How to line a metal stove with bricks in a bathhouse: correct lining of an iron boiler

In a classic Russian bath, the main source of heating was a wood stove. The heater was made of refractory bricks and clay and served for many years. In modern baths, a metal stove has become an alternative to a brick stove.

In both design options, brick lining is popular. If for a traditional heater this is done more for the purpose of decoration, then for metal ones it is about longer heat retention, fire safety and only then decoration.

Users also search for:

• Heat-resistant plaster for stoves
• What stones are suitable for a bath

Why cover with brick material?

Any work must be done thoughtfully, and before execution it is necessary to understand the reasons. The designs are easy to install, heat up quickly and are accessible to everyone due to their low price, but they have a lot of disadvantages.

In addition to the high heating rate, the surface is a source of infrared radiation, which is unpleasant for humans and burns the skin at a considerable distance.

Steel heaters dry out the air, which prevents the creation of the correct conditions in the bathhouse necessary for a comfortable procedure. When heating quickly, such a stove instantly gives off heat and has to be heated regularly, which increases the consumption of firewood and creates a lot of inconvenience.

Brickwork acts as a protective screen, allowing you to retain heat for a long time and rid you of infrared rays. Covering a sauna stove with bricks is inexpensive.

Types of masonry

If you decide to line a metal stove with bricks, then you should decide on a method that will serve as a guide for laying out the masonry in the bathhouse. Cladding a metal furnace with brick is often called creating a screen. There are several technologies for performing such work. Basically, two options are used: continuous masonry method and discharge cladding. But in any case, the distance from the screen to the oven should be 3-10 cm.

Continuous cladding

This type of masonry significantly reduces the thermal efficiency of the furnace. The design of the device is designed for faster heat transfer, and when creating the cladding, a significant obstacle appears in the path of warm air. The warm air has no choice but to go into the chimney. This option is used very rarely when the efficiency of the furnace is not of great importance. For example, if the stove is used only for decorative purposes. For such masonry, a foundation is required. To speed up the heating process with solid masonry, you can use a little trick - leave windows closed with special doors or bricks.

Facing in discharge

This is a more acceptable option for lining a furnace if quick heating of the room is required without loss of heat. Laying in discharge means that windows will be left in the wall of the screen. Their location is chosen arbitrarily; some manage to create beautiful drawings. In this case, the room will heat up very quickly, but the radiation will be very harsh.

Calculations for choosing a base

For the correct distribution of parameters, knowledge of the basic parameters is necessary:

• dimensions of the furnace and its weight;
• weight of stones in the heater;
• the mass of the container for heating the liquid and the volume of water (further calculations are based on the condition that a liter weighs 1 kilogram);
• the weight of the brick wall (depends on the type of stone, but standard fire brick = 4 kg).

When all the information is received, the specialist can easily carry out the necessary calculations. He will need to add up the weight of the stove, stones, brickwork, container and liquid. 20% is added to this amount to create an additional safety margin. It should be remembered that pressure is applied constantly, and if the boards do not meet the required characteristics, then sooner or later they will be pressed through.

If the resulting number does not exceed 600 kilograms, you can line a metal stove in a bathhouse with bricks without manipulating the foundation. For detailed calculations, you can use the information below.

When to start

The period of concrete strength development is 27 days. The thermal insulation layer is installed a week after pouring, when the foundation reaches 60% of the required value. You can load it on the 28th day. During this time, the base will gain the ability to withstand the load, its shrinkage will occur, which will eliminate distortion and cracking. Installation begins with putting the firebox in place.

Selection of lining material

Among the recommended types of bricks, the best are red ceramic or hollow fireclay. The latter is more expensive, but its use is mandatory if the gap between the walls of the firebox and the masonry is 2-4 cm, which will warm up to 400 C.

To use ceramic, you will need a gap of 7-10 cm. Then it will warm up to 200, which is not critical. Ventilation holes will solve the problem of overheating. This will reduce the cost of the design and speed up the heating of the bath when lighting. The ideal option is still fireclay, which was originally developed for elevated temperatures.

Solution manufacturing technology

Ready-made dry mixtures for stoves and fireplaces are sold. On the packaging there are recommendations for preparation (mixing with water). To prepare your own masonry mixture for lining, you need to purchase:

• refractory fireclay clay;
• construction sand (fineness modulus 1-1.2);
• cement without slag content (M500 D0).

Sand and clay are sifted and crushed stone and clay impurities are excluded. The proportion of aggregates is 1:1. The introduction of cement is optional, but desirable. 0.5 kg per 10-liter container of dry fireclay-sand mixture will be enough. After mixing the aggregates, add water. The volume is determined by the consistency of the finished solution (thick, plastic, does not stick to the trowel).

