Shelves are the most important elements of the bath environment. Of course, it is not worth violating the established technologies in the manufacture of such shops. Otherwise, it will be inconvenient to use the steam room and washing in the future. The height of the shelves in the bath, as well as their width and length must be selected correctly.
Varieties of shops
Shelves of several types can be installed in baths:
- stepped;
- L-shaped;
- coupe.
In the first case, the shelves are a stepped structure of 2-3 tiers. L-shaped benches occupy space near two adjacent walls. Such shelves can be either one- or 2-3-tier. The design of the compartment resembles the shelves in the train. In this case, the tiers are not installed in steps, but directly one above the other. At the same time, the top shelf is made folding.
All the options for shelves in the baths described above are used quite often. But the most popular type of such shops are still L-shaped. In structures of this type, one ofhalf is most often going to a stepped bunk. The second one is an ordinary bench designed for installing water tanks, basins, etc.
What should be the height of the shelf in the bath
The size of the sauna benches is determined primarily by the area of the steam room and washing room, as well as the growth of those people who will use them in the future. There are no special standards for structures of this type. However, it is still considered that the most convenient are shelves with a tier height of 40-60 cm. Most often, structures with distances between the horizontal surfaces of the tiers of 45 cm are assembled in baths.
The seat of the correct shelf in the bath, among other things, is never closer than 30 cm to the floor. It will be simply uncomfortable to sit on a shelf that is too low. In addition, it will be uncomfortable to take water procedures on such a bench, since the air temperature in the bath next to the floor is usually not too high.
Also, experienced builders do not recommend placing the top shelf closer than 1 m to the ceiling. There are no strict rules in this case. If people of small stature will wash in the bath, this figure can be reduced if desired. But still, the optimal distance from the surface of the upper shelf to the ceiling is 1.1-1.2 m.
Length and width
What should be the height of the shelves in the bath, so it's understandable. In this case, growth should be guidedowners of the structure and the size of the latter. The length and width of the shelves is also usually determined by the area of the steam room and washroom.
The width of the tiers of stepped structures can vary between 30-60 cm. The only exception is the upper shelf, on which people usually do not sit, but lie when taking water procedures in the bath. It is believed that the width of this tier should be at least 60 cm. But it is still better to increase this parameter to 90 cm. In this case, steaming in the bath will be as convenient as possible.
When choosing the width of a shelf, you should be guided, of course, first of all by comfort. In addition to this design, there should be enough free space in the steam room to accommodate the stove and people. When drafting a 6 by 6 m bath, for example, it is worth considering the width of the upper tier of the main shelf of no more than 60 cm. Otherwise, it will most likely be crowded in the steam room in the future.
The length of the shelves in the bath can be any. However, traditionally benches in the steam room and washing room are made no shorter than 1.5 m. Tiered structures usually occupy space from one wall to another. For example, when drafting a bath 6 by 6 m, with two rooms, the length of the main shelf in the steam room is usually 3 m.
Which material to choose for manufacturing
Assemble bath benches, of course, exclusively from lumber. At the same time, wood species are selected that meet the following requirements:
- low thermal conductivity;
- no resin pockets;
- aesthetic appearance.
Most often, the shelves in the baths are made of aspen. Linden and abachi can also be used for this purpose.
Pros and cons of the most popular materials
Aspen is very well suited for the manufacture of bath shelves, primarily because it does not conduct heat well. At the same time, wood of this variety, among other things, is also very inexpensive. The only drawback of aspen is that in dampness it can begin to rot from the inside. At the same time, outwardly, the boards will look quite high quality.
Linden is valued by lovers of baths primarily for the fact that even at very high temperatures it emits a not too intrusive and gentle pleasant aroma. Such a board for a shelf in a bath is also suitable because, like aspen, it has a low thermal conductivity. Steaming on lime boards will be comfortable in the future.
Abasha wood is the most suitable material for making shelves. Even in hot air, such boards remain cool to the touch. At the same time, after contact with the body of the Abashi, it instantly warms up to its temperature. In addition, such boards still do not change their pleasant cream color even after prolonged use in the bath.
Can I use pine
It is aspen, linden and abachi that are the most suitable materials for making shelves in the bath. However, hardwood is still quite expensive. Therefore, many bath owners are interested in whether it is possible to usefor the manufacture of shelves cheap "coniferous" boards.
In principle, it is allowed to use such material to assemble benches. However, experienced bath attendants still advise using pine and spruce for this purpose only as a last resort.
