How to insulate a bathhouse from expanded clay concrete blocks

Having decided to install a bathhouse on their home or garden plot, its future owners think about what building materials to purchase. Everyone would like it to be warm, environmentally friendly, and last a long time. But at the same time, it is desirable that its construction should be inexpensive.

If the goal is to build a bathhouse without significant costs, it is worth considering the option of constructing it from expanded clay concrete blocks. A detailed description of the construction and laying of the foundation for a bathhouse can be found on the website of the Cheboksary Construction Plant - the largest manufacturer of expanded clay concrete blocks in Chuvashia, with a representative office in Nizhny Novgorod.

Advantages of a bathhouse made of expanded clay concrete blocks

High speed of construction. Due to the large size of the blocks, it will be possible to erect the building frame quickly. The walls are smooth, they do not need to be leveled before finishing. The building has a long service life.

It will last for at least 35 - 50 years. Low price for building materials. Easy installation. Even a non-professional can handle the construction of the frame. Environmental friendliness. The blocks contain no hazardous elements. Mold and fungal formations do not appear on the walls. Fire safety, the blocks are assigned a non-flammability class of A1.

Thermal calculation

When purchasing blocks, the manufacturer must always indicate their properties. The calculation determines the thickness; to perform it, a characteristic such as thermal conductivity will be required. There are two ways to perform this calculation:

• "manually";
• using special programs.

It is not difficult to perform an independent calculation, but for a person who does not have a construction education, it can cause difficulties. It is best to use the simple Teremok program, which works in two modes:

• calculating the thickness of one of the layers of the wall structure;
• checking the heat transfer resistance if the thickness has already been selected.

To work with the software, you will need the following initial data:

• thermal conductivity of expanded clay concrete blocks;
• block width;
• thermal conductivity of insulation;
• insulation thickness (not needed if working with the program in the first mode).

Having selected the values, you can begin insulating the walls of the house.

Concerns of future owners

When choosing a building material, people are afraid that a bathhouse made of expanded clay concrete will turn out cold.

But with proper thermal insulation, its rooms will retain heat well. You just need to choose insulation materials that are resistant to moisture and high temperatures. It is necessary that they are resistant to dampness and mold does not form in them.

Any structure must be strong, but will an expanded clay concrete building be strong?

To increase the reliability of the building, it is necessary to reinforce the masonry. The reinforcement is placed in gutters, which must be made in the upper part of the block. It is possible to lay it in a mortar joint if it is large and its dimensions are sufficient for laying a metal rod in it.

Main performance characteristics

In order to produce high-quality expanded clay concrete, manufacturers use a special binder cement, as well as filler, which is presented in the form of inorganic gravel. In order for the finished product to have certain characteristics, the composition may include various mixtures (for example, in the construction industry there are additives that help to entrain air to create universal closed pores).

When a novice master decides to build a bathhouse from expanded clay blocks with his own hands, he must understand that the material may contain expanded clay of different fractions. The cement mortar used around the blocks can have a dense structure if it contains sand, or a porous structure.

When liquid cement does not fill all the free space between the building material, but only envelops it, then in the end you can get a universal expanded clay concrete with a large-porous structure. It is worth noting that during the construction of the bathhouse, care must be taken to ensure that no through pores are formed. For a standard block, a polished and granular surface that exactly follows the shape of the aggregate grains is most suitable.

Special attention should be paid to the numerous advantages of this material:

• Long service life.
• Minimum labor costs for masonry due to the fact that the blocks are light in weight but large in size.
• Affordable price.
• There are no high costs for heating a bathhouse in winter, since expanded clay concrete blocks have good thermal insulation.
• Fire resistance and absence of toxic combustion products during thermal decomposition.
• Possibility of using the material as additional thermal insulation for an existing concrete or brick wall.
• High strength indicators.
• Smooth surface of the blocks, allowing to reduce the consumption of finishing mortar.
• An excellent combination of the final masonry with any types of facing materials (tiles, ordinary and decorative plaster, wood).

