Point number 1 in the life path - build a house, of course, implies the construction of a Russian bath. Traditionally, bathhouses were cut from solid tree logs. The logs were sanded, sorted, grooved, laid on moss or linen tow. All these operations were carried out with an ax, but the quality was excellent. In our time, such specialists have practically disappeared. Then the roof was erected. They gave the log house a year to shrink. This process is very labor-intensive, long, even creative and very expensive. In our time, the construction of baths from timber, either ordinary or glued and from rounded logs, has become popular. But there is another building material that is not inferior in characteristics, and even surpasses analogues - this is a wooden brick.

The walls of the bath are made of wooden bricks.

Wooden bricks are blocks of dry wood, with a moisture content of not more than 10 percent. The section size of a wooden brick varies from 100 to 210 mm. wide and 85 mm. height. The gradation of block lengths is in the range from 400 to 3000 mm. This size solves the problem of eliminating torsional stresses. A distinctive parameter of wooden bricks, as a building material, is the type of connection of blocks to each other. Perfect tongue-and-groove bonding provides windproofing without the need for additional sealing materials and eliminates building object binding to standard dimensions compared to building timber.

When building a bath from wooden bricks, the construction practically does not shrink, which is also an indisputable advantage in comparison with any other solid wood materials. The practical absence of structural shrinkage is due to the low humidity of the products obtained, which is a consequence of a special technological process in which the workpieces are dried in a special drying chamber. As they say, he laid down the walls, put up the roof, cut in the windows and doors, installed the stove - go and take a steam bath.

Read also: How to build a bath in the basement of the house

It looks like a wooden brick

It can be argued that glued laminated timber does not shrink at its standard moisture content of 14 percent, but, firstly, it is 2 times more expensive than wooden bricks, and secondly, it is inferior in environmental friendliness, since synthetic adhesives are used in its production, which in bath conditions will give an unfavorable chemical background. Such a run-up in the cost of wooden bricks in comparison with glued beams is associated with the peculiarities of the technological process in the production of the latter.

Glued laminated timber is made from separate blocks, which are pre-dried to the required moisture content, then knots and defects are sawn out. Blocks are assembled on a sawtooth pinch using epoxy resins and a heat press. Then the blocks are glued together, and with a variable arrangement of the fibers of each block relative to each other. When gluing the final product, a press is also used. Then the beam is milled and polished. The need for more complex and expensive equipment and a longer process in the production of glued laminated timber makes it much more expensive than wooden bricks, with insignificant advantages in quality and lower environmental properties.

It would seem that similar technologies exist, for example, in Europe for about 90 years, building blocks have been produced from wood chips. They, like wooden bricks, are assembled as a designer and do not require additional sealing. But the difference is that the front sides of the wooden bricks are perfectly sanded and look very aesthetically pleasing, which avoids further wall decoration, which cannot be said about building blocks. Also, these blocks are inferior in environmental friendliness, due to the use of the same epoxy resins as a binder.

Foreword

The choice of material for the walls in the bath is a guarantee of quality, functionality and durability of the future structure.

Necessary tools and materials

fittingsChainsawConcrete mixerBulgarianLogbarBoersWaterNailsNail pullerClayPrimerplaned boardChiselPickBrickBrushShovelMaster OKMounting foamwood stainNogplumb lineTowvapor barrierSandStitchingRuberoidRouletteself-tapping screwsConstruction staplerLadderbuilding blockClampinsulationCement

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Content

The choice of material for the walls in the bath is a guarantee of quality, functionality and durability of the future structure. Of course, wood is considered the most environmentally friendly: the walls for a bath made of timber give the building a good look, it is easy to breathe in them, and the steam becomes more saturated. Now, more and more often, foam is being chosen as the material for the walls of the bath. True, they are not without drawbacks. Which bath is better to build - in any case, the choice is up to the owner, but first, use the tips offered on this page.

