Build a sauna wall that is moisture-proof against the floor, how should I think?

[Lilllen]

Shouldn't it matter how you use the sauna? Some people pour quite large amounts of water over the heater all the time. It could create quite a lot of moisture in the hot air that can get into the walls, but perhaps especially the ceiling. However, if you prefer a dry sauna, there shouldn't be any additional moisture.

 

[trojlee]

So you want to be able to remove the wall afterwards, did I understand correctly? The floor is tiled? Can't you glue a metal stud to the floor and then otherwise frame it as usual? What I would consider is going up a stud size; keep in mind that a glazed sauna door weighs quite a bit and puts stress on the structure when it's opened and closed, just a thought.
Then you put sauna foil in the entire sauna with battens and then paneling, so all the moisture that ends up on the ceiling can run down between the panel and the wall behind down to the floor without causing moisture damage.

 

[nizzehult]

So you want to be able to remove the wall afterwards, have I understood correctly? The floor is tiled? Couldn't you glue a metal stud to the floor and then stud as usual? What I would have considered is going up a stud size, keep in mind that a glazed sauna door weighs quite a lot and puts stress on the construction when opened and closed, just a thought.
Then you put sauna foil in the whole sauna with battens and then panel so all moisture that gets in the ceiling can run down between the panel and the wall behind down to the floor without causing moisture damage.

Thank you. Finally, someone answers the question and doesn't question why you should have plastic/foil in a sauna or rage about how insurance companies and the construction industry think.
This is a wet room. These must have an enclosing waterproofing layer. Period! And this is regardless of whether there is a sauna there or not or if it's even used.

Yes, the floor will have tiles and a metal stud is of course a solution but then it has another downside: it can rust. Couldn't you use a composite stud at the bottom? Since it is a bathroom, there is also a built-in slope in the floor so there will be a gap no matter what, which must be sealed somehow. I'm not so keen on going up in stud size as I already have very tight measurements; in a depth of 1.72, a WC, a newly built sauna wall with panel, a bench, and another panel wall should fit. Something like this:

 

[trojlee]

Composite rule probably works excellently as well, just glue it to the floor so it can be removed the day you plan to tear down the sauna. Is there tile on the wall? In your case, I would have installed a glass wall, it only builds 8mm and is attached with an aluminum strip at the top and bottom. People often think it will be expensive, but consider how much it costs to make the wall you planned with door, window, insulation, studs, etc... I read a lot when I built my sauna, regarding ventilation there are 2 different camps of opinions, one where you take supply air from the adjacent room and release the exhaust air in the same room - one where you take supply air from the adjacent room and vent it out through an exterior wall. Which one I think is best I'll keep to myself

 

[nizzehult]

The composite rule might also work excellently, just glue it to the floor so it can be removed the day you plan to tear down the sauna. Is there tiling on the wall?
In your case, I would set up a glass wall, it only builds 8mm and is attached with an aluminum list at the top and bottom. People often think it becomes expensive, but calculate what it costs to make the wall you planned with a door, window, insulation, studs, etc...
I read a lot when I built my sauna, regarding ventilation, there are 2 different camps of opinions, one where you take the intake from the adjacent room and let the exhaust out in the same room - one where you take the intake from the adjacent room and ventilate it out through an outer wall. I keep my opinion on which is best to myself

Do you really need to glue it? I think it will stand firmly on the floor by itself.
There will be tiles, not tiling on the wall but then in the rest of the bathroom, not where the sauna stands. There I thought of having no wall covering at all.
Sure, a glass wall would be nice, but it has two drawbacks: it gets quite expensive, and it doesn't insulate as well as a wall, so it requires a more powerful sauna heater and longer heating time.
I don't think 15' stops for a glass wall which would be about 1.90 x 2.00. With a door. A wall built on 45x45 studs isn't particularly expensive.

This bathroom is located in the middle of the house, so venting to an outer wall is impossible. The house's heating system itself was based on air-borne heat, but it has long been replaced with a water-borne system; however, the ventilation as such is intact, so there is both well-functioning intake and exhaust in the bathroom, yes in all the rooms actually. I plan to let the exhaust go into the sauna with the possibility to switch it to the rest of the bathroom.

 

[trojlee]

I think you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't attach the wall to the floor in some way. A door puts quite a bit of strain when it is opened and closed. Include the cost of the door and windows in your calculation, and it's easier to justify a glass wall, plus you gain space since a wall usually takes up at least 100mm while a glass wall is only 8mm. Good luck with your construction.

