How to make removable canopy in the steam room. A canopy for a bath - furniture is not furniture, but without it anywhere

We devote this page entirely to the analysis of a single practical question: what dimensions should we make in the bath? And, as usual, we will not be able to give you universal numbers, because the dimensions of the shelves in the bath usually depend on three things: type of bath, its size and, say, the height of the bather. But knowledge of the patterns is enough to select the optimal dimensions for a particular steam room.

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About terminology

However, you will have to start by clarifying exactly how the places for sitting and lying in the steam room are called. In the singular we say "shelves", not "canopy" and not "shelf", but in the plural - "shelves" (emphasis on "and" - regiments), not "shelves" and not "canopy".

IMPORTANT! What do you call a yacht ... Google will give you such an answer to your request. Ask illiterate - get materials written by illiterate people who, most likely, do not understand the subject at all.

Differences for Russian baths and saunas

We have said so many times that in any national bath everything is thought out to the smallest detail, more precisely, that there are no trifles at all. Temperature, humidity, air exchange rate - the quantities are so strongly interconnected that a change in one leads to a violation of conditions as a whole. How are the shelves connected to this?

Yes, directly. At different heights from the floor, the temperature will be different, under the very ceiling - the hottest, the hottest air and steam from the stones accumulate there, if the owner practices a Russian bath. But do you need to make shelves under the ceiling? But to whom how - the Finns will be in the subject, but the Russians have no need.

Therefore, what should be the height of the benches in the bath depends on their number, and the quantity depends on whether it is a bath or a sauna.

The simplest option is when the dimensions of the shelves in the steam room of a Russian bath are determined by their single-tier arrangement, that is, these are one or two loungers (the latter is possible only in a spacious steam room), on which it is convenient to lie down in full growth, and this is somewhere 2.0-2.2 m with shelves 90 cm wide and 75-90 cm high from the floor.

ATTENTION! The height of the shelves in the bath from the floor when choosing a single-tier option is determined either as the height of the upper edge of the stove + 10 cm, or according to the height of the bath attendant, who will most often steam - measured from the knuckle of the thumb to the floor.

This shelf may be accompanied by a mobile footstool that has a height of, say, 40-45 cm, that is, about half the height of the shelf. With such a bench, the design becomes conditionally two-tier, because it allows those who wish to sit on the bench as on the lower tier.

In general, from what has been said it is clear that for a Russian bath, the most important thing is to have a reclining place, convenient for the soaring and steaming.

The steam room itself should be arranged in such a way that the steaming broom freely picks up the steam accumulated under the ceiling and lowers it onto the body of the steamer.

Maybe, if the ceiling is high make the structure two-tier, that is, so that the bather with a broom stands on the lower tier (in the structure described above, he stands on the floor).

Sauna differs from the Russian bath in the high (90-100 degrees) temperature of dry air (humidity 5-15%), which is the main means of heating the body - in the Russian bath it is heated with steam ... People come to the sauna to sweat. And it happens better where there is less humidity and higher temperature, that is higher from the floor.

BTW! It is better to sweat while sitting, so the Finnish shelves are narrow and three-tiered.

In general, it is clear that russian shelves are wide and with minimal tiers, and Finnish ones are narrow and up to the ceiling 🙂

What are the optimal sizes they should be in the Russian steam room and Finnish sauna

If you yourself have decided what type of steam room you have, and want to know what are the optimal dimensions of the shelf in a bath of this type, then for you we have divided the information for baths and saunas.

Height in the steam room of the Russian bath

It has already been said a little above that for a single-tier shelf, the optimal height is 75-90 cm... Two conditional tiers are obtained by adding a mobile bench. But much more often the choice is stopped on a stationary structure consisting of two tiers.

