@@thesaunaheater Thanks. Even though Alder grows like weeds here (Vancouver Island) no one harvests or processes it commercially so it is priced very high (about $3000) for my small sauna. Yellow cedar is available around $1200-1500 even though it is normally a much more commerically valuable product.
Poplar or Aspen benches for cooler seating. Clear pine or spruce on the walls and ceiling. I agree with Trumpkin on cedar - never was used by my Finnish relatives here in Canada. Birch for the vihta !
Thanks Weeti for the valuable information. If I go further by adding factors of relevance to each of the five categories, cedar could become my best choice, as I believe the ability to absorb/release moisture is very important, yet aroma/aesthetic appeal likely is my last consideration.
Obviously cost and availability play into these decisions too. Where i am the home improvement stores have very little untreated wood, so i used Douglas Fir ship lap. It does ooze a little sap, but otherwise has been good so far
As long as you select a low-density wood, the type of wood is less important than proper design for ventilation to minimize temperature stratification and ensure a healthy environment. Western red cedar and redwood are popular on the west coast of the US because they are plentiful there, clear pine elsewhere. In Finland, it's Nordic spruce and alder. (Finns don't use Western red cedar because it isn't available locally.) Trumpkin's dislike of cedar is aimed at the eastern cedars, the white and aromatic, which I agree do not belong in the sauna. (He specifically mentions cedar closets and chests, which use aromatic cedar and not WRC.) Western red cedar, on the other hand, is my material of choice for its workability, aesthetics, dimensional stability, and -yes- aroma (which is completely different from aromatic cedar). Western red cedar is actually not a true cedar at all (genus Cedrus) but rather Thuja.
Why do you not use hemlock? For alder to be a good choice, does it need to be thermally modified? I appreciate your video because choosing a wood IS CONFUSING.
Hemlock can be good no doubt, I just have no experience with it so I can't really talk about it. No need for the Alder to be thermally modified. Thermal modification means that the wood is held in a big oven chamber for 8 hours and it's super hot there (400f+) so it kills ALL contents inside the wood and all bacteria etc. This is why Thermally modified wood lasts longer than non Thermally modified, after 10 years you would see the difference.
I am not sure how accurate this is, but according to fast search, Finnish forest 50% pine, 30% spruce and 17% birch. Some might find reason why certain woods are selected.. well it fits the use and resin is only extra bonus you get..
I am being offered a Mahogany sauna at a lower price than Canadian Hemlock due it being a cancelled order. Whilst I know the mahogany would much more expensive to build, I’m worried it would get too hot and have a high thermal conductivity. Any advice?
It probably won't be a great sauna, Mahogany doesn't work on sauna use or at least I have not seen any saunas made out of it due high thermal conductivity you mentioned (it will get uncomfortable hot I think). It's also prone to splintering under high heat and humidity. Can't recommend it.
Because of sweat it's recommended to spray sitting platforms with water after every use of sauna. And wash sauna weekly to monthly depending how often you use it... There are products made for washing saunas, that won't release volatile chemicals. As of how badly USA laws are written regarding chemicals, those product are probably better to avoid (meaning USA products, if not clear).. Which ever wood is bad choice, if maintenanced poorly.
I would say no need to wash weekly, or even monthly, I wash my saunas a few times a year as high temperature kills bacteria so the sauna (if built properly and heated enough) kills bacteria automatically. Aesthetically, the more you wash the nicer the Aspen stays but I wouldn't worry too much about that and just enjoy my sauna. It stays pretty white in anycase.
Spruce and Pine indeed have more resin than some other woods. However, at least based on my experience resin heated is not lung irritating & I think its very natural resin that is inside these woods.
Older times resin is used to heal open wounds. Been in several saunas with dripping resin, quite common here in Finland actually. Never heard about that side effect. Could be true, I just haven't heard about them.
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Get your sauna wood delivered to you (only for US people) from us, see selection at: thesaunaheater.com/pages/wood-sauna-building-guide
Brilliant information , Best site I have ever come across for Sauna’s 😮
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Thank you!
Any thoughts on yellow cedar? It's quite different from western red (which isn't a "True" cedar).
Great videos, thanks.
Very aromatic I think but if you like the smell, and it's locally available, I would not evade from using it.
@@thesaunaheater Thanks. Even though Alder grows like weeds here (Vancouver Island) no one harvests or processes it commercially so it is priced very high (about $3000) for my small sauna. Yellow cedar is available around $1200-1500 even though it is normally a much more commerically valuable product.
