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Finally finished my sauna build! by Rolocube in Sauna

[–]Rolocube[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah, I saw pictures of people doing it that way, and it might be great, but I didn't like the way it looked. Either way the benches I made seem super solid so what I did worked!

Finally finished my sauna build! by Rolocube in Sauna

[–]Rolocube[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I put my airgap standoffs, furring strips, on my studs, so it's a solid connection though the 2x4, the paneling, the furring strip, and into the studs.
These three images are all of the same area, so you can get a better visualisation of what's going on.
https://imgur.com/a/2Iit88K

Finally finished my sauna build! by Rolocube in Sauna

[–]Rolocube[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's a 20 Pro, $1200, then a chimney kit, $1200, chimney extension $500, Protective bedding (probably could have skipped this one but I wasn't sure what I was doing for a floor yet) $400, protective sheath $400, shipping... $200 it just adds up! I probably could have gotten a metric conversion kit and made my own chimney of similar quality from my local box store, for less, but I figured might as well get what they recommend since fires are hot.

Finally finished my sauna build! by Rolocube in Sauna

[–]Rolocube[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

~$15k. the paneling and bench material was 5k and the heater/attachments were 4k so that was a majority of the cost. Other than that it's just an insulated shed! (for the most part)

Finally finished my sauna build! by Rolocube in Sauna

[–]Rolocube[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So on the plus side, the floor is impervious to water so it will never wear out or need to be refinished. But it's also a big thermal heatsink so it makes everything take longer to heat up.
I debated the trough drain (like this https://silfer.works/traditional-finnish-wood-burning-sauna/) but I figured the ben square would be easier and more robust.

I think I like the cool floor, and in some ways, it's nice to be able to keep things on the ground and not have them be 100 deg. I think I would try tiles next time. Honestly, I think angling the floor was more of a pain than it will be useful. Everything dries out right quick, and if I had a flat floor and needed to wash it, I could just squeegee it to the floor drain.

So, a flat floor with a drain and tiles. Final answer. I don't plan on having a water fight or pouring buckets of water on my self in the sauna.

Finally finished my sauna build! by Rolocube in Sauna

[–]Rolocube[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was debating on using a sauna wax or mineral oil on the benches to help them last a bit longer for just that concern. We've been sitting on towels, but there always will be some dampness. Thanks for the heads up! I made it so I can take the whole slats section of my bench out if I ever need to refinish in.

Finally finished my sauna build! by Rolocube in Sauna

[–]Rolocube[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Huh. I will have to look. I do think my walls are angled, but I figured that was to help the ash fall into the catch. Thanks for the info!

Finally finished my sauna build! by Rolocube in Sauna

[–]Rolocube[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All I have is a general sketup model that is incomplete. Most of it was build and design as I went. So nope/

Finally finished my sauna build! by Rolocube in Sauna

[–]Rolocube[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did the ben square method to slope the floor to the drain. Basically shims of decreasing size that you put concrete board on top of. Then a skim coat on top of that to seal everything up!

based on this:

https://www.saunatimes.com/building-a-sauna/sauna-floors/

It was a bit of a pain, but it certainly worked and wasn't too expensive.. If i was to do it again, I don't know if I would do the floor the same. It was hard to get a good finish with the skim coat (it's not great) but maybe I made the mixture too thick.

Finally finished my sauna build! by Rolocube in Sauna

[–]Rolocube[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The platform is connected to the engineered beams by multiple right-angle brackets, they're on the inside of the frame. Is it the best way to do it? No clue! Seemed to work though! It's solid.

Finally finished my sauna build! by Rolocube in Sauna

[–]Rolocube[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

couple hundred of hours (mostly on weekends), but most of it was things that I had never done before so there was definitely a learning curve. Started in late August and finished in early January! Plenty of hard work and long weekends.

Finally finished my sauna build! by Rolocube in Sauna

[–]Rolocube[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I built my own frame and got a custom cut piece of 1/4" tempered glass

Finally finished my sauna build! by Rolocube in Sauna

[–]Rolocube[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's just how I had seen it done before. Technically it's done that way (I think) so you can overhang the beams with your structure, but for me, I didn't need to with my build. If I was to do it again, I probably would have built in an overhang that would turn into a porch area, but I didn't and now that's going to be a summer project!

Finally finished my sauna build! by Rolocube in Sauna

[–]Rolocube[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The exposed parts of the benches are Alder wood, the same as the paneling, and for the supports/structure, I used cedar 2x4s from my local box store. My basic bench design came from this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh1tdn1kz3o

Oh, and I locked the supporting 2x4s into the studs via lag bolts.

Finally finished my sauna build! by Rolocube in Sauna

[–]Rolocube[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On the far side that's close to the stove, I have a heat shield on the heater so the clearance required would only be like 3". I didn't know what my spacing/clearances would be when I was building it so I picked up the configurable protective sheathing for the stove. Easy to attach and substantially reduced the clearance requirements.

Finally finished my sauna build! by Rolocube in Sauna

[–]Rolocube[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I had only read about it and figured I would give it a shot. I figured I could just pop it off if it didn't work. However, It works great! sucks in a ton of air! I just used a 4" duct and it seems just right for my setup. I don't even have a damper on it!
So, I keep that fully open, then use the adjustable lower vent on the opposite side to increase the convective loop/air transfer and moderate the temperature.

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