Concrete floors in the bathhouse. Independent installation of concrete floors in a bathhouse. Making a warm floor

Laying floors is the most critical stage in the construction of any building. Properly laid floors reduce the load on the foundation, distributing it evenly, thereby extending the service life of the structure. In addition, properly laid floors mean the convenience and safety of people who live in the building or constantly use it.

It is especially important to follow the installation technology when building a bathhouse, since a bathhouse is a special object, in the premises of which there is high humidity and high temperature, and both hot and cold water is used abundantly.

Below we will talk about what kind of bath floors there are, and we will try to describe their installation in the form of a step-by-step guide.

In the bathhouse, the floors can be made of concrete, wood or brick. The latter type of flooring is used very rarely.

The fact is that while brick has a high heat capacity, it also has low heat transfer. In other words, it heats up so much that you can get severe burns. Therefore, brick is used to construct the base for concrete or wooden floors.

a) concrete floor

This flooring is designed for long-term use. Its service life is at least 50 years.

Concrete floor is a cold floor. It requires large financial investments, labor costs and time.

b) wooden floors

The best and cleanest material for bath floors is wood.

There are two types of wooden floors that are installed in a bathhouse:

leaky;
leak-proof.

We will discuss the design of each of them below.

Concrete floor. Laying

A concrete floor is, in fact, a concrete screed. Either a floor covering is laid on it, or its surface is used as a floor.

It must be taken into account that the concrete solution includes cement, sand, and filler. Gravel, crushed stone, marble chips, etc. are used as filler. Such a solution cannot be prepared manually. Even using a hammer drill, it is impossible to obtain the required quality of solution. Therefore, it is better to purchase the solution at a concrete plant or replace it with sand-cement mortar. This solution can be easily prepared using a hammer drill with a special attachment. Ready-made dry sand-cement mixtures can be freely purchased at any specialized store.

Prepare the solution, taking into account what the floor covering will be. If the surface remains concrete or a plank floor is laid on top, then you can prepare a regular solution. If you plan to lay tiles, then you need to add gypsum with anhydrate to the solution or buy a specialized self-leveling mixture.

When installing concrete floors, you will also need materials such as:

roofing felt;
broken brick;
gravel;
reinforcing materials, for example, metal mesh;
perlite It is designed for floor insulation. Add it to the solution when mixing;
Styrofoam;
mineral wool.

The concrete floor can be laid either on the ground or on joists.

All work on installing floors is divided into three stages. Preparatory stage, main work, laying flooring.

Prices for roofing material

roofing felt

Preparatory stage

First, we install a waste water drainage system. Naturally, it must first be designed and marked on site. The system includes two pipes and an intermediate tank. Typically the reservoir is a hole dug in the ground. Its dimensions should not be less than 40 x 40 x 30 centimeters. The bottom and walls of the tank are concreted. The recommended thickness of the concrete layer is 5 cm. A drain pipe extends from the tank. The recommended diameter is 20 cm. It is discharged either into a drain or into a special septic tank. The second pipe enters the tank from the bathhouse. First, determine the level and location of the drain hole, and only then lead the pipe from this place to the tank. To prevent unpleasant odors from penetrating into the room, it is equipped with a special valve.

Having completed the installation of the drainage system, we begin to prepare for pouring the floor.

First, let's prepare the base of the floor.

Stage	Description
	remove the top layer of soil, add sand, then compact it thoroughly. Ideally, you should have a flat area with a uniform surface
	pour gravel, preferably a large fraction, compact it. If there is no gravel, you can use broken bricks. It needs to be compacted even more thoroughly - so that the surface is uniform and even. The thickness of the resulting layer should be no more than 15 cm; pour a layer of crushed stone. We compact it in the same way as the previous layers. The thickness of this layer is 10 cm
	fill the resulting pillow with concrete. The thickness of the layer is 5 cm. This first layer of concrete must be given a slope towards the water drainage, that is, the reservoir. The gap between the concrete and the foundation walls is covered with bitumen
	After the concrete has set, we lay the insulation. Expanded clay, polystyrene foam, and mineral wool can be used as insulation. If we use expanded clay, then pour it in an even layer on the surface of the pillow. If we use mineral wool, then first we lay waterproofing, for example, roofing felt, then the mineral wool itself, then another layer of roofing felt on top. You can use perlite to insulate the floor. Perlite is a volcanic rock that retains heat well. But it is very volatile, so they work with it only in a closed place. That is, you need to mix the solution using perlite indoors. Consumption rates, as well as exactly how to use it, are usually indicated on the packaging of the material.
	After insulation, we lay the reinforcing material. Most often, metal wire or mesh is used as a reinforcing material.

Main works. Pouring the floor

It is better to pour the floor with helpers. The solution thickens quickly, which is why efficiency is needed. That is, someone prepares the solution, someone pours it, and someone levels it. When pouring, the solution should be compacted. This is done so that the screed is homogeneous and does not form cavities, voids or other defects. To perform this operation, a vibrator is used.

Before pouring, the floor is waterproofed, and beacons are installed on the site. The step is no more than 1 m. With the help of beacons it is easier to obtain a flat surface. They are installed either on the surface of the insulation, or attached to pre-marked places on the foundation walls.

Filling begins from the farthest point and leads to the exit, leveling the solution. You need to level it with a trowel and tighten it with a rule. In this case, the movements are made in a circular manner, they need to be directed towards the exit.

Video - Concrete floor on the ground

Video - Pouring screed over insulation

The concrete will set in two days, and further work can be carried out. But the load on the floor can be applied only after it has completely hardened. The screed takes about three weeks to completely harden and depends on temperature conditions. The higher the room temperature, the faster the concrete sets.