For clarity of the description, we suggest considering the picture below:

You see rather narrow shelves in the bath, the height of which differs from the one recommended above: top 95 cm, bottom 40 cm... The steamer has two options here - either to stand behind the lower shelf and steer the one lying on the upper shelf without approaching, or stand with your feet on the lower shelf in order to approach the steamed one. Well, it's hard to say if it will be convenient for everyone. Yes, and 70 cm is, however, neither ours nor yours - you will have to sit more deviating, lie - a little more comfortable than 60 cm 🙂

IMPORTANT! Still, we insist that the height of the benches in the bathhouse in the steam room should have an anatomical correspondence to people who most often steam others. That is, do it to the knuckles of his hand.

What should be the height in the sauna

But here there is much more freedom in choosing the height of the shelves: the dimensions are determined only by the comfort of the seat, and ergonomically, this value is determined by measuring the distance from the floor to the bend of a seated person's leg.

Thus, you can first take measurements, say, for adult family members, then decide whether this will be the maximum value or the arithmetic mean, and then simply make the desired number of tiers with a step by the selected value.

Example: if you get a figure in the area 45 cm, then the first shelf will be 45 cm, second 90, third 135. However, doubts arise about the third: it is worth taking into account the advice that it would be nice to keep the distance from the ceiling to the upper shelf 120 cm or so. But then we will have a ceiling 135+120=255 cm, and this is not applicable to all saunas.

Well, 220 cm - this is a more real ceiling.

What width should be in the bath

This is not an idle question either. Because it matters how far behind the back is the support - in one case, we sit comfortably, in the other - the angle of inclination of the torso is not what we need.

For someone who is lying down, the width of the shelves in the steam room is also of great importance - when the shelves are wide, no problem, and when it is too narrow, it turns out that there is nowhere to put your hands.

Therefore, what the width of the shelf in the bath should be, again, depends on the main use of the shelf - lying or sitting.

Since here we are talking about a Russian bath, for a shelf in a bath, the optimal size in width will be 90 cm.

IMPORTANT! At the same time, it should be understood that you cannot sit leaning back, with such a width. A possible sitting position is either pulling up the legs on the shelves, or reclining with support on the back.

Sauna steam room width

In the sauna, it is enough to make shelves in the bath with a width of 40 cm for sitting with a straight back or 60 cm for a comfortable reclining seat.

IMPORTANT! Those who make the dimensions of the shelves in the steam room of the bath the same as mentioned above will not be able to steam on them lying down. Therefore, this option can only be recommended to lovers of a classic sauna, or to those who soar themselves, sitting on a shelf.

Length

It goes without saying that the main determinant of length is the size of the particular steam room. Most often, owners do construction from one wall to anotherusing the walls as an attachment point for the support bar. The latter is not considered correct, but it is practiced quite often (the danger lies in the decay of the contact point).

However, in fact, there is also a choice in length. Pay attention to the picture below: it shows dimensions that can be interpreted as the relationship between body position and shelf length.

Distance between shelves of different designs

There is one on our website, which describes in detail what kind of shelf designs can be used in the bath. Here we will restrict ourselves to telling briefly about the principle of the device of a particular structure, and how it affects the occupied space.

Corner

By placing the shelves in the shape of the letter L, you can more rational use of the space of a small steam room... This corner construction is suitable for both baths and saunas.

The length of each shoulder can vary as you please, but a fairly common option is where the long side is a full-fledged lounger where you can stretch out to full height, while the short side is a more compact place where you can sit half-sitting. However, it all depends on the size of the steam room - the short side is also often pulled from wall to wall.

If at the same time there is a desire to make a reclining place on the short side, then it is worth considering option with footrestwhich allows you to draw them out. The options are shown in the picture above.

How are the tiers of the corner shelves for the baths arranged? There are no fundamental differences in the device of the corner shelf from the direct one. All recommendations for length and width given above apply to it... The distance between the shelves is calculated here only vertically. You need to focus on the height from the popliteal fold to the floor - this is the distance between the tiers.

Direct

In this case, a parallel arrangement of benches along two walls is assumed (variation - U-shaped construct). Such a choice is possible only in sufficiently spacious steam rooms, if an arrangement in two or three tiers is also assumed. However, the single-tier version is also suitable for a medium-sized steam room.

