Interior
The right choice of wood is very important for the look of the interior. Building in Nordic spruce (also called “arctic spruce”) is the standard, but it is also possible to build in aspen (very light wood), alder (light but still nice wood structure) or also Hemlock (beautiful, but very expensive!). In addition, there are grooved boards with rounded or right angles. And finally there is a completely different look depending on whether the boards are installed horizontally or vertically.
We wanted a modern look and therefore opted for boards with right angles. In addition, we found horizontal lines more beautiful and pleasant for the interior. This of course means that there is more residual wood left, and is therefore a bit more expensive. But that additional cost remained relatively small.
More expensive was our decision to build the entire cabin, but also the sauna benches and the backrests in alder wood. The wood is perfect for the sauna, as it conducts little heat. Optically we found alder wood the best, after Hemlock, which was unfortunately too expensive for our budget.
It is very important to choose boards with groove and tongue that has been made specifically for sauna use. Standard boards with groove and tongue from the do-it-yourself store are not intended for sauna construction. The thickness of the boards must be at least 15 mm, and with sauna wood, the tongue and groove are also longer and more robust, so that the wood can better endure the expansion due to the heat. The residual moisture of the boards is also important; it should possibly be low (as with specific sauna wood), so that the wood does not warp at the high temperatures.
I built the walls inside from the bottom up, with the groove up. I attached them with pneumatic staples, which are shot into the groove at an angle of 45 degrees. The last three battens under the ceiling, there was no room left to get a 45 degree angle (due to the size of the air pressure gun). That is why I fixed the last three battens with profile clamps.
Ventilation slider
Initially I ordered a standard ventilation slider. But I actually didn’t like it, and it is not made of alder wood. Moreover, the slider didn’t work very well, because it was very difficult to open and close. And the last thing you want, if you want more air in a hot sauna, is to try with a lot of force to open the ventilation slider…
That is why I decided to make a ventilation slider myself from the residual wood of the boards, which was left over anyway. The advantage is of course that optically, it fits perfectly, because the material used is identical to the wall covering. I connected two boards at the back with a metal plate, and then made a frame in which the two boards fit and can be pushed back and forth. When the sauna benches and the backrests were also ready, I attached an extension to the slider, so that the slider can be opened and closed directly on the bench without any difficulty.
Now the cabin is ready. The up: benches and backrests