It's easy to check its readiness. The set concrete can withstand the blow of a hammer. It doesn't even leave marks on it. The color of its surface should be uniform gray.

Flooring installation

The floor covering can be the surface of the screed itself, a board or tile.

We must not forget that the floor in the bathhouse must be sloping. The slope should be approximately 2 cm. It is made towards the drain hole.

a) concrete surface

Actually, this is the screed itself. Only its surface must be carefully leveled and, preferably, polished. It must be taken into account that the concrete floor is cold. Therefore, instead of the bare surface of the screed, it is better to use a covering made of tiles or boards.

b) tiles

When laying, the tiles are glued to the surface with a special glue. You should not use tiles as a floor in a bathhouse. When wet, it becomes slippery, so it is better to lay a broomstick. It is ideal for wet areas.

c) plank floor

Installation of such a coating is as follows:

We lay waterproofing, for example, roofing felt, on the surface of the screed;
We lay insulation on the waterproofing, for example, mineral wool, polystyrene foam;
We again lay waterproofing on top of the insulation;
We install logs, i.e. bars, the size of which is 5 by 5 cm, no more. A plank floor requires natural ventilation, so you will also have to make additional holes in the foundation;
lay out the board. For the flooring you need to use edged planed boards, preferably tongue and groove.

If we lay a concrete floor on joists, then the steps will be as follows:

We install a waste water drainage system. We described how to do it above;
We level the area, add gravel, and compact it. You can additionally make a concrete screed as described above. The resulting pillow should have a slight slope towards the drain;
we install logs. A beam of a certain cross-section is used as a lag. You can lay it on the ground, but it is better to secure it to the foundation walls. In this case, you need to use logs with a cross-section of 10x20 cm. The distance between them (step) is 50 cm. We must not forget about pre-treatment of the timber with agents against rotting and the effects of microorganisms;
We lay an intermediate, rough, floor on the logs. To construct it, we use an edged board with a thickness of at least 30 millimeters. We seal all cracks, joints, gaps in the floor;
We lay waterproofing on the intermediate floor. If joints or gaps appear, we seal them;
We lay insulation on the waterproofing;
lay another layer of waterproofing;
then we lay the reinforcing mesh.

The preparatory work is completed, we are pouring the floor. After the screed has set, we lay the covering. The choice depends on the taste and desire of the owner.

One general note, it applies to all types of floors that are used in the bathhouse. Synthetic materials, such as linoleum, cannot be used as flooring. At high humidity and high temperature, they become a source of toxic substances. The person will simply be poisoned.

Wooden floors leaking

The simplest floors. The design of leaking floors does not provide insulation, so they are used either in the south or in the warm season, in the country. There is no water drainage system as such in the design of such a floor. Waste water is most often drained directly onto the ground. But, if the soil is clayey, then you will have to install a water drainage system. To do this, we make a reservoir, as described in the section describing the construction of concrete floors. There is no need to bring the pipe into the bathhouse. The design of the floors does not require a special drain hole.

If we lay the logs on the ground, then perform the following steps:

we treat the logs with an antiseptic;
level the site;
add gravel;
we compact the site. On clay soils, it is imperative to slope towards the reservoir;
install support posts for the logs;
we lay the logs. Step – 50 cm;
lay the floor. Leave a gap between the boards, floor and wall. The gap is up to 3 mm. Water will flow through these gaps. We do not attach boards to the joists. Leaking floors are removed from the joists and taken out to dry after using the bath. The cushion under the joists and the joists themselves must be laid so that the lower edge of the floor is higher than the upper edge of the foundation (basement).

The service life of such floors is short. They will last no more than five years.

Prices for wood antiseptic

wood antiseptic V33

Video - Laying posts for logs

There is another option for installing leaky floors:

After preparing the site, beams are installed along the perimeter of the foundation. They are made from timber treated with an antiseptic. Its size can be 100 x 100, 100 x 150, 150 x 150 mm;
logs are attached to these beams;
The floor covering is laid on the joists.

Floors can be made from both softwood and hardwood. Larch is considered the best wood for making floors. But, unfortunately, in our time it is very, very difficult to find larch. Therefore, pine is used when constructing floors. Linden is the most commonly used hardwood tree. Oak should not be used. It becomes slippery when wet.

A small digression. In Rus', bathhouses have always been built from aspen. It was believed that it drives away evil spirits and restores health.

The boards used for flooring are edged and planed. Its thickness must be at least 30 mm. The most common board for flooring is a 50 mm thick board.

A bathhouse with non-leaking floors can be used all year round in any region of the country. The design provides for the installation of an intermediate subfloor and installation of insulation.

The work that needs to be done when laying a leak-proof floor is as follows:

We install a waste water drainage system. To do this, we dig a hole (reservoir). The sizes are shown above. We concrete it;
we drain water into the drainage ditch. We use a pipe with a diameter of 200 mm for drainage. We install the second pipe. It will be connected to the floor drain. We install a siphon at the outlet of the pipe so that there is easy access to it. It will be needed to clean the siphon from accumulated dirt and debris;
We are preparing the site. We remove the surface of the soil and fill it with sand. Carefully compact the area. We fill the area with gravel and compact it thoroughly again. You can additionally pour a concrete screed. The thickness of the screed should be no more than 5 cm;
We lay waterproofing on the resulting floor base. Most often, roofing felt is used as insulation;
install insulation. As insulation, you can use a layer of expanded clay or polystyrene foam. If the logs are laid on the base, then the insulation can be laid between them. The distance between the logs is 50 cm.

