Cedar

Here’s something most sauna sites won’t tell you: for years we refused to sell cedar. The quality on the market had fallen so far that we would not put our name on it. Cedar is not what it used to be. The tight, slow-grown old-growth our grandparents built with is nearly gone, and most of what gets milled today moves, checks, and shows up riddled with defects.

It also helps to know that cedar was never the wood of the Finnish sauna. In Finland and across Europe, saunas are built from spruce, aspen, and alder. So when we point you toward thermo-modified boards, we are not handing you a substitute, we are handing you the actual tradition, and one that holds its shape better in the heat. Before you settle on cedar, order a few free samples of our Thermo-Aspen and Thermo-Alder and feel them in your hands. A lot of people stop thinking about cedar the moment they do.

That said, some projects call for cedar, and for those we went looking until we found what we believe is the only cedar source left in the country still worth buying. We sifted through the bad suppliers so you don’t have to. This is real Western Red Cedar from a mill that actually holds its grade, and we carry it in both clear and knotty.

Clear vertical grain (VG) is the premium pick: straight, even, knot-free grain for the spots where skin meets wood. It is the good stuff, and it is not cheap. Knotty sound-tight-knot (STK) gives you that same trusted cedar with natural character for a lot less. Both come milled to sauna tongue-and-groove cladding and S4SEE bench, backrest, and skirting profiles with eased edges so nothing bites bare skin.

Still weighing cedar against a thermo board for your room? Call us at (844) 565-1113 and we will give you a straight answer, no upsell.

*Free samples available! Select ‘sample’ and ‘free shipping for samples’ under any wood profile.
*Most wood orders qualify for free shipping with any heater purchase.