Despite the fact that the market today offers a wide selection of bathtubs made from modern and durable materials, there are lovers who prefer wooden containers.
Unlike industrial stampings, a wooden bathtub is a product that is always made by hand, in a single copy. Its functional and aesthetic characteristics are determined by the customer, who purchases both a household item and an original work.
Is wood afraid of water?
We know that the presence of water is the most important condition for the existence of life on earth. A tree, during its growth and development, also needs regular watering and absorbs liquid in significant volumes.
According to scientists, approximately 200 million trees grow even at the bottom of artificial reservoirs. And this is about one percent of the world's wood resource.
Environmentalists believe that transporting wood by water is harmful to nature, but it is still used
But even after the tree is cut down, its contact with water can continue. Whips and logs are floated down rivers, transported to the place of further use. They are even processed using the flooding method.
For example, oak, after several years spent in a flooded state, acquires special strength. Even before the processing stage, the cost of such material is very high.
It turns out that wood is quite compatible with water. But what she doesn’t like is frequent changes in temperature and humidity. We all know that an oak barrel filled with water swells. If you leave it for a long time without liquid, it can dry out and become unusable.
Advantages and disadvantages of wooden models
Of course, a bathtub made of wood should have certain advantages. Otherwise, all the effort spent on its production would simply not make sense.
An amazing property of wood is that it is able to radiate life-giving force throughout the entire period of its existence.
So, let's list its main advantages:
- Environmentally friendly. Wood is part of the Earth's natural resources. It is natural, like Nature itself, and does not cause negative reactions from the human body. The only thing you should pay attention to is that high-quality glue is used during the assembly of the wooden font. It is he who can spoil the environmental friendliness of the design.
- Durability. A wooden bathtub can last much longer than a cast iron model if it is properly cared for. Just remember that in the absence of moisture such a container may dry out. Therefore, if you are not going to use it for a long time, fill it with water.
- Healing properties. A properly treated surface of solid wood releases substances beneficial to humans into the heated water. It is believed that products made from cedar or larch have a beneficial effect on the nervous system and increase a person’s vitality.
- Aesthetic enjoyment. The well-treated surface of such a bathtub attracts everything: wonderful tactile sensations, pleasant color and natural structure. Of course, compared to the usual models that we are used to seeing in the bathroom, wood products look excellent.
Wooden models can be equipped with functions of aero- and hydromassage, aromatherapy and other achievements of modern civilization. Including multimedia entertainment systems, lighting and control panel
To make an informed choice, you need to see not only the front side of the future acquisition, but also its backside. Therefore, let's talk about the shortcomings. There are not many of them, but they also exist.
This wonderful bathtub does not require such complicated care: after use, you need to carefully wipe it with a cloth, removing excess moisture from the surface
- Price. Of course, no one produces such products en masse, so each such model is a handmade piece. And this means that its price will be rather high. If you don’t make a wooden bathtub with your own hands, the finished product will not be cheap for the future owner.
- Care. It is not enough to simply monitor the temperature in the room and fill the bathtub with water without allowing it to dry out. To care for it, you need to use special wood products. You cannot use conventional chemicals to clean plumbing fixtures!
- Purpose. This plumbing fixture is intended exclusively for bathing. Moreover, it is people who will bathe in the bathtub. Pets can damage expensive items. You also cannot soak laundry in such a container and use it for washing.
It may actually be better to separate the procedure of washing away dirt from your body from the wonderful opportunity to simply enjoy water treatments
It’s not for nothing that we mentioned the word “swim”. The fact is that it is also not recommended to wash thoroughly in such a bath, no matter how paradoxical it may sound.
A dirty human body releases fats, which, when absorbed into the wood, spoil it. So a shower in a bathroom with a wooden font is a necessary thing.
Screen options
For easy access to the drain pipes under the bathtub, build a door in the screen.
The easiest option is to create a curtain. Of course, this version can hardly be called a full-fledged screen, but it fulfills its functions quite well. Moreover, it does not require any special financial investments. An ordinary shower curtain will also work for this method.
Using a drill, holes are drilled on opposite sides of the wall into which fastenings in the form of rings are inserted, and they are fixed with self-tapping screws. Next, a pipe with fastening rings is mounted in them, onto which a curtain cut to the required length is subsequently hung.
You can make a plastic screen. With this option, it is possible to use already painted panels or apply the design yourself using acrylic paints. It’s even better to entrust the design to a child, in which case the result will be a truly exclusive product.
You also need to stock up on:
- profiles;
- “liquid nails”;
- decorative corners.
The plastic is cut into blanks, the dimensions of which must first be taken in height from the floor to the edges of the bath. Next, sections of profiles are prepared so that their length matches the length of the panel.