Video - Laying the floor in a bathhouse

Video - Procedure for laying floors in a bathhouse

The second option is when the logs are laid on pre-installed beams. In this case, beams made of massive timber with a cross-section of 10x20 cm are attached along the perimeter of the foundation. Further:

installing an intermediate floor. It is attached to the bottom of the beams, if they are provided for in the design. If not, then we put it on the logs:
An additional layer of insulation can be laid on the intermediate floor. In this case, waterproofing is installed first. Then insulation is placed on it. Another layer of waterproofing is laid on it.

Now let’s lay out the main finished floor. It must be installed with a slope towards the drain. The board is attached to the joist with screws or nails. We remove the siphon into a pre-prepared hole.

Video – Nuances of laying a wooden floor in a bathhouse

When installing non-leakage floors, planed boards with a thickness of at least 30 mm are used. It is best to use a tongue and groove board. That is, a board that has a groove at one end and a tongue (protrusion) at the other. A beam with a section of 50 x 50 or 50 x 70 mm is usually used as a log. Beam - a beam with a cross section of 100 x 100 or more. For the manufacture of boards and logs, beams, wood of both deciduous and coniferous species is used. Most often they use either pine or linden. The insulation can be expanded clay, polystyrene foam, or styrofoam.

A mandatory requirement for wooden floors in a bathhouse, both leaking and non-leaking, is the presence of ventilation holes in the foundation. They are made so that the wood, as they say, breathes. That is, it released accumulated moisture into the atmosphere. We must not forget that the lower edge of the floor must be no less than 10 cm higher than the upper edge of the plinth.

The service life of non-leaking floors is at least 10 years.

Video - Floor in a bathhouse (preparing boards)

Video - Floor in the bathhouse (installation of beams)

Why do many of us like to sit in a bathhouse after a hard day at work or on a weekend? Here you can forget about your problems, and at the same time improve your overall well-being. And if you decide to build your own relaxation area, then this article will talk about how to properly make a concrete floor in a bathhouse so that it can last a long time without repair.

Construction technology

Preparation

If you decide to install a bathhouse on sandy soil, you must first make a drainage hole under the sink to drain the water. Subsequently, it will be imperceptibly absorbed into it.

The photo shows a concrete floor for a bathhouse, how to make it on clay soils

On clay soil, you need to dig a small pit from which to tap the pipeline. Its main function is to drain dirty water into a cesspool.

Tip: At the end of the pipe, make a seal that will prevent unpleasant odors from coming from the gutter.

Making a base for the floor

Below are detailed instructions for the process:

Compact the soil and make a slight slope towards the hole. Place a layer of crushed stone 150 mm high on it.

Place a ball of clay around the perimeter and compact the entire surface again.
Make a double layer of concrete, then in the washing room and steam room there will be no cold coming from the floor. The first layer should be no more than 50 mm high. Where the concrete meets the walls, fill the seams with bitumen, this way you will avoid water leaks.

Lay down a layer of insulation after the first layer has hardened (you can use regular felt or mineral wool, its price is quite reasonable). Wrap it in roofing material so that the material does not get wet.

Fill the second layer, for example, with a chain-link mesh, and compact it. Apply cement mortar to the surface and then level it thoroughly.

Preparing the solution

In this case, it is best to use expanded sand, which gives strength to the concrete surface. In addition, perlite has good thermal insulation properties, so it is well suited for this type of floor.

First stage

To prepare the solution in a concrete mixer:· fill 2 buckets of sand;

· pour out 10 liters of water;

· Stir the mixture;

· add 5 liters of dry cement;

Stir the solution for 5 minutes;

· add 5 liters of water to the mixture;

· Stir the solution again.

Second phase

After the solution is homogeneous, add 10 kg of perlite and 2 liters of water to the concrete mixer. Stir the solution until it flows. Turn off the concrete mixer for 10 minutes and do not add any components to it.

Start the equipment again and stir the mixture until excess liquid is released.

The solution should become plasticine-like. In this form it is ready for use.

Third stage

Apply the mixture to the prepared floor surface of the future bathhouse. Complete the screed, level it, not forgetting the slope for water drainage. It usually hardens within 5 days.

Advice: there are times when it is necessary to dismantle old concrete structures; in this case, cutting reinforced concrete with diamond wheels of the required density will help.

An important point is to correctly calculate the volume of material; as a rule, 1 bag of cement is used for 1.5 m2. All the necessary tools for the job can be bought in specialized construction stores or on the market.
If you decide to lay tiles, it is recommended to use a special self-leveling screed as the base. It consists of ordinary cement, gypsum and anhydrite.
It is necessary to start pouring the screed from the corner that is as far away from the entrance as possible. To perform this work, 2 people are required. One will carry and supply the solution, and the second will carry out the work of pouring the screed.
Excess solution must be moved to the entrance, where it is not yet present; work cannot be interrupted. After laying the first layer, immediately begin laying the second. After finishing the work, it is necessary for the screed to harden.

After 1-2 days you may notice that the screed is drying out. Remember, you can’t walk on it yet; take a break for at least 7 days. But even after this, it is advisable not to use the surfaces for another 2-3 weeks.

Tip: as the screed dries, it must be sprayed with water several times a day. This will prevent surfaces from cracking.

If you don’t have time to wait that long for drying, use plasticizers. They bind all components of the prepared solution. In the future, this prevents cracking of surfaces, and the plasticizers themselves increase the durability and strength of concrete.

Tip: If you need to make a communication channel in a concrete floor, diamond drilling of holes in the concrete with professional core bits will help you.

It’s easy to check the quality of the work done after long drying:

the uniformity of the screed can be determined by its color - if the floor surface is monotonous gray, it means that the solution was prepared and poured correctly;
The strength of the coating can be determined with a hammer - if a good blow with a hammer on the surface leaves practically no traces, the solution is prepared and poured correctly;
The quality of the coating is also determined by the gaps - if they are less than 4 mm, then the floor and screed are made correctly.