Calculation of dangerous load on floors (kg/m2)

To assess how much load your floor can support, the technician needs to know what kind of joists are used. In the table below you can see the capabilities of different types of joists to support weight in kilograms per square meter.

Construction on foundation

If a metal sauna stove lined with brick is not suitable for installation according to the table, then in this case it is necessary to make a foundation. This task is simplified if you have just started building a building with your own hands and you do not need to dismantle the stove and floors.

To build a foundation, a hole about half a meter deep is dug around the perimeter of the masonry and filled 3/5 with crushed stone or a mixture of gravel and sand. It must be taken into account that contact with the bathhouse foundation is unacceptable.

After laying the cushion, a cement screed and a layer of waterproofing are made, after which formwork is made, which is filled with concrete mortar. For such a product to harden properly, it must be regularly moistened with water to avoid cracks.

The next stage is the construction of brick pillars that serve as support. It is recommended to do the masonry using clay mortar. All work must be carried out taking into account the level, avoiding distortions.

When everything is ready, the metal product is installed and covered with brick.

Tiles

Tiles are a classic solution for finishing stoves. They have cheap production technology and very reliable installation. The external surface, finished with tiles, looks like high-quality, thick tiles.

This appearance will be achieved only if you use tiles without a pattern on the front surface. They do not produce a special decorative effect, since they do not differ much from the usual tiles. The only benefit is in the strength of the fastening, which is why other tiles with a three-dimensional pattern on the front side are more popular.

Tiles are laid in the same way as tiles, but require a significant thickness of the finishing layer. If a portal for a sauna stove is made from them, then part of the wall and floor is covered with tiles. They don’t have to be used on the floor if the stove foundation is raised above the floor by one or two brick rows.

If the tiles have holes for wire, then it must be used.

The diameter of the rods is selected according to the instructions. Larger diameter means higher strength, but the complexity of installation increases.

On average, tiles are the same thickness as one brick.

They can just as well be used to create the same protective layer.

Floor base

If the weight of your structure does not exceed the established standards, you can place the stand directly on the surface. If the bathhouse is many years old, the technician will still have to open the floor and inspect the joists and boards for damage. You also need to remember that the brick base also has its own weight and will put pressure on the floorboards.

If the wood is not suitable for the job or is not in perfect condition, it is not necessary to replace it. It is possible to reinforce them with a metal channel or additional wooden beam. It is worth considering the distance between the beams. If they are located more than a meter apart, the specialist will need to install additional ones so that the clearance between them is about 600 mm.

To lay the base, floorboards are placed ten centimeters larger than the size of the structure with the lining. On the firebox side, it is necessary to increase this distance to avoid burning elements from hitting the wood. Then a sheet of refractory material is placed on the marked area, on which brickwork is made about 200 mm high.

It is recommended to use refractory bricks without hollow sections for these purposes. You need to use a clay mortar, to which you can add a little cement mixture. All actions must be performed using a level. After preparing the base, you can think about how to properly brick a stove in a bathhouse.

How to lay rows of refractory bricks

Scheme of lining the furnace with bricks.

In order to lay refractory bricks around a metal furnace, you must carefully measure the size of the indentations from the walls of the metal furnace to the brick. When installing a metal stove, instructions are included that contain the optimal dimensions of the minimum gaps that are necessary so that heated air can circulate freely, maintaining constant heat exchange. As a rule, such gaps are never less than 5 cm or more than 10 cm.

The lining should be done in half a brick, using a checkerboard pattern. Brick that has been soaked in advance must be thoroughly shaken off the water, and the solution must be carefully applied to all surfaces involved in laying.

In addition, you need to apply the mortar to the adjacent bricks. After this, you can line the stove with the first row. Here you need a construction trowel to level the mortar layer and a wooden hammer, with which you can lightly tap to change the position of the elements.

Diagram of air flow circulation in the furnace. Holes at the bottom of the brickwork let in cold air, while the top holes let hot air out.

For greater strength, reinforcing mesh cut into small pieces is laid out on the surface of each laid row. Of course, the mesh should not protrude beyond the brick. As soon as the first row is laid, it is necessary to immediately use grout for the seams between the products. During the cladding process, the parts may appear to be stained with the solution, but this is not something to be afraid of.

Ensuring continuous air circulation around the metal structure is achieved through pre-calculated and implemented holes in the brick cladding when laying. Different masters perform them in their own way.

For example, some people lay one of the bricks of a row not like everyone else, but in a different direction. For complete and maximum air circulation, each side of the metal stove lining needs four holes left in advance. The holes in the lower part of the brickwork suck in cold air, and through the upper holes the already heated air comes out.

Thus, the lining of a metal stove with refractory bricks should be level with the top of the iron stove.

If desired, decorative building material can be used for the top row. You can also design and lay the brick in advance using decorative elements to create a specific pattern.

