Sauna Build | Ep. 3 | DIY Sauna Build - Floor, door and more

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Installing a sloped floor using cement board on sleepers and vinyl patch Skimmed over the surface. Installing a black window in the change room and an outswing door to the outside. Building an off grid sauna by the lake can get really hot. We spent a lot of time alternating between building and swimming (or wakeskating behind a seadoo spark). Things are starting to take shape!
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[@mw6338]

You did such a FINE job here! Great edit and awesome project. Also great attention to detail, this is a quality build by my standards anyways.

[@juliep6625]

Dreaming of building my own sauna and your sequence is the best one I’ve seen yet, thanks for all the detail…and, that by episode, 3 you’ve got the right pronunciation! 🎉😊

[@JonathanKuhn]

Thanks! I hope you get to build one! I’ve known how to pronounce it all along but it took me a few videos to be “myself” I think 😅

[@sergiyrudenko905]

I'm building a slop floor using the Jonathan method 😊, do you have any guidance on how to install a drain? I don't have any clue how to do it 😢

[@JonathanKuhn]

😀. I was uncertain about this too. I ended up getting the kind of floor drain you would simple 2x3 floor drain and glued in into place. I then ran the sim coat to the edge of the drain.

[@pigetstuck]

love it! did you consider an "open" floor?

[@JonathanKuhn]

I did briefly. I think an open floor is an interesting idea but between bugs in the summer and moisture from the ground in the winter here I chose this route.

[@robcole8710]

I’m building an outdoor sauna in Montreal and have greatly benefited from your video series. I’m doing my ben squares now, have the squares laid, concrete poured between the sleepers and about to lay the Durarock. Wondering what cement you used to skim coat the Durarock and how it has held up?

[@JonathanKuhn]

That’s great to hear! I used Quickcrete vinyl patch for the skim coat and it has shown a couple tiny cracks. I’m pretty sure this is due to not cutting reliefs along my durarock where required from the drain to the corners so I kind of flexed the durarock.

[@robcole8710]

Awesome, thanks. I’ll have a look for that at the hardware store. Also, re: the Durarock. I was wondering whether I needed to score it to follow the diagonal line at the corners of the sleepers so it would follow the slope or whether, once screwed into the sleepers, the Durarock will flex enough to follow that slope?

[@JonathanKuhn]

@robcole8710 absolutely score the diagonals. That’s is something I did not do and regret it. Durarock isn’t meant to flex really.

[@robcole8710]

Awesome, thanks for that piece of advice. Always hard to be the pioneer on a project like this, learning as you go. I really appreciate all the useful info you share in this series. It’s helped me a lot.

[@tychonius]

So good! I want a sauna. Do you take requests?

[@JonathanKuhn]

Enter now to win a 1:100 scale version of this sauna. Read: a a monopoly house painted black.

[@wouldworkr]

Love the build! taking some inspiration got a question though what type of concrete mix did you use for under the durarock? as well as the skim coat?

[@JonathanKuhn]

If I recall correctly the concrete mix was a cement and sand mix under the durarock. The skim coat is a quickcrete vinyl patch product.

[@wouldworkr]

@@JonathanKuhn Appreciate the response :) I will give that a go, have you had any issues with it yet?

[@JonathanKuhn]

I have seen some tiny hairline cracks in the top coat. I may seal it down the road but it hasn’t posed any issues yet. I stack it up to the lack proper foundation and the frost heave around here

[@jtc4033]

Quick question on the floor drain. Before you put the cement board down the drain was installed into the floor in the video. Then when you had the cement board installed it looked like either there was a second flange or you had moved the original one installed in the wood floor and placed it on top of the cement board. Im just wondering exactly which way you went about installing it as I dont want water getting under the drain flange. Thank you!

[@JonathanKuhn]

I think before shot was just me dry fitting the drain. I packed the drain in with skim coat and caulked up to the edge of it. I’m not sure if this is the correct way to do it but water seems to be running into the drain 🤷‍♂️

[@BasementProductions4]

Did you use a standard shower drain fitting and mount it from below the floor?

[@JonathanKuhn]

That would probably be the right way to do it but I just used a drain meant to be put in a concrete basement floor and glued it down.

[@BloominOnion1]

thinking of doing an indoor (unfinished) basement sauna. Not convinced about raising the floor to put a drain in. Some people say it's not a big deal, it would be a lot of extra work.....what's your 2 cents?

[@JonathanKuhn]

We dump lots of water in our sauna for bathing etc so a drain is necessary. Since it’s in your home you might not be bathing in the sauna so a drain isn’t needed. If you are going with an electric stove you might have power vents anyways so you could dry out the room after with those or keep the door open. If you dump too much water on the stove and it runs down you can just sop it up after with a towel or sponge probably.

[@BloominOnion1]

@@JonathanKuhn awesome man. appreciate the input. was getting lots of conflicting advice but you've helped me make the decision.

[@JonathanKuhn]

Conflicting advice is the name of the game it seems with sauna building. I’m no pro and I made some wrong choices probably. In the end most of your choices will probably be good and the bad ones you live with or fix. 👍

[@marshall5]

How has the floor held up?! I've been holding back on using the saunatimes guy's vinyl patch method for a while because I'm worries about waterproofing, probably installing this week!