New technologies

Modern construction projects offer new ways to create concrete floors. In some cases, it is possible to lay ceramic tiles on heat-insulating material without making a second concrete layer.

In this case, the recommendations of the construction process should be strictly followed. For example, if you prefer a mineral wool heat insulator, use mats of the required brands, where the strength and thermal insulation parameters match the required ones.

The method is simple:

Place a waterproofing layer on top of the thermal insulation.
You make a screed from a special cement composition. Its characteristics should allow it to be a reliable basis for a finishing coating of ceramic tiles with a layer thickness of 15-20 mm.
Glue the tile itself onto a very thin layer of glue that secures each element to the floor.

Conclusion

A reliable concrete floor in a bathhouse is the key to its safe use. In addition, it makes it possible to extend the life of the structure. When purchasing materials, preference should be given to higher quality and fresher ones.

The video in this article will help you find additional information on this topic.

The concrete floor in the bathhouse is selected for reasons of practicality: it best withstands moisture and thermal loads, has a maximum service life and is compatible with any type of coating. Such a disadvantage as the transfer of cold from the soil and base is easily solved by installing a multi-layer cake with insulation. Laying technology allows you to do it yourself, without the involvement of construction companies. The nuances include the correct organization of drainage, reliable waterproofing, selection of a suitable heat insulator and the use of high-quality mortar for the rough layer and screed.

Floor concreting technology step by step

The process begins with determining the level mark, which depends on the placement method: on the ground or on joists. When building a bathhouse, the first option is most often chosen. If you choose installation on joists, ventilation of the subfloor must be provided.

Step-by-step instructions include the following steps:

Choosing a method for removing wastewater (for a bathhouse washing room).
Preparation of the foundation: removal of excess soil and compaction, laying a sewer pit or sewer lines, organizing drainage.
Filling the first (rough) layer observing the required slope.
Waterproofing concrete floor.
Installation of heat-insulating materials.
Reinforcement of the structure.
Concreting the second layer.
Pouring and leveling the final cement screed.
Selection and installation of flooring.

At the preparation stage, it is important to select and arrange the correct drainage system. In this case, two options are possible: placing a drainage pit directly under the bathhouse (within the perimeter of the base of the building) or constructing a small pit with subsequent drainage to a septic tank or its equivalent through pipes to the side. The first is allowed only on soils with good absorption capacity (sandstones); when building on any other soils, it is better to make the drainage discharge standard, through pipes. To protect against unpleasant odors, a shutter is provided at the end of the pipeline.

When laying a concrete floor on the ground, the top layer is removed by 40-50 cm, after which the base is compacted and 10-15 cm of gravel is poured. At the same stage, it is compacted, if necessary, with a slope towards the future catchment area. The thickness of the sand layer depends on the type of soil under the bathhouse, the minimum is 30 cm, in flooded areas - 50. As in the case of large drainage, it requires careful compaction, ideally with the help of special vibrating equipment.

Further actions depend on the number of layers in the cake; some choose a simplified option and proceed to the waterproofing stage, bypassing rough concreting altogether or replacing the cement-sand mortar with clay. But when planning frequent use of the bathhouse and a cold climate, you should not save. The recommended thickness of the first layer is 50 cm; after hardening, the joints with the walls are coated with bitumen mastic.

In the absence of a rough concrete floor, special attention is paid to waterproofing the base. Rolled building materials are laid in 2 layers on top of a ball of clay with a mandatory 10 cm overlap. The joints are completely sealed: they are heated with a blowtorch or coated, and a margin is provided at the edges for lifting the sheets up the walls.

When the first layer is concreted, the choice of waterproofing method depends on the type of insulation and its moisture resistance: mineral wool is wrapped on all sides with maximum care, expanded clay is simply poured over the rough screed.

To eliminate errors, it is recommended to calculate the insulating layer before starting work; the thicker it is, the warmer the base will be. Slag, expanded clay or felt impregnated with tar are used as insulation; in this case, the thickness of the backfill varies from 30 to 50 cm. When using mineral wool or expanded polystyrene - 10-15 cm. Any cold bridges are excluded: slab materials are laid with offset joints and placed on the walls . Moisture-resistant types of insulation are covered with overlapping polyethylene film on top, and the joints are fixed with tape.

For reinforcement, a metal mesh with a rod diameter of at least 5 mm is used; before pouring, beacons with a slope for drains are placed. Concrete mixing is carried out mechanically, the recommended proportions are 1: 3: 4 (cement, sand, gravel, respectively), mixtures based on perlite have good reviews. The solution is distributed over the already placed fittings with a slope towards the drain of 1-2°, after which the air is expelled from it. It is recommended to lay the concrete floor screed in two layers, the second one immediately after the first, the process is continuous. Upon completion, the surface is leveled with a rule or a lath; to prevent the formation of cracks, it is covered with film and sprayed.

The final stage of building a bath floor is the installation of the floor covering. The ideal option is tiles; synthetic materials are not used, at least in the steam room. Finishing of concrete structures is carried out no earlier than 3 weeks after pouring. To eliminate errors, the quality is checked: the correct screed has the same color, when hit with a hammer, no marks remain on it, the number and size of cracks are minimal.

If it is necessary to make a concrete floor using joists, the first point of the step-by-step instructions remains invariably important: the location of the drainage pit and the pipe layout are thought out in advance. The recommended pitch of the support beams is 50-55 cm, thickness – 100×200 mm, boards – 20-30 cm. A layer of rolled waterproofing (vapor barrier films are considered the best option) is laid not on the ground, but on top of a rough wooden base. Due to height restrictions, in this case, insulation with a minimum thermal conductivity coefficient (foam or mineral wool) is required. It is covered with another layer of waterproofing, starting from point 5, the step-by-step instructions for laying the floor with your own hands are no different.