The distance between two shelves at opposite walls will depend on the length of the wall separating them, and on how wide each of them is. But during the design, it should be assumed that the space between the shelves should be sufficient to move two people... This is a quantity of the order 80 cm.

Folding and removable

The folding structure does not differ in size from the stationary one. It's just way to save space, or freeing it for cleaning.

It is worth noting that the choice of it removes the restrictions for steam rooms with a minimum area. Of course, the wide shelf should be folded upwards if there is still a tier under it.

Removable ones differ from folding ones in that only the flooring is removed - this is done for the convenience of drying and cleaning. But the frame is often made stationary, so there is no reduction in the occupied space. The dimensions of this variety will again depend on the area of \u200b\u200bthe room and the type of bath.

Retractable and movable

In the article mentioned above, we already talked about the fact that creating a convenient retractable structure in a bath is quite problematic due to the tendency of the tree to swell (if you make guides from it). In this regard we tended to prefer movable benches, which can be used as the lower tier, and the rest of the time stored under the upper shelf.

Height benches can range from 20 cm (they are usually used as a riser or footrest) to a standard height 40-50 cm like a normal seat. The width is still the same - 40-60 cm (no more, because it is unlikely to be used as a sunbed). The length is arbitrary, the maximum is a little less than the top tier, so that you can easily slide under it.

For those interested in self-manufacturing and protection

Now that we have figured out what sizes are the shelves in the bath, it is worth mentioning that on our website you can read other materials, with drawings and instructions, in which we cover the following topics in detail:

on how to make shelves yourself (to be written).

Useful video

Finally, we suggest watching a video, which dynamically tells about everything related to correct shelves, along the way, mentioning the most common mistakes when implementing them:

That's all for now. Write, if you have any questions, comment - we are pleased to receive responses, but we will still try to accumulate the most useful information for you about everything related to the bath.

In contact with

For a long time I have not written anything new, all the inspiration did not come. But today I decided to please you and describe such a useful thing for a bath as a ROOM. All lovers of the steam room know that there is nowhere in the bath without a canopy! To begin with, I thought, what is there to write then? The object is ordinary, we take a couple of bars, plan them and sew boards to them. Nevertheless, here too there are subtleties and technology that must be observed.

Material selection

The material for the canopy is often used from hardwood: aspen, linden, alder, birch. Of course, each of them has its own pros and cons. But the main thing is you to such a canopy DON'T STICK! Often, shabashniks take the remains of boards from the construction site and make shelves and benches from resinous trees, but the satisfied owner does not even suspect what awaits him. After bathing on such a canopy, you will have to spend a fair amount of alcohol on erasing the resin from your skin. Choose your tree wisely!

What are huckster sellers hiding?

I have been on the construction market of Kazan for a very long time, but I have never met boards for a canopy thicker than 25 mm. Sellers claim that you can make crossbars more often and everything will be fine. Of course, it is profitable for them to get more planks for sale from one tree, if it was their will, the canopies would be even thinner. BURNED ON THE BOARD from a thin flooring, people begin to be inventive and lay various mats and rugs on the canopy, but then why overpay for linden? With this logic, canopies can be made of pine, and it is 3 times cheaper! All the same, after all, the rug is underlay. Let's figure out where they are dissembling.

The thing is that most of them themselves do not know what the correct canopy should be. Heating in the bath comes from the stove, and most stoves now are modern "drowned".

They are made of iron, and each iron stove gives off hard IR (infrared) radiation. Infrared radiation does not heat air, but objects. With such heating, the canopy boards accumulate heat and the smaller the board volume, the more this board heats up! This is where the truth lies. In old times, even with brick ovens, the canopy boards were thick NOT LESS THAN 50 mm! And such a canopy is not heated to such a state that it burns human skin. It will have a relaxing effect on your body. Believe me - you won't want to get up from such a canopy! But we live in the age of market relations, and every merchant is trying to get as much profit as possible from less materials, almost no one thinks about quality.