What can you make the walls in the bath

So, what to make a bath from, so that it serves for a long time and looks attractive? The best materials for the walls of the bath are logs, timber, and various kinds of blocks. Each of these materials has its own advantages and disadvantages. A brief overview of their types will help you make a choice and understand which material is better to focus on.

The first thing you can make a bath from is logs, this material has been used for centuries. Wooden walls perfectly pass air and steam, keeping a light aroma of natural wood in the room, they have low thermal conductivity, so even in winter it will be cozy and warm in the building for a long time. As a result, heating costs will be negligible.

But wooden walls have certain disadvantages. All buildings made of wood are subject to shrinkage, so it will be possible to finish a bath from logs only six months after its construction.

In order for the logs to retain their attractive appearance and special properties for a long time, the building will have to be looked after or protected from the harmful effects of the environment, lined with brick and other material.

Timber, from which bathhouses are also often built, has a number of advantages compared to logs: it is cheaper and easier to build from, especially for home craftsmen who do not have professional skills.

A beam is a log that is sawn either from all four or from two sides, with a square or rectangular section. The standard proportions of such a building material are 2:1.

A bath from a bar for the first year will give a draft of 6 cm, and from a log - for the same time it settles by 10-12 cm.

The walls of the bath are often built of brick. Buildings made of this kind of material have a number of advantages. Firstly, they are the most durable: they can stand for more than 150 years. Secondly, they look solid and solid, do not need additional external finishing, if used.

Since excellent thermal insulation properties are important for a steam room, brick in this case is one of the best materials. Brick buildings can have a variety of configurations and shapes, so they fit perfectly into the landscape of the site and are in harmony with other buildings.

The disadvantages of brick walls can be called a greater heat capacity than wood (it takes longer to heat such a bath), and lower steam conductivity (if high-quality ventilation and vapor barrier are not provided in the steam room, it will become damp). In addition, the cost of building such a bath is higher than.

What else are bathhouses made of today? For the construction of walls, building blocks are used, including expanded clay concrete. They are made by vibrocompression from several components: expanded clay, cement and sand. As a result, the blocks are very strong and at the same time light.

Among the advantages of expanded clay concrete blocks, it is worth mentioning their non-toxicity and high thermal insulation characteristics. In addition, they practically do not absorb moisture, so they are not exposed to the damaging effects of water and steam, as happens with wood. Due to the fact that the wall blocks weigh about 8 kg, the bath can be built without outside help, on your own.

The modern version of what to build a bath from is foam blocks: this material with a porous structure is made of cement and sand with the addition of water. The inhomogeneous structure makes it possible to produce sufficiently large blocks of low weight, which facilitates their further processing. Foam concrete is easy to cut with a knife or planed, parts for fasteners are easily hammered into it.

Walls for a bath from a foam block can be erected in the shortest possible time, they do not need shrinkage, like wood. The light weight of the structure does not require an expensive foundation. You can put the bath into operation immediately after the completion of construction work.

Recently, cinder block baths have often been erected, which have good thermal insulation, are easy to use and weigh little.

Cinder block is a type of silicate brick. It does not contain quartz sand, instead it uses light porous slag, which allows to significantly reduce the weight of the blocks, and the cellular structure of the material increases its thermal insulation properties.

Which bath is better to build and how to choose logs for a bath

From which log of a bath is better - the answer is unequivocal: usually pine is used to build log walls. Wood is harvested in winter so that it is most moisture resistant and has a high density.

The diameter of the logs can vary between 180-250 mm. The main thing is that the difference between the individual logs should be no more than 3 cm, otherwise they will not fit snugly enough to each other.

Having decided which logs to build a bath from, be sure to make sure that:

• there are no blue spots on the cut of the log;
• the core occupies three-quarters of the cut, has a dark uniform color;
• the surface of the logs is dark or light yellow;
• before choosing logs for a bath, check if there are branches with gaps on them;
• the cut of the logs is solid, not loose;
• there are no resin pockets on the logs.