Adviсe

To improve the thermal insulation and strength properties, perlite can be added to the concrete mixture; it can completely replace the usual filler. Scheme for pouring components into a concrete mixer: 20 liters of perlite → 10 liters of water → mixing → 5 kg of Portland cement → rotating the bowl for another 5 minutes → adding another 5 liters of water → gradually adding 10 liters of perlite or sand and 2 liters of water → mixing until a homogeneous state is achieved. In any case, the C/P ratio should not be less than 1:3, the brand of binder should be from M400.

When screeding with your own hands, it is better to start from a corner far from the entrance. During the pouring process, the solution is leveled in accordance with the selected angle of inclination; to simplify the work, a drain hole should be provided at one of the edges, and not in the center. Otherwise, the stages of leveling and external finishing become more complicated; without experience, it is almost impossible to make the floor of the bathhouse even. It is not recommended to carry out concreting yourself; at least 2 people are required: one for mixing and supplying the mixture, the second for installing the screed.

Common Mistakes

Technology violations and actions that complicate the process include:

Lack of protection for the joints of the concrete screed with the walls of the bathhouse.
Poor compaction of gravel and sand bases.
Lack of reinforced mesh.
Laying communications after pouring the floor in the bathhouse.
Insufficient thickness of cake layers.
Mixing the mortar with your own hands, without a concrete mixer.
Interruption of the concreting process.

If the territory of a suburban area allows you to build a bathhouse, there is nothing to doubt. It’s worth, perhaps, even postponing other plans, but finding the strength and means to build this structure. In order for it to last a long time and be as comfortable as possible, you will need reliable warm walls, a well-thought-out water supply and drainage system, appropriate heating equipment (stove or boiler), and a concrete floor in the bathhouse.

For the owner of a country house, having his own bathhouse at his disposal is by no means some kind of unnecessary whim, but a completely reasonable approach. The bathhouse has always been considered not only and not even so much a place for taking hygienic water procedures. A visit to her is always a source of vivacity for the coming days, a burst of vital activity, and getting rid of accumulated negativity both physiologically and psychologically. And how many pleasant minutes do “get-togethers” with friends or girlfriends give in a warm dressing room while discussing the latest news or rumors, or watching a football match! But in order for the bathhouse to really turn into a kind of “club of interests” or “therapeutic and preventive center”, a lot of work will have to be put in. And installing reliable and comfortable floors is one of the main conditions for success.

If we consider in detail the question of what floors are generally possible in a bathhouse, then all options can be divided into three large groups:

Clay - used since ancient times. The dense compacted layer of clay served as an excellent water seal, which organized the flow outside the bathhouse. In order to by The llamas could move freely; a wooden flooring was used, which was taken outside for ventilation and drying after each use. (similar wooden floorings are actively used now, with almost any type of flooring in the bathhouse).

Nowadays, when it is possible to use more advanced materials for flooring, clay flooring is no longer used by almost anyone.

Wooden floors. It would seem that everyone is good for a bath, especially if you use wood of those species that are not afraid of prolonged contact with water (for example, larch). Such floors are quite easy to install, quite warm, and it is not difficult to organize a water drainage system in them. But wood and water remain “antagonists” in any case.

Any wood is always a breeding ground for many microorganisms, insects and rodents. This is combated by impregnating wood with special compounds, but in this case the environmental friendliness of the material is reduced. It is never possible to completely get rid of water absorption by wood, and dampness is the first step to the emergence of putrefactive processes leading to decomposition of the material. Even if a particular type of tree is quite resistant to this, there is still no escape from its absorption of odors, which become very persistent and unpleasant over time.

Concrete floors - perhaps this the most optimal option. There is no need to talk about durability compared to others. With proper preparation of the base and high-quality filling, they will last a very long time - the service life is comparable to the service life of all other elements of the bath structure, and may even exceed it.

There may be objections - they say that the concrete floor is too cold. And what prevents you from giving it reliable thermal insulation in this case - there are a lot of options for its design. In addition, a heating system can be installed in the thickness of the concrete floor, which is turned on as needed.

The concrete floor is also distinguished by its high versatility - if you do not want to leave a bare surface, you can lay on top of it any type of covering suitable for the conditions of the bathhouse - tiles or porcelain stoneware, stationary or easily removable wooden flooring, which is easy to take out from time to time for preventive drying.

So, everything speaks in favor of a concrete floor. You can move on to considering options for its arrangement. It can be laid directly on the ground, or raised above ground level, with a ventilated subfloor.

To begin with, consider a water drainage system

The main feature of a concrete floor in a bathhouse is the need to drain a large amount of water. This, firstly, involves ensuring the required slope, and secondly, a well-thought-out drainage system.

The simplest solution, which, however, is applicable only on light sandy soils with high absorbency, is an absorption pit. It can be dug directly under the washing room of the bathhouse - there the water will be collected in one pipe and drained down. The pit itself is about 500 ÷ 1000 mm deep, and with approximately the same side dimensions. The resulting volume is filled with large crushed stone, fragments of broken brick, sand, etc. – so that the filler does not interfere with the free passage of liquid. To prevent the pit from becoming a source of unpleasant stagnant odors, it is imperative to provide a ventilation system for it, leaving vents (vents) in the base with the possibility of through air flow.

A more reasonable option would be to move such a pit outside the foundation, and in dense or clayey soils this will be the only possible solution. In this case, only a pit is installed under the drain, from where the water will be drained through a pipe system into an absorption pit or drain. If the site is equipped with a sewerage system with water purification in a septic tank, then it is best to install the bath water drain there. The only thing that needs to be done is to organize a water seal so that odors do not penetrate into the bathhouse.