Construction Features

A building made of expanded clay concrete does not require a solid foundation. Its frame weighs little.

Therefore, you can get by with a strip base. This will simplify and reduce the cost of building construction. To increase the strength of the foundation, it should be reinforced.

External walls must be protected from atmospheric precipitation by plaster and then painted with acrylic paint. This will prevent them from coming into contact with moisture.

The insulation is installed on the inside of the wall.

A suitable option is basalt wool. This is safe and durable thermal insulation. A vapor barrier is installed on top of the basalt wool.

After insulating the bathhouse, you can begin to decorate its interior. Plastic panels or lining can be used for this. Wood finishing will create the appearance that the bathhouse is built of wood.

Masonry mortar

Laying with special glue is possible if the blocks are even. Irregularities of more than 2 mm (characteristic of most expanded clay concrete wall stones) force the preparation of a cement-sand mixture (10 and 30 parts, respectively). Water - about 7 parts, to a plastic, but not runny consistency.

Giving up glue does not upset those who know: by changing the thickness of the seam you can eliminate the unevenness of the rows below.

Information. It is more convenient and efficient to mix the masonry mixture in a concrete mixer. A stationary container and a submersible mixer will cope with the task, but will not prevent the finished solution from delaminating.

The composition of the ready-made mixtures is supplemented with plasticizers and forms seams that are almost twice as thin as homemade ones.

Permissible actual thickness of the masonry mortar layer:

1. glue - 2–3 mm;
2. ready-made cement-sand composition - 8–10 mm;
3. mixture of sand and cement - 1 - 3 cm (joint thickness - 1 cm, the rest is filling in unevenness).

It is good if the thermal conductivity of the masonry mortar and the wall material does not differ much.
“Insulate” the masonry composition (reduce the thermal conductivity coefficient) with perlite and expanded clay sand. They are added to the cement-sand mortar or purchased ready-made mixture, where they are already contained in the composition.

It is also possible to additionally insulate the masonry with polyurethane foam, which can divide the masonry into 2-3 parts (if you look along the wall), thereby interrupting the “cold bridges”.

Comparison of buildings made of expanded clay concrete and wood

Many people still believe that the best baths are those built from timber. Wood has long been the most popular material for their construction. But it has disadvantages:

it darkens over time, which deteriorates the appearance of the structure; wood requires regular treatment with antiseptics.

If this is not done, it will begin to deteriorate, mold will form on it, dangerous microorganisms will grow inside the logs; wooden construction requires mandatory shrinkage, which lasts 1 - 3 years. During this time, finishing work cannot be carried out; when constructing a building from logs, serious caulking of the walls is required. This is due to the fact that the logs are in contact with each other over a small area.

A bathhouse made of expanded clay concrete is free from these disadvantages. Therefore, it is a more practical option than wood.

A bathhouse made of blocks is durable, after construction it does not require shrinkage, you can immediately begin finishing it. During operation, the building will not require additional treatment with protective substances. You will only need to monitor the condition of the exterior finishing of the building so that it always looks beautiful and neat.

09/04/2017 Alexey Koshkin

Traditionally, it is believed that a bathhouse should be built from wood - a natural, breathable material that has a beneficial effect on health. However, this is not always possible for one reason or another, and a bathhouse made of expanded clay concrete blocks can be an excellent alternative.

What are the advantages of the material:

Non-toxic.

The manufacturing technology and initial components (clay, cement, sand) are environmentally friendly. Of course, if you purchase the material from a trusted manufacturer. A bathhouse made of expanded clay concrete blocks perfectly resists moisture. The high rate of thermal insulation leads to low consumption of funds for insulating the building. The relative lightness of the blocks does not require the use of special devices and hired labor. You can do everything yourself!

Construction usually begins with the foundation. The light weight of the proposed structure will not require a solid foundation; you can get by with a simplified version. If you plan to do everything yourself, then a strip foundation is suitable, on which a bathhouse made of expanded clay concrete blocks will stand reliably for many years.

