All about the ceiling in the bath.

When equipping suburban and many urban dwellings (private houses), it is extremely important to know in advance everything about the ceiling in the bath. Only by figuring out how to properly make it with your own hands according to a step-by-step guide, you can eliminate mistakes. It is worth specifying in advance what is better to do the structure and what to fill it with, what should be the device of the rough ceiling.

The way to decorate the ceiling in the bath or sauna, depends on what is located on top. Optimal simplicity is achieved if the room is made with a cold attic. In this case, it simply does not make sense to arrange a complicated overlap. Therefore, more often use the time-tested floor scheme (but about this later). However, you can organize and full-fledged more powerful "pie", if you provide the basic subtleties.

Interestingly, in some cases, there is no ceiling construction at all. More precisely, its function takes over the roof from the inside. Such an approach is possible if the roof is single-pitch. Also it should be with a minimum slope. Of course, the complete elimination of geometric deviations then do not work all the same, but they will be limited.

Ventilation and purlins in any case, think of in advance. It is errors with these elements often do not allow to achieve a good result. The standard of steam rooms means that they are equipped with a high ceiling, otherwise it is difficult to achieve comfort. If possible, the same parameters should be maintained in all other rooms - then it is easier to provide comfort, but it is worth remembering that with a very high wall height the temperature difference is more of an inconvenience.

Most often the calculation is made for a height of 2-2.2 m. Then even tall people can walk everywhere without ducking. If people of average height will go to the bath, we should stop at a value of 1.7-1.8 m.

Sometimes the ceilings in a wooden bath are created from unedged boards. The popularity of such a solution is not too great. However, it has its own distinct advantages. Even the fixing of the unedged board to the top (a little more complicated than to the wall) fully justifies itself. Basically, this material is used in baths of small size.

Suspended ceiling in such buildings is used infrequently, as well as structures made of cedar. All these are clearly design elements. This also includes, by the way, also glass panels, and slatted assemblies. But regardless of the type of basic structures, their high quality is critical.

It is undesirable or extremely unsafe to use OSB. Such products can release toxic substances at high temperatures. Instead of a pleasant pine aroma, bath visitors will get only a headache.

It is impossible not to mention the materials used to insulate bath ceilings. Claydite With this purpose suits relatively well. However, its severity and tendency to caked strongly limit its use. In addition, it is difficult to lay expanded clay. Styrofoam is much more comfortable and lighter, but it is prone to combustion.

Cellular glass has a number of worthy advantages. However, all these advantages are overshadowed by its high cost, although prices have decreased somewhat in recent years. The advantage of this solution, in particular, is its unattractiveness for rodents and insects.

More advantageous is the use of mineral wool. Again, it is resistant to biological damage. This material also does not burn. Minwath is suitable for insulation of any premises of baths. The only condition - careful protection from water and steam.

For the work will be required:

• an electric drill;
• ordinary carpenter's hammer;
• stapler;
• screwdriver;
• flat-bottom hammer;
• measuring level;
• wooden hammer;
• measuring tape;
• carpenter's knife;
• wood saw;
• vapor barrier tape;
• nails;
• screws.

This method of preparing the ceiling is considered the easiest. It can be used in either a Russian or any other bathhouse. This solution is also suitable for those who do not know much about construction. Nevertheless, a step-by-step guide will not hurt. But first, you should familiarize yourself with the scheme of the device of decking topsides.

Technically it is a boardwalk in one layer. Support points are located only on the walls. Of course, as a result, the boards tend to sag under their own weight. To cope with this problem, have to limit the length of a single span - no more than 2.5 m.

It is recommended that the laying is as even as possible, without small gaps. The connection of the boards is best achieved by transversely oriented bars. It is also possible to hem the boards, which are put on the end, thereby forming a rim, which facilitates further insulation. Basic board level in the washroom and other rooms is a rough and final. In the first case, complete the work by paneling.

Do not forget about the vapor barrier. On top of it put insulation, which is resistant to high temperatures. If you decide to fill in expanded clay, you will need to carefully calculate the bearing capacity and provide a reliable waterproofing. Decking type will be correct to use, if in the first place are the considerations of economy, simplicity and minimum loss of time.

To create such a ceiling, start by stages with the formation and installation of ceiling beams. They are installed in the process of constructing the walls. Beams can be placed in special holes, although often they are fixed to the metal brackets. In various cases, beams are led outdoors or left within the premises. This point is due to technical calculations.

The arrangement of the false ceiling is attractive because you can walk on top of it without fear of destruction. Such a circumstance is important in the construction of the operated roof or attic. All other structures are filed on the beams at the bottom or top - hence the name. Cross-bars are attached to the bottom; on the ledges created by them, it will be necessary to lay cross boards or to connect the long boards crosswise from the bottom.

This is how the rough slab is formed. Standard instructions for the erection involves the closure of the vapor barrier and insulation layers. Then comes the turn of waterproofing and subflooring. Then another nakolivayut foil, and on top of sheathing battens. Sometimes you can just pile under the roof with this method at once a white floor, not limiting yourself in the length of the span, carrying any load of insulation, but there are weaknesses:

• the materials are more expensive;
• the work is more complicated;

Such a ceiling is assembled on the ground and then lifted. Not all at once, of course, but individual large panels, which initially include planks and bars. Such a method allows you to minimize the time of work with your head up. The bar is taken with a section of 5x10 cm. It is set parallel to the width of the rigid insulation or 2 cm less than the width of the mineral wool.

Stuffing of boards goes strictly across. Their edges should go a little beyond the borders of the joists. The overlap on the walls should be at least 50 mm. Such a construction together with the "sides" should be turned over and covered with a vapor barrier, which is attached with a stapler. Then insulation is added, except for bulk insulation.

