Sauna flooring: Which floor is suitable for your sauna?
How to find the right sauna floor! So sauna newcomers should always include the suitable floor covering of a sauna cabin in the detailed planning right from the start. If the floor was thought of too late or even forgotten altogether, an optimal selection is then either not possible at all or only possible to a very limited extent. It is therefore usually not very helpful to think about the sauna floor only after the sauna cabin has already been built. The sauna floor should therefore always be included in the first steps of planning a sauna.
Requirements for the floor covering in a sauna cabin
Of course, there is not one single sauna floor, but quite different options. This applies in particular to the choice of material, with its advantages but also disadvantages, which must also be taken into account in the process. After all, once the floor has been laid, subsequent changes are virtually impossible. The requirements for a floor covering in the sauna cabin are still often underestimated today.
First, it is important to ensure that the flooring is easy to clean. After all, what good is the most beautiful floor in the sauna if it is costly and difficult to clean after practically every sauna session? Because at this point at the latest, a visit to the sauna cabin would no longer serve your own relaxation, but would cause additional work.
Sauna floor covering must be hard-wearing and durable
Sooner or later, the floor covering will be affected by dirt and contamination. Infusion agents can get on all parts of the flooring, as can cleaning substances or even sweat, for example. Even invisible corners in a sauna cabin are often affected by contamination.
Sauna floors are therefore subject to a great deal of wear and tear and for this reason alone should be subjected to regular hygienic cleaning. The floor covering should have special material properties that make it largely insensitive to cleaning agents. Although this is a cost factor, it pays off over the long service life of a sauna.
In the area of the sauna heater, the floor condition is of particular importance
Of course, any floor covering in a sauna cabin must be water-compatible, because sweat or water splashes or even water mist can never be completely avoided. Some areas of the floor are exposed to special influences and stresses, such as the location of the sauna heater and its immediate surroundings. There, the floor will come into contact with water over a large area practically every time the sauna is used or during every infusion.
Another very important material property is heat resistance, even in the long term. If this point is neglected, even a newly laid floor often has to be replaced after a short time because of denting. Normally, it is not as hot in the floor zone of a dry sauna as it is on the ceiling, because the hot sauna air rises to the top. From time to time, small splinters can chip off from heated sauna stones, which are then very hot and can land directly on the sauna floor.
Therefore, if the sauna floor is made of wood, the floor area of the sauna heater should be made of a material that is as fire-resistant as possible, otherwise small burn marks cannot be prevented. If, due to faulty or late planning, there is still a wooden floor under the sauna heater, it should at least be fireproofed afterward.
Sauna floors made of natural or artificial material
Every floor covering in a sauna cabin should also be visually appealing, of course. Because otherwise, an important feel-good factor is simply not present. Also, important is the slip resistance of the flooring, if only to prevent accidents due to slipping. However, it must also not be too rough, because otherwise such a floor covering can no longer be cleaned so well. On the floor in the sauna room, guests move barefoot, so it is also quite crucial that every step feels nice and warm.
So if the plan is to lay stone or tile as flooring, underfloor heating would be ideal as an additional investment. Natural materials such as stone or wood, for example, always feel different to the soles of your feet than PVC or other plastics. In addition to wood and stone, tiles, natural cork, coated plastic or stone carpets are also popular alternatives for finishing sauna floors.
Even with natural materials, perfect slip resistance should be ensured
However, if you want to use wood in the floor area of your sauna, you should not use wood under the sauna heater, but rather fireproof material if possible. A stone sauna floor is aesthetically pleasing, can also be made non-slip, but will always feel a little cold to the feet if underfloor heating has not been installed separately.
Marble floors are not so suitable, because experience has shown that this type of stone is difficult to clean and tends to absorb water and dirt. If you decide to use tiles as flooring, you should pay attention to the so-called R9 rating group for natural stone tiles in terms of good slip resistance. Underfloor heating can also help to keep feet nice and warm. Cork floors in the sauna area are also increasingly in demand, this material has a very warm and pleasant effect and is also naturally slip-resistant.
However, some people find cork too soft. Cork flooring also has special requirements when it comes to cleaning, as it must never be cleaned too damp so as not to become completely soaked. With cork flooring, it is also advisable to additionally heat the sauna cabin a little so that it can dry completely.
Who knows the alternatives, finds without detours to the suitable sauna floor covering
Floors coated with epoxy resin, for example, do not let any water through at all. Such floors are very easy to clean, but they are often very slippery. Even if flakes are sprinkled into the resin, the floor still usually remains slippery when combined with water. There are no limits to the look of PVC as a sauna floor covering. However, not everyone likes the feel of this inexpensive material, which also needs to be replaced more often if it does not last too long.
Stone carpets as sauna flooring are a new trend, but wiping the floor is not easy due to the rough surface, especially if coarse grains are used. So, to sum up, sauna floor design is very individual and personal preferences play a big role in choosing between the numerous alternatives.
