How To Prepare Your Bathroom For A Steam Room

Preparing the Room for Your Steam Shower

A steam shower is nothing like the ordinary shower. As produces a large amount of steam that is much more invasive to the environment than water, so one needs to make preparations for it more than you would for a shower. If you have some know how regarding steam shower installation, you know that it is much more than just setting up the steam generator and the enclosure. One of the most important parts of installation that is typically neglected is setting up the bathroom and its surrounding.

Moisture Management

This is very important because mold is something that you wouldn’t want to develop and will cause severe damage to our bathroom. The very presence of mold can cause a lot of complications that could worsen if not dealt with right away. Some examples of problems that could arise include allergic reactions, asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, infections and many more not to mention the very physical look of the bathroom. If you want to know more, the EPA has dedicated a section to discuss everything about mold. This is a good reference for anyone looking to install a steam shower or is curious about the subject and wants to know more on the effects of mold.

Going back to steam showers, vaporproofing technology is needed on the surfaces around the bathroom to minimize the moisture present. When browsing your local hardware store, be sure to ask for vaporproofing materials that have 0.5 or lower permeability rating and also inquire into the particular products proper fixture to the surface required in the bathroom.

Transoms and ventilation fans are also crucial to improving the airflow in the room. With these devices in place, the steam shower dries out quicker allowing no room for mold to grow as the steam will quickly be removed from the bathroom.

Tiles

The tiles are important not only for aesthetic purposes but also for safety and hygiene purposes. While tiles are crucial to making a bathroom theme work, you should also consider the material they are made of and their rating for slip and traction before buying.

Tiles can make or break the traction inside the steam shower and either be anything between amazing or super dangerous if proper thought is not given. That’s why you need to research carefully what types of tiles will work for you. Commonly, people choose large-format porcelain tiles that have a slip resistance rating of A or B.

As for the ceiling tiles, these need to be tipped at least two inches per foot so that water doesn’t drip on the users.

In relation to the moisture problem mentioned earlier, it is also worth noting that bigger tiles make for lesser moisture retention. This is because the surface will have fewer joints that moisture can penetrate.

Lastly, it is not advised by manufacturers to use tiles with a mesh backer on it. It is considered risky and is not advised for use on slippery surfaces.

Author Bio:

Article written by Andrew Ellis from www.steamshowerstore.co.uk expert in steam shower rooms and saunas and avid blogger and writter on the subject. You can see here some examples of home steam showers and saunas by following this link