Poplar or Aspen benches for cooler seating.
Clear pine or spruce on the walls and ceiling.
I agree with Trumpkin on cedar - never was used by my Finnish relatives here in Canada. Birch for the vihta !
Agreed!
Thanks Weeti for the valuable information. If I go further by adding factors of relevance to each of the five categories, cedar could become my best choice, as I believe the ability to absorb/release moisture is very important, yet aroma/aesthetic appeal likely is my last consideration.
Thank you for the comment! It's very opinion based which wood to use, and any of these woods mentioned will work well in your build.
yes everyone is biased in some way. I prefer western Red Cedar. It is more common and available here in Canada.
Obviously cost and availability play into these decisions too. Where i am the home improvement stores have very little untreated wood, so i used Douglas Fir ship lap. It does ooze a little sap, but otherwise has been good so far
As long as you select a low-density wood, the type of wood is less important than proper design for ventilation to minimize temperature stratification and ensure a healthy environment. Western red cedar and redwood are popular on the west coast of the US because they are plentiful there, clear pine elsewhere. In Finland, it's Nordic spruce and alder. (Finns don't use Western red cedar because it isn't available locally.)
Trumpkin's dislike of cedar is aimed at the eastern cedars, the white and aromatic, which I agree do not belong in the sauna. (He specifically mentions cedar closets and chests, which use aromatic cedar and not WRC.) Western red cedar, on the other hand, is my material of choice for its workability, aesthetics, dimensional stability, and -yes- aroma (which is completely different from aromatic cedar). Western red cedar is actually not a true cedar at all (genus Cedrus) but rather Thuja.
Thanks for the valuable comment! Agreed 👊🇺🇸❤🇫🇮
Why do you not use hemlock? For alder to be a good choice, does it need to be thermally modified?
I appreciate your video because choosing a wood IS CONFUSING.
Hemlock can be good no doubt, I just have no experience with it so I can't really talk about it.
No need for the Alder to be thermally modified. Thermal modification means that the wood is held in a big oven chamber for 8 hours and it's super hot there (400f+) so it kills ALL contents inside the wood and all bacteria etc. This is why Thermally modified wood lasts longer than non Thermally modified, after 10 years you would see the difference.
I am not sure how accurate this is, but according to fast search, Finnish forest 50% pine, 30% spruce and 17% birch. Some might find reason why certain woods are selected.. well it fits the use and resin is only extra bonus you get..
Yes that's true!
I am being offered a Mahogany sauna at a lower price than Canadian Hemlock due it being a cancelled order. Whilst I know the mahogany would much more expensive to build, I’m worried it would get too hot and have a high thermal conductivity. Any advice?
It probably won't be a great sauna, Mahogany doesn't work on sauna use or at least I have not seen any saunas made out of it due high thermal conductivity you mentioned (it will get uncomfortable hot I think). It's also prone to splintering under high heat and humidity. Can't recommend it.
Want to get Aspen, but worried about it getting dirty.
Because of sweat it's recommended to spray sitting platforms with water after every use of sauna. And wash sauna weekly to monthly depending how often you use it... There are products made for washing saunas, that won't release volatile chemicals. As of how badly USA laws are written regarding chemicals, those product are probably better to avoid (meaning USA products, if not clear).. Which ever wood is bad choice, if maintenanced poorly.
I would say no need to wash weekly, or even monthly, I wash my saunas a few times a year as high temperature kills bacteria so the sauna (if built properly and heated enough) kills bacteria automatically.
Aesthetically, the more you wash the nicer the Aspen stays but I wouldn't worry too much about that and just enjoy my sauna. It stays pretty white in anycase.
What is your opinion on basswood?
I don't have any experience with Basswood in sauna use so I can't comment on it.
I read that Spruce and Pine have more resin than some woods and when heated the resin can be a lung irritant? What do you think? Thanks for the video.
Spruce and Pine indeed have more resin than some other woods. However, at least based on my experience resin heated is not lung irritating & I think its very natural resin that is inside these woods.
If using pine or spruce, be sure to select clear grade with no knots, which can weep resin when heated.
Older times resin is used to heal open wounds. Been in several saunas with dripping resin, quite common here in Finland actually. Never heard about that side effect. Could be true, I just haven't heard about them.
I’ve never heard of anyone using alder in a sauna. Doesn’t it rot easily?
Alder is very commonly used premium sauna wood in Europe. It does not rot easily when it's done by Thermory for sauna use.