A little about the design

I will not describe for a long time the clear design of the curtains and benches, since there is a lot of such information on the Internet, I will collect point by point only what you need to take into account when installing it:

Choose a resin-free canopy flooring material!
The thickness of the boards must be at least 50 mm
The material of the bars for the frame can also be used coniferous, if the design allows you not to touch them
Boards need to be planed, remember, planed board rots 70% less than not planed
If possible, make the flooring collapsible so that you can clean up under it
Make a canopy with technological gaps of at least 1 cm for moisture drain and natural ventilation
Leave a gap of 2-3 cm from the wall for smooth drainage of water along the walls
Do not bring the lounger closer than 25 cm to the stove
Treat the canopy with a special canopy oil
The bed must be at least 60 cm wide
Determine the width of the bench at your choice, but keep in mind that if you do not go to the bath alone, it will be more convenient for you to soar from a wide step.
The main lounger of the canopy is measured not from the floor, but from the ceiling, the distance should be at least 110 cm
The level of stones in the stove should generally be lower than the main lounger in the steam room

All of the above, personal experience of the Beri Banyu company, we advise you to watch a video about a simple canopy of one of our clients:

P.S. We have prepared boards with a thickness of 50 mm for all our customers, you won't get burned on our canopy!

Easy steam for you!

The shelf is an indispensable attribute of any bath. It is a special two- or three-tiered wooden bench and provides comfort from taking bath procedures.

On such a lounger, you can fully relax and relieve the accumulated fatigue. The only drawback of the building is the likelihood of rotting.

The service life of the sauna bench will depend on the choice of wood and the subsequent care of it.

From this article you will learn how to properly make a canopy with your own hands, where it is best to place it, what kind of tree to choose for construction. For you, we will provide ready-made drawings with the dimensions of the canopies and a photo of their possible designs.

Which tree to choose for the shelf

For the canopy, deciduous tree species with durable wood characteristics are suitable:

Linden;
Birch;
Alder;
Cedar;
Aspen.

A canopy can also be built from an exotic Abash tree, which is not subject to decay from water. When a large amount of moisture gets in, the wood performance only improves. Mold and mildew are prevented.

How and where to place the canopy in the bath

There are several options for making benches in the steam room:

Stepped... The stepped method involves the installation of benches in 2-3 tiers along the longest wall in the steam room. The bottom shelf will be the coolest. This option is ideal for large rooms. For the convenience of vapers, the upper tier should be located at a distance exceeding 120 cm from the ceiling;
Bunk... Two shelves are installed against one wall, opposite to them the middle shelf is mounted;
"Coupe"... The shelf device assumes only two shelves adjacent to one wall. They are installed like the seats on a train. The top shelf is securely fixed against the wall.

Most often, in a spacious steam room, the canopy is located along two "blank" walls without windows and hoods, on the contrary. This location is the safest and most convenient for bath visitors. Several people can fit on the bench at once, and the distance from the stove will eliminate the possibility of getting burned.

We build shelves in the bath with our own hands

The process of building a canopy in a bathhouse includes several stages:

We draw up a drawing. Before starting construction, measure the bathhouse and make a drawing of it. On it, mark the oven, windows, vents and a heating boiler. Sketch out the location of the shelves and where they will be attached to the floor and wall. To make cleaning in the bath as easy as possible, the bottom shelf must be fixed directly to the floor. The top shelf is usually located about 120 cm from the ceiling. The distance between the support bars should be at least 60 cm. The optimum length of the bench is 180 cm. This length allows even a tall person to sit comfortably. When designing, you can leave extra space for taller people to steam comfortably. The width of the bench is from 40 to 60 cm;

Note! The bench frame is easy to make. The main thing is to ensure the reliability of the entire structure. To do this, think carefully and draw up a drawing.
Assembling the frame of the bench... To make a frame you will need:
- 10 bars 5x5x109 cm for racks;
- fixing bars;
- self-tapping screws;
- wooden pins (nails).
Collect 5 racks from 10 bars. Connect them together with small fixing bars using self-tapping screws. For one rack, one bar and a self-tapping screw is enough. Drill the holes for the pins and drive in the wedges until they stop. It is better to make pins from oak wood, since it has strength and durability.

