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.
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PROSAUNAS Western Red Cedar 4X4 S4S Bench, Backrest & Skirting – Sauna Wood
Price range: $88.15 through $176.31The part of the bench nobody photographs but everyone sits on. Western Red Cedar 4×4 S4S is a 3.5″ x 3.5″ structural post, surfaced four sides, milled in Canada. The bench leg. Cedar at this dimension is naturally rot-resistant without any treatment, which matters in a room that runs wet and hot. Available in 3, 4, 5, and 6 ft lengths to match common bench heights. Honest note: cedar posts move more through the heat cycle than steel, so snug your fasteners after the first season. A cedar frame with cedar bench stock means matched wood tones and no species mismatch. Sold by the linear foot.
PROSAUNAS Western Red Cedar 2X4 VG S4SEE Bench, Backrest & Skirting – Sauna Wood
Price range: $14.82 through $148.27Thick cedar bench boards in clear grade are not easy to find anymore. This is Western Red Cedar 2×4 VG S4SEE: 1.5″ thick, 3.5″ wide, knot-free vertical grain, surfaced and eased, milled in Canada. It’s the bench board for the builder who wants the full cedar package done at a quality level that won’t embarrass the rest of the build. The aroma is the real thing, the grain is clean, and the 1.5″ thickness gives the bench a visual weight that thinner boards don’t. Honest note: at roughly 3x the cost of thermo-aspen, this is a high-cost choice, and thermo wood holds its joints tighter over the years. But if clear cedar 2×4 bench stock is what you’re after, this is it. Sold by the linear foot.
PROSAUNAS Western Red Cedar 1X6 VG S4SEE Bench, Backrest & Skirting – Sauna Wood
Price range: $14.16 through $113.27Wide benches read differently. A 5.44″ board shows less joint, more wood, and the cedar grain has room to do something. This is Western Red Cedar 1×6 VG S4SEE in clear vertical grain, knot-free A+ grade, milled in Canada. At 0.69″ thick, it’s the wider face of our cedar bench line and it makes a single-board backrest or a bench seat with far fewer pieces to install. We waited to carry cedar until we found a clear grade we’d actually put in our own build. The honest note: cedar runs warmer to the touch than aspen at full heat, and it moves more through the heat-and-cool cycle than thermally modified wood. For the classic cedar look at width, this is the board. Sold by the linear foot.
PROSAUNAS Western Red Cedar 1/2X4 VG T&G V2E Wall Cladding – Sauna Wood
Price range: $6.15 through $79.87For years we steered people away from cedar. Then a clear vertical-grain run came through worth carrying. This is Western Red Cedar 1/2×4 with a V-joint, knot-free A+ grade, milled for sauna walls and ceilings. It’s the wood Americans picture when they picture a sauna: the warm reddish tone, the aroma that shows up the second the room heats. We carry it for the look-and-smell buyer who wants the classic done right, and we’ll tell you straight where thermo wood holds up better. Sold by the linear foot.
PROSAUNAS Western Red Cedar 1X4 VG S4SEE Bench, Backrest & Skirting – Sauna Wood
Price range: $7.48 through $74.80For years we steered people away from cedar. Then a clear vertical-grain run came through worth carrying. This is Western Red Cedar 1×4 VG S4SEE bench board, knot-free A+ grade, milled in Canada, 0.69″ thick and 3.5″ wide. It’s the bench face the classic sauna crowd wants: warm reddish tone, smooth texture, and that cedar aroma that hits you when the room heats. We waited because modern cedar quality slipped while prices climbed. We carry it now because this grade is actually worth installing. One honest note: cedar runs warmer to the touch than aspen under real heat. If cool skin contact is the priority, aspen benches with cedar walls is a better combo. Sold by the linear foot.
PROSAUNAS Western Red Cedar 2X4 STK S4SEE Bench, Backrest & Skirting – Sauna Wood
Price range: $4.67 through $37.40Knots and all. Western Red Cedar 2×4 STK S4SEE is the thicker bench board for the builder who wants the weight and depth of a 1.5″ seat without paying clear-grade prices. STK means Select Tight Knot: the knots are natural, tight, and part of the character. At 3.5″ wide and 1.5″ thick, this is a substantial bench board with a real cedar look. The aroma is there, the reddish grain is there, and the lower price point makes a full bench build more realistic. Honest downside: the knots and the STK-grade movement mean these boards gap a bit more than clear VG over the years. Milled in Canada. Sold by the linear foot.
PROSAUNAS Western Red Cedar 1X4 STK T&G V2E Wall Cladding – Sauna Wood
Price range: $2.64 through $21.16The knottier option, and honestly the one with more character. This is Western Red Cedar 1×4 tongue-and-groove V2E wall cladding in STK grade, milled in Canada with natural tight knots and a warm reddish tone. At 0.70″ thick with a 2.95″ coverage width, it goes up fast and smells like every sauna movie you’ve seen. STK means you’ll have knots: they’re tight, they’re natural, and they give the room a cabin-honest feel that clear boards don’t. We carry a clear VG grade too if that’s your look. One heads-up: like all untreated cedar, this will move a little through the heat-and-cool cycle over the years. Sold by the linear foot.
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