It is necessary to mark the installation points on the floor surface and connect them. Then similar markings are carried out on the upper side, under the bathtub. In the future, a profile will be attached to this contour. Once they are ready, the panel blanks are inserted into the guides and then attached to the guides. The lower part of the marking is processed with “liquid nails”, after which the resulting structure is inserted into the corresponding grooves in the upper and lower parts.
The last step is the installation of decorative corners, but this is done only after the “nails” have dried well.
Diagram of the necessary parameters for constructing a bathtub.
If desired, you can create a sliding screen. In this case, you can use absolutely any material of your choice, from plastic to mirror.
All materials for creating such a screen should be purchased from stores that sell accessories for sliding wardrobes. Also, knowing the size of the height and width of the basement space, you can order custom-made doors from the selected material.
Once everything is in hand, you can begin installation work. You need to start by cutting out guides to fit the width of the existing opening. Next, they are attached, the top one with dowels, and the bottom one with self-tapping screws, to the floor surface. After this, all existing fittings are attached to the doors, after which they are installed in their places. At this stage it is important that the rollers move freely, and this will be the case if they fit correctly into their grooves.
But here we should immediately warn you that, despite the beauty and functionality of this screen option (after all, the space under the bathroom can now be used as a storage room), it will be quite expensive. And all because of the high cost of the components themselves.
Selecting the source material
On the one hand, the bathtub must be durable, and, on the other hand, it is important that its appearance gives aesthetic pleasure to its owners. It should provide exceptionally pleasant emotions. It is this combination of qualities that the following types of wood can guarantee:
- wenge;
- teak;
- mahogany;
- cedar;
- oak;
- beech;
- larch.
The type of wood the bathtub is made from is extremely important. Not only its service life, but also your precious health depends on this.
The wood of these species takes the desired shape well, is not subject to rotting, and withstands high humidity. It is very important that the bathroom does not develop fungi or mold, which are detrimental to human health.
The bowl should be smooth, neatly maintained and absolutely clean. In this case, swimming will give you pleasure and add vigor and good mood.
It’s not in vain that we try to surround ourselves with not just comfortable, but also beautiful objects. By receiving aesthetic pleasure, we prolong our life
Some manufacturers use innovative technologies that allow them to combine materials, creating surprisingly effective combinations. For example, a bowl combined of glass and wood looks like a large aquarium with a lounger inside.
This model of the font allows you not to worry about the wood drying out. As a last resort, you can simply replace the sunbed.
Let's get started - the first steps are simple
We clean the place where we plan to install the bathtub. At this stage, you need to clear the site down to bare concrete - the structure under construction will become an integral part of your bathroom. After such careful preparation, apply a couple of layers of primer to the site to ensure high-quality and reliable adhesion of the walls of the room and the floor base to the font being built.
The next step is the formation of the frame of the future structure. For this purpose, metal rods with a cross section of about 7 mm are used. They should be used to create a single structure for the outer wall and floor. The frame, in addition, must be attached to the load-bearing walls.
Pro tip! In bathrooms with small areas, it is advisable to place a concrete bath between opposite wall surfaces so that the existing load-bearing walls become part of the bathing structure. Then you will need to build only one wall (external). This means you can save a lot of building materials and complete all construction activities as quickly as possible.
Concrete bath
You also have the opportunity to build a corner bath taking into account the specified principle. In this case, the corner of the bathroom will serve as the internal walls of the font. And the last wall is made in the shape of a semicircle or at an oblique angle from wooden formwork. Everything is simple and reasonable.
Then we proceed to the construction of formwork from boards. You will need OSB sheets or flat bars (with their help you will form the walls of the concrete font), wooden panels, the already mentioned metal reinforcing rods and special wire (mounting wire) to create a solid frame.
Using all these materials you create the skeleton of the structure. It should be strong and without cracks. It is important. Through the cracks, the concrete mixture will escape from the formwork, which will reduce the quality of the work performed. Additionally, you can lay the formwork (walls, bottom) with thick construction film. It will increase the level of tightness of the bathtub frame.
Bathtub shape made of wood
The shape of the bathtub usually matches the character of its owner. But in any case, such a font is a kind of interior decoration, and, therefore, should be located not in a corner, but in the central part of the room and on a special pedestal or stand.
You want to plunge your whole body into such a bath-boat and, closing your eyes, float, enjoying the pleasant warmth and bliss, leaving all your problems behind.
The most commonly used forms are:
- Rook or boat. It is these floating means that in the human mind personify the connection between water and wood. By the way, it was the shipwrights who were the authors of the first fonts made from wood. In modern Italy, popular wooden bathtubs are produced by a company that was previously involved in the construction of yachts. Models of this shape are considered difficult to manufacture and expensive.
