Do-it-yourself vapor barrier for a bath from the inside

The main task of modern baths - keep warm. Therefore, during its construction, the motto should be: "Build a bath with a thermos effect." And the main assistant in solving this problem will be a vapor barrier.

A vapor barrier is created with a vapor-tight film, it protects the roof and walls from water vapor, and this arrangement is called vapor barrier.

The bath is a room with high temperature and humidity, and therefore, there is a great possibility of condensation. And there must be ways for droplets to escape from the room. Therefore, such a structure should be protected from rotting and future destruction of the building. And this protection is vapor barrier.

The device of this protection is made not only in humid rooms, but also in buildings that have low diffusion resistance, as well as in structures with a homogeneous wall material.

The vapor barrier material is used in the structures of the entire building, from the basement to the roof. The choice of any vapor barrier depends on the structural components of the surface.

Required materials and tools:

• vapor barrier material (membrane, foil film);
• crate (wooden or metal);
• joint tape made of aluminum foil for seams (self-adhesive);
• hacksaw;
• wooden slats;
• electric drill;
• Bulgarian;
• screwdriver;
• roulette;
• pliers;
• hammer;
• screwdriver;

We begin the vapor barrier of the bath with the following works:

1. We clean the entire surface from dust and debris.
2. We cover the cracks with a special building compound, if any.
3. We make a primer for the area and wait for it to dry completely.

Materials (edit)

You can make a vapor barrier for a bath using improvised means, as was done earlier, and with modern materials.

The improvised means include clay mixed with sawdust.

Modern materials include:

• polyethylene film;
• aluminium foil;
• penotherm NPP LF;

Modern materials are in great demand, for example, Armitex, Izospan, Penoplex.

Each product comes with instructions that should not be neglected. In it you can find out that the porous side is glued to the side of the insulation, and the smooth side is glued to a humid environment, etc.

The cheapest type is waxed paper and cardboard impregnated with linseed oil.

Film

In turn, it can be divided into 3 subgroups:

1. Standard samplehaving a smooth surface on both sides.
2. Modern sample, when, one side is smooth, and the other, with villi.
3. Membrane type, differs from the previous two in a more complex structure. And it differs in thickness, which can fluctuate up to several centimeters. It is used for both hydro and vapor barrier.

Standard film has some drawbacks. First, it creates a greenhouse effect. Secondly, condensation drops run off on a smooth surface, and they are absorbed by a layer of insulation. This leads to premature wear of the thermal insulation material. The advantage is considered to be fast heating of the room and saving resources.

The ideal option is a membrane film. Here, the insulated surface "breathes", and also maintains the microclimate and steam does not settle in the insulation layers.

Aluminium foil

The product has a thin base, which can be used both independently and in combination with roll insulation, fiberglass, kraft paper.

The use of insulation foil is great for steam rooms. The aluminum element allows not only to quickly heat up the room, but also has an excellent characteristic for reflecting infrared radiation and does not allow moisture to pass through. An effective use of this type is ceiling insulation. Work with foil should be done carefully, as it has a drawback - fragility.

Penotherm NPP LF

It is a foamed polypropylene foam, which is covered with aluminum foil on top.

It is considered the most popular vapor barrier material due to its positive characteristics:

1. Short heating time of the room.
2. Energy consumption for heating is reduced.
3. The reliability of the vapor barrier.
4. High resistance to heat transfer.

According to experts, foil should be used to treat steam rooms and washing rooms. Kraft paper is good for use in a break room or dressing room. Foil can be replaced with thick foil. You should correctly select materials, adhere to the instructions, then the quality of the final result will be guaranteed to you and will last a long time.

Work technology

All three works: waterproofing, insulation and vapor barrier are carried out in an integrated manner, only then you can get excellent results. Namely: reduction of heat loss and protection from moisture.

Various roll materials are required: films, foil, membrane. They easily replace each other and are distinguished by their strength due to their reinforcement with fabric or mesh.

The roll-up vapor barrier is fixed to the rough ceiling with a wooden or metal lathing. Unfolding the rolls, strips are obtained, which should be laid with an overlap of 15 cm and the joints, for better sealing, are connected with tape. It is convenient to do this work with three, so that two press the strips, and the third fixes them.

The insulation is placed in a pre-built frame, since you cannot use nails, you will get the moment of depressurization.

Hot bitumen mastic or rubber varnishes are used for vapor barrier. After all, mastics have a unique property: it is excellent to retain heat, to retain moisture so that it does not absorb into the ceiling. They say about it that the surface "breathes" with mastic.

Bath vapor barrier technology is in the following order:

1. Preparatory work.
2. Waterproofing.
3. Warming.
4. Vapor barrier.
5. Sheathing with finishing material.

Step-by-step instructions for vapor barrier walls

1. On the surface of the load-bearing walls, we attach horizontal and vertical battens made of bars. Moreover, the thickness is taken 2 cm more than the insulation.
2. We put the insulation between the slats. It can be mineral wool or glass wool.
3. We cover the heat-insulating material with a foil film. We seal the joints with self-adhesive tape.
4. Next, we fix the crate with a 5 cm thick bars. This creates a ventilated gap between the finish and the vapor barrier.
5. We trim it with clapboard on top.

Ceiling

1. We cover the ceiling logs with boards up to 5 cm. On top of the boards, we strengthen the foil or thick cardboard, oiled with linseed oil, or waxed paper.
2. Next, lay the soft clay and begin to insulate the surface.
3. We put insulation on the vapor barrier layer so that there are no gaps. The best option for insulation is the use of natural materials: moss, hemp rope, felt, jute fiber, tow. Many people prefer to use ready-made materials based on linen and jute.
4. On top of the insulation, we make a cement-sand screed or we make flooring from boards.

You can make the ceiling a little different. Leave gaps when planking. We will cover the boards with linseed oil so that they are waterproof, preferably in two stages.

We glue reinforced foil on top of them. We make a backfill of slag or sand for a vapor barrier or special insulation.

Paul

We lay a vapor barrier layer after waterproofing and insulation. Stretch the film with a normal overlap tension. Next, we make fasteners with construction staples or double-sided tape.

We put the vapor barrier material on both sides of the insulation. For this we use liquid rubber based on bitumen, it is suitable for all types of floors. It is applied both by hand and by a compressor. After drying, the floor has an elastic film that does not allow moisture to pass through.

Advice

1. It is better to use food-grade metal foil, since no harmful substances will be released when heated.
2. There must be an air gap between the vapor barrier layer and the wall insulation. Otherwise, the insulation will collect condensation and lose its properties.
3. Laying the foil does not differ from the film, it is only fixed with heat-resistant tape. Work with it should be done very carefully, as it is fragile.
4. Do not forget to install ventilation before the vapor barrier process begins.