Tips on Building Commercial Steam Room Barriers

Installing a home or commercial steam room is one of the best ways to create a relaxing, soothing and invigorating environment, but it is important to construct the steam room properly. An improperly built steam bath can create moisture problems and invite the growth of mold and mildew. To avoid these problems, it is important to construct a quality steam room barrier. Does this Spark an idea?

Water Vapor

The purpose of the steam room barrier is to prevent the large amounts of water vapor the bath generates from getting into the surrounding walls. A steam bath produces a vast amount of this vapor, and if an adequate barrier is not in place the resulting moisture can create mold and mildew problems.

One-piece Barrier

Install a one-piece barrier in your steam bath. Purchase a piece of laminated polyethylene. This specialty material is not available at home improvement centers -- instead you will need to seek out a company that specializes in concrete supplies. Make sure the piece of polyethylene you purchase is large enough to cover the entire surface without any gaps.

A Two-person Job

While it may be tempting to try to install the vapor barrier on your own, installing the barrier is a two-person endeavor. One person will need to hold the vapor barrier tightly in place against the ceiling while the other person nail it in place. When nailing the polyurethane into place, be sure the piece is centered properly -- the goal is to drape the material around the entire surface of the bath. If adhesives are used to hold the barrier in place, always use thin set mortar instead of organic adhesives. Thin set mortar will last much longer than other adhesives.