Concrete is suitable grade M250. Call us (phone: 8 (846) 30-20-555) in one day we will deliver you concrete of any brand. There are mixers for 7m³ and 9m³.

Additional strength is achieved through reinforcement every two rows. For this, a special reinforcing mesh is used.

Waterproofing material is placed on the finished strip foundation in 2 layers. In this case, ordinary roofing material is perfect. Then a reinforcing mesh is installed on top of it, and then a mortar for construction.

In the future, the construction of a bathhouse from expanded clay concrete blocks is no different in terms of the technological process from the construction of a bathhouse from other materials. You just need to check that the first row is exactly horizontal (an error will lead to cracking of the walls in the future). Then each subsequent row is placed using a bandage.

In a bathhouse made of expanded clay concrete blocks there must be good ventilation. It cannot be completely covered when decoratively treating the surface of the walls. Therefore, tiles must be used on the inside of the washing compartment.

We save heat in the bathhouse. If the bathhouse is supposed to be heated only from time to time in winter, we recommend that it be lined with insulation from the inside.

A bathhouse made of expanded clay concrete blocks is not inferior in quality to a bathhouse made of other materials. At the same time, it is easier to construct and lasts longer than wood.

Come and together we will build you a bathhouse! The address of the enterprise and directions can be found in the CONTACTS section of our website.

Few Russian people will deny themselves the pleasure of taking a steam bath, especially considering that this is not only a pleasant and relaxing procedure, but also an excellent therapeutic and health remedy for many diseases. That is why every happy owner of a site for individual construction or a summer cottage tries, first of all, to build a bathhouse on it - a small “paradise” corner for himself, his family and friends, to enjoy, relax, warm up and heal... Contents: Why insulate a bathhouse from blocks ?Insulation of a bathhouse From expanded clay concrete blocks From cinder blocks From gas silicate blocks.

Is it worth it? Often, such a health corner is built not only together with the main structure, but even before it. Until recently, the issue of choosing building materials for this was decided unequivocally - only wood. It is an ideal material for a bath: it has low thermal conductivity and high heat capacity, is hygroscopic, air-moisture and vapor-permeable. But wood also has a number of disadvantages, which largely manifest themselves in conditions of high temperatures and humidity, characteristic of bathhouses - it is a fire hazard, susceptible to rotting and fungus.

Stage #2 - exterior finishing

Externally, expanded clay concrete blocks need protection from moisture and wind. The traditional protective layer is ordinary cement plaster.

The solution was mixed in a ratio of 1:4 (cement and sand). First, I plastered the bathhouse once and rubbed it with a trowel until smooth. After drying, the next day I applied another coat and wiped it off again. The total layer of plaster was approximately 1.5 cm.

Plastering bath walls with cement mortar

At first I thought that I would putty the outer layer of plaster, then I changed my mind and decided to immediately paint it with facade paint. I picked up an expensive acrylic-based paint in a light beige color. Before painting, I went over the plaster with a primer for exterior use, then applied 2 layers of paint. The gray color of the plaster was completely covered up.

2 layers of facade paint were applied to the plaster

Why insulate a bathhouse made of blocks?

Today, the modern market offers the widest selection of building materials from brick and concrete to the recently extremely popular block materials, such as expanded clay concrete, gas silicate, cinder blocks and many others. They:

functional; retain heat well; hygroscopic and resistant to temperature influences; allow you to quickly erect any structure.

In a word, they are a fairly convenient building material with good characteristics.

However, their thermal insulation properties, although better than those of traditional brick and concrete, are still significantly inferior to wood, so buildings made from such blocks, especially if they are used in winter, need insulation, and this applies primarily to bathhouses.

Insulating a bathhouse from blocks is a process that requires calculation and an integrated approach:

For residential buildings, external insulation is considered the main and most effective, which allows, by moving the point of negative temperatures from the wall material outside, to significantly reduce heat loss, increase the overall efficiency of the heating system, and protect walls from rapid destruction. Internal thermal insulation is used in them as an auxiliary measure that further increases the thermal protection of homes. In contrast, internal insulation is most suitable for bathhouses. The baths are used sporadically, usually no more than one day a week, remaining unheated the rest of the time.

