Residential and Commercial Use

When wedi® systems and Building Panels are used in steam shower applications, you’re assured superior performance for saturated water vapor exposure in warm temperature conditions. Properly installed, wedi® systems aid in eliminating the threat of water vapor transmission through walls that can cause deterioration and mold. wedi® systems will further add insulation to steam showers so that temperature difference exposure between the warm, humid inside of showers and the cold, low humidity outside will be kept at a minimum. Temperature differentiation causes vapor to move towards the colder side, but wedi® Building Panels, a vapor retarder, stops this shift from occurring. Vapor pressure and exposure can take place at different levels of severity, and wedi® recommendations address this issue accordingly. Beyond a few specific recommendations, the wedi® steam room system is installed in adherence to wedi’s methodology of waterproofing joints and fastener points.

Currently, the industry standards require a vapor proofing to be installed in steam rooms which must offer a permeability rating of 1 or less according to ASTM E96. As this standard allows for testing under conditions that do not meet steam room conditions (50% relative humidity and milder temperatures), the perm rating is not adequate to help preparing your steam room to last. wedi® building panel meets current industry standards and can therefore be used in steam rooms. We however recommend to install a wall/ceiling construction that performs on a level comparable to 0.5 perms according to ASTM E96, measured with procedure E (Procedures A-D are inadequate when used to determine steam room/shower performance). wedi® therefore recommends the installation of wedi’s vapor barrier AEA over all wedi® inside surfaces. This will offer maximum protection against pin holes in joints and around fixture installations as well.

Residential Steam Room (square size max 4 x 4 ft.)

wedi® Steam Rooms install similar to a regular shower application using 1/2” panels with sealant in between joints. Sealant should also be used to cover all fasteners. Where there is a “cold” exterior wall, install wedi® 2” Building Panels to ensure proper thermal insulation to minimize the climate differential. Apply wedi® Vapor Barrier AEA over all walls and ceiling (inside surfaces). It is recommended to select dense tile or stone with low absorption for tiling purposes in steam room settings. Regarding setting materials, epoxy-based tile adhesives are recommended by manufacturers for steam room applications. Fill the grout joints using solid epoxy grout, recommended for steam room applications by the manufacturer. Epoxy thinsets and grouts offer notable benefits in that they do not allow vapor to condensate between tile and wedi® system products as do standard thinsets and cement grouts; ease of cleaning and color sustainability are further advantages. Commercial application recommendations should be followed for steam rooms greater than 4 x 4 ft.