How and from what logs to build a bathhouse: walls in a log cabin

For walls in a log cabin bath, northern coniferous wood, such as pine or spruce from the Baltic Sea coast, is more suitable, as it is not afraid of temperature changes and high humidity.

The harvested log is prepared for further construction. First, they cut it “under the bracket”. In this case, the lower and upper diameters should have a difference in size of no more than 3 cm.

After that, they are sawn along the length of the future wall and completed. Those logs that cannot be equalized in terms of the size of the upper and lower diameters must be laid together in a corner with different ends and cut at a right angle. Since the logs can only be connected to each other using special grooves, you need to cut out “paws” in them.

"Paws" are of two varieties:

1. There are 3 subspecies of this variety. The one in which the "bowl" is turned down makes it possible to protect the tree from rotting.

2. . Such compounds quickly begin to rot, so it is better to use the first option.

Construction from logs is carried out quite quickly - in one working day a couple of people are able to lay 7 crowns. Before laying, a special slot is made in each log with an electric saw for a third of its total thickness. If after a while the log shrinks, then the crack will be in the groove. The last two crowns are laid especially carefully, since they are the ones that connect the bath around the perimeter.

First of all, a mortgage crown is laid: one pair of logs with a cut in the form of “bowls” is placed on the foundation, the next pair is perpendicular to the first in the finished grooves. The elevation of the upper logs above those laid below should be no more than half of their thickness. The second crown is laid in exactly the same way as all subsequent ones.

When the bath shrinks six months after its erection, you can caulk with jute or moss all the cracks formed between the logs: then it will be warm and cozy in it. After that, it remains to cut through the doors and windows, install the roof, make the interior decoration, and the bath will be ready.

What material is better to build a bath from: how to build a bath from a bar

For many, the answer to the question: “what material is better to build a bath from” is obvious - most people prefer timber. Before you make a bath from a bar, pay attention to the presence of defects. The tree must be well treated. The surface of a quality bar is smooth and even. Only with the use of good building material will it be possible to build a bath with excellent performance.

Before starting construction, the damaged timber is rejected. On its surface there should be no signs of decay, traces of damage by bugs. Blue on the beam is a sign of damage. Material that has cracks up to half its thickness is not suitable.

Undamaged sections of the rejected timber can be used in the manufacture of window frames and doors, floor boards, wooden arbors, etc.

From which timber is it better to build a bathhouse so that the building is durable? For the lower crowns of the log house, it is better to choose a larch timber. The rest will suit wood of other coniferous species. The fact is that larch is not afraid of moisture, rots less and is characterized by good thermal and waterproofing.

How to make the walls of the bath from a bar with your own hands

The laying of the mortgage crown begins with the device of thin wooden slats. Before building a bath from a bar, the slats are carefully pre-treated with an antiseptic and placed over the entire surface of the basement of the prepared foundation - this layer will additionally protect the first crown from moisture. The space formed between the slats is filled with mounting foam or any insulation. Using the building level, you need to make sure that the surface is perfectly flat.

Before you make a bath from a bar with your own hands, you need to make cuts in one of two ways:

1. "With the remainder." There are 2 subspecies of it: in "kurdyuk" ("bowl" in half a tree) and in "okryap".

2. "Without a trace." There are also 2 subspecies: in the “half-tree” on the plug-in / root spike, in the “paw” and on the plug-in spike.

When all the necessary cuts are made, each beam is treated with an antiseptic: the beams of the lower crown are on 4 sides, and the rest are on 3 sides. The most reliable way of such processing is with the use of engine oil.

Now start building the walls. On the waterproofing layer, which runs along the entire perimeter of the foundation, wooden slats are laid out with a thickness of up to 15 mm and a length along the width of the foundation; the distance between them is 2-2.5 cm.

The first row is not attached to the base in any way, since the very heaviness of the walls will reliably press the entire structure to the foundation. A bar made of larch or oak with a section of 200-200 mm is suitable for it. When the crown is installed, its horizontalness is checked using the building level, because the geometry of the entire structure will depend on this in the future. The gap formed between the foundation and the beams is filled with mounting foam.

