Which wood should I choose for a Finnish sauna?
Which type of wood is best for your new sauna? Read our detailed article on wood selection.
First, let’s ask ourselves a basic question: why do saunas have to be made of wood? The answer is simple – wood is the only material with the ability to absorb heat evenly when the sauna heats up and to release it evenly during the sauna. In addition, it can also cope well with the moisture that is generated when the sauna stones are poured. It simply absorbs the moisture and prevents it from being dispersed in excess of 10% concentration.
Of course, wood of any origin and processing is not a criterion for selecting suitable wood. While conductive wood is best suited for wall and ceiling panels, for benches, on the other hand, wood that has excellent insulating properties is preferred – so as to avoid unpleasant burning or even skin burns from prolonged skin contact.
At the same time, it must be remembered that sauna wood must be perfectly dried, with low pitch, undamaged (not hollow or fallen out) knots and absolutely smooth, without splinters. As the wood is exposed to extreme conditions during sauna use – high temperature, humidity and sweat – we recommend choosing cladding material from mature Nordic trees or, conversely, selected exotic tropical woods.
But what does this mean? So which woods can you choose from?
SAUNA INTERIOR LINING
– Spruce – a rustic, light-coloured wood, slightly yellowing over time
– Hemlock – light sapless wood with a pink tinge, perfectly smooth
– Poplar – light wood with a slight sheen, retains colour
– Douglas fir – light sapwood, albeit with a richer tinge of red
– Cedar – a luxurious dark sapless wood of various shades, contains aromatic oil
– Kelo – a rare 300-400 year old naturally dried ‘dead’ wood of grey-brown shades, from an area with a dry and cold climate, usually pine
BENCH
– Abachi – light to cream sapless wood, soft – best suited for benches and armrests
– Cedar – luxurious dark sapless wood of various shades, contains aromatic oil
EXTERNAL LINING (OPTIONAL – customized), RECOMMENDED:
– Maple – off-white elephant light wood, sometimes black-brown streaks appear around the bark
– Fir – light grey-yellow sapwood, no resin, less smooth
– Spruce – smooth rustic light sapwood, slightly yellowing over time
– Hemlock – light sapless wood with a pink tinge, perfectly smooth
– Cherry – a hard reddish brown wood with fairly pronounced year rings and a slight sheen
– Walnut – a luxurious off-white to dark brown hardwood with black borders
– Wengé – a luxury hardwood of chocolate or coffee colour with a purple tinge, irregular rough texture
– Zebrano – a luxury hardwood of light brown to cream colour with black and brown irregular stripes