Construction process

If you plan to cover it with bricks on all sides, then it will be a full covering, if only some sides are partial. When completely surrounded, it is possible to control the movement of warm air masses. To do this, doors are made at the top and bottom of the screen to stop the movement of air when closed.

The model, completely covered with masonry, creates an ideal microclimate typical for a Russian bath. If at least one open wall remains, it will be more like a sauna, and the stone will protect you from burns and accumulate heat.

Steel case

Steel is also a fire-resistant material. It cannot be left untreated, as it will instantly rust in a bathhouse. When finishing the space around the stove with steel, you need to keep in mind that unlike brick, tiles and stone, steel does not insulate heat at all.

A protective portal around the stove made only of steel will be completely pointless, since it will not be able to fulfill its main task - to protect wooden walls from overheating. In order for this function to be fulfilled, it is necessary to provide a good heat-insulating layer of another material, and then cover it with a facing steel sheet.

This heat-insulating separation layer is created from mineralite. Other fire retardant insulation materials can also be used. Simple mineral wool is not suitable, since after getting wet once it shrinks in volume, and this defect cannot be corrected by anything.

The insulation near the stove should not get wet. You need to take care of its waterproofing. Moreover, this waterproofing should only be on the side of the cold wall, but not on the side of the stove.

Steel has a metallic luster. This effect can be used to greatly increase the efficiency of the portal.

If made from uncoated polished stainless steel, it will act as an infrared reflector.

A similar element can very often be seen in electric fireplaces, heating stoves and any other heating devices.

The main difficulty of this solution is the need to use only stainless steel. Compared to ordinary steel, it costs 10 times more, but the total thickness of the sheets for the reflective screen can be small.

Stainless steel perfectly withstands any humidity. It can even be placed in rooms such as a steam room in a bathhouse; the decoration around the stove will be compact and with a modern design. In a steam room, all interior elements are usually made only from wood. Stainless steel would be appropriate next to a metal stove-stove.

Screen construction options

To determine the answer to how to line a metal sauna stove correctly and with what kind of brick, it is necessary to consider all existing classifications.

By distance:

• solid - interferes with circulation, which reduces the heating rate;
• randomly - the brick is placed with holes, this type reduces the quality of shielding;
• a screen with doors at the top and bottom is an ideal option with the ability to adjust convection.

By arrangement of bricks:

• in size - increases the heating time of stones and consumes a lot of raw materials during construction;
• half a brick - the most suitable option with a durable wall and rapid warm-up;
• in a quarter of a stone - has good heating characteristics, but the strength of the masonry is reduced.

It is worth noting that an overly unstable option can be corrected using reinforcement with a special network, but still, a thin-walled lining should not be erected without good preparation.

What else to consider when filling the heater

To get the maximum benefit and pleasure from bath procedures, just knowing the rules for laying stones is not enough. It is also advisable to understand their impact on health, be able to determine the required loading volume, and clean and replace them in a timely manner.

How much stone do you need?

When buying a ready-made factory furnace, they focus on the characteristics declared by the manufacturer and select equipment of the required power. As a rule, the volume of the heater in such stoves is sufficient to warm up and maintain the temperature in the steam room, the size of which the stove is selected for.

When installing a homemade brick or metal heater, the required number of stones is calculated based on the volume of the room. It is believed that for every cubic meter there should be about 40-50 kg.

What kind of brick to cover a stove in a bathhouse

Before the main procedure, you must first prepare all the materials. On the modern market you will find a huge variety of bricks, varying in size, aesthetic qualities and properties.

The choice of brick must be made based on the distance from the metal to the screen being built. If it is less than 250 mm, then this will lead to strong heating of the masonry and therefore it is better to use fireclay.

The optimal is 500 mm. For such buildings, an ordinary fire-resistant red stone is perfect. If you plan to install vents from below, then this material can be used closer.

Wall insulation

Modern manufacturers produce a wide range of materials that can be used to protect bath walls from charring and fire:

• Minerite

Produced in the form of cement-fiber boards with a solid front base. Ideal for cladding baths. Minerite slabs can withstand heating up to 150°C without changing their properties.

• Fireproof plasterboard

Able to withstand exposure to open fire for an hour. When heated, the material does not lose its properties and does not emit smoke or soot. Its leaves are red in color.

• Superizol

The material is produced on the basis of quartz, quicklime and additives. Withstands heating without changing its properties up to 120°C. Widely used in finishing stoves and fireplaces. When heated, the material does not emit substances harmful to humans.

