Glass doors for bathhouses

The bathhouse contains its own specific microclimate, which not all materials can withstand. When it comes to doors, there is nothing else to choose from but wood and glass. In Russia people prefer the traditional wooden products and Finns often install models made of glass in their saunas. We will talk about glass doors in our article. We will tell you about their features, pros and cons, varieties and methods of installation.

Today in the design of all kinds of baths (Russian, Finnish, Hamam) you can find glass doors, they are increasingly coming to taste our compatriots, although not every bath is ideal. Of course, glass is not installed in the mini-bath, chipped hastily at the cottage. They are needed where owners of private homes are trying to make their sauna unusual, creative, something to highlight its style.

Not every glass is suitable for installation in the bath. You need a material that is resistant to high temperatures, safe when broken and as strong as possible. Manufacturers achieve these properties, manufacturing products by special technology.

The result is a strong and reliable product. And if it does break, it crumbles into crumbs, giving no dangerous sharp splinters. Glass can withstand temperatures several times higher than the permissible bathing values. The glass door has other positive qualities.

• It visually expands the boundaries, and even a small room looks more spacious and bright.
• Thick tempered glass is strong enough and reliable.
• The door can be used indefinitely, the service life is difficult to determine.
• Mold and bacteria do not develop on it.
• A glass door does not swell, dry out, rot or warp as it can happen to a wooden product.
• Easily withstands high temperatures and humidity.
• Doors are fireproof and can be installed near stoves.
• At high temperatures, the glass does not emit toxic substances, which often happens with particleboard.
• Such a door looks exquisite and modern, can be part of a good design of the bath.

The door made of glass has its own disadvantages, which you should be aware of before deciding to install.

• High thermal conductivity. Glass heats up a lot and in the conditions of the sauna, it is difficult to touch it.
• A door that does not have thermal insulation leads to heat loss.
• Fused glass is afraid of strong pitting.
• The large weight of the product (up to 30 kg) complicates its transportation and installation.
• Glass requires frequent maintenance.
• Such a door is poorly adapted to the conditions of the Russian bath.

Speaking about the features of glass doors, it is worth dwelling on the degree of their functionality for different types of baths. This is important because glass does not always have to experience the same impact of the external environment.

• In a Turkish bath (hammam) provides high humidity (up to 100%), air temperature varies between 40-50 degrees Celsius.
• In the Finnish bath humidity is low, about 5-10%, and the temperature in the room is high - 90-110 degrees.
• In a Russian bath high humidity - 30-65%, temperatures below the Finnish - 45-90 degrees.

The glass door can easily withstand the high temperature of the Finnish sauna up to 110 degrees and the absolute humidity of the hamam, but that's not the point. It is important to understand how much a glass door can help maintain the right microclimate in each type of sauna.

Indoors install doors made of tempered glass with a thickness of at least 8 mm, they perfectly tolerate the regime of saunas with high temperatures and low humidity. Low humidity contributes to the fact that the door does not fog, it does not gather condensation and trickles down, forming a puddle at the entrance. Glass is good for this type of bath.

Because of the high humidity, the glass is constantly misting, a puddle is formed under the door. But this is not the only disadvantage of models of this kind. Since their production is established specifically for saunas, when installing the product in the steam room found a gap of several centimeters between the floor and the door, through which the precious heat escapes. Such unregulated convection is absolutely unnecessary for a Russian sauna. For saunas, however, which need a strong air exchange of heat, a gap at the floor is necessary.

In addition to traditional wooden doors, glass or combined products (glass and wood in the composition) are installed in modern baths. They differ from each other in design, the material of the frame, the way of opening.

The box under the glass doors, designed for the bath, can be made of wood or aluminum, there are no other options. Thermo-wood is used, resistant to humid conditions and high temperatures. It can be installed before and after finishing work. As for the metal product, its installation should be carried out only before facing the walls.

In most cases, use swing doors that open outward from the steam room, this method allows you to save more heat. In saunas, because of their need for constant convection, it is better to use swing models that open inward and outward. There are other types of glass doors - sliding, roller doors, which also find their consumer.

Glass doors bring an element of elegance to the bathing environment, fill it with air and light. Doors can be not only transparent, often used frosted options, mirrors, with ethnic patterns, tinted pattern. Sometimes they do not make the whole model glass, but only a fragment, but it is the fragment that turns an ordinary door leaf into a spectacular product.

