7 properties of Canadian cedar for a sauna [+9 PHOTO]

Cedar is considered a valuable tree species, the felling of which is strictly limited. For this reason, cedar baths are a sign of prosperity. A completely made log house from this material, all the finishing work from cedar boards can only be afforded by those people who do not count money.

In this situation, it will not be wasteful, because cedar is not just a rare type of wood in construction. It also has a lot of advantages over all other breeds:

Less susceptible to rotting.
Resistant to moisture.
It tolerates high temperatures and temperature changes very well.

Although cedar pine itself is expensive, especially in the western regions of Russia, building a bathhouse from it is not so difficult. The lightweight and durable material is easily assembled into a single structure; it does not shrink or warp, like, for example, fir log houses.

Advantages of cedar

One of the main advantages of cedar is its durable, lightweight wood, buildings from which can last for several centuries. Previously, royal mansions were built from cedar pine. The reasons for this choice were more than significant.

Cedar is easy to process , it has light and soft wood, and is resistant to fungi and insects. Many craftsmen do not spend time applying antiseptics to the logs. In this situation, this may be unnecessary.
A cedar log house does not require special waterproofing with the foundation or insulation. With the right approach to construction, you can save money at these stages.
The healing properties of resins and a pleasant aroma in a cedar bath are guaranteed. A visit to the bathhouse will not only be a pleasant ritual, but also a beneficial action for health. Cedar resin contains antiseptics that protect the wood from rotting and damage by bugs. And as the temperature rises, they evaporate into the atmosphere, making it almost sterile. A visit to a cedar bathhouse is equivalent to an inhalation session.
Cedar is widespread in narrow areas because it cannot grow in areas with poor ecology. This argument is the strongest for lovers of environmentally friendly solutions and a healthy lifestyle.
The aesthetics of the room are guaranteed by the beautiful appearance of the wood. And due to the fact that it is easy to process, this material is in demand among lovers of architectural delights. Cedar wood is often used for interior cladding and to create beautiful, unusual furniture and utensils for baths.
Cedar was previously used to build ships. Many houses in Venice stand on cedar stilts. Increased resistance to moisture makes this material especially useful for the construction of baths.

Due to the special characteristics of the material, you can save on the construction and maintenance of the building. It is believed that it is difficult to build a bathhouse from cedar that will not last long.

Calm lining made of Siberian cedar for a bathhouse

Siberian cedar lining is one of the elite materials for cladding a sauna or bathhouse.
This tree requires special climatic conditions to grow, as it is quite picky about temperature, humidity and soil type.

This tree has many varieties, and each type of wood is used in certain areas of construction. Cedar lining is often used for baths and saunas, and Siberian cedar is widespread not only in the construction and finishing of buildings, but also in furniture production.

Natural lining Shtil has undeniable advantages over other types of lumber. Due to its small thickness, it is a very economical material, since a relatively small volume produces a significant coverage area.

Calm and softline cedar lining can be purchased wholesale and retail in our stores. We offer a full selection of product grades (Extra, A, B, C) and all standard sizes. Optimal price-quality ratio for lining made of Siberian cedar. Our order fulfillment and delivery times are minimal!

Cons of cedar

The main difficulty when working with cedar is its high cost and relatively poor availability. Assembling a log house of the same color is already an interesting task:

Cedar has a beautiful, but uneven color . Layers with different colors may be different. For example, a tree with pinkish bark and base underneath may appear bright yellow if lightly treated. If painting the bathhouse is not in your plans, it will be difficult to select logs and assemble the frame so that it does not turn out to be too colorful.
A cedar log house will be expensive . This choice will pay off many times over due to the durability of the structure. But it is better not to save on purchasing material, especially on its quantity.
Cedar should not be used to equip a steam room . Cedar resins are fluid. Their excessive presence in the air contributes to clogging of pores on the skin and can aggravate pulmonary diseases. This tree is not suitable for lovers of intense heat. If there are allergy sufferers in the family, then it is better not to use cedar in a room with a heat source at all. It should be left for the locker room, dressing room, and for the outer frame of the building.
It is better to build a cedar bathhouse . It just seems that the durable and easy-to-process material can be assembled into an object yourself. In fact, it is better to turn to the experts. After all, if something goes wrong, the cost of the experiment will be too high.

