Until recently, wood was not a material often used in bathroom design. However, new technologies for the production and preservation of wood, as well as the availability of suitable types of wood, have led to a change in trends. Furniture, a wood-effect bathtub, wood trim will bring an atmosphere of warmth, lightness, charm and harmony to the bathroom and allow you to decorate it in such original styles as country, provence, contemporary, Scandinavian, eco-style.
Tree in the bathroom: why?
Finishing the bathroom with wood gives the interior an exclusive, refined character. It is a material that goes well with tiles, paint or wallpaper and looks good both as a complement and as a dominant material. Even the minimal presence of wooden elements will make the bathroom more comfortable.
Wood in the bathroom is characterized by a number of advantages:
- Versatility. This is a natural raw material that harmoniously looks like in classic style, and in modern minimalism.
- Aesthetics. The tree was, is and will be in fashion, so you can be sure that its charm will not go away.
- Wood can have different shades, be light, reddish, brown, gray, black. It can be given a variety of shapes, so the products offered are quite diverse.
- Relative ease of use. Contrary to popular belief, hardwoods that have been protected and prepared properly do not pose much of a maintenance challenge. Wood simply ages beautifully, and unpainted furniture can be refinished with sandpaper and then a new protective layer applied.
- The material is warm and pleasant to the touch, bringing serenity to the bathroom, which becomes an oasis of comfort and relaxation.
Wood in various aspects
ideas wood grain bathroom design a bunch of.
- You can place only small wooden accessories in the bathroom, such as a shelf, a hanger, a soap dispenser, a lamp or a mirror frame. Even minor details can change the character of the bathroom, making the atmosphere more homely.
- If you want to emphasize the predominance of wood, use wooden furniture, but you should choose made specifically for bathrooms. Ordinary wooden furniture will be saturated with moisture and quickly fail.
- Wooden sanitary ware looks original and impressive - bathtubs and washbasins. Special processing makes them completely immune to moisture, however, they are very expensive.
- Walking barefoot on cold tiles is a dubious pleasure. Therefore, bathrooms with wooden flooring are becoming more and more common.
- Wood can be used to make platforms and enclosures, for example for a bathtub or a shower tray.
- The interior of a wood-like bathroom can have a more expressive character if veneered boards are laid on the walls. With their help, you can create a single space with equipment, countertops and furniture. Exotic wood veneer is much more durable than wallpaper or paint and is cheaper than solid wood.
A white bathroom with partial wood trim or wooden furniture looks especially impressive (photo). Such an interior can become the embodiment of one of the modern styles: Scandinavian, contemporary, minimalism and even high-tech.
Wood in the bathroom: selection rules
In order for a tree to retain its appearance and functionality for many years, you should remember a few rules. Finishing a bathroom with wood involves choosing the right type of wood if you plan to finish the floor and walls with it. This is especially true for places exposed to moisture, that is, the shower, bath and sink areas.
The most important factors to consider when choosing wood for a bathroom are strength characteristics, and above all, the compression ratio, which reflects the degree of hardness, stability (susceptibility to deformation and mechanical damage), as well as resistance to moisture, mold and fungi.
Of the domestic wood species, only a few are suitable for use in the bathroom - these are oak, larch and beech. For the specific conditions of the bathroom, exotic woods are best suited:
- iroko;
- merbau;
- teak;
- paduk;
- dussia;
- jatoba;
- badi;
- sapele.
Especially recommended is teak wood, which has a shrinkage ratio of only 9.1%. Teak is characterized by high strength and resistance to moisture due to the content of silicic acid and natural essential oils, which is why it is often used for the construction of ships. The spectacular, decorative structure also speaks in its favor.
For a bathroom under a tree, you can also use decking boards. They are created taking into account the variable atmospheric conditions in the open air, therefore they have high moisture resistance.
Care and maintenance
Even if high resistance wood is chosen for the bathroom, it needs additional protection. Even before installation, wooden elements must be impregnated on each side, at the cutting points, at the joints.
The next step is varnishing or oiling. The choice of one of these methods depends on the type of wood. Iroko and teak are rich in natural oils that create a moisture barrier. In their case, varnishing is not required, oil is enough. The oil does not create a shell on the surface of the wood, but penetrates into the structure, helping to preserve the natural appearance of the wood. Unlike varnish, it is possible to selectively restore the coating in case of damage. It is enough to renew the oil over the entire surface once a year.
Oiling is best left to professionals - it must be done hot so that the oil can penetrate deep into the wood.
Then you need to cover the tree with wax, which will additionally protect against water ingress, closing the pores of the wood. It is applied several times, also hot.
Important! The waxed floor can be used two weeks after treatment. Otherwise, discoloration may occur.
Lacquering the wooden floor in the bathroom is necessary in case of wood species that are less saturated with natural oils, such as merbau or bady. It is better to choose a high-quality elastic varnish for this.
It should be borne in mind that the varnish is erased from the surface, scratches, cracks at the joints form on it. In such a situation, an additional layer of varnish in the place of the crack cannot be dispensed with - it must be re-applied over the entire surface.
In addition to impregnation once a year, you can use oil paste every month. It is also important to constantly remove all contamination and not to ignore possible stains. The wooden floor in the bathroom does not require special daily care and expensive products, soft preparations used for ceramic tiles are suitable.