 

[nizzehult]

Yes, I should seriously look into such a solution before making my decision, but I imagine it would just stand on an alu-rail that could very well be secured with, for example, silicone.
100mm might be an exaggeration, but you probably have to account for 45 + 12 +12 = 69 mm if you build a conventional wall - vs 8 mm.

I Googled a bit and around 1400,-/sqm + shipping is what you can expect to pay, and in my case, it would be almost exactly 4 sqm - the door, so yes, it actually isn't that expensive. You also get the added benefits of it looking nice and feeling more spacious.

 

[nizzehult]

I have managed to send out two quotes and the price seems to be going up significantly. It concerns a glass partition 191x210 cm in 8mm clear glass with a small door and a frame around it to hold the glass in place. One ends up at 15-16' and the other, which is a local company, is about 25'. Just holes and hinges for the doors amount to almost 5'! That's a lot of money in this context. My previous bathroom renovation, which included absolutely everything in a bathroom almost twice as big, came in at under 50'.

 

[trojlee]

I think it's well-invested money that increases the property's value, also more luxurious..

 

[nizzehult]

I think it's well-invested money that increases the property's value, plus it's more luxurious..

I understand what you mean, but in my case, I don't think it makes much of a difference. In my previous house, I had a nice sauna with steam function that was used frequently and which I was quite proud of. The new owners immediately threw it out and replaced it with another one...
Also consider that this is a guest toilet that is really not supposed to be used more than as a second toilet, and the sauna is just for my own enjoyment. I even think it might look quite cramped and tight in there.

Glass as a raw material is not particularly expensive, and I don't think the prices I have been given align with this. Admittedly, tempered glass requires special processing and is heavy to transport, but I still think the prices are outrageous for an area of 4 sqm (including door). I would have considered 7-8' reasonable.
Custom-made 8 mm tempered safety glass typically costs 7-800,-/sqm, and a door can be had for 1600,- (pine frame) and about double with an aluminum frame. The issue is that a door with a frame—no matter how discreet—is not really meant to be fitted around glass partitions; I don't even think it's possible. I also haven't seen a glass door where the hinge side has a type of post intended to be set between the ceiling and floor and thereby hold the door itself.

 

[nizzehult]

Here, those of you who don't understand why a sauna must be insulated (wrapped in foil) can read up.
https://www.bastupunkten.se/infosidor/hur_man_bygger_bastu.htm

And: if you are just guessing with your so-called advice and theories, you are not contributing anything useful to a thread. Pure facts, on the other hand, are welcome.

 

[GoForIt]

I am facing a somewhat similar project, with a minimal sauna in a combined laundry/bath/shower in the basement.
For the standalone walls, I plan to place a loose wooden stud provided with two heavy-duty rubber strips underneath, against the existing tiled floor. On both the inside and outside, there will be a baseboard of tiles.

 

[elpaco]

When it comes to foil, there are credible sources that speak both for and against it. For example, Isover and Tylöö are against it, and they probably know a thing or two about saunas (maybe more than "dinbyggare.se")? What I find reasonable is the idea that if you build against an outer wall, like a brick basement wall, it might very well have moisture ingress from the outside. If you then foil the sauna, you will instead trap the moisture that your sauna should be drying out. And yes - a sauna is an extremely dry place in general. The exception is public places like swimming pools. The time the sauna is humid is very short compared to the time it dries out with residual heat.

However, what "all" experts agree on is this:
* Always build the sauna as a room within a room, with at least a 2cm air gap against the existing wall.
* The intake vent should be near the floor behind the heater.
* The exhaust vent should be opposite the intake vent, in the ceiling or high wall.
* The intake and exhaust vents should lead to the same room. The exhaust vent should never lead outdoors.
* Walls and ceiling should be insulated with 45-70mm.
* Use wood with low heat capacity and that preferably does not bleed resin. Especially for benches.

 

[nizzehult]

Yes, but distinguish between building a standalone sauna outdoors or if you make it as a "room within a room" or if it becomes part of an existing wet room. In the latter case, there must be a waterproof layer towards other rooms. Period. It's not even negotiable, so to speak, if you ask an insurance company or a bathroom builder.

 

[Matti_75]

Why not build the wall on small stainless steel legs that raise the bottom rule off the floor. As a bonus, you get good ventilation.
I would never in my life build an insulated sauna without sauna foil on the inside. Let the know-it-alls say what they want. You shouldn't let moisture into the insulation.