Advice! When hammering in nails, slightly "sink" them in the wood so that you do not get a thermal burn during the bath procedures. If you want to install multiple tiers, follow the same procedure for each of them. But then, start at the top tier.
We mount the flooring... Construct the flooring from thin sanded planks approximately 2 cm thick. Such thin planks will allow the flooring to dry quickly from water. For the lower bench you will need 3 boards 2960 mm long, and for the upper bench 7 boards of the same length. Fill the boards with some pass. This is necessary to drain the water. The passes should be from 1 to 2 cm. There should be ventilation slots at the top and bottom (read about the ventilation device in the bath). You can choose not to attach the deck to the frame. In the summer you can take it out into the air for ventilation. After laying the flooring on the frame, round off the sharp corners. Examine the surface carefully and sand it.

Canopy care

Saturate the canopy with a special oil, such as linseed oil. This is to protect the wood from overheating.

Rinse the boards thoroughly and wipe dry before applying oil. Lubricate the canopy with a brush or sponge. Leave the canopy in this state for a day, and then remove the excess oil with a cloth.

This will help protect the wood from possible stains. Never use a hard brush to clean the shelf to avoid damaging the wood structure.

How much are the shelves for a turnkey bath

If you do not want to waste your time on building a bath canopy with your own hands, you can buy a ready-made version.

The price of the finished product will depend on the material and dimensions. Alder and aspen are the cheapest, and African oak is the most expensive.

The most durable canopies are made from premium wood... In such wood, there are no knots and significant changes in color from two visible sides.

The size of the purchased canopy in the bath can be different: from 0.5 to 1.7 m. A short bench, as a rule, is 1.5 times cheaper than a long one. Steps and backs are usually made from it.

The comfort of being in the bath depends on the design of the canopy and its location. If the steam room is uncomfortable, then you are unlikely to be able to fully relax. You can create favorable conditions for visiting the steam room with the help of benches and sun loungers, which you can easily build yourself.

Watch a detailed video on assembling a steam room shelf.

If a sauna stove is often compared to the heart of a sauna, then the canopy is the soul of the steam room. The quality of the bath procedure depends directly on its comfort and safety. This is what makes many bath owners start making their own canopy. How can you make your own bath canopy so that it will serve you for a long enough period?

Types of bench structures for the steam room

Today, there is a huge number and variety of shop structures, however, three main groups should be distinguished:

Stepped. The most popular type of curtains, which is used to organize the space of the steam room. According to this layout, the shelves are placed along one wall with several tiers, often two or three tiers. The sequence of heating the shelves is carried out from the bottom up. Note that according to the rules for placing such structures, the upper row of benches is arranged a little higher and. This placement is considered ideal for high-quality bathing procedures: starting from the bottom row, you need to gradually move to the top. Note that on the topmost row it is quite comfortable to steam while lying down;
L-shaped. This type of bench structure is characterized by the location of one / two shelves on the wall, which is opposite to the one where the oven is equipped, and another shelf is installed on any of the free walls. Note that in this case, the height of the walls is selected exclusively on an individual basis. The most acceptable option for small steam rooms, as well as steam rooms that are combined with washing rooms;
Coupe. Today, it is considered the most popular and common type of arrangement of benches - the arrangement of two shelves on two opposite walls, which is identical to the arrangement of seats in a compartment carriage. In order to save space as much as possible, the upper seats should be equipped with a folding mechanism.

Please note that the dimensions of the curtains are determined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the area of \u200b\u200bthe steam room. Moreover, do not forget about the comfort while taking a bath procedure, which is why the length and width of the canopy should make it possible for a person to sit not only sitting, but also lying down.

The shapes of the benches can be completely different - from the classic bench, to the arrangement of a sunbed or a wooden deck chair. The main criterion is the capacity of the steam room, that is, the ability to place all the necessary structures in it. The main principle in the process of arranging canopies is compactness, since the benches should warm up perfectly and not take up extra space.