The remaining crowns are laid in any chosen way from a beam measuring 150 × 150 mm and fastened with metal pins or wooden pins. The beam is adjusted and holes are drilled through the upper beam and reaching half of the lower one, at a distance of 1200-1500 mm from the edge. After the upper beam is removed and a dowel or pin is driven into the hole in the lower beam, then it is returned to its place, the holes are aligned with the pins and finally hammered in until the beams are firmly bonded.

Door and window openings can be immediately left in the right places or cut out when the log house is ready. Another recommendation on how to properly build a bath from a bar - do not install frames and doors right away, it is better to wait until shrinkage ends.

The upper two rows of laid bars are not fastened together.

We build the walls of a brick bath: how to lay a brick wall

Now consider how to lay a brick wall in the bath - one of the most durable options.

There are several ways to make a brick bath with your own hands, the most popular of them are as follows:

• the walls are lined from the inside with slab insulation;
• air gaps are provided in the walls;
• walls with backfill between the outer and inner brick rows of thermal insulation.

Such options allow you to save on reducing the thickness of the masonry and at the same time provide warmth and comfort in the bath. Bricklaying is a very painstaking task that requires accuracy, especially in the processing of seams.

If you have come to an unequivocal decision - “we are building a brick bath” - do not forget that work should only be started when the waterproofing of the foundation is completely completed, the location of door and window openings has been determined, and the walls have been marked. Traditionally, laying is carried out by single-row (durable and easy to install) or multi-row dressing. Since the thickness of the walls of the bath is small, it is better to masonry using a single-row dressing system. Rows of bricks with long side surfaces, laid along the walls, are called spoon, and those with a short side surface and located perpendicular to the plane of the wall are called bond.

Bricklaying: how to make the walls of the bath with your own hands

Usually, the laying of brick walls in a bathhouse is carried out with alternating bond rows with spoon rows: then the vertical seams of each of the rows are overlapped by the bricks of the next. But sometimes a multi-row system is also used.

In order for a single-row dressing to be of high quality, the construction of corners and piers begins and ends using three-quarter bricks. When laying the corners in each row, one wall is laid with “spoons”, and the other with “pokes”, and when laying walls according to the well type, the transverse walls are located every 3 bricks, the outer corners - with poked rows. Filling is carried out as the walls grow, the backfill is layered with a height of 10-15 cm and carefully compacted. Every 2-3 layers it is watered with a lime solution of a creamy consistency. As a backfill, fine slag, sand mixed with lime and sawdust in a ratio of 2: 2: 1, as well as expanded clay are used.

For adhesion of seams in the process of laying piers and corners, quarters, halves and three-quarters of bricks are taken, as well as other defective bricks, which are cut with a pickaxe hammer.

When erecting the walls of a brick bath, the solution is applied to a site of no more than 1 m at a time: this will not allow it to dry before laying bricks on it. Knocking down a frozen solution will be very problematic, so it is better to avoid such a situation.

To split a brick across, you need to mark a line, make a couple of light blows on it with a point, put the brick on the edge and split it with one sharp blow.

At the first stage of the construction of a brick bath, corners are laid out, for which several bricks are placed on them, which are interconnected using a special mooring cord. Subsequently, they are guided by it, laying the rest of the bricks. Thanks to the cord, the masonry is horizontal and straight, it allows you to achieve the same thickness of all seams.

Then, at all corners, small sections of future walls are laid out with a height of 6 rows of brickwork. To do this, fix the rocking cord for the nails inserted into the seams. This is done in each row, retreating 3-4 mm from the vertical plane of the brickwork. When the cord is pulled, start laying.

How to lay a wall in a brick bath

Then they start laying solid brick walls in the bath, while not forgetting that the mortar used in the work must have the correct composition, and its portions, which are fed to the wall, should be laid out in a continuous and even layer of 20-25 mm. This will minimize leveling with the trowel.

