Most often, several types of wood are combined in the decoration of the steam room. Firstly, the combination of different colors looks advantageous in the design, and secondly, you save well when you use expensive material only for functional areas. Adhere to the following rules when choosing wood and materials for the sauna: Inside the steam room, the possibility of burns should be excluded, so use low-heat wood species: abash, alder, cedar.For shelves, it is best to use expensive materials. For example, abash has the property of adjusting to the temperature of your body.Conifers can “cry”, so they can only be used for the rest room and washing room and only with good thermal insulation of the steam room.To finish the floor, use ceramic tiles with a wooden crateThe treatment of wood with varnish, wax, oils is not necessary For facing the stove and walls next to it. use natural minerals: jadeite, serpentinite, talcochlorite.Use panels of Himalayan salt in the decoration of the room, when evaporating, they enrich the air with ions.

Wood for finishing saunas and baths: types of wood

The success of construction work depends at least half on the successful choice of lumber. Despite the fact that now buyers are offered a huge variety of products, wood for a sauna or a classic Russian bath is still the best option. It is not surprising: after all, it practically does not cause difficulties in processing and has low thermal conductivity. In addition, it is one of the most environmentally friendly materials. Finally, it’s just beautiful.

Of course, wood is often used in construction, as well as during finishing work. However, not all lumber will serve for a long time in conditions of constant changes in temperature and humidity. Therefore, when buying them, it is necessary to take into account many important nuances. We hope that the useful information from our article will avoid common mistakes.

Requirements for materials for finishing the bath. What to look for when choosing

When choosing materials, it is advisable to take into account the following parameters:

• grade;
• the presence on the surface of darkening, roughness;
• a type of tree.

Of course, it is important that lumber is safe, does not emit harmful substances when heated. Large suppliers strictly monitor compliance with this condition.

Of great importance is the appearance: it is good if the board has a beautiful shade that will be successfully combined with bath furniture, as well as with other elements of the interior.

Types of wood for baths and saunas

The main types of wooden finishing materials are lining and edged board. The first is a profiled board, along the edges of which locks are cut to facilitate installation. Lining can be used for floor, ceiling or walls. Edged board, as a rule, is chosen only when finishing ceilings or floors.

It is useful to know that in addition to the usual wood in the lumber market you can see heat-treated. The temperature effect gives the wood a darker shade, but significantly increases its durability, resistance to difficult operating conditions.

Wood species is another rather important factor, on which the beauty, reliability of the finish, as well as the comfort and quality of steam in the bath or sauna largely depends.

Before deciding which building materials to purchase, you should compare the strengths and weaknesses of popular options. It is not necessary to dwell only on any one type of wood, it is quite permissible to combine several at once. The main thing is to do this taking into account the temperature and humidity parameters of different bath rooms.

Cedar for finishing the bath: pros and cons of the material

An important feature of cedar is a beautiful reddish hue. However, it is in demand due to many other characteristics, for example:

• isolation of healing essential oils;
• resistance to destruction, formation of fungus;
• low thermal conductivity;
• durability.

Cedar is one of the few conifers that are well suited for baths. However, it is still undesirable to mount lining from it in steam rooms. After all, when heated, cedar secretes resin, which can be burned.

Oak: characteristics, advantages and disadvantages

Oak is a durable hardwood with a dense structure. Due to its high strength, it practically does not collapse under the influence of humidity. This material can be used in a steam room or other bath rooms almost without restrictions. Among its shortcomings, experts call only the high price, as well as the difficulties during processing due to the high hardness.

If you like oak, but the budget does not allow them to finish the room completely, you can use boards from it as an additional material to create a unique design or emphasize interesting interior elements.

Larch: what are the advantages and disadvantages of the material

Such a tree for a bath, like larch, is popular due to the following characteristics:

• a reddish tint that does not change over time;
• high strength.

However, larch has its drawbacks, for example, the release of resin when heated, as well as low heat-insulating properties. That is why it is not often used for steam rooms or saunas.

Alder: features, advantages and disadvantages

Alder is very often purchased for bath rooms. Advantages of this material:

•  spectacular appearance;
• no resin;
• high strength;
• good thermal insulation characteristics;
• minimal water absorption.

In terms of price and quality, alder is a very successful tree for finishing a sauna. However, the lining from it is rarely completely smooth. The fact is that this material is not flexible, which means that it is quite difficult to process.

Lipa: characteristics and features

Linden is one of the most popular options when working in a bath or sauna. Its main advantage is an affordable price. In addition, the board of this hardwood looks spectacular in the interior, does not overheat, saturates the air with useful essential oils.

Often, it is linden that specialists choose for the manufacture of bath furniture, since it is easy to process due to its softness.

