Glued laminated timber - the most suitable material for building a bathhouse

A bathhouse is an essential attribute of a country house, and owners often place this useful building in summer cottages. Hot steam, birch broom and cold water dousing – what could be more pleasant!

In order to provide yourself with a durable, inexpensive and roomy building for recreation and health-improving procedures, you need to build a bath from a bar. If you approach the drafting of the project correctly, then inside the bath there will be the required number of rooms. It can be a "Spartan set" of a steam room, a shower room and a relaxation room. For the more demanding, an extended version is offered with a separate bathroom, vestibule, dressing room and a host of additional rooms.

Among the variety of material options for the construction of a bath, glued laminated timber occupies a special place today. A bath made of glued laminated timber retains heat much better, in addition, this material can be fully called environmentally friendly, since it contains a significantly smaller amount of glue than chipboard or OSB.

A timber bathhouse is built from ready-made kits, almost does not shrink, so construction does not take much time. Glued laminated timber has high strength, fire resistance and has a long service life. It resists high humidity and temperature conditions in bath rooms well. Technologies for the production and construction of baths from glued laminated timber make it possible to implement original architectural solutions. The beam looks aesthetically pleasing and does not lose its presentable appearance for a long time.

Advantages of a bath from glued beams

Glued laminated timber is the best building material for a bathhouse. It allows you to get a lot of benefits without the disadvantages that are usually inherent in wood:

• Light weight. Savings on foundations and excluding shrinkage from calculations.
• High strength characteristics. When creating glued beams, various types of wood are used, which allows you to evenly distribute the load on the part and increases protection against mechanical damage.
• Resistant to fire, fungus and insects. The use of special impregnations in the process of manufacturing glued beams significantly reduces the risk of wood destruction by insects, fungus, and ensures fire safety.
• Durability. When connecting the lamellas (individual layers of timber), sorted, clean, dried wood is used, which significantly increases the service life of the material.
• Easy assembly. Even an ordinary beam is produced in a certain, geometrically correct shape, this avoids the formation of cracks when connecting individual elements. The use of profiled glued beams will additionally strengthen the connection and increase the speed of assembly of the structure, due to the presence of special grooves or locks.
• Possibility of various configurations. The material can be used in the construction of a bath of any configuration (with a balcony, terrace, attic, etc.), as well as with a different number of rooms.
• Low thermal conductivity of the wood species used. The characteristic is responsible for the speed of heating the bath and maintaining the temperature by reducing heat leakage.
• Aesthetic appearance. A bath made of this material does not require mandatory external and internal finishing. For example, ordinary timber can have surface defects that can spoil the overall appearance of the room, glued laminated timber is characterized by uniformity and smoothness of the material.
• Saving money. If you assemble a bath from glued laminated timber using the right technology, you can avoid the need for additional insulation and, as a result, spending on it.
• Woody scent. There will always be a cozy atmosphere and the smell of fresh wood in a bathhouse made of glued laminated timber. Undoubtedly, this will make the process of visiting the bathhouse even more enjoyable!

Waterproofing

In a building such as a bathhouse, there is almost always high humidity, so it is recommended to carry out waterproofing. For maximum safety, it is better to insulate the foundation and waterproof the walls.

• To isolate the foundation, molten bitumen is used, which, after solidification, is covered with a layer of roofing material.
• Waterproofing the walls, ceiling and floor covering in the bath will protect them from water ingress and prevent decay.
• Materials for protecting the interior space are selected depending on the type of premises. For a steam room, waterproofing must have additional resistance to high temperatures.

Remember – high-quality waterproofing will improve protection against water and significantly increase the durability of a glued laminated timber bathhouse.

Interior and exterior decoration

Finishing work is not necessary to carry out during the construction of a glued laminated timber bathhouse. If, nevertheless, a decision is made to additionally use finishing materials, then the following factors should be considered:

• Plastic deforms when heated.
• Natural stone and brick can burn.
• Cork moisture-resistant material has a high thickness, which reduces the usable volume of the room.

Therefore, it is best to sheathe the steam room with lining made of natural wood, which is sufficiently resistant to high temperature and moisture. Do not use coniferous wood for this, when heated, they release resin.

• Any materials can be used for the external cladding of a glued beam bath.
• Decorative brick allows you to give the building a solid look.
• Wood panels create a natural decor.
• Block house imitates rounded logs.
• Thermal panels perform a dual function – they give a nice look to the bath and reduce thermal conductivity.

Insulation

Special insulation for a glued laminated timber bathhouse is usually not required. However, sometimes the walls and ceilings in the baths used, including in winter, are still additionally insulated. This allows you to reduce heating costs, prevent condensation inside the walls and prevents mold from appearing.

Also, insulation will protect the bath from freezing in frost. Low temperatures can adversely affect the strength characteristics and cause microcracks in the wood.

Dimensions of a glued laminated timber bathhouse

Everyone decides for himself what size the bathhouse will be. There are no single parameters, but there are important characteristics that will make the task of choosing easier:

• The number of visitors. For a large company or family, you will need enough space to accommodate everyone comfortably. If the bath will be visited by one person or two, a small building will suffice.
• Seasons of use. If people wash in the bathhouse only in the warm season, then thermal insulation and a separate heating system can be neglected. For a building that functions all year round, the organization of heating and thermal insulation is necessary, which automatically increases the dimensions of the bath.
• Additional areas. The equipment of the terrace, where it is so pleasant to sit after the steam room, the construction of the second floor with a lounge or bedroom, a room with a pool increase the required size of the building.

Focusing on the specified parameters and your own taste, it is easy to choose the best option, what dimensions will be your glued laminated timber bathhouse.

Useful life hacks

Experts give several tips and recommendations that should be considered:

• The most simple, but at the same time durable and stable foundation for a bathhouse from glued beams is a tape type.
• The length of the walls should not exceed 6.5 m, otherwise vertical clamps must be placed.
• The most optimal option for a roof for a bath from glued beams is a gable roof.
• Cornice flooring should be done only after the complete installation of the roof.
• Best suited for the roof of a bath from glued beams: tiles, slate, metal flooring.
• Be sure to install ventilation so that the floors do not rot.
• It is necessary to conduct wiring only along a special metal sleeve.
• In the steam room, wiring can only be carried out behind the vapor barrier layer.
• It is best to build a bathhouse on the leeward side of the house.