Ben actually likes the hemlock look. That’s not marketing. It’s a calm, pale board that makes a room feel clean and a little Scandinavian without trying too hard.
Hemlock 1×4 VG S4SEE is clear vertical grain, A+ grade, 0.69″ thick (0.69 in) and 3.5″ wide (3.5 in). Surfaced four sides, two eased edges, ready for benches, backrests, and skirting. Knot-free. Low resin. Almost no scent. Milled in Canada. Available in 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 ft lengths, which gives you a lot of flexibility for bench layout and cutting efficiency.
Why Hemlock
Hemlock doesn’t get talked about as much as cedar, which is part of the appeal. It’s a structurally solid wood, kiln dried, even-textured, and its thermal properties make it comfortable in a hot sauna. No resin means no sticky spots or bleed-through over time. The neutral scent is a genuine advantage for anyone in the household who’s allergic to cedar, and it keeps the room smelling like heat and cedar rather than the bench wood specifically.
The one honest thing: under artificial lighting, hemlock can shift toward a slight yellow tone as it ages. In a room with good natural light or well-chosen warm bulbs, this is barely perceptible. In a windowless basement sauna with cooler LED strips, it’s something to know going in. Also: like any untreated wood, hemlock moves more through the heat cycle than thermally modified wood. Our thermo-aspen holds tighter over years of use. If you want the palelight aesthetic with better long-term dimensional stability, thermo-aspen is worth a look. Hemlock is the right answer for the buyer who wants a North American wood with a modern neutral look at a more approachable price point than clear cedar.
Specifications
- Species: Hemlock
- Grade: VG (Vertical Grain, clear A+, knot-free)
- Profile: S4SEE (surfaced four sides, two eased edges)
- Thickness: 0.69″
- Width: 3.50″
- Available lengths: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 ft
- MAP: $5.07 per linear foot
- Made in: Canada
Where it goes
Benches, backrests, and skirting. Hemlock is strong enough to use for door jambs and headers too. It pairs naturally with hemlock wall cladding for a uniform all-pale build, or with thermo-aspen for a two-tone modern look (the contrast between pale hemlock benches and golden thermo-aspen walls is sharp and clean).
Shipping and samples
Sold by the linear foot. Flat $795 continental US shipping, or free with a heater order. Free samples: text your name and address to (844) 565-1113 and we’ll get one out to you.
Call Ben² at (844) 565-1113 if you’d like to talk through the board count before you order.
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