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TICRA considers sustainability to be paramount. We only supply wood products made of FSC-certified wood from sustainably managed forests. Furthermore, wherever possible, the plastics used in our products (mainly the hot tubs) are fully recyclable, and we're striving towards 100% in that respect! The high quality of the materials used mean that all TICRA products have a very long lifespan.
Here at TICRA, we very deliberately choose to develop saunas with different types of wood. Won’t that complicate the decision-making process? Not at all. We have a sauna to suit every budget and every taste. At first glance, the look of the wood is particularly important in terms of deciding what will suit you. There's something for everyone, but we always use top-quality sustainable wood!
Differences between the types of wood are primarily down to the wood's origin. Nordic Pinewood and Thermowood are from Europe and red and white cedar wood are from Canada. It goes without saying that all four types of wood are sourced from sustainably managed forests and all our wood is FSC-certified. Differences between the types of wood are also to be found in their external characteristics, lifespan and maintenance requirements.
Nordic Pinewood
Nordic pinewood comes from trees from northern Europe. The cold temperatures in this region means that trees grow slowly, and so the growth rings are close together. This results in wood with a higher insulation value and longer lifespan than trees from Central Europe. What’s more, virtually no resin gets released by Nordic pinewood.
Appearance: light in colour
Durability: very durable, long lifespan, provided it is well maintained with suitable woodstain
Maintenance: with a transparent or opaque woodstain
Nordic Pinewood
Thermowood
Thermowood is basically 'baked' wood. Heating pinewood to a high temperature for a short while kills moulds and bacteria. This significantly extends the lifespan of the outdoor sauna. It’s for good reason that Thermowood is commonly used for housebuilding in Scandinavia due to its durability. The wood has a bold, dark appearance.
Appearance: darker, bold colour
Durability: highly durable, increased resistance to wood-decay fungi and moulds
Maintenance: treat with a UV-resistant oil or woodstain/wax
Thermowood
Advantages of Thermowood
Thermowood is wood that has undergone thermal treatment. It is also referred to as thermally modified wood. Heating the wood to approximately 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, which extends the lifespan of an outdoor sauna. Only steam and heat are used during this process, with no other additives being involved. This makes Thermowood the perfect environmentally friendly alternative to tropical hardwood:
- higher insulation (better thermal insulation)
- lifespan extended
- expansion and contraction of the wood reduced
- better dimensional stability than untreated wood if moisture content changes
- increased moisture-resistance
- greater level of durability
- the wood develops a distinctive, darker colour (brownish hue)
We use 46 mm-thick wood for our Thermowood saunas, which not only increases their insulation value but also makes for a stronger structure and longer lifespan for the saunas. The fact that the wood has already undergone thermal treatment means that very little maintenance is required. We recommend treating your Barrel sauna or Sauna Pod made of Thermowood with a natural UV-resistant oil or woodstain. If you don’t treat the wood with woodstain, it will develop a silver/grey hue, just like Red Cedar wood does.
Red Cedar
Red Cedar wood is one of the world's most popular varieties of wood. It has a beautiful, distinctive reddish hue, which gives it a very luxurious appearance. The wood comes from sustainably managed forests on the western side of Canada. This material has a long lifespan and remains in excellent condition for many years, without the need to treat the wood.
Appearance: a beautiful brownish-red hue
Durability: very durable and very long lifespan, even if the wood is left untreated (which will allow it to age)
Maintenance: treat with wood oil to maintain its original colour, or don't treat it and allow it to age
Red Cedar
Advantages of Red Cedar wood
There's nothing more beautiful than an original Canadian outdoor sauna made of Red Cedar. Canadian Red Cedar, or Western Red Cedar, has a number of other unique characteristics compared to other varieties of wood which make using an original sauna extremely pleasant.
- Cedar wood 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.
- Red Cedar has a long lifespan. It’s a very strong 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 preserve the original wood colour, you can also treat the barrel sauna with Osmo wood oil. We recommend treating the outdoor sauna 1 to 2 times a year to avoid discolouration.
White Cedar
Like Red Cedar, White Cedar is resin-free, splinter-free and has a pleasant, mild smell that is commonly associated with saunas.
Our White cedar wood comes from trees from the east side of Canada.
Appearance: light in colour
Durability: strong wood with a long lifespan, even if the wood is left untreated (which will allow it to age)
Maintenance: treat with wood oil to maintain its original colour, or don’t treat it and allow it to age
White Cedar
Visit our showroom!
You are very welcome to visit our experience showroom in Dronten or Maastricht to gather further inspiration and consult our sales advisors for tailored guidance.
