Hi Guys,
I’m working on a sauna project where I first need to build a build a floor that slopes toward a drain in the middle of the floor. I plan to use a dry-mix mortar (deck mud) to create the sloping bed over the existing flat concrete floor (basement), and I plan to tile over that. The tile will extent about 6 inches up the wall (as a baseboard) as well. The walls will be constructed of T&G vertical laid cedar, and this (along with the vapor barrier) will overlap the tile baseboard to shed the water properly.
Not a lot of water is used in the sauna, mainly a bucket or two gets splashed around in the process. However, I was wondering if I need to install a pvc membrane between two mortar bases, as in a traditional mortar based shower pan installation. Right now, I am thinking this would be overkill for this type of application, and if its not needed, why go through the extra effort and expense. On the other hand, I would hate to be pulling up tile and installing a membrane to solve a leaky drain a year from now. Not that it matters much, but this is a sauna in my own home.
Any comments from the experts who do this every day would be greatly appreciated….
Dave
Replies
You may end up splashing more than you expect, just rinsing off (unless your installing a separate shower, or have a handy lake to dive into). Also a water tight floor always makes cleaning easier.
Consider installing an air gap between the vapor barrier and your interior wall.
Here's a site with some good info http://www.saunasite.com/
kestrel