Canopy material

Typically, the key building blocks of any standard canopy are:

Frame;
The surface of sun loungers, seats made of boards;
Backrest for sitting on the top shelf.

Note that the manufacture of all parts of the canopy should be carried out from one type of wood. It is not recommended to resort to the use of coniferous material, because in the process of constant exposure to high temperatures, they release resins. So, the minimum resin content in such deciduous tree species:

Linden. It is characterized by healing properties, homogeneous structure. Moreover, it does not lend itself to darkening when exposed to steam and high humidity;
Aspen. A relatively inexpensive material that has the most effective therapeutic effect, is resistant to moisture and decay processes;
Alder. Differs in maximum density, as well as healing characteristics;
Poplar. Has a homogeneous structure. After the wood has completely dried, the material becomes hard.

The wood of these particular species is capable of perfectly tolerating high humidity, systematic temperature changes, and also has a low level of thermal conductivity. Of course, despite the presence of all these positive qualities, there is a need to additionally process the material, which will create maximum protection against mold and mildew. Remember! It is strictly forbidden to resort to the use of any or varnishes, as this can negatively affect the human body!

Also, it is important to note the fact that wood material is classified exclusively by its quality characteristics. It is recommended to independently arrange the canopy from a tree of quality "A" or "Extra". According to its external features, it is smoothly planed wood that does not have knots, cracks or chips. Note. That the more knots on the material, the more likely it will be subject to rapid destruction under extreme conditions.

Sanded wood has sharp corners, bevelled, which allows it to protect human skin from all kinds of cuts and damage. The boards used to equip the seats and sun loungers will serve you long enough if their width does not exceed 4 times the thickness. In other words, we can say: in order for the boards to dry quickly, while not cracking, they must be quite thin. In order to exclude the swaying of the structure, the racks-bars for the canopy frame should be characterized by a section size of 50x70 mm or 65x15 mm. Fasteners should be made of galvanized iron.

Phased construction of a canopy in the bath

As soon as the canopy is completely assembled, all the irregularities are smoothed out, the structure that you received needs to be processed in the steam room. In this case, we will talk about oil-based solutions, which can prevent the harmful effects of moisture and steam, and decay of boards. Preference should be given exclusively to substances that are characterized by fire-fighting properties.

And, remember that it is not so difficult to equip the canopy on your own if you approach it as disciplinary as possible. The most important thing is desire, perseverance and your hard work. Be sure to take into account the placement rules, be guided by the principles of convenience and you will be able to get the most effective result of your work.

The Finnish sauna has a high temperature - from 90 ° C to 110 ° C, humidity 10-25%. Russian bath lovers prefer a lower temperature from 40 ° C to 70 ° C, combined with a high humidity of 60-80%.

The Russian bath differs from the Finnish sauna not only in terms of temperature and humidity in the steam room. The fundamental difference between them is the different speed of the heated air flow, the use of birch and oak brooms in the Russian steam room.

While patting the bather lying on the shelf of the Russian steam room with a broom, the bathhouse attendant occasionally adds temperature by pouring water on the hot stones of the stove. Scorching wet steam, escaping from the half-open door of the stove, quickly rises to the ceiling and slowly cools down, settles - gradually fills the steam room.

large distances between the boards of the couches are required;
the seat is tilted to drain the water;
to facilitate cleaning the floor of the bath, the side walls are not sewn up or made removable;
a wide offset of the bench from the steam room wall is needed.

The differences in the basic dimensions, height and arrangement of the shelves also add to the peculiarities of the vaping process itself.

IMPORTANT: in a Russian steam room, the ratio of the height of the shelf device and the distance to the ceiling must be observed.

The height of the upper lounger is made so that there is a distance of one meter between the crown of the head of the person sitting on the upper bench and the ceiling - for a normal swing of the bath attendant's arm with a broom, gaining temperature in a cloud of steam.

The length of the shelves is regulated, which should be at least 220 cm, since it is advisable to take a bath procedure while lying down, placing the body under massaging blows, stroking with a birch broom.

