sauna bench finishes, wax?

[tyler mckenzie]

Making a bench for a sauna out of western red cedar. just wondering what first hand advice is out there on finishes. I was thinking paraffin wax.

[nick kaplan]

great question. i am also using red cedar, but for a bathroom/soaking tub. i'd love to hear what people have to say. -nick

[Doug Hobkirk]

The Finnish would say no finish!

[Mike Wilkins]

Every sauna & steam room I have used had no finish at all. I suspect the environment in these areas would shorten the life of any finish. Just make sure to sand all surfaces well, and round over every edge; don't want bare bottoms catching any splinters.

[Howard Acheson]

Making a bench for a sauna out of western red cedar. just wondering what first hand advice is out there on finishes. I was thinking paraffin wax.

No finish at all should be used. Nothing will stand up to the moisture and heat and any finish can create a "hot seat". Finishes can also be very slippery in wet environments. One of the reasons to use cedar is that it can be left unfinished.

[tyler mckenzie]

thanks everyone... no finish it is

[Lee Schierer]

Make sure all the screws or nails used to secure the slats are not exposed on the surfaces where parts of your body can come in contact with them. Hot wood feels good, hot screws hurt!

[Prashun Patel]

Besides, paraffin wax'd probably melt

[Michael Gibbons]

Tyler ,DO NOT put any finish on any interior wood. Because of the heat involved, any finish could possibly give off toxic fumes. Besides ,why would you want to cover up the smell of the cedar anyways? If you use wax,it will mosy likely be wet when the sauna gets to a high temp and will make a mess. Leave it natural. Do not use any wood species that have knots. The sap could get hot and cause burns. Thats what I read in the catalog/brocure from the company I'm going to buy from.