The fact is that such wood can release a lot of essential resins into the air. In small quantities, such pairs are even beneficial to he alth. However, an "overdose" of them can cause unpredictable consequences. In large quantities, some of the substances emitted by softwood can even be hazardous to he alth.
In addition, softwood boards usually have a lot of resin pockets. At elevated temperatures, their contents begin to melt and flow out. If the resin gets on the skin, it will be very difficult to wash it off.
Thus, you can use pine or spruce to make benches. But still it is better to spend money and purchase hardwood for this purpose. Material for the manufacture of shelves usually does not take too much. So the purchase of aspen or linden, most likely, will not hit the owners of the bath very much.
Which wood can not be used for shelves
Sawn timber from most hardwoods can be used to make bath benches. However, some types of wood are never used in steam rooms and washing rooms. Bath shelves cannot be made from:
- white fir;
- cypress.
Boards of both of these varieties, when heated, begin to be very unpleasantsmell. White fir will exude a sour smell in the bath, and cypress will smell musty.
Helpful advice
In most cases, the shelves in the bath are made from the same type of lumber. But to increase the comfort of using benches and at the same time reduce their final cost, wood can be combined during their assembly. For example, a very good solution would be to make the frame of the shelves from inexpensive aspen, and their upper surfaces from abachi. You can also include in the design of each tier one cedar board for smell and beauty.
Wood quality
To use for the manufacture of bath shops is, of course, only good lumber. Otherwise, even with the right length, width and height, it will be inconvenient and unsafe to use the shelves in the bathhouse.
There should not be any chips on boards purchased for shelves. Otherwise, the shops will turn out ugly. In addition, when using such boards, it will be possible to injure yourself in the future. Of course, only sanded wood is suitable for making shelves.
Also, there should be as few knots as possible on the boards and beams of the benches. Shelves are operated in conditions that are very unfavorable in terms of humidity for wood. Knots in a board bath are likely to fall out very quickly. And the shops, again, will become ugly.
Assembly material dimensions
The frame of bath shelves is usually assembled from a bar 40 x 40 or 50 x 50 cm. It is better to use boards for the upper surfaces of benches that are not too wide. This iswill give scope in choosing the width of the shelves in the bath and will make the designs more aesthetic. In any case, usually for the assembly of shelves such a board is used, the width of which exceeds the thickness by no more than 4 times.
Shelf design features
So, what should be the shelves in the bath, we found out. But what is the right way to make such a design? Assembling bath shelves with your own hands is not difficult. Such structures are made according to the principle of ordinary benches on a cobbled frame. The assembly of L-shaped shelves begins with the most difficult two-tier part.
In this case, the extreme supports of the frame are first assembled:
- from a bar knock down a quadrangular frame along the height of the upper shelf;
- install it close to the side and back walls;
- fix the frame with screws to the walls;
- make the frame according to the height of the lower tier;
- also attach it to the wall next to the frame of the top tier.
In exactly the same way, the second extreme and intermediate supports for a multi-tiered structure are made. In order to give the frame rigidity, transverse jumpers are used.
When stuffing the boards on the frame, leave small gaps of a few millimeters. Such slots are necessary for the flow of water from the benches when taking water procedures. In order for the gaps to be equal in width, a piece of lath of the appropriate thickness is used as a guide.
Approximately the same technology at the finalstage, they assemble the second part of the L-shaped structure for the adjacent wall.
Additional items
To make the top tier more attractive, its front vertical surface should also be sheathed with a board. At the same time, gaps should be left between the individual elements. A couple of boards can also be stuffed on the front surface of the lower tier. However, completely closing the space between the floor and this shop, of course, is not worth it. Otherwise, it will be impossible to clean under the canopy in the future.
How to make shops safe
The shelves are usually assembled using self-tapping screws or nails. However, such fasteners in the bath in the future, of course, will be very hot. And upon contact with the head of a self-tapping screw or a nail, a person taking water procedures can simply get burned.
In order to avoid injuries, the heads of self-tapping screws or nails should be sunk into the wood by 0.5 mm when assembling the shelves. You can also hammer fasteners from below, that is, where contact with them will be impossible.
How to process the shelves in the bath
Serve wood in the steam room and washing can be long enough. But in order to further extend its service life, at the final stage, the shelves must be treated with some kind of moisture-proof compound. It is impossible to use film-forming agents for lubricating benches. Otherwise, it will be possible to get burned on the boards of the shelf later.
Most often, special impregnating oils are used to process bath benches. Acquirefor shelves should be products of this variety, designed specifically for baths and saunas.
