It is impossible to imagine a bathhouse without sturdy benches. Benches are an obligatory attribute of the interior, which you can make with your own hands. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the requirements for benches and the features of their installation. Content:
- Wood for benches
- Bench sizes
-
How to choose a shop
- For steam room
- For washing
- For the rest room
- Number of benches
- Backless benches
- Colonial style bench
- Country style shop
A well-made bench helps the visitor to relax and unwind. To achieve the desired effect, many factors must be taken into account when making furniture.
Wood for benches in the bath
The bench is in direct contact with the body, so choose the material for the product carefully. Bath benches are made only of wood, and the boards must have characteristic properties:
- Wood with low thermal conductivity can withstand extreme temperatures and humidity, therefore, choose strong and hard species characterized by good resistance to cracking.
- Choose materials with a minimum amount of damage, without dark knots, blueness, wormholes, which reduce the strength of the product.
- A linden bench for a bath is considered the best option. Also suitable are lumber of sauna tree species - oak, aspen, maple. Products made from such wood dry quickly and wash well. To save money, you can make the frame of the bench from pine beams.
- The benches in the steam room are made of linden, oak, larch. These are deciduous trees that do not emit resin and do not burn the skin, and have medicinal properties. Pine furniture is not installed in the steam room due to the appearance of resin on the surface.
- In the washing room, you can use coniferous lumber, but after making the benches for the bath, soak them with antiseptic preparations in several layers. The best option for a washing room is aspen and linden furniture.
- Furniture for a restroom can be made from any wood; after manufacturing, treat it with antiseptic agents.
- In terms of price category, linden is in the first place, followed by aspen.
- The disadvantage of aspen boards is that they rot from the inside, you can not visually see the marriage. Quality aspen boards are imported, therefore expensive.
Sizes of benches for a bath
The sauna benches are used for sitting, lying and half-sitting. They are sized to provide comfort for an adult.
Recommended bench dimensions:
- Seating benches: height - 50-90 cm, width - 40 cm, back height - 110 cm, leg fit - 20 cm.
- Benches for semi-sitting use: height - 50-90 cm, width - 60 cm, back height - 110 cm, leg fit - 20 cm.
- Lying benches: height - 50 cm, width - 95 cm, the back and footrest are not made.
When choosing the size of benches in the bath, you should adhere to the following recommendations:
- The length of the bench for 1 person is 90 cm, if the bench is for several people, increase the size by 50-60 cm for each visitor.
- The length of the bench for the steam room and the rest room should be at least 180 cm, it is comfortable to lie on it. For added strength, provide an extra leg or use a board that is at least 40 mm thick.
- It is not necessary to make benches only according to the specified dimensions, take into account the individual characteristics of the room.
How to choose benches for a bath
There are various designs of bath benches - mobile, stationary, folding. Benches of various shapes and sizes are made for each room.
Steam room benches
It is customary to lie in the steam room, and not sit and bask, the capacity of the room depends on the number of lying places. Therefore, benches of special designs are often installed in the steam room, which make it possible to increase the number of steaming people.
Stationary benches are often installed in this room, they are also called shelves. In large steam rooms, benches are made in two tiers, with an attack, in small ones - they manage with one wide bench.
Massive products are not placed in the steam room. Before making a bench in a bath, measure the dimensions of the steam room. The minimum dimensions of a bench for a steam room: length - 1.5 m, width - 40 cm.
Folding benches are installed in small rooms. By design, they resemble places in train carriages. For manufacturing, a special mechanism is required, with the help of which the seat is rotated to an upright position, pressed tightly against the wall and fixed. A folding bench in the bath increases the area of the room.
Wash compartment benches
For a washing room, benches of the simplest design are suitable, without a back, with two legs and a seat. They are installed along the walls in one row; shelves for bath accessories are usually attached above them.
The requirements for the shops are also simple. The bench must be strong and stable, withstand the weight of a person and a container of water. The legs should be as wide as possible laterally. The thickness of the bench parts is more than 40 mm.
Rest room and dressing room benches
In rooms with minimal humidity, ordinary furniture can be installed. In the rest room, people really relax, so benches should provide comfort to visitors first and foremost. Also, a large role is played by the design of the benches and their stylization according to the environment.
When choosing benches for such premises, use the following guidelines:
- In the recreation room, portable benches with a back are made.
- Lounge furniture can be made from any wood, then treat it with antiseptic agents.
- In the rest room, you can install one of the types of benches - sun loungers.
Number of benches in the bath
To determine the number of benches in the bath, draw a drawing of each room on a scale and place all the furniture on it, also on a scale. Products should not be placed randomly, they should not interfere with visitors to move freely. By drawing, you can determine the number of shops and their sizes.
It is better to make a drawing before starting the construction of a bath, in this case you can use our recommendations:
- Place 4 benches in the rest room: 2 pcs. - near the sitting table, 1 pc. - for folding things, 1 pc. - for lying.
- Place 4 pieces in the sink: 3 pieces. - for washing while standing, 1 pc. - for washing while sitting.
- If the washroom has a shower room, there is no need for washing benches.
Backless bench manufacturing technology
The simplest bench without a back consists of a seat and legs and is made as follows:
- Develop a drawing of a bench for a bath, in which indicate the dimensions of the constituent elements.
- Make legs from 50x50 mm bars.
- On the inside of the legs, make grooves for the cross-bar.
- Install the cross bars into the grooves and secure with self-tapping screws. Sink the fasteners into the wood.
- Connect the legs with long beams, which are attached to the upper part of the legs with self-tapping screws. Boards will lay on the uneven bars.
- Lay the boards on horizontal beams and secure with pins or self-tapping screws. Provide gaps between the boards so that water does not accumulate at the joints and drain freely.
- Make the places for the dowel in increments of 30-40 cm, then drive the boards into their regular place.
- If you use metal fasteners for fastening, sink the head into the board. Cover the hole on top with a mixture of PVA and sawdust.
- Sand and sand the bench. This requires special attachments. Use coarse grains first, then small grains. Work carefully to remove small layers of wood.
- Remove splinters and sharp edges on the structure with sanding discs.
- Treat the bench with a protective compound designed for the bath, for example, special oil. Apply 1-2 coats of oil.
- Leave the bench to dry for the time specified in the instructions for the product.
- Do not use drying oil or varnishes, they emit unpleasant vapors when heated.
Colonial Lounge Bench
If the appearance of the bench is not very good, you can change and improve it. To do this, decide on the processing style and buy decorative materials. Visit your friends and take a photo of the shops in the bathhouse, and then choose a processing method. Colonial style allows to make the bench noticeable and expensive.
The work is performed in the following sequence. Brush the bench elements with a wire brush and apply a layer of white glaze to the surface of the wood. Wait for it to dry and re-brush the wood with a wire brush. Furniture will turn out bleached with corrugated brush marks. Apply a layer of varnish to the surface, after drying, the furniture can be used.
Country style sauna bench
A do-it-yourself sauna bench in country style is made in the following sequence:
- Sand the surface along the grain with a brush.
- Sand the surface until you get a relief pattern.
- Apply the translucent glaze to the surface in two coats.
- Once dry, wipe the surface with a dry sponge and remove the glaze layer.
- If the result is good, cover the bench with varnish. You can enhance the effect by covering the bench with another layer of azure and rubbing it again with a sponge.
- Cover the bench with a moisture-proof varnish, wait for it to dry before taking it to the break room.
How to make a bench for a bath - watch the video:
From the article it is clear that for the manufacture of a wooden bench for a bath, no special devices or machines are needed. All you have to do is roll up your sleeves and get to work.