- Barrel. There are common features that unite all “barrel” type models: their sides and bottom are tightened with copper and brass hoops. Each element of the product is carefully adjusted and additionally impregnated with special compounds: this ensures the tightness of the container. The shape of a barrel-shaped model can be not only round, but also oval or similar to a tub equipped with handles. In short, a variety of variations on the barrel theme are possible. This type of font can be considered the most common.
- Rectangular. A bowl like this is less common, but not because it is less convenient. On the contrary, a rectangular bathtub resembles a conventional cast iron or steel model. Especially if the design includes an internal curved insert that supports the bather’s back. It is for this reason that the rectangular bowl is in little demand. If a person decides to be original when choosing a piece of plumbing fixtures made of wood, he wants the shape of the product to be non-standard. Although in a small bathroom the rectangular shape of the font would look better than any other.
- Ofuro. This is the name of the traditional Japanese bathtub, which is most often made of oak, cedar or larch. The shape of ofuro is a cross between a barrel and a rectangular box. According to ancient traditions, it is made 1.4 m long, 1 meter wide and 81 cm deep. There is a special protrusion inside the structure, with which you can take a comfortable position for the body. After completing water procedures, the Japanese often use a dry barrel containing sawdust, herbs and evaporation of medicinal oils. But in this case we are talking not so much about hygiene, but about health procedures.
This is how you can take wellness treatments in an ofuro bath filled with sawdust. They say that it is not only very pleasant, but also useful
In addition to the original bowl, you can decorate your bathroom with a variety of accessories made from wood of the same species. With the help of such a simple technique, the integrity of the interior design of the room is ensured.
In general, a wooden bathtub looks great in the interior. Make sure of this by watching the video:
Finishing
The final step, at which all that remains is to choose the cladding material. The main criteria should be strength, durability and moisture resistance, which is very important for a bathroom. The mosaic, liquid acrylic and tiles listed above fit this description. All materials are equally good, but each is intended for cladding only a certain type of purchased. If it is difficult for you to decide on just one thing, then you can try a combined technique, in which the outer walls of the bathtub are decorated with tiles or mosaics, and the inner walls with acrylic.
To make it easier for you to decide on the type of bathtub, here is a brief description of each of them:
- Polyethylene: cheap, practical, but disposable;
- Concrete: durable, can be given any shape, resistant to high temperatures, but difficult to create;
- Brick: durable, does not allow heat to pass through, unusual, can be very large in size; with the right approach, such a bathtub will cost quite inexpensively, but requires more careful care than others, and is difficult to build.
Making a wooden font with your own hands
If you are already thinking about how to make a simple wooden bathtub with your own hands, we will tell you about some of the nuances and sequence of this difficult work.
The task is truly difficult, but for craftsmen who are fluent in special woodworking tools and are willing to take risks, nothing is impossible.
It’s difficult to say which is better: spend money and buy a bathtub made by a specialist, or spend time and effort and make a unique model yourself
We will choose beech as the material from which the bowl will be made. Our work does not require metal, except as a decorative finish, which we will talk about a little later. Nails fastening the elements of the product will successfully replace wooden dowels.
In addition, we will need a waterproof and waterproof adhesive and a reliable seam sealant. And at the end of all the work, the product will need to be coated with a special waterproof varnish. But the most important element of the bathroom has always been and remains high-quality wood.
Tools needed for work
All the tools we need in our work should be at hand. Therefore, they should be prepared in advance.
List of tools:
- milling machine;
- tape measure and marker;
- jigsaw;
- grinding tools;
- drill and a set of drills for it;
- hammer;
- glue, sealant, brushes and varnishes.
When all the tools are assembled and the material is ready for use, you can begin the process itself. First you need to measure the place where you plan to install the future bathtub and make a working drawing of the structure.
Of course, you should prepare all the necessary tools for work and be sure to make working drawings: without them it is impossible to cut the material into parts
pros
Contrary to popular belief that wood is incompatible with water, wooden baths go very well with water treatments.
Some wood is even specially soaked before being used to make any item. Thanks to this method, the material becomes stronger and more reliable, but its price increases significantly. In a wooden bath you can relax with special chic, since the natural fumes emanating from wood have a positive and healing effect on the human body.
Plumbing fixtures made from wood are more environmentally friendly and will last for many years. It is important to properly care for it, otherwise its longevity can be significantly reduced. For example, it is worth soaking it from time to time so that the wood does not dry out.
A fairly important factor when choosing your sanitary ware is the external aesthetics of the wood species used in its manufacture, as this pleases the eye and increases the relaxing effect.