Characteristics of building materials

You can calculate the main indicators that a brick has for lining a metal or iron stove in a bathhouse using the following table:

Overlay methods

In essence, stone cladding is used to act as a heat shield for a furnace. Due to the fact that such a structure is not susceptible to the main thermal effects, it can be constructed in the form of:

1. Continuous lining, which is characterized by rapid heat transfer, which causes a decrease in furnace performance. In this option, cladding is rarely performed, and most often to give the metal stove elements of a decorative nature. At the same time, the quality of heating is in the background.
2. A heat shield that will look like a small stone fence. This option is quite comfortable for others and helps to increase heat transfer.
3. Convector facings with vents. This structure is the most optimal for bathing needs and is suitable for any metal structure, regardless of the size of the steam room.

Choice of solution

The most common option for carrying out such work is clay. It is mixed with sand, adding a little cement. A cement mixture with the same clay ratio is also used. For the cementless option, make a clay mixture with twice the amount of sand, which is diluted with water to the desired consistency.

Fireclay powder is best used for refining seams, because it binds bricks less firmly.

A simpler option is to purchase a special mixture. It is inexpensive and easier to use. Thanks to a wide selection of similar products, you can easily select the optimal solution. It is worth noting that the diluted mixture must stand for some time before use so that the substances contained in it dissolve better and the solution takes on the necessary properties.

Using plaster

Plastering is the most budget-friendly option for finishing a stove yourself. The product takes on a finished look and looks good in the interior. After plastering, you can whitewash it with a special heat-resistant compound.

This type of finishing is quite often used for brick ovens. The technology is as follows:

1. It is necessary to properly prepare the surface. All traces of old finishing, incl. plaster and tiles must be removed. Each seam should be selected at 10-15 mm.
2. We dilute the deep penetration primer according to the instructions. Carefully prime the surface. Do not forget that the primer must dry (at least 24 hours).
3. We stretch and fix the metal mesh using dowels. Such reinforcement will significantly increase the strength of the tile fastening.
4. Apply plaster to the stove. We recommend using a ready-made mixture specifically for ovens. The plaster must be allowed to dry for 48 hours.

5. Now the stove needs to be whitewashed.

Fencing an iron stove in a bathhouse

Before starting construction, it is recommended to thoroughly wet the bricks with water for 12-13 hours. This will allow them to achieve the desired level of humidity. Otherwise, they will dehydrate the solution.

The quality of the mixture is checked as follows: it is applied to a new brick, and if it does not spill or crack, then the specialist has created the correct consistency.

Now you can begin the laying process itself. It is important to check each row for evenness using a level.

If you are interested in what to line a stove in a bathhouse with (except for brick), you can always find a replacement. There are special casings that are cut to suitable dimensions. They are made from different rocks, are easy to install, and you will definitely find the right option for yourself.

Video description

This short video explains how to determine the weight of a stone backfill:

Can different breeds be used?

There are no and cannot be any objections to mixing stones of different origins in one heater. On the contrary, this approach makes installation easier.

• Allows you to optimize costs by using inexpensive materials for the lower layers.
• Lay down the strongest and most heat-resistant rocks.
• Create an aesthetically attractive composition from stones of different colors.

For decoration, you can lay out the top layer with jasper or a coil Source prom.st

Finishing

After setting, you need to make a lining so that the sauna stove, lined with brick, becomes a real decoration.

It is most convenient to remove excess solution using a drill with a special attachment. It is important to use personal protective equipment during the process. If after this procedure there are stains left on the brick, they can be removed with a brush dipped in a solution of laundry soap.

In order for the stone to retain its appearance for a long time, it is better to melt it slowly for the first time after lining, allowing the material to gradually warm up. Otherwise, the mortar may crack and the brick may lose its aesthetic qualities and properties.

Brickwork looks very beautiful regardless of the interior style. It does not require decorative finishing, and a huge selection of facing building materials will satisfy the most sophisticated tastes. All you need to do is keep it clean and protect it from damage.

Now you know how to cover an iron stove and boiler in a bathhouse with bricks. Regardless of the masonry method you choose and the materials used, you will immediately feel the pleasant comfort of the updated stove.

Ceramic tile

Ceramic tiles have the same fire resistance as brick.

At the same time, she simply has an incomparably greater variety of appearances.

Now, instead of tiles, almost all manufacturers have mastered the technology of semi-dry pressing, which allows you to create any designs and textures on the surface of the tiles.

This material received the trade name “Porcelain stoneware”, although it does not contain granite. Finishing a stove in a steam room with tiles has its advantages, and the main one is the variety of design solutions. Unlike brick, tiles can be any color.

The side of the old tile had a size of 10-15 cm. With modern porcelain tiles, the side length can reach 40 cm. The longer the side, the more accurate the coating. It has fewer seams, but the complexity of installation increases significantly. Porcelain tiles should be laid by specialists.

This requires a lot of experience. If the tiles are small, you can do the tiling yourself. There are no particular difficulties here. Laying is carried out using a conventional solution on a sheet of heat insulation. It is better to use a special solution based on a dry construction mixture for the appropriate purpose.