When arranging the bond rows, the mortar is laid in layers, retreating from the edges of the walls by 1 cm, if the seams of the front side are filled, or by 3 cm, if laying is done in a wasteland. But during the laying of the spoon rows, the solution is applied with a less wide layer - from 20 to 30 mm. The main thing is to monitor the quality, thickness and uniformity of sealing the seams, filling them with a solution, as well as the correct dressing.

The first row of brickwork is made only from solid bricks, starting with the outer bricks. Broken material is used in spoon rows on the inside of the wall. When laying corners, piers, supporting sections, it cannot be used. Clay bricks are moistened with water before laying: this is especially important when construction is carried out in hot weather.

And how to lay out a brick wall in a bath - immediately around the entire perimeter or row by row? Both options are acceptable. Ring masonry should be completed with 3-4 rows of continuous masonry: the latter is certainly reinforced with a metal mesh. Bearing walls located inside the bath, as a rule, are at least 25 cm thick, and partitions are half or a quarter of a brick. When a partition or wall, laid out in a quarter of a brick, exceeds a length of 1.5 m, the masonry is reinforced every 3 rows with special steel wire.

After that, they begin laying over window and door openings. In the side surfaces, corks from wooden blocks are laid; their size should be identical to the dimensions of the brick. On each side, there are 2 plugs, additionally tarred or wrapped with roofing material.

During the construction process, it is more convenient to install ordinary lintels above the openings of windows and doors with a height of 6-9 rows of brickwork and a length exceeding the width of the opening by 50 cm. For brick partitions, selected bricks and mortar 25 grades are used.

At this stage of the construction of the walls of the bath, it is important to monitor the horizontal rows and follow all the recommendations regarding the binding of ordinary brickwork.

Lintels are made of formwork 40-50 mm thick, but if the door and window openings are already mounted, they themselves can play the role of formwork. At the same time, all wooden elements must be protected by covering them with a layer of roofing.

Before laying an ordinary jumper on the formwork, it is required to apply a layer of mortar 20-30 cm thick, and then lay reinforcement in it, consisting of three rods with a diameter of 4-6 mm. The reinforcement is led beyond the edge of the openings by at least 25 cm and bent around the brick - this is called "anchoring in masonry". The jumper is kept on the formwork for 12 days if the air temperature is from 10 °C, or 18-24 days if the temperature is within 1-10 °C.

When the walls are erected, they must be plastered on both sides with a sand-cement mortar in a ratio of 2: 1. To give special strength, the plaster is applied to a wire or metal mesh stretched over nails that are hammered into the masonry seams.

The seams in the front surface of the walls are filled with mortar to a depth of about 10-15 cm. If plastering is not provided, the seams must be filled with mortar so that they are flush with the surface. Excess solution is removed with a trowel.

You can process the seams (first vertical, and then horizontal) using jointing. Do this as the work is done, when every new four rows are ready.

The walls of the bath also need to be insulated, for which they use mortar beacons attached to them, and provide for the formation of a gap with air of about 2-4 cm. slabs made of lightweight concrete, mineral wool slabs, etc. Finished walls are sanded on both sides and sheathed with clapboard on the inside.

It is possible to sheathe clapboard without additional preparation of the wall. In this case, wooden plugs are driven into it to securely fasten planks made of wood or a metal profile.

The empty space between the wall and the lining is insulated with tiled material or ordinary foil. Tow, glassine and mineral wool are also suitable for thermal insulation. If horizontal boards were used instead of lining, then the walls can also be insulated with bulk expanded clay.

Do not neglect the waterproofing of the walls - paint them with bituminous mastic or paste over with roofing material. Otherwise, the brick will be saturated with moisture and will begin to collapse very quickly.

From which blocks is it better to build a bath: the pros and cons of walls made of cinder blocks and foam blocks

To build walls from blocks, work must begin from the corner of the future building. To bind individual elements, a cement-sand mortar is used, to which lime is added. In the first row, special pockets are provided, into which the floor beams are subsequently mounted.

