Three boards of this at 10 feet and you have a backrest that looks like it came out of a sauna in Helsinki. That’s the point of a wide bench board: fewer seams, cleaner surface, the wood does the talking. This is natural alder, 5.51" wide, and it’s our widest alder bench board.
S4SEE means surfaced four sides with eased edges: smooth face, no sharp corners at the edges, ready to sit on. The 1.1" thickness gives it good feel underhand. At $10.68 per linear foot, it’s still well under what comparable clear cedar runs at width. Milled by ProSaunas in Estonia from natural alder certified to E1 emissions standards.
Why Alder
Alder has been the go-to Finnish bench wood for generations for a reason: it stays cool, it doesn’t secrete resin, and the warm reddish-brown tone ages gracefully. Fine, even grain, thermal conductivity around 0.12 W/m·K, a pleasant honey-like aroma when the room gets hot. The honest limitation here is the same as with any natural alder: it’s soft, and it will scratch. Heavy use shows over time. If durability under hard use is your main concern, look at thermally modified options. For a classic Finnish room where the look matters as much as the function, alder is the classic call.
Specifications
- SKU: PS-ALDER-2X6-S4SEE-SHP
- Species: European Alder (natural)
- Profile: S4SEE SHP bench board
- Thickness: 1.1"
- Width: 5.51"
- Available lengths: 1 ft, 9 ft, 10 ft
- Price: $10.68 per linear foot
- Made in Estonia by ProSaunas
- E1 certified, ultra-low emissions
Where it goes
Benches and backrests where you want wide, clean boards. Combine with the 2×3 for a tiered bench with visual contrast. The alder Grace wall cladding pairs naturally with this for a matched room. Also works as floor boarding, though wear will show faster there than on benches.
Shipping and samples
Sold by the linear foot. Flat $795 freight to the continental US, or free with a heater order. Free samples available: text your name and address to (844) 565-1113.
Call Ben² at (844) 565-1113 if you’d like to talk through the board count before you order.
Prebuilt
Sauna Brushes
Vents