The assembled structure should be strengthened before lifting with struts separating the boards. Otherwise, it is likely to collapse. After lifting, the struts are removed. It is necessary to protect the gaps between the panels from steam leakage, and also fill them with insulation. A paneled ceiling is very comfortable to assemble, even for beginners.

If the bath is decorated with stretch ceilings, then it is out of the question to cover the construction. However, this solution is not common, and it is important to understand how to decorate the top of the room correctly. In some cases, simply decide that it does not need to be decorated in any way. In this variant is covered or podshivayut pre-grinded wood - and on that all the work stop. Technically, this is quite normal, if everything is done competently.

But still - for reasons of design and convenience - more often use special ornamental solutions. It is quite possible to finish the sauna ceiling, for example, tongue and groove boards. It is relatively expensive, of course. And yet this flaw is compensated by high practical and aesthetic qualities.

In most cases, more budgetary cladding made of battens is used. Such material is recommended to be fixed over battens to maintain a ventilating gap. Otherwise, the accumulation of water vapor will not be avoided.

It will have to be cleaned and sanded, deliberately leaving one of the edges uneven. Sometimes even this disproportion deliberately reinforced. Authenticity with such an approach is quite guaranteed. But the inability to maintain a snug fit means that you have to mount the boards in two rows with an offset.

To make the surface more elegant, it is worth painting it. Regardless of the type of wood used, it is advisable to work with a roller, because it is much faster and more reliable. In addition, the roller distributes the dye more evenly than a brush. It is very good if it has a short pile and not a long one. Work in corners and hard-to-reach places better flute brushes. The type of paint is chosen individually, but you need only moisture-resistant coating, designed for high temperatures.

Not all wood is suitable for a sauna ceiling. Hardwoods are more resistant to heat and moisture. They do not tend to ooze resins. For a vapor barrier, it is recommended to use:

• parchment;
• polyethylene foam;
• membrane film materials.

As a waterproofing is usually used other membrane materials that can pass steam only in one direction. A good option in this regard is considered Isospan. Important: the "pie" can not include plywood and polyethylene film. You can create the basic structures of the ceiling even on the basis of raw timber. You will only have to take into account that for the first 24 months shrinkage reaches sometimes 15% of the total height.

Ceiling beams should be made of wood square or rectangular shape. The gap between the main beams should be exactly 0.6 m. Where they are located, assembly reinforcements are formed in advance. For the roughing board is recommended to use edged boards. A pair of nails is hammered in on each side, thereby preventing operational deformation.

Podshivnaya ceiling allows you to equip the attic area for storing brooms. The solution is simple: put a hatch and a retractable ladder. In the steam room is recommended to use alder, lime or aspen. Do not use wood contaminated with fungus, as well as boards with cracks or cracks.

In the place where the chimney passes through the ceiling, the pipe hole is mounted in the process of assembling the rough covering of the ceiling. Nails for fixing should be 3 times longer than the thickness of the boards. It is necessary to monitor the tightness of the joints. Each board is fastened to the groove of the previous board.

Vapor barrier is possible with the help of clay. It is abundantly smeared on the cracks and joints. To prepare the mortar, it is necessary to use river sand, which is sifted in advance. The components should be mixed with a construction mixer. A film or foil should be placed over the mixture.

The thickness of the insulation layer for the unheated attic is 20-30 cm. But if you use mineral wool, you can get by with a layer of 10-15 cm. Even before taking on these and other work, you will need to think about the scheme and make a drawing. It is useful to reflect on it the organization of electric lighting. Vapor barrier cloth put with an overlap around the edges of 10 cm or slightly more.

The perimeter of the walls must be covered with mounting bars. In this case the material will adhere tighter and more stable. It is useful to treat the wooden structures themselves with tinted antiseptics. They allow you to see which areas are treated and, moreover, look much better. Acrylic compounds are especially good in terms of design.

Insulation is carried out so that the steam stays in the internal volume and does not escape outside. Builders call such a condition a "thermos" effect. If you decide to use mineral wool to achieve the result, you will need to wear a thick suit and reliable rubber gloves. More correct solution, a number of experts consider foil insulation, because due to the reflection it will save a significant amount of fuel. Of course, attention is also paid to the external appearance of the structure.

If the ceiling is done without an attic, then it is necessary to equip a full, not excluding the heat insulation, before it comes to installing roof sheathing and roofing material. In order to make it easier to repair, select the underlay scheme with the installation of insulation from below.

Normally, there is no correlation between the material of the sauna and the top structure. The only exception is that a frame construction implies a limited load on the wall. The use of heavy insulation is not allowed. In aerated concrete, brick and other capital buildings, the upper part may be heavier.

The height of the ceiling in a traditional Russian bath should be limited to 2.3 m. If the walls are lower, then inevitably the steam will easily escape and will not give any pleasure. If the room is larger, heating it would require an unreasonable expenditure of wood, gas, electricity or other fuel. Insulation with polyurethane foam for the bath in this case is impractical all the same. In some cases, sawdust-cement blocks are used.

When equipping the sauna ceiling, it is also worthwhile to provide protection against insects. Such impregnation is carried out simultaneously with treatments against fire and decay. It is advisable to choose the option with the highest possible level of safety.

A special important topic - the conduct of the chimney. It must be separated from the adjoining wooden elements a gap of at least 0.3 m. Formally, these figures are less, but it is correct to reinsure compared to the standard fire standards. Brick pipes are limited to brick or concrete. Reliability of the joint provides "expansion"; although you can sometimes organize a formwork and pour it with concrete.

On how to make a proper vapor barrier and insulation of the ceiling in the bath, see the following video.