When laying the second row, it is necessary to do a dressing: shift the blocks by half their length in order to prevent the appearance of cracks during the shrinkage of the building. For greater strength of the walls, a reinforcing mesh is laid every 2 rows of building blocks.

Concrete slabs 60 cm longer than the width of the opening are placed in the upper part of the window and door openings. In the last row, pockets for ceiling beams must be provided.

Outside, the walls are covered with a heat-insulating layer and faced with bricks. To securely fix the beams in the pockets, you can use metal corners. If voids form after fastening, they are filled with mineral wool.

It is permissible to build bath walls half a block thick. Then, from the inside, thermal insulation with foam plastic or polystyrene foam is used. In the case when the bath is used only in summer, the walls can be built from whole blocks 39 cm wide, without thermal insulation.

From which blocks it is better to build a bath - there is no definite answer. Cinder block baths have pros and cons, just like foam block buildings have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of cinder blocks- it is possible to manufacture blocks of different sizes for each specific case, they are resistant to mold, fungus, do not rot and have good fire safety characteristics.

Disadvantages of cinder blocks- poor sound insulation, high thermal conductivity (it is necessary to additionally heat the bath during the washing process).

Advantages of foam blocks- fire resistance, ease of storage, installation and transportation, as well as low cost.

Disadvantages of foam blocks: they are less environmentally friendly than wood, short-lived, due to freezing of condensate in winter they are subject to destruction.

Any owner of a suburban land plot, even a small one, sooner or later thinks about building a bathhouse on it. And this is absolutely true, because in addition to aesthetics and the opportunity to relax there with family and friends, bath procedures make a significant contribution to recovery.

Turning to the realization of the dream of your own steam room, you need to immediately decide what role it will play: if the bath is used for its intended purpose, and not for storing twists and garden tools, you need to carefully choose the material for building walls.

What is the best to build

or stone - depends on taste. Someone likes the soft warmth of a wooden frame, the look of log walls, and someone is delighted with stone or brickwork. Of course, each material has both positive qualities and disadvantages.

From time immemorial, the word "bath" has been associated with a tree. The modern market offers a large amount of lumber of different tree species, when choosing it is important to know their specifics.
For ceiling, floor and bottom logs and boards made of coniferous trees are ideal, which are not only environmentally friendly raw materials - heating reveals a unique “wooden” aroma.
To finish the inside of the bath, it is better to take softer rocks - aspen, linden, alder or cedar, since under the influence of high temperatures resin begins to stand out from conifers - it is better to leave them for the outer frame.

Advantages and disadvantages of a wooden bath

The advantage of a wooden bath is relatively , fast installation, environmental friendliness and lack of dampness. Wooden walls are able to control the temperature - they accumulate heat in the winter, and in the summer (before the firebox) they keep the saving coolness. This can also take into account the savings on the foundation, since the tree weighs relatively little.

The disadvantages of wooden baths include low fire resistance, like brick baths. Since wood tends to absorb moisture, fungus or even mold can develop over time, but modern technology can avoid this with a two-stage antiseptic treatment of the logs.

stone bath

In some countries there is a ban on the harvesting of wood material, in such cases, for the construction of a bath, you can use stone or its cheaper counterpart - brick.

Advantages and disadvantages of a stone bath

The general availability of stone for the construction of a bath is an indisputable plus. The stone is stronger and more durable, and also not subject to combustion - in the event of a fire, only the finish burns out, and not the entire building, but the smell of burning is firmly eaten into the stone base.

The disadvantages of a stone bath include the high cost of materials, since they require much more than in the construction of a wooden one. Technical execution is also more complex and very costly. The thickness of the walls of a stone bath should be above 70 centimeters, while a wooden one is enough for 20. For such thick walls, a complex tape base is required. It is also necessary to think over the ventilation system, since the stone does not have the ability to pass air, and contributes to the formation of condensate. Walls made of stone or brick cool down very quickly, so you need to take care of an additional heating system.

