions 2 - 3 times a week, it makes sense to divide the calculated thickness of the insulation into 2 layers: 150 mm for the outer surface and 50 mm for the inner lining.

The choice of finishing on the street side should be correlated only with budget, the possibility of independent implementation and personal aesthetic preferences. From the point of view of the operation of an insulating sandwich, the physical properties of this layer are absolutely unimportant. If you don’t want to mess with plaster, you can decorate the bathhouse with any relatively light slabs or panels that are moisture resistant. The main thing is not to use chemicals that can destroy polystyrene foam.

Foam concrete and aerated blocks

Insulation of a bathhouse from the outside with polystyrene foam

How to sheathe a bathhouse built from cellular materials? To carry out the work yourself, you should stick to the same polystyrene foam.

The only difference with the previous version of the bathhouse will be that the thermal calculation will require a smaller thickness of the EPS layer (120 - 150 mm), all other things being equal - climate, thickness of the masonry and a given value of the heat transfer resistance of the wall sandwich.

Log house

This idea may look strange, but sometimes a log house needs a “fur coat.” Especially if we are talking about refurbishment of a bathhouse with a change in the purpose of the object (for example, from personal to commercial). The only insulation whose vapor permeability is higher than that of wood is mineral wool. However, the disadvantage of this idea is associated with the high labor intensity of the work. You will need:

Insulation of a wooden bathhouse from the outside

1. Stuff horizontal slats to form sheathing.
2. Lay rolled or slab mineral wool.
3. Hang the windproof membrane, securing it to the sheathing with a stapler.
4. Install vertical counter-lattice slats that form a ventilation gap and serve for installation of the finishing coating (for example, wooden or plastic lining).
5. Lay a high-diffusion membrane (water barrier) along the vertical slats.
6. Install decorative covering.

Myths about the purposes and results of external insulation

You can often find the following statements in informational texts and forums:

• “A brick bathhouse must be insulated from the outside. Otherwise, heating it to the required temperature will be problematic.” Note: the speed of heating a steam room depends to a much greater extent on the proper arrangement of internal insulation.
• “For polystyrene foam, it is best to use the “wet facade” finishing system so that the wall “breathes.” Note: EPS boards have practically zero vapor permeability, which cannot be increased by any coatings.
• “You can buy foam glass granulate relatively cheaply and use it as a filler for heat-saving cladding blocks.” Note: such granulate, both in the form of backfill and as the basis for the formation of cellular concrete, is an order of magnitude inferior to the heat-shielding properties of block foam glass. In fact, it is no better than expanded clay.

Facade cladding

Its functions are protective and decorative. It protects all internal layers from natural factors (UV radiation, precipitation, wind), as well as artificial mechanical influences.

It is worth adding that Figure 5 shows how to insulate a wooden bathhouse using ventilated facade technology. For walls made of brick or aerated concrete blocks, the scheme will be similar. In addition, the energy-saving system based on wet facade technology is in no way inferior in its thermophysical properties (Fig. 6). In this case, the functions of wind, hydro, mechanical protection and decorative coating are assigned to special vapor-permeable plasters. Nevertheless, for bathhouses built from wood materials, which are the majority in Russia, a ventilated coating is still preferable.

Sources

• https://2proraba.com/banya/kak-uteplit-banyu-snaruzhi-svoimi-rukami.html
• https://banyaspec.com/otdelka/kak-sdelat-uteplenie-parnoy-pravilno-i-kakie-materialy-ispolzovat.html
• https://stroymasterok.com/banya/naruzhnoe-uteplenie-bani-texnologii-vybor-materiala/
• https://gipsohouse.ru/bazaltovyj-vata/18367-za-chto-vybirayut-i-kak-primenyayut-bazaltovuyu-vatu-dlya-utepleniya-bani.html
• https://mr-build.ru/newteplo/uteplenie-bani-snaruzi.html
• https://m-strana.ru/articles/kak-uteplit-parilku-v-bane-iznutri/
• https://banya-expert.com/uteplenie/uteplenie-sten-bani-iznutri-i-snaruzhi.html
• https://2proraba.com/banya/uteplenie-parilki-iznutri.html

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How to properly insulate a roof?

Scheme of a properly insulated roof structure
The question of whether it is necessary to insulate the roof of a bathhouse or not can only arise from an inexperienced owner. Experts know that high-quality insulation of this area will reduce heat loss by as much as 30%. Work is carried out along the perimeter of floors and slopes in the following order:

1. At the first stage, the object is waterproofed - if this requirement was ignored during the construction of the building, a moisture-proof and vapor-proof membrane will still have to be laid over the rafters. True, now, for this it will be necessary to dismantle part of the roofing material.
2. Next, all roof elements are treated with an antiseptic - if such a procedure has not been carried out previously.
3. After preliminary preparation, the insulation itself is installed directly - slabs or rolls of balsat fiber have proven themselves exclusively on the positive side.
4. The final stage involves internal covering of the laid material - even an ordinary vapor barrier film that is attached to the rafters will do; ideally, the structure is sheathed with clapboard.

Next to the roof, you can think about how to insulate a bathhouse made of timber from the outside.

Ventilated facade method

If the bathhouse is built using frame technology or the walls are made of timber or logs, the outside can only be insulated by installing a ventilated façade. For thermal insulation it is better to use basalt slabs. Rolled mineral wool sags over time, slides, and does not hold well between the sheathing elements.

