Bath windows, like other building elements, are exposed to high temperatures and humidity. We invite you to study the recommendations to avoid mistakes in the installation of wooden windows and increase their service life. Content:
- Accommodation rules
- Choice of wood
- Measurement of openings
- Window siege
- Frame fixing
- Sealing openings
- Window glazing
- Errors
There are no ideal openings for windows in the wooden walls of the bath. The older the frame, the greater the deviation of the surfaces of the opening from the horizontal and vertical. All methods of installing windows are aimed at ensuring that existing or anticipated distortions of the walls do not affect the integrity of the windows.
Rules for placing windows in the bath
When installing windows in a bath, it is recommended to adhere to certain rules:
- For comfort in the steam room, it is recommended to install the window at the height of the upper shelf, in the washing room - at the level of the head.
- From the point of view of bath attendants, it is better to install the window at a height of 1 m from the floor, this position helps to retain heat in the room.
- The windows in different rooms of the bath have their own sizes. For a steam room, the ideal window size is 60x80 cm. These dimensions provide good natural lighting in the room and minimal heat loss.
- To prevent heat from escaping from the steam room, it is better to make the window small, 30x40 mm or 40x60 cm in size. Before making wooden windows for a bath with your own hands, take a steam bath with your friends and decide what sizes of window openings will suit you.
- If the steam room has electric lighting, the window can be omitted, but then the visitor will experience psychological discomfort.
- The windows for the steam room and the washing room are made double-leaf, one half opens outward, the other - into the room. There should be 10-15 cm between the flaps.
- In the rest room, the size of the window does not matter, you can do it on the entire wall. The window is beautifully decorated, a table for tea drinking is placed next to it.
- Choose non-metallic latches on windows so as not to rust.
The choice of wood for the window to the bath
Lumber for windows must meet the following requirements:
- Wooden sauna windows are made of wood, which will behave neutral at high temperatures. These are traditional sauna varieties of trees - oak, linden, aspen. They do not emit substances harmful to humans and create a pleasant atmosphere in the room.
- When heated, a resin appears on the surface of pine and spruce boards, on which you can burn yourself, so this material is not suitable.
- Buy blanks with a moisture content of no more than 12%, although they stand a lot.
- The wood should be treated with an antiseptic to keep out moisture and insects.
Measurement of openings for a wooden window in a bath
The window can be installed in the place of an old window or in a new opening. In the first case, before measuring, inspect the walls of the opening, if necessary, cut down rotten, moldy or damaged areas from the logs.
When measuring, use the following guidelines:
- Clear openings from construction debris.
- Measure the height and width of the opening vertically and horizontally at several locations and record the minimum values. The purpose of the operation is to determine the dimensions and configuration of the opening that are needed for the manufacture of the window.
- Often the cutouts in the wall do not have a rectangular shape, but this is not a big deal, the distortions will be eliminated by the correct positioning of the window frames.
- For measurements, you will need a plumb line and a building level.
Cage for attaching a wooden window to a bathhouse
The installation of a wooden window in the bath begins with the manufacture of an additional box - casing (okosyachki). This is due to the operating conditions of the bath: the logs periodically change their size - they swell with moisture and shrink when they dry out. In the first year, a wooden bath gives a large shrinkage - up to 3 cm. The shrinkage will continue in the future, but in a smaller size.
The intermediate box will prevent the window box from contacting the walls and causing it to collapse. The vertical bars of the casing act as guides along which the window frame moves when the building shrinks.
The size of the opening for the casing window is determined based on the following requirements:
- The cage is made of 100x150 mm bars.
- A gap of at least 70 mm is left between the casing and the wall at the top, and 20 mm on the sides.
The cage is fastened in two ways - with the use of a foundation beam and a thorn.
The casing is fastened with a foundation block in accordance with the following instructions:
- Make the walls of the window from boards with a section of 50x150 mm.
- In the side walls of the opening, make grooves for the entire height 5 cm wide and 6-7 cm deep.
- Make groove bars. The cross-section of the bars is 5x5 cm, the length is 10 cm shorter than the height of the opening.
- Install insulation (felt) into the grooves, and then the bars.
- Install the casing in the wall cutout and fix it to the bars with self-tapping screws, at least 3 pcs. on each side.
The casing is fastened with a thorn in a different way. Saw out the thorns in the side walls of the opening, and a groove on the casing. The depth of the spike is 50-70 mm. The okosyachka is worn with grooves on the thorns. Grooves and spikes are made around the entire perimeter of the window opening, with the exception of the lower part. At the bottom, you need to prepare a site for installing the window sill.
Fastening the frame of a wooden window to the casing in the bath
When installing the window frame, use the following guidelines:
- To seal the window frame, install it on the casing with liquid nails. For large gaps, you can use polyurethane foam.
- If there are large gaps between the window frame and the casing or the casing is oblique, eliminate the defects by reworking the casing.
- Fasten the window frame to the window with self-tapping screws.
- If it is impossible to make holes in the timber for self-tapping screws, use anchor plates that are attached to the frame and the window.
- The width of the bars for the window box is 7-10 cm wider than the log house, the thickness is 10-12 cm. There should be room for the window sill under the lower bars. It is made of a board, 20 cm wider than the window opening.
Sealing window openings in the bath
After fixing the window, the gaps between the casing and the walls of the house are sealed with insulation:
- To eliminate cracks, use jute, flax fiber, polyurethane foam.
- The foam is blown out with "sausages" from the middle towards you, and then from the middle outwards. This method distributes the load from the expanding foam over the entire surface and prevents the foam from deforming the window frame.
- From above, the insulation is protected from moisture with a vapor barrier tape, and then platbands are placed.
- The platband from the inside of the room can be placed on liquid nails, but outside they must be fastened with nails so as not to be blown away by the wind.
- If cracks are found during operation, remove them with special solutions or paste. In case of emergency, seal the cracks with diluted wallpaper glue.
- Outside the windows are not painted with dark paint. It absorbs heat and creates tension in the structure.
- Cover the window with a special varnish from the inside.
If the bath is new, fix only the lower beam of the window frame to the window. The process of making wooden windows for a bath ends in 11 months, after the main shrinkage of the bathhouse, when the window frame is finally attached to the window.
Glazing of a wooden window in a bathhouse
Window glazing requirements are as follows:
- The glass is cut in such a size that there is a 2 mm gap between it and the fold.
- The glass is installed on a single or double putty. In the first case, the folds must be dry. The glass is placed on the folds, fixed in the frame with nails, and then the gap is sealed on top with window putty.
- With double putty, a 3 mm thick layer of sealant is applied to the folds. Glass is installed on top, pressed and fastened with nails. Then again the joints are sealed with putty. Double treatment prevents rain from falling between the glass and the seam, the glass does not vibrate in strong winds.
A home-made window with double-glazed glass is not inferior in quality to a wooden window with a double-glazed window for a bath, assembled at the enterprise.
Errors when installing a wooden window in a bath
If, when installing a wooden window in a bathhouse, the owners could not stand the technology of work, then during the operation of the device there will be such inconveniences:
- Tight closing and opening of the window indicates an incorrect position of the window frame in the vertical and horizontal planes.
- The appearance of condensation on the glass indicates poor manufacturing of the window frame junction unit.
- Bending of the frame indicates uneven compression of the frame fasteners.
- Cracks in the glass indicate the absence of casing in the window structure.
How to make a wooden window to the bathhouse - watch the video:
Correctly executed windows will not only give the bath a traditional look, but also provide airing of the room after water procedures. The window creates conditions for quality rest, and you cannot neglect the rules of its construction.