The main task of insulating a bathhouse is to keep the rooms warm only during its use. Under these conditions, external thermal insulation practically does not protect walls from freezing and loses its effectiveness, and periodic temperature changes quickly destroy wall building materials. Stone and block materials heat up in a bathhouse much more than wood, increasing the risk of burns, so such bathhouses are usually lined with wooden facing materials: clapboard, block house.

This measure provides a convenient opportunity to place a layer of thermal insulation material under the casing. And even with well-made internal thermal insulation, which effectively protects the walls from high temperatures, external insulation, which reduces the risk of severe freezing, will not hurt. In addition to insulating the walls, through which up to 60% of heat loss occurs, good thermal insulation of the ceiling, floors and foundation will help reduce the remaining 40%.

Insulation for block walls

A distinctive feature of the bath is the high temperature level during its use. Therefore, for a steam room, the choice of insulation must be limited. We generally recommend not using the following materials for internal insulation of bathhouse walls :

1. mineral wool;
2. polystyrene foam and polystyrene foam;
3. glass wool

When heated, mineral wool They are definitely harmful to the human body. The same situation is with the release of harmful substances from polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene under the influence of temperature.
We can say an unequivocal “no” to glass wool It is dangerous to use: protection of hands, skin, eyes and respiratory tract is required. It is subject to deformation under the influence of high temperature (which is typical for a bath). Over time, it may begin to emit an unpleasant odor.

Nevertheless, these insulation materials are popular due to their availability and low price.

A good material for insulation can be ecowool : it is environmentally friendly, when applied using the “wet” method, it fills the entire surface, creeping even into small cracks. But this is also its disadvantage: you cannot do without special skills and equipment to apply it.

Peat blocks and foam glass have proven themselves to be modern and high-quality materials .
They are not exposed to moisture, are fireproof, but, alas, quite expensive. At the same time, peat blocks are rare - only a few companies produce them in Russia. Foil roll insulating materials work well (see link above). They need to be overlapped and glued with aluminum tape.

ADVICE ! Tile insulation can be tied together with diagonally stretched threads (use nylon cord) for additional fixation of the heat-insulating material. The ends of the cord can be secured with a construction stapler to a wooden frame or with special fasteners to a metal profile.

Made from expanded clay concrete blocks

Expanded clay concrete blocks are produced on a vibrating press followed by steaming, so they have a fairly porous structure, which determines their increased moisture capacity. Bathrooms are constantly exposed to moisture and water vapor, and expanded clay concrete blocks become saturated with them, which significantly worsens their heat-shielding properties. At the same time, constant temperature fluctuations will quickly destroy the structure of the blocks, increasing the possibility of heat loss through the walls.

How to insulate a bathhouse made from such blocks? Measures for insulating a bathhouse made of blocks can be divided into several stages:

Insulation of the steam room.

The most extensive thermal protection measures are required here. As mentioned above, block walls tend to freeze when rooms are occasionally heated. Heating a bathhouse with frozen walls requires high fuel consumption and a long period of time.

Therefore, only comprehensive internal and external thermal insulation can give the best result. From the inside, both thermal insulation and good vapor and waterproofing should be provided. If in a residential building the task is to remove excess steam and the insulation must have good vapor transmission, then in a steam room the opposite is true. Foamed polymers such as polystyrene foam or polyurethane foam cannot be used for the main insulation of a steam room.

When exposed to high temperatures, they release toxic styrene. Mineral wool boards are best suited. However, mineral wool absorbs water very well, so it should be covered with a layer of vapor barrier on top. For vapor barrier, you should not use plastic film - aluminum foil or kraft paper is better.

The best option would be to use foil plastic, such as Penofol, for example. It will reflect thermal radiation well, preventing it from reaching the walls, and retain water vapor. The ceiling of the steam room should be especially well protected, because hot air and steam collecting at the top will, if there is the slightest leak, quickly “leave”, quickly reducing the temperature. Washing room. Here, the indoor thermal conditions do not reach extreme values, but the humidity still remains quite high.