Insulation from the outside begins with preparing the walls. First, they caulk the cracks and crevices between the crowns. The wood is treated with a protective impregnation. Rotten areas must be replaced. A vapor barrier is attached to the prepared wooden wall of the bathhouse.

Advice! It is better to use a special membrane as a vapor barrier for wooden bath walls.

The location of the sheathing elements is drawn using the vapor barrier material. Along the marked lines, brackets in the form of U-shaped perforated plates are attached to the walls. Pieces of roofing felt are placed under each element. The lathing is assembled from a galvanized profile or wooden blocks. The elements are fixed to perforated brackets with self-tapping screws.

When the sheathing is ready, they begin to insulate the walls of the bathhouse. Basalt wool is placed between the vertical elements. The slabs must fit tightly without gaps. The top of the insulation is covered with wind protection. The film is fixed with a stapler to the sheathing elements.

To create a ventilated space under the cladding, slats are nailed onto the vertical elements of the sheathing on top of the windbreak, forming a counter-lattice. The cladding is attached from any panels you like. To insulate the outside of a bathhouse, the Block House, which imitates a log house, is most often chosen.

Advice! If desired, the “ventilated facade” technology can be used for bathhouses made of bricks, blocks and other materials.

Tips and tricks

1. First of all, do not forget that heated air masses can exit the bathhouse through the windows. And for this reason, you should give preference to small windows. What is also important, experts recommend, if possible, installing frames with more than one double-glazed window. And it is best to have 2 or 3 double-glazed windows (the more, the better, because this will prevent the rapid evaporation of warm air from the bathhouse).

   Small window in the bathhouse - photo

2. Doors and thresholds have an important influence on the thermal insulation in your bathhouse. Quite often, specialists are contacted with the problem of rapid evaporation of air from the bathhouse. And the reason for this in 90% is the gap between the threshold and the door, due to which all the heat evaporates. To be sure that you will not encounter a similar problem, it is best to install low doors with a high threshold.

   It is recommended to install small doors with a high threshold

3. Due attention should be paid to the heater. After all, the intensity of heating the bath and how long the warm air will be retained in it will directly depend on the heat capacity of the stones.

   Stove-heater

Materials for interventional insulation of walls

In former times, most wooden baths were insulated with caulking, that is, pushing a material of natural origin between logs. It was a labor-intensive but quite effective method that is still sometimes used today. Natural insulation materials are environmentally friendly, but they are susceptible to rodents and quickly deteriorate. New generation insulation materials are more comfortable and durable.

Jute fiber

High-quality heat insulator with high hygroscopicity. It consists of 20% lignin polymer, which ensures its resistance to moisture. Pure jute has a light golden color. It does not wrap around the drill when installing dowels, and its surface density is 400-800 g/m2.

Some unscrupulous manufacturers add flax fiber to jute, which reduces the quality characteristics of the material. It’s quite easy to spot a fake – the softer and grayer the jute, the more additives it contains.

Tape insulation

Tape heat insulator is especially recommended for insulating baths made of profiled timber. Available in several versions. Differs in different lengths and thicknesses, convenience and environmental friendliness. During the installation process, it is recommended to bend the material lengthwise and lay it so that the folded edge is located inside the structure, 5 mm from the edge of the beam. This method allows you to get warm bath walls with even, tight seams.

• One of the options for tape insulation is flax wool. Its quality characteristics are similar to jute, but it costs less. The material is environmentally friendly, capable of providing effective thermal insulation and is not “liked” by birds;
• Linen tape insulation is hygroscopic, affordable, has high heat-saving properties and is easy to install. The main disadvantages include rapid creasing - the material loses its shape under pressure, which means that the cracks will have to be caulked additionally;
• Material based on sheep wool. An expensive, but very practical option for inter-crown insulation, whose characteristics resemble those of natural wood.

Polyurethane foam

Inter-crown insulation with polyurethane foam is characterized by high speed, high-quality adhesion, good sealing and fire resistance. But the material is not environmentally friendly enough, has little elasticity, and crumbles at low temperatures and exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

Izover

Thermal insulator, which has recently become increasingly popular. The heat-saving properties of isover depend on the installation features. In those places where there are no voids between the rims, the material is compressed as strongly as possible, and the degree of its heat conservation is lower. If the isover is laid in the gaps, then it is slightly fluffed up and functions quite normally.

The material does not rot or burn, does not leave cracks and does not require additional caulking. Disadvantages include low environmental friendliness, ease of moisture absorption and the release of coarse dust with minimal ruptures.

Technology of the insulation process of frame, block and brick walls

But insulating the walls inside a frame bath is more intricate - here you need your own methods. After all, such a structure cannot withstand high loads and special weight, and therefore everything must be calculated, first of all, from the technological side. Those. Insulation can only be used if it is light in weight. And polystyrene foam as external insulation is simply irreplaceable for block buildings - it is not afraid of water, is lightweight and is attached with ordinary construction adhesive.

The insulation of the walls from the inside in the bathhouse itself looks like this:

• Step 1. Create a frame on the load-bearing wall.
• Step 2. The walls are sheathed with insulation.
• Step 3. Waterproofing materials are attached to the insulation - a foil layer or at least a polyethylene film. They need to be laid with an overlap, and all joints should be sealed with thin slats.
• Step 4. Everything is covered with boards or clapboards - that's all.

As an option, use special polyurethane foam boards.