Decide on a choice

Somewhat awkward to compare with stone it is like comparing an orange with an apple: both are fruits, both are round and eaten, but each has its own characteristics.
We can confidently draw the following conclusion: any bath, whether it is made of wood, stone or brick, has positive qualities and strengths. Experts advise when choosing a material to focus on the place of the proposed construction (geographically), because a lot depends on the climate and soil.
Deciding on the choice of material for the construction of a bath is not easy, we hope that our will help you choose the best option for you. You can also consult with a specialist of the construction company "Usadba" - we are glad to see you!

There are many building materials on the market today. But most of the owners of their own plots most often argue about two varieties: is it better to use a log bath or a brick one? Each of the materials has both its pros and cons, so before comparing, it is worth understanding their properties in more detail.

Wood is a wonderful natural material that is great for building. A log bath has a low thermal conductivity, which is why the air in the interior heats up quite quickly and remains warm for a long time. In addition, log buildings have a number of other advantages:

• environmentally friendly materials do not cause allergic reactions;
• structures assembled from wood “breathe”;
• modern log cabins are highly reliable;
• walls made of wood help to create an optimal microclimate.

With all this, a turnkey log bath is inexpensive, and its assembly takes much less time compared to other designs. The high speed of erecting a bath from a log is associated with convenient transportation and the relative lightness of the material. In addition, it is quite simple to carry out the construction of a structure from this material. For all its malleability for processing, wood has a very high mechanical strength.

Most often, conifers are used for log cabins, because the resin they contain prevents the natural process of decay, as a result of which such a structure can last for decades, delighting the owners.

Brick structures

Unlike log baths, brick buildings have their own advantages, due to which this material has gained its popularity. First of all, it is a longer service life. In addition, brick allows you to build structures of almost any configuration. Otherwise, the advantages over log baths are purely aesthetic.

Compared to wood, brick retains heat just as well, but there are some features that make a log bath still better:

• brick structures melt longer due to the high heat capacity of the material;
• the cost of brick structures is much higher than the average price of a log bath;
• in the absence of proper ventilation and vapor barrier systems, buildings begin to dampen over time, which may cause a specific smell.

In addition, the great protection of brick structures from fires is greatly exaggerated.

Outcome

Having analyzed the main pros and cons, we can safely say that log baths are better than brick counterparts. The only downside is less durability, but it more than makes up for it with low cost, ease of assembly, and a nicer environment. If desired, anyone can order wooden houses and baths "from Mikhalych" - specialists will help not only choose a model of the future building, but also build it in a short time on a turnkey basis.

When designing a bath on a site near the house, many owners ask themselves the question: what building material should be preferred? Along with traditional wood, modern gas and foam concrete blocks have appeared on the market in recent decades, and brick does not lose popularity as a raw material for the construction of baths.

Advantages and disadvantages of aerated concrete baths

The first in line is an aerated concrete bath: the pros and cons of this material. If we compare aerated concrete with wood, then the first one has a longer service life and low cost. The composition of the material includes a sand-cement mixture and water.

Cellular concrete blocks have the following advantages:

1. simplicity and speed of installation of blocks;
2. with proper internal waterproofing, they are resistant to high humidity;
3. low level of thermal conductivity;
4. the possibility of self-cutting blocks;
5. affordable cost.

A simple installation of blocks becomes a decisive argument when answering a beginner's question: what is better to build a bath from? The best choice is prefabricated buildings made of lightweight aerated concrete.

Feedback on aerated concrete bath: The sauna was converted into an aerated concrete bath, located in the Moscow region. Sauna was the 5th year, dismantled to the walls. An autopsy showed small jambs due to a violation of masonry technology. In general, everything is in order. gbeton was used 300mm + half-brick lining. Without insulation.

List of strengths and weaknesses of foam blocks as a material for a bath

Despite the recommendations of building regulations on the strict choice of raw materials for the construction of bath complexes (in particular, the ban on the use of cellular concrete and hollow bricks), many site owners prefer these positions due to their availability and price category.

