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Western Red Cedar is our preferred wood of choice for sauna. Colorful in appearance with various hues, cedar is stable, but soft and resists warping under heat and humidity changes prevalent in a sauna.. Cedar also has a low density making it a good insulator, quick to heat and quick to cool down.
Do you need special wood for a sauna?
Some hardwoods such as Alder and Aspen have a lower density and offer a good compromise between durability and heat conduction, so are used in saunas. However, more often than not, softwoods with a good durability are used to build saunas such as cedar, spruce or pine.
What type of wood is a sauna made of?
Heat & Sturdiness Eucalyptus, basswood, cedar and even thermo-spruce are some of the best types of soft wood for long-lasting saunas. There’s nothing worse than a beautiful sauna that isn’t heat resistant and won’t stand the test of time.
Can you build a sauna out of pine wood?
Softwood 101 First and foremost, when constructing a sauna, choose a softwood as it will better absorb heat released from steam. Ideal varieties of softwoods are spruce, pine and cedar. Spruce is a light wood, mostly found in Nordic regions, such as Finland. It’s both practical and cost effective.
What materials can be used in a sauna?
What materials is a sauna made of? Sauna materials, perfectly combined: glass, light, stone wall and reclaimed wood.
Can I use oak in a sauna?
Soft woods such as cedar are considered the best source of wood for a sauna. however a hard wood like oak which a dense lumber will hold the heat and can become so hot that it will burn skin on contact. Stay away from Sappy woods! Sappy woods such as Pine are a definite NO when it comes to sauna rooms.
What is the best wood to build a sauna?
Best Wood for a Home Sauna The most popular choices are cedar saunas. Cedar planks have a beautiful look, a pleasant smell and remain cool enough to sit on comfortably. They’re also anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. Other top sauna wood choices include poplar, basswood and hemlock.
Can you use any wood stove for a sauna?
You can choose between wood, gas, electric, or infrared. Most sauna purists will say wood-burning is the way to go. Christensen scored an old barrel wood-burning stove from a local; Mond bought a woodstove on Craigslist. “For me it was all about the kind of vibe I wanted in the sauna,” Mond says.
Are cedar saunas toxic?
When a sauna made of cedar or redwood is turned on, these naturally occurring oils within the wood become heated and gas off a substance called cedrine. Cedrine attacks the central nervous system of insects and kills them. In some cases, it can also cause vomiting and convulsions in humans.
What are sauna walls made of?
Usually, the seating boards are built from either Abachi or Cedar woods. Walls are most often covered with Nordic White Spruce, Hemlock, or Cedar wood types.
Is plywood good for sauna?
Veneered plywood suitable for use in the interior decoration of Saunas. The board consists of Fuma cores with sliced cut face veneers suitable for this application.
Can you use plywood for sauna walls?
Sheet the inside walls of your sauna with 1/2 inch plywood, including the ceiling and the floor. The outside of the two visible walls can be sheeted with plywood and then stained or painted for a rustic look or they may be finished with sheet rock for a more traditional final finish.
What kind of cedar do you use in a sauna?
Western Red Cedar wood is almost everybody’s preferred choice for a sauna due to its appearance, stability, and warping resistance under heat and humidity, making it comfortable to sit.
Are wood burning saunas good?
A sauna wood stove is also more affordable than electric heater models. Operating your sauna wood burning stove will generate a pleasant scent and the soothing noise of a crackling fire. A wood-burning stove also creates a higher heat and minimal humidity, creating a sauna’s perfect interior environment.
How do you seal a wooden sauna?
We recommend sealing the inside of a sauna especially the wooden benches with a special waterproof sauna sealant. This water-based sealant has no off gas even in high heat and will not discolor the inside of the sauna wood like other stains. It goes on like water quickly being absorbed into the wood.
Can I use poplar in a sauna?
Poplar has the least wood odor of any wood used to build saunas. To the average person, poplar means a much more comfortable sauna. The strong wood odors of cedar and other woods do not dissipate much with time and end up being a constant distraction when you are looking for “the zone” relaxing in your sauna.
What is Whitewood lumber?
“Whitewood” is a term cabinetmakers use for a secondary, utility lumber, used for unseen things like toe kick framing, cleats, brackets, webbing, etc. There are a variety of species that get called “whitewood”, such as pine, poplar, spruce. Framing lumber should be stamped and you will see SPF on the stamp.
What is poplar wood?
Poplar wood is a species of wood most commonly used in the making of furniture, cabinets, wooden toys, plywood, etc. It is considered a hardwood, but is just about as easy to work with as pine boards or other soft woods.
