Building a Sauna – but which wood?

If your planning on building your own sauna, or even looking to purchase one for your home then choosing the right wood is critical. In the native home of the sauna, Finland, the predominate wood choice used is pine. Pine is good for making up the walls and ceilings of the sauna but it has to be carefully selected for the benches due to the high number of knots found naturally in the wood. Knots in wood are dense and tend to get very hot – You wouldn’t want to sit on one! When choosing sauna bench material it is important to choose a knot free softwood as these woods conduct negligible amounts of heat and are virtually resin free.

Red cedar, which is less dense than pine, contains cedral* which gives it the durability to withstand high temperatures and rot. However, cedar carries a highly distinctive scent which may not suit certain tastes and may even trigger allergies with those who have sensitive skin. Both Canadian hemlock and Linden wood are virtually resin free durable sauna wood choices that help maintain a pleasant climate inside the sauna.

When choosing a sauna wood, aesthetic appeal is obviously very important. The growth rings in pine are not as regular as those in hemlock and therefore result in a much cleaner look. However the straight lines produced naturally by Linden wood, also known as Basswood, suits those looking to achieve a contemporary modern look. Ensure that all timber that is going to be used for the sauna is chamber dried to prevent cracks, rendering it perfect for sauna use.

*Cedrene or cedral is a volatile oil which is a member of the terpine family – a group of unsaturated, aliphatic cyclic hydrocarbons. Cedral is a cedar-camphor.