During the construction of the bath with our own hands, we very rarely carry out processing with various means inside the steam room. This is done with a view to the environmental friendliness of such a bath, since any protective agent in the form of varnish is based on chemicals. That is why in most cases, people do not use varnishes for baths and saunas. At the same time - this is true only on the one hand and can lead to undesirable results.
- Facing the bath
- Steam room trim protection
- Means for processing walls and ceilings
- Means for processing shelves and benches
So, an unprocessed bath is subject to a lot of negative factors. One of the main factors is the rather rapid wear of the lining on the walls, as well as, which is more common on benches and ceilings. Especially if you are a lover of steam in a large company with various oils and birch brooms and operate the bath regularly. From frequent use, the lining begins to darken, the aesthetic appearance is lost. Also, moments associated with the appearance of various fungi and mold are not ruled out. Also, the effect of cracking boards and the so-called “warping” of the lining. These factors are quite difficult to avoid if you do not use protective equipment.
That is why we, nevertheless, recommend using various varnishes for processing saunas inside. So, you can make the bath more durable and comfortable. Of course, if you are able to change the lining in the steam room every two or three years, you rather often take a steam bath, use the bath carefully and prefer dry steam, then you can do without varnish treatment of the sauna. Then you will use your bath inadequately, and you will not be able to fully enjoy its virtues.
to contents ↑Facing the bath
Before talking about the internal processing, I would like to note that for the classic decoration of the room, both Russian and Finnish baths, they use natural materials in the form of a tree. This is due to the fact that this material has high aesthetics and also fully complies with environmental standards. At the same time, not every tree can be used for facing the sauna. So, the following wood species are better suited for this:
- Linden. This tree has a structure that is able to withstand high levels of moisture, it does not exfoliate under the influence of high temperatures. This wood is also easy to process, it is distinguished by its softness and light color.
- Aspen. This tree is very popular due to the fact that it is quite easy to process, as well as its cost is relatively low. This material is perfect for wall covering in a bath, and wonderful benches and other furniture inside in saunas can also be made from this material.
- Alder. If we talk about alder, then first of all, it is important to note that it is the most aesthetic domestic wood species. This wood has a rather bright and expressive texture.That is why, if you want to build not only a functional, but also a beautiful bath, then this material is best for you.
It is important to note that for the construction of saunas, only leafy wood species are considered. This is due to the fact that it is from these rocks that it is best to build a steam room. Coniferous types of wood, it is inherent to release various substances during heating, in the form of resins, which can negatively affect your health.
to contents ↑Steam room trim protection
So, when we figured out what we need to use materials inside the bath, it is important to understand how they can be protected. As mentioned earlier, the tree is inherent to wear out and undergo various damage during operation, and especially in the steam room. This is due to the fact that extreme temperature conditions are created for the tree in the steam room, which negatively affect its condition.
It is important to note that simple varnishes for wood in the steam room are strictly prohibited. This is due to the fact that such varnishes are not designed for high temperatures, and also have a rather unpleasant aroma. Such varnishes emit a lot of toxic substances, which harm human health.
It should be noted that all varnishes that are presented on the domestic market, we can divide into:
- varnish designed to protect the ceilings of the bath and sauna;
- varnish designed to protect walls and treat floors, benches and other items that have direct contact with your body.
Also, varnishes can be divided into:
- Imported copies, which are presented in the form of such companies as: Teknos, Akzo Nobel (Dulux trademark), Tikkurila, Belinka and others.
- Domestic copies, which are presented in the form of such companies as: Empils, Rogneda, Senezh and others.
Means for processing walls and ceilings
In order to choose the right protective product for the bath and sauna, you should, first of all, understand the composition of the varnish. In fact, it is quite simple, for this you should read the instructions from each manufacturer. First of all, varnishes having an acrylic base are suitable for this.
For example, when using the water-borne antiseptic “Sauna” (“Senezh”), which has an acrylic base, a transparent heat-resistant polymer coating appears on the wood. This product is able to protect the surface from dirt and water. Plus, it has the ability to pass air through itself, which is an important fact in this matter.
Such a coating can not only protect the tree from biological damage, but also has an antimicrobial effect. This tool is able to destroy household pathogens that cause various diseases in people.
If you decide to build a sauna or bathhouse for centuries, then Sauna will come to your aid. This water-borne acrylic-based agent has an excellent protective effect and also has high decorative properties.
Natura (Teknos) on an acrylic basis. Initially acted as a colorless composition that does not change the color of the tree. Using the Teknomix system, you can easily spell wood in any shade.
If you want to give your steam room an unusual spectacular shine, then you can achieve it using the composition on the acrylic base Supi Arctic (Tikkurila). It should be noted that in addition to shine, you will get wonderful dirt and water repellent properties.
Means for processing shelves and benches
Of course, many readers may ask: “Why can't we process floors, walls, ceilings and furniture with the same tool?” The thing is that surfaces that are in close contact with the body should not cause burns and irritation. That is why, special materials should be used for this.
So, for processing benches and shelves, and even floors, it is best to use products that are perfectly absorbed into the wood and do not have a film on the surface.This is due to the fact that in itself, wood has a rather low thermal conductivity, even at a temperature of one hundred degrees its surface does not seem so hot. At the same time, if there is a film of varnish on the tree, then it heats up more strongly and can lead to burns.
As a result of this, in order to protect clean, unprocessed floors and benches in a bath or sauna, special oily formulations are used. They are presented in the form of Eurotex “Sauna” (“Rogneda”), Sauna Natura (Teknos), Supi Laudesuoja (Tikkurila) and others. It is important to note that there are some nuances during the use of these funds. Such varnishes are applied to a clean and dry wooden plane with a sponge, brush or cloth.
After which, such funds are left for a certain time so that the solidification process passes. It takes time in the region from one hour to a day. Then the room is heated. During heating, under the influence of high temperature, excess varnish appears on the surface of the floor or bench, which we need to remove using a clean cloth.
Of course, there are universal protective equipment on the market. These varnishes include Supi Saunavaha (Tikkurila), which has natural wax in its structure. This composition is used on almost all surfaces. It can be used for floors, walls, ceilings, doors and window frames.
If we talk about special varnishes that are intended exclusively for floor coverings in a bath or sauna, then in the domestic market there are almost none. This is one of the reasons that in many saunas floorboards remain unprotected.
If you turn to the experts, they recommend using a special heat-treated wood for the floor, in this case. Such a tree has a greatly reduced sensitivity to the effects of various negative phenomena on it. It swells by 20, and sometimes by 50 percent, and does not shrink when the humidity drops. Such wood also has high resistance to the effects of fungi, bacteria and insects. If we talk about an ordinary tree, then it has similar properties, only after passing a special treatment with different varnishes.
Sometimes we may encounter such a mistake as applying several layers of varnish to the bath floor. When applied, builders believe that by doing so they will increase the wood's resistance to temperature. At the same time, this approach is very unsafe. Such a surface becomes slippery, and there is also a risk of varnish cracking after several times using the bath.
If you decide to process the floor in a sauna or bath, then use special tools for this, which have a high absorption rate.
Thus, we see that it is quite simple to choose varnish for different surfaces of the bath. The main thing is to know the basic principles and carefully read all the instructions from the manufacturers.