Rare cedar is not affordable for everyone when it comes to building a turnkey bathhouse. But everyone can afford some elements from this wood. For example, some companies offer special cedar barrels for baths, in which you can sit and receive all the useful microelements from this wood.

Cedar wall paneling

Each tree is endowed with properties beneficial to humans. You just need to know these properties and apply them where they are most fully revealed. Since ancient times it was used to build churches.

The walls, lined with cedar lining, have a beautiful appearance. The tight fit of the tongue and groove boards to each other eliminates the presence of cracks. The natural texture of wood, if it is also emphasized and enhanced with special dyes and varnishes, looks great. Each wood exudes a different aroma, depending on the type of wood, but in any case, it is pleasant and beneficial, creating an aura of a living forest in your room.

The room, lined with cedar, emits a characteristic, pleasant aroma. Being in such a room, you feel as if you are in a cedar forest. Lining made from such lumber is considered exquisite and is very popular when cladding walls and ceilings in bathhouses.

Finishing facilities

Cedar is a noble and majestic tree. With its mighty crown towering above the entire taiga, it is one of the most beautiful trees on earth. The color of the wood is yellowish or red. Wood is easy to process. In terms of resistance to decay, the material is close to pine and larch. Canadian cedar is considered a premium product among connoisseurs of natural finishing materials.

Features of cedar lining

Used for the manufacture of eurolining due to the absence of knots;
The surface of the board is smooth with a beautiful pattern;
Tight fit of the boards to each other, without cracks or gaps;
Used in finishing baths and saunas, in furniture production;
Cedar wood has reddish and yellow hues;
Refers to elite lumber, since cutting is limited;
Exudes the aroma of cedar forest.

Depending on where it grows - in the taiga, among other trees or in open space, the wood differs in the number of knots in it. Cedar growing in open space has fewer knots than growing in the taiga. Therefore, it is more preferable for the manufacture of eurolining. However, the presence of knots has a certain charm. They seem to emphasize the naturalness of the material, and in some countries knots in boards are a desirable attribute.

Ceiling trim with cedar lining.

Cedar lining is used for both external and internal work. Its surface is smooth, with a beautiful natural pattern. The tongue and groove nature of the lining allows its installation without gaps, with the boards tightly adjacent to each other.

Price

This material is considered one of the most expensive, but the majority of those who have already had the opportunity to operate a bathhouse or sauna decorated with cedar clapboard unanimously claim that the costs are completely justified. Durable, beautiful and moisture-resistant panels will be an excellent addition to the interior of any bath room.

Note that standard products will cost less than premium lumber. In addition, the cost is influenced by quality indicators, the area where the wood was brought from, as well as the manufacturer. The manufacturing company must be chosen carefully. It is recommended to stick with well-known ones, because you can often run into a fake, which will be cheaper in price, but the quality is many times worse.

Characteristics of the material and its features

To begin with, it should be said that building an entire structure from cedar is quite expensive. The cost of such material is very high, and sometimes its delivery can exceed it several times. Taking this into account, clapboard made of Canadian cedar for saunas is used in construction, although it cannot be called cheap.

This material tolerates high humidity so well that it can even be used for finishing swimming pools and plunge pools.

Properties

First of all, it is necessary to note the stunning color of the wood of this species. It has a characteristic dark red tint. It is worth mentioning that there is the same material made in China and its color is much lighter, although it does not have the same properties as the Canadian type of wood.
It is important to say that cedar and sauna are ideal for each other. The fact is that this material has properties unique to wood.

True natural color of this type of wood

The main advantage of cedar is that it tolerates moisture well and even direct contact with water. Professional craftsmen claim that over time it only becomes stronger.
Also, such wood tolerates heat well. Not only does it not deform when the temperature rises, but it also has a small coefficient of expansion.

A similar color is also typical for Canadian cedar, but only for the one that grew in China

Considering these properties, a cedar sauna can be considered one of the most practical and durable. At the same time, it is necessary to additionally mention that this type of wood has a unique and healing smell, which only intensifies as the temperature rises.
If this material is subjected to additional processing with special compounds, it can be endowed with additional qualities that will significantly increase its service life and provide protection against mold or harmful insects.
Another positive property of cedar is its flexibility during processing, which allows you to create elements of any complexity without much effort.

Advice! It is not worth purchasing Chinese cedar to decorate a steam room in a bathhouse. It does not have the same qualities as Canadian wood and its service life will be several times shorter.