A small hole is also dug for the waste pit, so that after cementing the walls and bottom, its dimensions on all three sides are about 300500 mm. A pipe is built into one of the walls to drain water by gravity into the drainage system. The pit itself can be covered with a metal grill. Do not forget about the possibility of its ventilation - leaving air vents in the base is necessary.

The listed methods are used when the floor is raised above the ground. If the concrete floor of the bathhouse will be poured directly onto the ground, then you need to think through the drainage system in advance so that the pipes installed in the right place are immediately embedded in the screed. There is no need for a pit then - water will be drained directly from the washing room directly into the drainage system. This method is universal; it can also be applied to a pile construction of a bathhouse.

Installation of a concrete floor in a bathhouse on the ground

This method is used when the entire structure of the bathhouse is supposed to be placed on a solid strip foundation. The work is carried out in several stages.

After installing the strip foundation, you can proceed to work on the concrete floor of the bathhouse

To begin with, in the space between the finished foundation, the top layer of soil is removed to a depth of about 400 ÷ 500 mm.
A preliminary backfill is made with gravel up to 150 mm thick, which is compacted with maximum care. It is advisable at this stage to begin planning the slope of the surface towards the drainage hole in the future floor, in order to greatly simplify your task later.

Further actions depend on how many layers of concrete screed you plan to lay. This way you can fill one screed, or make a “layer cake”, where two layers of concrete surface will be separated by a layer of insulation.

In the first case, a sand layer with a thickness of 300 to 500 mm is laid on the gravel backfill, which will also require careful compaction.
The next stage is the installation of a waterproofing layer on top of the sand cushion. For this purpose, roll material is used - roofing felt, which is laid in one or two layers, with a mandatory overlap of each sheet by 100 mm and additional coating of joints and approaches to the walls of the base with bitumen mastic. If roofing felt is laid in two layers, then the second should be perpendicular to the first.

Fully covered layer of waterproofing - with a slight “approach” to the walls

To prevent the floors in the bathhouse from being cold, the next step will be laying thermal insulation material. For this purpose, ordinary slag from the boiler room can be used - sometimes this is the cheapest option. Expanded clay has excellent performance - it is much lighter, and its thermal insulation efficiency is even higher. You can lay construction felt impregnated with tar - this is a long-known insulation technique. High-density mineral wool slabs will cope well with this task. The use of expanded polystyrene is somewhat questionable, but it is often used.
The thermal insulator layer depends on the climatic conditions of the region - it should prevent the penetration of cold from the ground into the bathhouse in winter. Typically it ranges from 300 to 500 mm. The laid insulation must extend slightly up the walls so that a “cold bridge” does not create at the junction of the floor and walls.
If mineral wool is used as insulation, then another layer of waterproofing is required, for which you can cover it on top with dense polyethylene film - one whole sheet, or with overlaps of 200 ÷ 250 mm with mandatory sealing with wide tape.
mineral wool insulation
Next, a reinforcing mesh is laid, for which a Ø 5 mm rod should be used.
A system of beacons and guides for pouring screed is installed taking into account the required slope towards the drain. It will be much more convenient to place the drain hole in one of the corners of the room. If you do it in the center, the configuration of the slopes will turn out to be quite complex in execution.
The minimum thickness of the finished concrete screed to be poured must be at least 30 mm. As a solution, you can use a regular cement-sand mixture in proportions 1: 3 (with M400 cement). However, the wide range of modern construction stores makes it possible to select ready-made dry mixtures that are perfectly adapted to rooms with high humidity. Their advantages are much shorter final ripening times, excellent plasticity, facilitating pouring processes and eliminating the appearance of voids in the thickness, micro reinforcement fiberglass, which gives the floors special strength.
If you manage to fill the screed with high quality, with a well-leveled surface, then after it has fully gained strength, it can already serve as a basis for laying ceramic tiles on it. However, many prefer, after appropriate procedures for hardening the concrete surface, to leave the coating as it is and use removable wooden flooring through which water in the washing room freely passes into the drainage system. It is easy to dry the wooden grates themselves in the fresh air from time to time.

If you plan to pour a concrete floor in two layers, then the sequence of work changes slightly:

The initial pouring is carried out directly over the sand and gravel cushion, with the obligatory inclusion of a fairly large fraction of gravel in the concrete solution - about 30 mm. The rough screed is pulled along the beacons, and then it is given time to completely harden.
Waterproofing is installed on top of the hardened rough screed - in the same way as described above.
roofing felt
Next, lay a layer of insulation. Again, the options here may be different, but one of the most successful and durable will be the inclusion of a layer of expanded (perlite) sand in the “pie”.

This material has the highest thermal insulating properties, and even a layer of 30 ÷ 40 mm will become a reliable barrier to the cold. From the positive qualities of sand - its porosity and lightness, comes one significant drawback - it generates a lot of dust, it is impossible to work with it even in the weakest wind - only indoors or after taking the necessary measures to create a reliable cover. To create a layer of thermal insulation, it is lightly bonded with cement, adding additional fiberglass to the solution for greater strength. However, in the case under consideration, the thermal insulation will be covered with a finishing screed, and micro-reinforcement can be dispensed with.

It is important to correctly observe the proportions and mixing technology. The simplest option:

20 liters of perlite are mixed with 10 liters of water in a concrete mixer;

Add 5 liters of cement (M400), continuing the mixing;

Having achieved complete homogeneity, add another 10 liters of perlite and 1 - 2 liters of water. Stirring continues until the mixture becomes free-flowing.

A technological pause is made for 10 minutes. No supplements should be made at this time.