Therefore, protective measures must be applied almost the same. In the washing room, you need to take care of good thermal protection of the floor, since the slightest gap will cause cold air to leak from below, quickly reducing the temperature in the room. But at the same time, it is necessary to ensure effective drainage of water from the floor.

To do this, you can use the principle of a water-locked siphon, as in a bath, which will prevent the entry of outside air. Dressing room. Here, measures to maintain a comfortable temperature will be sufficient. Polymer materials can already be used to insulate walls.

For external thermal protection of a building, any effective modern thermal insulation materials can be used. A very good effect is achieved by sprayed polyurethane foam, which creates a monolithic thermal insulation layer on the surface of the walls and foundation, which does not create “cold bridges” and has minimal heat loss.

On top you can mount cladding from wall decorative materials: lining, block house, siding or facade panels. A good option for external insulation is “warm” plaster. There are also good reviews about such a new material as liquid ceramic insulation.

How to insulate a cinder block bathhouse? Cinder blocks are similar in manufacturing technology and in their main characteristics to expanded clay concrete, only instead of expanded clay granules they usually use waste from the metallurgical industry, which determines their low cost. In addition, they have a wider range of overall dimensions, due to the fact that the ease of production allows them to be made even at home.

In addition to traditional slag, other waste from various industries can be used in the production of such blocks. The raw materials used in production determine the thermal conductivity characteristics of these blocks, which can be in a very wide range.

Otherwise, measures for insulating a bathhouse built from cinder blocks do not differ from expanded clay concrete blocks.

Unlike sand-lime brick, produced by pressing a lime-sand mixture, blocks are produced by sintering in an autoclave, so the technical characteristics of these materials are different.

Gas silicate is similar to aerated concrete, only the latter uses cement instead of lime. The thermal insulation properties of gas silicate blocks are determined by their brand:

over D800 - structural: good strength, low thermal insulation; D500-D800 - structural and thermal insulation: average values ​​for both parameters; D300-D500 - heat-protective: low strength, high thermal insulation.

Gas silicate blocks are extremely hygroscopic, therefore they require the most effective waterproofing, especially when used in bathhouse construction. In addition, they also have rather low heat resistance, so they should be protected from high temperatures.

It must be said that this material is the least suitable for the construction of baths, since it requires the most effective measures for hydro‑ and thermal insulation. Its use can only be justified by a significantly lower price, but this is not the case everywhere. In addition, additional protection measures not only eat up cost savings, but even increase costs.

The construction of a bathhouse on a country site is always a priority over other buildings.

And more often than not, the house is still under construction, and water procedures are already being performed in the bathhouse. This building plays such an important role among Russians. Today, bathhouses are built from different materials: logs, bricks, expanded clay concrete blocks, cinder blocks, cellular concrete blocks.

But, as practice shows, a building made of any material must be insulated. For example, a bathhouse made of expanded clay concrete blocks.

This material has excellent thermal insulation qualities. And still, experts recommend even insulation for him. How it's done?

How to properly insulate a steam room

A steam room is the main bathing room from which visitors expect certain properties, in particular long-term heat retention. To do this, the steam room is insulated, but this must be done taking into account the preferences of certain traditions.

The fact is that in a Russian bath, long-term heating and retention of heat is carried out due to long-term heating by the same brick oven. Slowly heated wooden surfaces give off heat for just as long. If the thickness of the walls is not small and there are no cracks in them, then additional insulation is not required.

In addition, the Russian bath does not strive for high temperatures. If you make a “thermos” in it, this may become an obstacle to maintaining fairly low temperatures (40-70 degrees) characteristic of this type of national bath. Thermos is made using foil.

For more information about using foil for the ceiling, see this page.

As for the Finnish bathhouse - sauna, the task here is precisely to reach the set high temperature in the steam room in the shortest possible time and maintain it until the end of the procedures, subject to intensive air exchange.