[@JonathanKuhn]

TBH we are still at the paneling stage so no water tests yet. It feels rock solid though 😀. I do wish I had framed a double bottom plate to act as a water barrier with the raised floor. I ended up blocking between studs and ripping an angled piece I caulked to the floor to deter splashed water from going into the wall.

[@marshall5]

@@JonathanKuhn Good to know, thanks! There is going to be a shower in my sauna room so waterproofing is extra important. I'm actually planning to come part way up the wall with the cement board and vinyl patch for the parts of the wall that are covered by benches. I just cleared out the sauna and will lay cement board today. I'll keep an eye out for an update video from you if youre making one. Good luck!

[@thisisnotimportant]

@@marshall5 How did you sauna / shower floor turn out? I’m planning to do the same and am also worried about the water proofing and water draining. It seems like this Sauna times method might be fine for a sauna with little water but I’m worried a shower me too much and not drain properly. Also water material can be in the high heat are racking my brain. I’m read that normal plastic water barriers could melt in a sauna but are needed in a shower. How did yours turn out? Thanks!

[@marshall5]

@@thisisnotimportant My bottom line opinion is that the concrete patch method is not a waterPROOFing solution. It may be reasonable depending on budget and application, but if you are building a sauna that you want to last and keep dry when not in use, (even to look good) something more is required imo. I ended up doing the vinyl patch method, it worked reasonably well and drained adequately but retained moisture just like a wet sidewalk does. This means time spent baking the sauna after use or risking the possibility of water seeping through to the underlayment. Albeit, I did do some testing and found that even with standing water for over an hour, water did not penetrate to the bottom of the test cement board (which it did without the vinyl patch) but I never got the impression that I could trust my investment of time, effort and funds on this method working long term. This concern was exacerbated when my final install had the concrete patch cracking on every cement board seam (despite recommended installation) within weeks. My solution after consulting a manufacturer was to install a polyaspartic coating over the vinyl patch. It's basically an epoxy-type material that is used as a sealer/ waterproofer for concrete floor, often in garages and industrial settings. It was not the most user friendly thing to install but it worked out great and is a completely waterproof, flood the room level solution. Again, I have a shower in there (which is glorious btw and now something I consider essential, not necessarily inside the sauna but as part of the sauna system if you will) so it is especially important to manage water and polyaspartic definitely works in every way I need it to. There are also unexpected benefits of faster drying time, better drainage, peace of mind (and the subsequent ability to use the sauna more freely, throwing water around as desired and using the shower liberally) among some other smaller things. In closing, the vinyl patch would in my opinion be appropriate if you are ok with a, lets say 90% waterproof solution (i used a lot more vinyl patch than anticipated btw. 3 bags I think for 100sqft).

[@marshall5]

@@thisisnotimportant I'd also say, after my experience in my sauna, the floor does not get hot at all. So I'd not be concerned if you want a quick and dirty waterproofer on the floor like plastic vapor barrier or whatever, I would just keep odours in mind. I almost slapped some old vinyl pool liner on the floor and call it a day but it smelled like... vinyl

[@clutchbeyers]

Has your cement floor cracked at all with the sauna use?

[@JonathanKuhn]

Hi. I did notice some tiny cracks yes. I stacked this up to either 1. Not cutting the cement board to match the slope or 2. The building heaving and settling as it’s floating on the ground.

[@jackktorness]

hows the floor holding up for you? did the skim coat cure nicely?

[@jackktorness]

I hesitate to do the screwing down of the durarock with the skim coat over top of screws, cause it seems really hard to take out if you ever had to

[@JonathanKuhn]

Floor is holding up really well! There are a couple hairline cracks but that could be due to the frost heave and my building sitting on the ground or because I didn’t cut the durarock diagonally to slope to the drain. It’s very solid with no sponginess though.

[@jackktorness]

Did u skim coat over that edge guard material and did it stick fine? Or were u able to get it off

[@trentk5743]

Is there any need to use a liner under the concrete floors? Seems a ton of conflicting info on this.

[@JonathanKuhn]

I don’t actually know. I don’t see a reading for it since the wood on the floor doesn’t get wet and neither does the concrete touching the wood but there is a reason you put plastic down between studs on concrete so maybe I’m wrong.

[@trentk5743]

Yeah you are on the exact same page as me on this. It seems excessive, but it might be a good idea? Then again you are drilling holes into the duraroc that would punch holes in it anyways.... So does it really matter at that point... haha Im thinking of doing a liner, then running it a few inches up the wall under the wall boards to the bottom.

[@exxpoo00]

hello, please tell what are the dimensions inside the sauna room? great job

[@JonathanKuhn]

The sauna room as 6’ by 7’ with all the finished walls etc

[@exxpoo00]

​@@JonathanKuhnthanks for your reply. I have 6,7 by 7,2 and i was worry that is too small but your is nice.

[@WestonHill-ge6fs]

what did you do for the drain. does it go straight through the floor?

[@JonathanKuhn]

The drain goes straight through the floor for now. I will be running it into a leaching pit in the spring

[@paulakwan7816]

Can you record and share how you build that leeching pit? 👌🏼

[@JonathanKuhn]

Ah sorry I didn’t record any of it. There are some great diagrams online on how to dig one. The rules on what you can do may very depending on your location.

[@Isolerglass]

did you use tempered glass?

[@JonathanKuhn]

Yeah I used double pane 1/4 inch tempered glass.

[@Isolerglass]

@@JonathanKuhn Thank you! Nice build.