Then kneading is continued until the solution will not gain plasticity, releasing excess water from its composition.

The solution is placed on the first screed (on the waterproofing layer), leveled and given time to harden for at least one week.
Next - everything is as in the first option - reinforcing the floor with a metal mesh, installing a beacon system and pouring a screed with a thickness of not less 30 mm in compliance with the required slope to the drainage point.
After the top layer of the insulated concrete floor has completely hardened, it will be ready for further exterior finishing work.

cement m400

The video presented to the reader's attention shows the basic principles of laying concrete floors directly on the ground

Concrete floor with ventilated subfloor

The floor of the bathhouse can also be raised above ground level by pouring it along powerful joists. In this case, effective ventilation of the underground space will be ensured (for which special vent windows are left in the basement. This principle is often used when the characteristics of the soil allow the construction of a bathhouse only on a pile foundation.

General diagram of a concrete floor with a ventilated subfloor

A subfloor made of 30 mm thick boards is installed on these “shelves”. All wooden parts of the structure must be subjected to antiseptic treatment in advance.
When installing a subfloor, pipes must be immediately installed to drain water from the washing room.

Insulation is laid on top of the waterproofing between the joists - mineral wool or expanded polystyrene panels. You can also use dry expanded clay backfill. The thermal insulation layer on top is covered with a waterproofing film.
Reinforcing mesh is laid, beacons are installed taking into account the required floor slope.
Next, fill the screed with a plastic solution, at least 30 mm thick, exactly as described above.

An important note that concerns specifically the installation of the floor in the bathhouse. To avoid problems with damp walls, the floor level is calculated in advance with the condition that, taking into account all the insulating layers and the planned decorative coating, it is not higher than the upper edge of the plinth (flashing crown).

Arrangement of the floor in a bathhouse is one of the important and rather difficult moments in the overall process of its construction. The floor in a steam room can be made with your own hands in different ways, and the choice of technology can depend both on the preference of the owner and on the material from which the entire structure is mainly constructed.

In order for the bathhouse to function normally and be as comfortable as possible for visitors, when installing floors it is necessary to take into account some conditions, which include:

Possibility of easy independent
Sufficient surface rigidity, anti-slip properties, and ease of walking with bare feet on a wet surface.
Good heat retention.
Possibility of easy surface cleaning.

The design of the floor in a steam room largely depends on the material from which it will be made, so there are several types of its construction.

Necessary materials

For preparatory and main work on installing any floors, building materials will be needed:

Cement, gravel-sand mixture and sand.
Waterproofing material - polyethylene film and roofing felt.
Pipe for draining used water.
Reinforcing mesh and beacons.
Insulation material.
A wooden beam, the size of which will depend on the structure being built. If you plan to make removable gratings, then a beam of 30 × 50 mm in size is required. When installing a completely wooden floor and joists, the dimensions of the timber should be approximately 70 × 100 and 50 × 80 mm.
A massive tongue-and-groove board with a tongue-and-groove lock is needed for a floor that does not leak, but for a leaky floor, a smooth, well-planed one is needed.
Compositions for treating wood that will make it moisture resistant.
To make some flooring options you will need asbestos concrete pipe or brick.
Grate and siphon for drainage.

Main types of bath floor designs

Asbestos concrete The pipes, which are laid on a compacted embankment, serve not only as joists for the boardwalk, but also as vents that help ventilate the underground space.

The numbers on the diagram indicate:

1 - Waterproofing, laid on the upper section of the foundation under the wooden elements of the wall. For these purposes, roofing felt is usually used.

2 – Bathhouse foundation.

3 - Log wall of the building.

4 – Skirting board covering the corner from direct water ingress.

5 - Backfill made of crushed stone or gravel.

6 - Pit for absorbing used water.

7 - Leaking floor boards.

8 – Asbestos-cement pipes, playing the role of beams and joists.

9 – Compacted clay layer.

Third option

Such a wooden covering is installed without a rough concrete floor at all, directly on a columnar or strip foundation. The space between pillars or awnings can be concreted with a rough solution or covered with clay and compacted.

To drain water in this option, a tray is installed in the middle of the floor of the room, which is connected to the sewer drain by a pipe. The tray is made of boards and installed on the foundation support through a layer of waterproofing.

The plank covering is laid on a slope that goes from the walls to the central floor, to the location of the drainage tray. The boards are laid tightly to each other, that is, the wooden covering in this case is not leaky.

1, 2 and 3 – bathhouse wall with hydro- and vapor barrier and internal lining.

4 – Wall support beams, which will give the floor the required slope.

5 – compacted or concreted soil surface between the foundation supports.

6 – Water collection tray

7 - The walls of the tray, which, in addition, act as joists in the center of the room.

8 - Non-leakage plank flooring.

Fourth option

This option differs from others in that the drain structure is installed between the white and subfloor, and the wooden flooring is not installed at a slope, but horizontally, but above the funnel-shaped surface located below.

In addition, in this case one drainage system is used for two rooms of the bathhouse - the steam room and the washing room. Since a much larger amount of water is used in the washing room of a bathhouse than in a steam room, the drainage hole is located precisely under it. For a steam room, a good slope of the underground structure for drainage is sufficient.

Scheme of a “pie” of rough and finished wooden floors in a bathhouse

2 – Leaking floor plank.

3 - Rough wooden floor.

4 - An embankment of gravel or crushed stone. This form can also be made from concrete with insulation additives. If the second option is used, then the logs will have to be securely waterproof.

5 – Thin concrete screed with a waterproofing coating based on liquid rubber or glass.

6 - Drain funnel.

7 - Sewage pipe.

Having examined the diagrams of different floor designs, it is worthwhile to dwell in more detail on the installation of the two options that are most popular with.