It is worth insulating the steam room only if there are real problems with heat loss.

ADVICE! Focus on the material of the walls: in a brick bath, thermal insulation of the steam room is required, in a frame bath the thickness of the walls is included in the design, in a block bath it can be moderate, with a greater emphasis on waterproofing, and in a wooden bath it may not be necessary at all.

About the “thermos” a little lower, but otherwise the insulation scheme looks standard - most use mineral wool, because in fact there are not so many options for insulation in the bathhouse under the steam room lining

But even if it is mineral wool, you need to pay attention to the fact that it is intended strictly for saunas and baths - this means that it has a low content of phenols and other harmful substances in the bond for stone fibers

In addition to mineral wool, ecowool, clay with sawdust and some other materials that are harmless to health can be used in the steam room of the bath.

You already know that insulation is placed directly on the wooden walls of a bathhouse; in other cases, it is separated by a vapor barrier on one side and a waterproofing barrier on the other. This applies to insulation materials that are afraid of moisture and lose their insulating properties due to its action.

You can read more about materials and technologies for thermal insulation of steam rooms in this and this article.

Basalt wool, specially designed for baths and saunas

Foil

Foil always causes fierce debate. The debates themselves are divided into two categories: is foil needed in a Russian bath and what is its effectiveness in reflecting heat.

Let's start with the fact that mirror surfaces have long been used to focus and redirect various types of radiation, including infrared - remember the design of the same reflector. The lining in the bathhouse does not interfere with infrared radiation.

IMPORTANT! But there is an essential condition for the mirror surface to work as a reflector - there must be air in front of the foil. The contact of other material to the foil on the reflection side is unacceptable

The ventilation gap from the foil to the lining is just right.

As for the use of foil in a Russian bath, there is, of course, no categorical prohibition, but it is advisable that you have ways to regulate the temperature, for example, using ventilation and the stove itself. In a steam room with an iron stove without a brick or stone lining, with foil insulation, you will get a hard version of the sauna, which does more harm than good.

We have two articles in which we analyze the types of foil and the arguments for and against its use in the bathhouse - the choice of insulation with or without foil, types of foil and arguments.

Selecting a thermal insulator

Before you start insulating, you need to choose the insulation itself. In principle, there are no special restrictions in this regard. And if earlier this issue was serious, then with the advent of vapor barrier materials, it has exhausted itself.

Therefore, choose any, although a reasonable approach is the choice of material with an optimal price-quality ratio. Eg:

Mineral wool. Polystyrene foam boards. Glass wool. Insulation based on other polymers.

Let's take mineral wool and use it to show how to insulate a bathhouse made of expanded clay concrete blocks. Again, we remind you that the process will be carried out internally.

Tools and materials needed to complete the work

To insulate a bathhouse, you will need the following tools:

• hammer;
• screwdriver;
• painting knife;
• level;
• construction stapler;
• Master OK;
• rule;
• putty knife.

Materials required for insulation:

• mineral wool;
• expanded clay;
• penoplex;
• concrete;
• wooden blocks;
• lining;
• floor tiles;
• vapor barrier film;
• waterproofing film;
• isospan;
• primer;
• nails;
• self-tapping screws;
• staples for a construction stapler.

In conclusion, we can say that with proper insulation of the bath from the inside, you can significantly speed up its warming up and reduce the cost of maintaining the required temperature during steaming. You can install insulation on the walls, floor, ceiling of the bathhouse and carry out further finishing on your own or involve special organizations.

About the technology of insulating a bathhouse from the inside with your own hands, watch the video:

Insulation

Mineral wool can only be installed on walls using lathing. Therefore, to do this, it is necessary to install vertical racks directly along the wall and secure them to it with self-tapping screws. Wooden beams with a cross section of 50x50 mm are usually chosen as vertical posts. The distance between the sheathing elements should be slightly less than the width of the mineral wool mat.

The insulation must enter the space between the slats, pressing tightly against the slats. However, it should not extend beyond the edges of the sheathing. That is, its thickness should be 50 mm.

