Sauna doors

Recommendation points

• Steam room door requirements
• Sauna wooden doors
• Sauna glass doors
• Protection and passive safety measures in glass doors

In this article, we will tell you about what kind of doors are for saunas, baths, steam rooms, hamams and other types of thermal cabins. You will find out from what materials such doors are made. The article contains recommendations for installation, as well as prices for bath doors from some manufacturers.

The invariable attributes of the steam room: a stove, benches, shelves and natural finishes sometimes take away so much of the developer’s attention that a minimum of time and money is spent on choosing the right door. However, it is the door that is the most frequently used element of the steam room..

The sauna door is used in difficult conditions – it is exposed to high temperature, steam and moisture on one side, and a constant temperature drop on the other. There are two materials used in the manufacture of sauna doors that can withstand aggressive high temperatures combined with high humidity – wood and glass..

Steam room door requirements

There is a basic set of signs of compliance, “fulfilling” which, the door can claim a place in the steam room. Consider how tempered glass 8-12 mm thick and wood cope with this.

Fire safety and heat resistance

High-strength glass grades are called hardened – they can withstand temperatures up to 800 ° C and do not heat up much. For example, 12 mm glass heated to 80 ° C on one side will have a temperature of 40 ° C on the opposite side. The tree loses in this regard because of its flammability, but heats up less.

Resistance to warpage and dimensional deformation

Glass does not absorb moisture and does not chemically react with household fluids. This means that it cannot change the structure under normal conditions (a very high temperature is needed – more than 1000 ° C). Linden and cedar wood is used for indoor products and doors, and the frames are made of larch, oak or alder.

Wear resistance

The good thing about wood is that it can be easily and inexpensively replaced or simply sanded by renewing the surface. Glass door can serve indefinitely.

No fumes

Some varieties of wood – linden, fir, spruce, aspen – release substances useful to humans when heated. Glass is a product of heat treatment of quartz and quartz sand. Like other materials of a similar origin (mineral wool, expanded clay, cinder block), it does not contain or emit chemicals – everything that could burn was burned in furnaces and smelters.

Aesthetic appearance and ease of cleaning

There are many options for glass finishing. The simplest and most common way to decorate a door leaf is chemical matting. This coating does not leave fingerprints and streaks. The glass is cleaned with any alcohol-based cleaning liquid (price from 1 to 15 USD per 1 liter). The variety of possibilities of wood is truly limitless – from the usual herringbone pattern made of knocked down slats to volumetric panels on door canvases and cashing.

Operational safety

Special attention should be paid to grinding and processing of a wooden bath door. Smooth glass with stripped edges or soft caps meets the most stringent safety standards.

Sauna wooden doors

Externally, a wooden bath door is not much different from an ordinary interior door, but there is a difference – it is not only in materials, but also in the design of the canvas.

Differences between wooden sauna doors and other types of wooden doors:

1. Frame construction. The most successful option is a frame made of solid, resistant species – oak, aspen, larch – fixed “in a thorn” (“furniture” method) on non-toxic wood glue and dowels.
2. Cavity filler. The cells formed by the frame in the interior doors are filled with honeycomb material – cardboard or fiberboard. It is best to fill the bath door with non-flammable and non-toxic basalt wool.
3. Frame sheathing. To do this, use breeds that are useful for human breathing, emitting coniferous resin in minimal quantities – linden, fir or aspen. As wear and tear occurs, the lining can be replaced without breaking the frame and without even removing the door from the hinges.
4. Vapor barrier. The film is stretched under the lining of the inner part of the door. It traps hot steam and protects the body of the canvas and insulation from moisture and temperature.

A wooden door can have a glass insert of different sizes – this has a positive effect on safety and gives a wooden door some of the properties of a glass (see below).

Sauna glass doors

There is a myth that glass doors are dangerous because if accidentally pressed (if a person slipped), the canvas breaks and injures. Tempered glass is not only durable in itself, but also flexible – this excludes the possibility of accidental and even deliberate destruction.

Tests of tempered glass on video

The standard elements that come with the kit have passive protection. The doors themselves are released right-handed, but they are considered mutual – fasteners and hinges are easily rearranged and the door becomes left-handed.

Protection and passive safety measures in glass doors

Roller latch (roller latch).Allows you to abandon the lever handle – the hand can slip off it, and “extra” mechanisms in a humid environment are useless. The design of the handle itself allows you to open the doors with a simple effort. This is important if a person becomes ill in a steam room..

Aluminum profile boxincreases the price up to + 50%, but at the same time has a number of advantages:

1. Has no “wooden” problems – warpage and wear.
2. In the profile, as a rule, there are grooves for filling in a special rubber or silicone seal. It has to be glued to wooden boxes and over time it can come off.
3. Has more accurate and stable dimensions.
4. In the case of a humid steam room of the hammam type, tightness and corrosion resistance are required. Glass sheet with aluminum box – ideal.

Glass transparencyis also a passive safety factor – you can control what is happening without opening the door. For example, quickly detect smoke, fire, loss of consciousness by a person or just a light that is not turned off.

The impressive set of advantages of tempered glass doors makes them literally the most popular solution for a steam room. It should also be noted that modern doors are high-tech products, they can be purchased either ready-made or made to order. Any home craftsman can handle the installation of a branded door.

Table. Sauna door prices

Brand	Manufacturer	Canvas / box	Size, mm	Price, cu e.
“STROYDVERI”	Russia	Wood / wood	1800×800	45
“KNOB”	Russia	Glass / wood	1900×700	150
Doorwood	Russia	Glass / wood	1950×600	160
SaunaMarket	China / Russia	Glass / wood	1900×700	165
SAWO 730-4SGD	Finland	Glass / wood	1900×700	185
Suovi	Russia / China	Glass / wood	2000×800	195
“Art Cedar”	Russia	Wood / wood	1800×800	200
Premio	Finland	Glass / wood	1870×700	225
Harvia STG 8×19	Finland	Glass / al. profile	1900×800	440
Harvia LEGEND 7×19	Finland	Glass / al. profile	1900×700	520

Of course, the easiest option is to glue the tongue-and-groove board, cut it off and install it in the opening. But it is not suitable for every interior, and the joiner’s glue will evaporate. Do not forget about the aesthetic pleasure of visiting the steam room – its design, convenience and appearance should be in harmony with each other. Therefore, glass or wooden doors are the best choice for a sauna or bath..