A traditional Russian bath has only one or two steps of shelves located along one of the walls of the steam room; a bather lies on the wide (at least 90 cm) upper bench.

IMPORTANT: the shops of the Finnish steam room are necessarily equipped with boards made of boards so that the seated person does not burn the body on the hot paneling of the walls.

In a Finnish sauna, people are more likely to sit than lie on benches, so the distance to the ceiling is less, the length of the loungers is not so important.

You can often see special footrests on the walls of the sauna, usually raised above the body level of a person lying on the upper bench.

Since the air in the sauna must warm up quickly, the size of the steam room is usually small, so the bath shelves occupy the entire free perimeter of the walls, except for the wall with the door and the stove.

Sauna shelves can be of several types:

compartment - when the benches in a small sauna are placed one above the other;
complex sauna shelves - with a pull-out bottom shelf or a folding top shelf;
in the shape of the letter "L" when the sauna seats are placed on two adjacent walls;
stepped shelves for spacious steam rooms have two or three steps, on which several steam lovers can sit comfortably.

Species of trees used for the manufacture of racks, bath beds, backs

Wood plays an important role in the interior and design of the bath. Different types of wood behave completely differently at high temperatures and high humidity. Therefore, you should carefully approach the choice of material for the manufacture of shelves.

Wood	Photo	Description
Pine and spruce		Pine and spruce may well be used for the device of bath beds, provided that the pre-dried boards are of excellent quality. Saunas in Finland itself are made of these types of trees; resinous secretions do not appear at high temperatures if the board is well dried and processed. Pine and spruce give a special coniferous aroma that favorably affects the general condition of a person. The rather high price for other types of wood makes many lovers of steam give preference to wall coverings made of inexpensive pine wood - lining, bath shelves, backs. IMPORTANT: the only condition is the absence of knots or cracks on the surface of the boards, good drying quality of the material, carefully processed surface of the loungers.
Aspen		Aspen - used for the manufacture of bath shelves, as it does not emit resin when heated. It has a special fame among the people as a tree that successfully resists evil spirits, bad energy. The high cost of the material does not allow the manufacture and use of aspen bath seats, couches, backs rather widely.
Linden		Linden is an excellent material for making bath beds. The structure of the tree is dense, has sufficient hardness, low thermal conductivity. Linden lends itself well to technical processing, the design details of the shelves and backs made of it are very durable.
Abash (abachi)		Abash is the most expensive and beautiful material for making bath beds. African oak is not afraid of high sauna temperatures. Plank beds from it do not burn the human body, since the material has low thermal conductivity and heats up very slowly. A successful advertising campaign made Abash the most bought tree for the manufacture of bath benches and saunas in the houses of wealthy nouveau riches.

Edged boards prices

edged boards

Stages of manufacturing a bath shelf

Sauna shelves can be made independently, if you adhere to a simple sequence of installation of beams and boards, carefully process the material, and securely fasten the structural parts together.

IMPORTANT: the upper planks of the bed must be attached to the supporting bars using oak wedges driven into the holes pre-drilled in the details. The use of metal nails or screws to assemble the sunbed is not allowed. Hot steel caps can cause severe burns to the surface of the body.

1. Installation of racks

The racks on which the bath lounger is located must ensure the stability and strength of the entire structure. Usually, for the manufacture of the uppermost row of beds, from 4 to 6 racks are used with a length of 1.05-1.15 m, a section of 50x100 mm or 100x100 mm each, depending on the length of the shelf.

Bath shelves frame (one of the options)

The racks are interconnected along the perimeter with rectangular bars of 50X100 mm, onto which the supporting bars and planks of the bed are subsequently attached. The racks are attached to the wall with long (20 cm) dowel screws.

The bar for the upper seat pillars can be used not polished, without cracks, chips. A gap of 0.1 m is made between the wall and the adjoining rack - inserting pieces of thick board, for better circulation of hot air, improving ventilation of the shelf.

2. Assembling the supporting structure of the shelf

The supporting structure of the upper shelf must withstand the weight of the planks of the bench plus the mass of people on top, so it is better to use a supporting beam with a section of 50x100 mm or 50x120 mm.

