If you pay attention to the design features of the Slavic baths of past centuries, it can be noted that during construction no special attention was paid to floor insulation. This part of the building had a leaking base of loosely laid floorboards, through the cracks of which sewage was drained. At the same time, visitors to the steam room had to put up with the cold surface of the floor, because then the builders did not know how this part of the building was insulated.
Choice of material for insulation
Before insulating the floor in the bath, it is necessary to consider the features and characteristics of the materials presented on the modern market. For example, universal expanded polystyrene is excellent for thermal insulation of wooden or concrete bases. But mainly this super-light and rigid material, which contains a polymer alloy of small closed granules, is used for warming wooden floors. The same can be said about such material as polystyrene foam, the price of which is 128 rubles. per sheet.
Expanded polystyrene does not absorb moisture that can penetratethrough the boardwalk. The material can be easily processed with a regular clerical knife, and the waste is minimal. Before you insulate the floor in the bath, you can consider the features of glass and mineral wool, which are used for thermal insulation of concrete floors. If fibrous wool is included in the design of the wooden system, then it will be necessary to lay reinforced waterproofing, laid on an insulating layer. Otherwise, the fibers will intensively absorb moisture, and the insulating properties will decrease. The same cannot be said for a material such as foam, the price of which is quite acceptable.
Use expanded clay
Expanded clay is used by analogy with mineral wool. Despite the fact that these materials have a large difference in structure, their thermal characteristics are similar. They require reinforced waterproofing when arranging a wooden floor. In order to provide a 10-degree angle for drainage, expanded clay is poured using guides, and then wetted with a weak cement mortar. An alternative option is to fill the insulation layer with a cement screed.
Alternative options
If you still don't know which floors you will equip in the bath, you can choose boiler slag for insulation, which is covered with a 30-centimeter layer. Foam concrete can be laid with a layer of up to 25 centimeters, and a half-pan - up to 10 cm. The final thickness of the insulation layer will depend on weather conditions inthe region where the bath is built.
No less common today is perlite, which is a sandy dusty insulation, it acquires a porous structure when solidified. In fact, it can be used to create a lightweight layer of thermal insulation, which will be located between the upper and lower screed in the concrete floor.
Recommendations for wood floor insulation
The most suitable time for arranging a thermal insulation system is the construction period, but if you decide to install non-leaking wooden floors, then you can thermally insulate them after removing the final flooring. The most suitable insulation for a wooden floor will be a material with closed cells that do not allow moisture to pass through. Expanded polystyrene can act as it. If you intend to use fiber or open cell insulation, then the insulation layer will absorb moisture, which will require the installation of waterproofing. A new method of improving the thermal properties was the use of foamed polymers like ecowool. It adds almost no weight to the structure and retains heat superbly.
Work methodology
If you are building a bath, it will be necessary to make wooden floors warm, only in this way the operation of the steam room will be as comfortable as possible. To the lower edge of the beams along the entire length, you need to nail the cranial bars that are necessary to install the subfloor. On the cranial beam, low-grade boards can be installed, whichpre-cut to size. This will allow you to get the first layer of the cranial floor, on top of which the waterproofing is laid, it will become an indispensable element of the wooden structure.
Experts advise using a waterproofing membrane for this, which has a protective function against steam penetration. It should be covered in such a way that it is possible to capture all the beams around the perimeter. The material is strengthened to the protruding structural elements with a stapler, after which the joints can be sealed with a vapor barrier tape. If you need a warm bath, then at the next stage, the second row of the cranial floor, as well as thermal insulating material, is laid on top of the vapor barrier layer. Depending on the type of thermal insulation, protection against steam or moisture is laid.
The membrane, which is quite expensive, can be replaced with a layer of roofing material, which is glued with bituminous mastic in the area of \u200b\u200bthe seams. Around the drain pipe, you need to fill the empty space with mounting foam. In conclusion, lay the boards of the finishing floor, cut off the excess vapor barrier material. At the last stage, the plinth is installed. A 3 cm ventilation gap should be left under the boards of the finished floor, which is necessary for drying the wood.
Concrete floor insulation
If you will be insulating the floor in the bath, then waterproofing should be laid on the concrete slabs of the lower floors or the draft layer of the floor, which was poured over the ground. You can replace the roll material with a coating mastic, whichapplied in 3 layers. Some craftsmen combine roll insulation. Next, laying mats made of mineral wool, expanded clay or extruded polystyrene foam. The thickness of the layer will determine the thermal properties of the material. A reinforcing mesh is installed above the insulation on plastic or made from a mixture of alabaster and cement stands. A screed is poured on top, further finishing steps will depend on the wishes of the owner.
Installation and insulation of leaky floors
The floors in the bath with a drain can also be insulated. But in order to properly equip them, it is necessary to become more familiar with the methodology of the work. At the same time, the steam room can be used all year round, since the floor in it will be comfortable to use. As practice shows, installation work on the installation of a leaking insulated floor is the most difficult to implement. Among other things, in the process of preparation, a considerable amount of materials will have to be purchased. Such floors for a bath begin to be equipped even at the stage of foundation construction.
The drainpipe must be laid through the underground part of the base, and it is important to ensure a 30-degree slope. It will lead to a cesspool or go into the central sewer system. The pipe is buried in the soil below the freezing line of the soil by 100 millimeters. The cesspool can be equipped with bricks, which are laid at intervals of 50 millimeters. Instead, concrete rings are often used, in which holes are drilled or punched.to drain water into the ground. However, the easiest option is to use car tires. The size of the pit should be calculated taking into account how intensively the bath will be used. Before burying the ditch where the pipe is located, expanded clay should be poured into it, which will become a heater, preventing the pipe from freezing in the winter.
Specialist recommendations
If you are thinking about how to insulate the floor in the bath, then at the next stage you can fill the trench with soil and gently tamp the soil. Further work should be carried out underground. In the place where the drain will be located and where the drain pipe is led, a pit is made. It needs to be overlaid with brick and plastered. The pipe is laid in one of its walls, and then sprinkled with soil. Along the perimeter of the floor in the underground space around the pit, it is necessary to backfill with sand and gravel, which will form a slope for runoff on the subfloor. The layer is well compacted, for this it needs to be moistened with water.
At this stage, you can start warming the floor in the bath. A layer should be applied to the gravel mixture, which consists of concrete mortar and foam plastic chips. As an alternative solution, it is possible to lay the entire surface with expanded polystyrene boards using sheets with a thickness of 30 to 50 millimeters. In this case, you need to observe the slope. Next, waterproofing of the joints of the walls is carried out, and then the floor is formed. A roll material is laid on its surface, which rises to the wall by 500 millimeters.
Final works
Insulation of the floor in the bath onthis stage can be considered completed, the next step will be the laying of a reinforcing mesh using the technology that was described above. Next, a concrete screed 50 millimeters thick is poured.