Analyzing the pros and cons of a foam block bath, it is necessary to note the hygroscopicity of all concrete-based materials. This parameter is determined by the peculiarity of the internal structure of the raw material - the pores perfectly absorb water and steam molecules. Most noticeably, the block is destroyed during a sharp conflict of temperatures - hot air inside the room and frost outside. Therefore, any building made of foamed cellular concrete needs thorough waterproofing of the inner walls with sheet foil, and the outer walls with any facing material. These operations increase the cost of the project, depriving it of expediency.

Given the total cost of building a foam concrete building, it is better to build a brick bath.

Advantages and disadvantages of brick baths

A brick bath, the pros and cons of which will be mentioned below, is a good alternative to a wooden building. Natural clay raw materials are environmentally friendly and able to withstand high temperatures. The advantages of such a bath are obvious:

• the term of use of the building exceeds 50 years;
• brick is a universal material, the shape of the bath can be any;
• external finishing is not required;
• high fire resistance.

Brick buildings are not without their drawbacks:

• high price. Compared to wood or cellular blocks, brick construction is the most expensive;
• high coefficient of heat capacity of the material, causing significant fuel consumption for heating the microclimate.

The listed options for bath materials can be called less popular than traditional wood. Many owners of suburban real estate do not doubt the fact that the best bathhouse can only be a wooden structure. And before such masters a completely different question arises: a bath from a bar or a log?

Review of the brick bath: Our bath is made of bricks, we wash all year round. They built it themselves, the construction was long and dreary. In general, it turned out well, the bathhouse costs 2 years no problems, and what will happen to it for several decades will stand without problems.

Pros and cons of wooden baths from logs and timber

In Rus', log cabins have long been built. Before choosing: linden or aspen is better suited for a bath, you need to make a choice in favor of timber or logs.

The beam appeared on the market immediately after the discovery of timber processing technology. It is easy to build a bath from a bar. Profiled raw materials can have a square or rectangular section, but any of these types of material has a significant drawback - cracking during operation. Another disadvantage of using a bar is the need to wait until the bath shrinks. This takes an average of 0.5-1.5 years. This disadvantage also applies to log baths.

A significant advantage of logs is their high aesthetic characteristics. Outwardly, such a bath looks very colorful, rustic cozy. In addition to beauty, a log bath is distinguished by the following parameters:

• a special indoor microclimate that has a beneficial effect on health;
• the tree "breathes", passing steam out;
• Rugged construction can last for decades if properly maintained.

Illiterate preparation of logs for construction or the use of low-quality material leads to rapid deterioration of the building, the need for its reconstruction or replacement.

Review of the wooden bath: A log is more durable than a bar. Especially if it is properly harvested, at the end of winter.

What kind of wood to choose

From what tree it is better to build a bath - the townsfolk are interested. Hardwoods are the best option, because during use all surfaces will heat up to a high temperature. Deciduous trees most often used in bath construction are aspen, linden. What material makes the bath stronger?

In Russia, bath buildings are often erected from heart-shaped linden, which can be called a healer because of the positive energy. Light linden wood is perfectly processed, almost does not deform over time. The low density of the material and low weight are additional advantages. Linden is usually paired with an oak frame.

Aspen has a soft structure, low susceptibility to decay and reproduction of microorganisms. The aspen bathhouse gains high strength over the years, its walls begin to make a specific ringing sound upon impact. The antimicrobial characteristics of aspen were used by our ancestors in the construction of wells with spring water. If we talk about the financial side of the issue, the aspen log house will cost the owner of the bath cheaper than the fake counterpart.

Summing up the above, it should be noted that each material has its supporters and the choice of raw materials for the construction of a bath remains with the owner of the site. Below are reviews of each type of building, collected from the building forums.

Feedback on wood: Aspen has one advantage over linden - the price! If the price tag suits you, take a linden. Fragrant tree. Linden is a more resistant tree to moisture and temperature extremes.