Frosted glass adds mystery, through it you can not see the whole person, but only the silhouette. A special privacy is created by bronze in the shade of the milk leaf. As for the transparent glass, they come in completely smooth and solid, mounted on the entire door leaf. But sometimes they are produced with corrugation or introduce colorful inclusions. Doors with photoprinting on glass are very special. Using 3D-images, designers achieve a realistic presentation of the picture. You can see the door to the underwater world or a forest thicket. Expensive models are made according to personal sketches. For some designs, glass doors are decorated with stones and rhinestones.

Doors in the bath are tried to make not too large, in order to keep the heat in the room. Each manufacturer has its own size scale. The difference in parameters is 10 cm, for example, the width of the models increases consistently - 600 mm, 700 mm, 800 mm. When choosing a door, you should pay attention to the numbers in the catalog, they can mean the dimensions of the door leaf or the whole structure together with the frame, inserted into the opening.

The glass canvas and the complex microclimate of the bath require special characteristics from the accessories and fittings. All door elements should withstand high temperature, high humidity, not to overheat and not to change their original look for a long time. Hardware should be beautiful, practical, reliable and comfortable. Let's dwell on each door element in more detail.

The high temperatures of the sauna do not allow you to take advantage of the wide range of door handles provided by manufacturers. Many of them overheat, suffer from humidity or are simply incompatible with glass. The best choice would be wooden models made of solid linden, apple, alder and other hardwoods, which do not emit resin when heated.

Glass door with a thickness of 8 mm can weigh from 20 to 30 kg. For such a leaf use reliable strong hinges, and it is better if there will be more than two. Hinges are made of durable metal alloys with anti-corrosive properties. For glass products are well suited hinges made in Finland, they guarantee a long life and exclude sagging.

For glass doors use latches in two versions - ball (roller) and magnetic. The roller model is endowed with a regulating mechanism, through which you can choose the position responsible for a certain force used in the opening.

Install the glass door in the bath with your own hands is not so difficult, for this you need to carefully read the accompanying instructions. Installation and adjustment of the leaf should be made with a partner, because the product has a large weight. The door can be positioned correctly as followshe door can be positioned correctly in the following way.

• First measure the parameters of the door together with the frame with a construction tape. Measurements must be made accurately, quality installation will depend on the heat retention in the steam room. To the result add 15 cm, which are needed to install the guiding structures.
• Once you understand the size of the door, on both sides of the opening make a markings in the form of horizontal lines, the clarity of which is checked with a level. At this stage, you can try on the door leaf, and correct any inaccuracies. Keep in mind that between the floor and the door should remain a gap of 3-5 mm.
• Glass products, unlike wooden ones, need 2 guides. At the bottom of the door is installed roller, it improves the stability of the leaf.
• Mounting the rails is carried out along a clear horizontal line, they are attached to the wooden base with self-tapping screws. If you have to attach to the brick or concrete, use dowels.
• In the next step, bolts are used to assemble the carriages, and then they must be inserted into the rails as assembled. For a more secure attachment of the glass, brackets are used, their number corresponds to the number of rollers.
• To install the door leaf in the upper carriage, it is brought into the prepared slots and secured with bolts. Here it is necessary to adjust the glass position.
• For pressing the glass leaf, a paranite seal of medium hardness is used.
• When all the fasteners are in place, the product is adjusted with a construction level and a plumb line.
• Finish the installation of the door by installing the fittings and decorative elements, if any.

It is not always the case that the door to the steam room serves only to retain heat; some glass models have an aesthetic function. Their exquisite appearance and artistic design noticeably improve the ambience of the sauna rooms. This can be seen in the examples of a selection of photos that we have prepared for you.

• Frosted glass with a beautiful pattern inlaid with rhinestones

• The glass wall and door in a small sauna visually make it more spacious.

• The delicate patterns are made in virtually the same color.

• A colored image of a vine adorns the glass surface of the door.

• Photo-printing on glass can connect the door with any design, the main thing is to choose the right theme.

• 3D printing takes the eye to the vastness, far from bath realities.

• A bathhouse with a "king's gate."

• A beautiful stained glass window with a maritime theme.

• Bronze toning.

In the next video, you will see the installation of a glass door in the bathhouse.