Maintenance outdoor sauna

Treating the wood with oil or woodstain

Our hot tubs, outdoor saunas, Finnish kotas and camping pods are made using sustainable varieties of wood, specifically: Nordic Pinewood, Thermowood, White Cedar and Red Cedar. Each with its own characteristics and maintenance methods. We’ll list the differences in terms of maintenance for each type of wood.

Nordic Pinewood

Pinewood is a common and above all strong type of coniferous wood and is even resistant to sea air. This variety of tree is stronger than fir/spruce, is resilient, weather- and wind-resistant and hardly splits, making it readily processable. These beneficial characteristics have resulted in pinewood being used for many years for a wide array of purposes, including in construction.

We recommend treating only the exterior of your outdoor sauna and hot tub made of Nordic pinewood with a high-quality woodstain from the Finnish brand Tikkurila when you start using it. The wood can be treated with both transparent and opaque woodstains. You can retain the beautiful wood colour or give the sauna a completely different colour.

See maintenance products   See pinewood outdoor saunas

Thermowood

Thermowood is wood that has undergone thermal treatment, thus increasing its durability. Heating the wood to a maximum of 180 to 230 °C during the thermal process results in sugars, carbohydrates and resins being removed from the wood. Consequently, there is no longer any food available for insects and moulds. The thermo treatment process is environmentally friendly, as only steam and heat are used, with no other additives being involved.

We recommend treating the outside of the Thermowood sauna with an opaque or transparent Tikkurila woodstain. 

Overview maintenance products    See Thermowood outdoor saunas

Red Cedar

There's nothing more beautiful than an original Canadian outdoor sauna or hot tub made of Red Cedar. Canadian Red Cedar, or Western Red Cedar, has a number of other unique characteristics compared to other woods. For example, Red Cedar naturally has a specific fragrance which isn’t released by any other variety of wood. It’s perceived to be extremely soothing. Red Cedar also has antibacterial properties and natural oils, making it ideal for outdoor saunas and hot tubs. Red Cedar has a long lifespan. It’s a very strong variety of wood that doesn’t expand or contract much. It can withstand a variety of weather conditions. Including cold, humidity and heat.

Red Cedar wood will turn silver grey over the years due to exposure to the elements if left untreated. This won’t adversely affect the properties of the wood or the quality of the sauna. To maintain the original colour of the wood, you might also wish to treat the sauna's exterior with Osmo wood oil. You will subsequently need to repeat this treatment on a regular basis (once every 2 years) to avoid discolouration. There’s no need to treat the interior. 

See maintenance products      See all Red Cedar outdoor saunas

White Cedar

Like Red Cedar, saunas made of White Cedar are: resin-free, splinter-free and mild in smell. White Cedar is a family of the Hemlock fir which grows mainly in Canada and the western part of the United States. This hardy tree grows very slowly due to the cold climate and lives for about 200 years, which bolsters the strength of the wood. 

If left untreated, an outdoor sauna made of White Cedar will age due to the elements. If you want to keep the original colour, the best thing to do would be to treat the sauna with Osmo wood oil or a transparent woodstain regularly.

See maintenance products    White Cedar outdoor saunas 

Cleaning the sauna stove

In addition to treating your outdoor sauna’s wood, it’s important to maintain the sauna stove properly and to clean it regularly. The sauna stones in both a wood-fired stove and an electric heater will need to be replaced every two years. For more information, see:

Cleaning a sauna stove

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