Advice! All wooden products must be treated with an antiseptic composition before installation. A bathhouse is a humid room, and although the entire thermal insulation cake will be reliably protected by a vapor barrier, you need to be on the safe side. As they say, God protects those who are careful.

So, the insulation has been installed, now you need to cover it with a vapor barrier. For this you can use different materials. There are special membranes made of polyethylene on the market, and there is foamed polyethylene itself, covered with a foil layer.

There are many materials, you can use any in the bathhouse. The most important thing here is to install the vapor barrier in such a way that there are no gaps between the edges of its strips. Therefore, the strips are laid overlapping each other by 10-15 cm. The joint is also additionally covered with a special foil self-adhesive tape.

And the last stage is finishing the bathhouse from the inside. Most often, lining is used as a finishing material. It is stuffed horizontally directly along the installed sheathing.

Please note that this material has a tongue and groove connection. So the panels should be positioned so that the groove always faces down. Thus, the problem of moisture accumulation inside the lock joint is solved.

What are the consequences of lack of thermal insulation?

Since cinder blocks contain sawdust and expanded clay, some building owners mistakenly believe that this material does not need insulation. But if this is not done, there will be the following consequences for the structure:

• Cold walls and floor. This is especially true in windy regions where winters are frosty.
  Heat loss directly affects the heating of the room. The cost of maintaining the building will increase.

  In addition, it will simply be uncomfortable to be inside; the cold floor is dangerous to the health of the residents.

• Increased humidity. During periods of frost, condensation will appear on the walls, which will accumulate in small puddles and wash away the building materials. Despite the fact that cinder block is not a favorable environment for the growth of mold or mildew, finishing materials are not. There is a high probability of microorganisms appearing, which is dangerous for people.
• Penetration of moisture destroys the cement in the cinder blocks. The building material collapses, gradually crumbles, and cracks appear. The result may be the destruction of the wall.
• There is a danger for finishing materials inside the house, many of which are not designed to withstand temperature changes and can burst (glass, plastic), collapse, or deteriorate.

To avoid repeated repairs or irreversible consequences for the walls of a cinder block building, it is necessary to insulate it.

Installation of thermal protection from outside

Scheme for insulating the floor of a bathhouse made of expanded clay.

For external thermal protection of a bathhouse made of blocks, in order to remove moisture from the walls, you can use polystyrene foam (vapor-permeable grades). To work you will need tools:

• putty knife;
• level;
• drill;
• hammer.

Materials:

• expanded polystyrene boards;
• glue;
• polyurethane foam;
• dowels;
• reinforcing mesh.

Perform the work in the following sequence:

Scheme of external insulation of a bathhouse with expanded polystyrene slabs.

1. Apply glue to the cleaned walls, starting from the bottom, with a spatula (for 1 slab).
2. The plate is applied to a layer of glue and pressed against the wall.
3. The slabs of the 1st row are attached (by level), the joints are carefully coated with glue.
4. Attach the top rows, avoiding overlapping seams.
5. The slabs are mounted end-to-end at the corners, and the cracks are filled with foam.
6. After the glue has dried, the slabs are fixed by attaching them to the wall (in the corners and in the center) with dowels.
7. Reinforcement is carried out by laying the mesh on top of polystyrene foam with glue, and overlaps are made at the corners.

Now the surface can be plastered and painted.

To insulate the bath structure from the outside, you can use polyurethane foam spraying technology. For work you will need spraying equipment and polyurethane foam. First, the walls of the bathhouse are cleaned of dirt. Then, using equipment, a layer of polymer (15 mm) is applied, avoiding gaps. After waiting a minute, repeat the spraying operation. After the polymer foam has hardened, the irregularities are cut off with a knife. Next, the surface of the material can be primed, plastered and veneered.

To better retain heat, it is necessary to insulate the ceiling of the building using expanded clay or other non-combustible material, and also insulate the doors.

A properly insulated room allows you to save fuel and energy. This bathhouse can be used all year round.