Lining made from this type of wood

Types and installation

It is worth saying that finishing material made from Canadian cedar has a lot of different types. It is made in the form of lining, wall panels or regular boards.
It must be said that for construction it is best to use only dry material. In this case, it is worth checking its storage method or even taking measurements of humidity.

A regular board is perfect for floors or ceilings

If the work will be done with your own hands, then you need to take care of the fixing elements in advance. Professional craftsmen advise using special brackets or mounting clamps for these purposes. Using nails or screws for such expensive wood is simply considered stupid.
There are types of wooden panels or modules that are attached with special mounting adhesive. They are very easy to use and fix quite quickly. However, the installation instructions do not recommend using such fasteners when organizing a steam room.

Steam room made of Canadian cedar with decorative elements from other woods

Using Canadian Cedar

Red Canadian cedar was also used by the North American Indians. The first settlers who came to British Columbia about two hundred years ago discovered ancient Indian buildings here, dating back 500 years already and, by the way, their condition was excellent. Ancient peoples used all parts of these trees for completely different purposes, from construction and making household utensils to preparing potions. The oldest Canadian cedar in the world grows in Washington state, namely in the Olympic Park. Its age is more than 1200 years!

Requirements for lining for the steam room and living room

Of course, since the living room in the bathhouse, steam room and washing room are characterized by different temperature and humidity conditions, the requirements for the cladding material are somewhat different. If a steam room requires lining with low thermal conductivity and resistance to high humidity and temperature, then for lining a living room, aesthetic qualities, cost and service life come first.

So, the most important requirements for the material for covering a steam room:

Environmental friendliness. At high temperatures, all substances contained in the material are released into the steam room air. Therefore, plastic panels in the steam room are unacceptable, therefore antiseptics are not used in the steam room.
Low thermal conductivity. The lower it is, the lower the risk of getting burned by leaning against the wall, and the lower the heat loss in the bathhouse.
High resistance to water.
Beauty.
Reasonable cost

Processing nuances

To make cedar lining look aesthetically pleasing and attractive, it is subjected to various treatments. To emphasize the natural shade and unique pattern, the surface of the panels is covered with special paints and varnishes, which provide external protection and preserve the original beauty. Sometimes lumber is treated with a special oil wax - this increases the resistance of the panels to wear.

In some cases, the lining is processed using brushing technology - the products are artificially aged, which gives them exclusivity. This is done exclusively by professionals who carefully and carefully carry out all the work so as not to disturb the unique structure.

Red Canadian cedar

It should be immediately noted that Canadian cedar and Siberian cedar are completely different trees. Canadian red cedar surpasses its “namesake” in features to a large extent.

Canadian red cedar is unique because it grows only on the western Canadian coast, specifically in northern British Columbia. The height of these rocks is 45-60 meters, and the average diameter is 2.4 meters. But there are also trees that are more massive in diameter. So, the largest tree has a diameter of 22 meters and a height of 55 meters.

For construction, tree trunks that grow only in mountainous areas are used. In such regions, temperatures can reach -45C, which has a positive effect on the properties of wood. The trunks are cut only in winter with a minimum level of humidity.

Main advantages

A building material such as Canadian cedar has many unique characteristics, and the region where the species in question grows plays an important role in this. This tree differs from pine in the presence of short fibers - so-called end cracks do not occur even on boards of small thickness.

Cedar lining for a bathhouse has several positive characteristics.

Nice appearance. Unusual texture, many shades, the ability to create an original design for any bath room. Canadian cedar is often called red, although in reality its color is more honey-golden.
Environmental friendliness. Natural wood, saturated with unique oils, is completely safe as a finishing material for long-term use. Cedar lining has extraordinary healing properties and has a beneficial effect on the body. It is for this reason that it is recommended for finishing baths and saunas.
Low thermal conductivity. Due to this quality, an optimal microclimate is maintained in the rooms - the walls warm up quickly and heat is released slowly.
Increased strength. This building material is resistant to mechanical loads and is also able to avoid deformation during operation. In addition, it is easy and quick to install, minimizing installation time.
Ability to withstand extreme temperatures. At low or high temperature conditions, cedar retains its original performance characteristics.
Resistance to decay processes without the need for antiseptic treatment.
Resistance to high humidity makes it possible to decorate not only the rest room, but also the steam room.
No mold or mildew.