Among the main arguments against linden is mentioned the fact that under the influence of strong humidity over time, it swells, deforms. Therefore, linden boards are practically not used for showers or other bath rooms with high humidity. Not the best option they will be for the exterior decoration of the lower parts of bath logs, but they are perfect for dressing rooms or rest rooms.

Birch: features, pros and cons of use in the bath

Birch board or lining is far from the most successful choice for bath rooms. It can not be called durable because of the low density of fibers: after a couple of years of operation, the wood may well begin to rot. However, in some cases, the use of birch is permissible: for example, during finishing work in the rest room. In a room with moderate humidity and temperature, its remarkable advantages will be revealed:

• pleasant smell;
• softness, smoothness of boards (birch is very easily polished);
• Beautiful light color.

Of course, an important argument in favor of buying birch lining or board is its low price.

Aspen: characteristics, advantages and disadvantages

Aspen is a good choice for finishing work in a bath or sauna. It does not emit resin, does not swell with regular wetting, has a pleasant light shade, besides, over the years it does not lose, but on the contrary, strengthens its strength (according to this parameter, it can compete even with oak). And the aspen board practically does not rot, is not damaged by insects.

Among the disadvantages of aspen, as a rule, note:

• tendency to darken;
• bitter smell during the first months of operation.

In addition, it is not very well absorbed protective agents.

Coniferous trees: features of application

Experts are unanimous: most common coniferous trees (for example, spruce and pine) should not be chosen for finishing work in the steam room. The reason for this categorization is simple: they contain a lot of resin, which is actively released when heated.

However, spruce and pine have some advantages. We list the characteristics due to which they are sometimes preferred when finishing baths or saunas:

• very low price;
• pleasant smell;
• beautiful yellow or light orange shade;
• the ability  to retain heat for a long time.

To summarize: spruce or pine is desirable to purchase only for rest rooms in the baths.

Abash: advantages, disadvantages and characteristics

Abash, which is also known as abachi or abashi, is an African variety of oak. It is becoming more common due to the combination of even texture, softness, as well as high strength. Other  advantages of this tree include:

• heat resistance;
• durability;
• a spectacular light shade.

Abash is practically not deformed, does not crack due to humidity changes, so it is great for a hot steam room or sauna. At the same time, unlike ordinary oak, it is lighter, which means that it is quite simple to process. This allows you to get the smoothest smooth boards. It is abash that is often purchased to build shelves, because it never overheats.

Perhaps the only drawback of wood of this species can be called its high cost. It almost never decreases due to difficulties during long-distance transportation.

If you need to save money by buying finishing materials, there is a general recommendation. The most durable expensive boards are better to purchase for a steam room or sauna. For a rest room or dressing room, more affordable options are suitable.

No matter what kind of wood for the bath and sauna you prefer, it is important to make sure of the good quality of the lumber. In addition, experts recommend carefully treating them with protective agents. This measure will allow you to keep the structure and appearance of the boards longer under the influence of temperature and humidity changes. Treatment should be repeated regularly.

Why are saunas made of wood?

Because wood not only has good thermal insulation characteristics, but can also maintain stability in conditions of high humidity and high heat of the sauna, and will not produce toxic substances due to high temperature and high humidity. It can be said that wood can be used as a sauna material, which is an environmentally friendly, energy-saving and safe choice.

Sauna wood is usually white pine. The wood of the high-quality sauna is the Scandinavian white pine, which has been treated with high-temperature degreasing and disinfection, also known as the “hygienic board”. Be the basis of thermal insulation.

Types of wood used in the sauna

Conifers:

• Cedar is one of the most commonly used types of wood in the construction of a sauna.
• Hemlock is a cheaper alternative to cedar.
• Pine is a light wood similar to spruce, except that it has knots.
• Fir.
• Aspen

Hardwoods:

• Linden.
• Poplar.

Saunas are usually made of spruce, aspen, mahogany, hemlock, poplar, linden or cedar. Aspen was the right choice and remains the best choice for infrared saunas today. Aspen lining differs even to the touch due to its smoothness. Due to its natural properties under the influence of high temperatures, wood does not emit resin bags.

Things to remember

1. For the decoration of the Russian bath, it is preferable to use thick, massive lumber – from 2 to 10 cm. For the sauna, lumber with a thickness of 1-2 cm is enough.
2. When choosing a tree, remember that hardwoods do not emit resins, unlike conifers.
3. When choosing a design, focus on the color of the tree. For example, aspen is light white, linden is yellowish, alder is reddish, Canadian cedar is red.
4. When choosing wood, also focus on your organoleptic preferences: someone may like the smell of a tree, and someone may not.