The upper row of the supporting beam with a cross section of 50x50 mm is fixed across the length of the upper plane of the shelf every 0.5-0.6 m, depending on the thickness of the upper boards. The thinner the board, the more often the supporting bars should be located so that the boards do not sag under the weight of the people sitting on them.

IMPORTANT: the bars must be fastened with a slight slope (1-2 °) from the wall towards the steam room, for better drainage of moisture from the wooden surface of the bath lounger.

The width of the top shelf is ideally 0.9 meters for the convenience of bathers, but it is allowed to reduce the size to 0.6 meters.

Fastening can be carried out both with nails and with self-tapping screws.

3. The device of the upper bed

Smoothly planed and polished planks of the couch, with a thickness of 3 cm to 6 cm and a width of 0.1 m to 0.24 m each, are laid on the supporting bars with an interval of 1-2 cm, ensuring free passage of hot air.

Fastening the boards to the supporting structure must be done with wooden (oak) wedges in the pre-drilled holes.

Boards located in the length of the bed look more aesthetically pleasing, but you can fix the boards of the upper row across the bed. In this case, material is saved, since there is no need to pierce the supporting bars.

IMPORTANT: you cannot fasten the planks of the bench with nails or screws, leaving the hats on the surface of the benches. Only by drowning the metal parts of the fastener 5-10 mm deep into the board, can the bather be safe from possible burns.

4. The device of the lower shelf

With the height of the upper bath seat 1.1 meters above the floor surface, for the convenience of the bath attendant with a broom, the lower bench is lowered 0.7 m.

The lower shelf should be made at a distance of at least 0.3 meters from the floor - if it is used not only as a step for the bathhouse attendant, but also as a full-fledged sauna bench.

Most often, in a Russian bathhouse, the bottom step is made in the form of an attached bench with legs, which is removed for the cleaning of the steam room. But it is quite possible to arrange a fixed bottom shelf.

To do this, it is necessary to attach four load-bearing wooden beams with a section of 50x100 mm to the racks of the upper lounger at a height of 0.4 m from the floor surface, making them a kind of rectangle - the frame of the lower bench. This is done so that one part of the bearing rectangle protrudes beyond the surface of the upper shelf by a length of 0.4-0.6 m.

The supporting frame of the lower step can be fastened to the main posts with 12 cm nails or self-tapping screws. In the corner and in the middle of the frame of the lower bench, four racks, with a section of 50x100 mm or 100x100 mm, are fastened with self-tapping screws or nails.

Every 0.5 m, load-bearing bars with a section of 50x50 mm are packed. The boards of the lower shelf are attached to them using wooden wedges driven into pre-drilled holes.

How to make a shelf in a bath - types of flooring for shelves

IMPORTANT: the surface of the benches is carefully sanded. Boards should not have sharp corners, chips, cracks.

The boards should not be too wide, the optimal ratio of width to thickness is four. Board - fifty should ideally be 0.2 meters wide.

Video - Assembling a bath shelf with your own hands

After the completion of the construction of bath beds, they need to be impregnated with a protective solution, since the negative effects of water, air humidity, high temperatures destroy the structure of the tree quickly enough.

To protect wooden surfaces in a steam room, you must use environmentally friendly products, otherwise you risk your health. For a long time, wooden beds in Finnish saunas have been impregnated with ordinary linseed oil, which perfectly protects against mold and mildew. The shelves of Russian baths were impregnated with a wax solution containing refined turpentine and beeswax.

Ideally, apply a wax solution or linseed oil in two coats. Drying time for one layer is about 8 hours.

Bath loungers do not require preliminary preparation and processing, provided that the boards have been polished with high quality earlier. After applying a protective impregnation, all wooden surfaces acquire water-repellent properties and a characteristic matte sheen.

The correct design of the heater, the rational use of the steam room space, the cozy decoration of the rest room and the careful assembly of the steam room benches will bring health, joy and satisfaction from the bath procedures.