Prices for various types of timber

Insulated wooden floor

In a wooden log house, a wooden insulated floor is traditionally installed, without a concrete sub-base. The installation of this structure is quite complicated and begins during the construction of the foundation.

If a floor that does not leak is installed, then it is necessary to install a sewer pipe, and this activity is carried out along with the construction of the foundation.
The subfloor of the bathhouse should be raised above the ground by 400 ÷ 600 mm. To do this, brick columns or walls are installed on which the floor beams will be laid.

After the walls of the structure are erected, they move on to waterproofing the compacted soil and foundation. For this, roofing felt is usually used.
On waterproofed the supports are laid with wooden floor beams. Skull blocks are nailed along their lower edge for laying subfloor boards.
Further, the work proceeds according to the presented scheme. The drain pipe runs through all layers of the floor, and most often the hole for it is located in the middle of the steam room.

The next step is to lay the subfloor boards on the cranial beam.

A vapor barrier film is laid on top of the subfloor, on top of which an insulating material is placed, for example, mineral wool mats or polystyrene foam boards.

The insulation is covered on top with a waterproofing material - thick polyethylene film. It is advisable to lay it in a single sheet. If this does not work, then an overlap of at least 200 mm is made between the strips and the seams are sealed with waterproof tape.

Video: the process of installing a subfloor in a bathhouse

Prices for thermal insulation materials

Thermal insulation materials

Next comes the complex process of establishing the desired slope of the boards, directed towards the sewer drain. At this time, the sewer pipe should be raised slightly above the height of the insulation layer. A special sheathing is made around the pipe opening, onto which the ends of the boards will be secured. The thickness of the sheathing boards should be 15-20 mm.
To achieve the desired slope in the form of a funnel, the floor boards along the walls should be slightly raised. To do this, a block with a height of 30 to 50 millimeters is fixed around the perimeter of the room.

There are two more ways to install a slope with drainage not into the pipe hole, but into a drainage groove (gutter), which can be installed either in the middle of the room or along one of the walls.

- In the first case, the boards near the walls are raised on both sides, secured to bars along the walls parallel to the groove, and the slope will go from the walls to the middle of the bathhouse.

— In the second option, the floor is raised only On the one side, and the water flows into a gutter located on the opposite wall.

When the base for fastening the boards is ready, a plank covering is laid on top. The boards must be well prepared and covered with special protective agents that will make the wood resistant to constant exposure to moisture.
In addition, the boards must be fitted very tightly to each other, therefore, for a non-leaking floor, only tongue and groove boards with a tongue-and-groove lock are used. They should be assembled into a single plane without cracks or gaps.

Skirting boards are installed along the walls. The gaps between the sewer drain hole and the boards are hermetically sealed, and a grate is installed on the drain.

Find out, and also consider the best options, from our new article.

Concrete floor in the bathhouse

A floor filled with concrete can be called the best option for a steam room, if it is arranged properly. Its installation also begins when the foundation is being laid, by placing a sewer pipe in the right place, according to the design, through its wall.
Next, the soil under the future floor is compacted, and a cushion of sand is made on it, and then of crushed stone. It is better to immediately give this mound the shape of a wide funnel with a slope towards the center of the room.
The sewer pipe in advance, even before sand-crushed stone backfill is extended to the center of the room, and all other work is carried out taking into account its location.
After this, a waterproofing film is stretched onto the surface, which covers the pipe, leaving only the drain element uncovered.

The next step is to lay hard insulation (EPS is best), which should, as far as possible, follow the shape of a wide funnel, the center of which will be the drain.
It is recommended to cover the top of the insulation with a reinforcing mesh on which the beacons are placed. The concrete screed will be leveled against them. Therefore, if the necessary shape for the direction of flow of water was not created earlier, then it can still be displayed using beacons. However, pouring uneven layers of concrete is a rather difficult task.

The next step is to install a damper tape around the perimeter of the room, which will protect the screed from deformation and destruction during expansion processes under the influence of thermal changes. Next, the prepared site is filled with concrete, which is leveled taking into account the exposed beacons.

You can lay ceramic tiles on the finished frozen screed, or you can cover it with removable wooden gratings.
When using a ceramic coating, the drain grate can be made the center of the decorative composition of the floor.

There is another solution that can be called optimal - this is laying tiles on the bath floors, and installing wooden grates on top.

In this case, the ceramic coating will preserve the bathhouse floor for a longer period, and the wooden flooring will make it comfortable for visitors.

Video: laying tiles while creating the required slope to collect water

Prices for the range of floor tiles

Floor tile

Water drainage

It is good if a sewerage system is connected to the site - in this case there will be no problems with the drainage of used water.

One of the options for a drainage well is made from old tires

If there is no central sewerage system, then the water is diverted into a drainage ditch (pit) or you can get by with constructing a drainage well.

It is dug to a depth of 1.3 ÷ 1.5 m deep (with an average level of soil freezing of 0.5 ÷ 0.7 m.
For a small bathhouse, which is built only for personal family use, a well with dimensions of 90 × 90 or 100 × 100 cm will be sufficient. If the bathhouse is large or is used very intensively, the well needs to be made larger.
The bottom of the well is filled with crushed stone or expanded clay 40 ÷ 50 cm thick. You can also use other materials that have drainage properties. For example, brick fragments are often used.

The drainage pipe discharging water should enter the well at a depth of 20 ÷ 30 cm.

Video: an option for organizing the drainage of water from a bathhouse

When installing floors in a bathhouse, you need to treat this process very carefully so as not to miss a single technological stage, since each of them affects the durability of the structure and the ease of everyday use. If you begin to carry out the work, having understood them well, then all these construction activities can be carried out independently.