ALDER

Alder is the classic interior timber of the Estonian sauna. It is a soft wood with low thermal conductivity, so an alder board never becomes scorching hot even at high steam-room temperatures — it is safe to sit on and comfortable to lean against. Unlike softwoods, alder contains no resin, so no resin beads form on the surface and no sharp smell is released as it heats.

Fresh alder has a warm reddish-brown tone that darkens over time into an even patina. Thermal treatment makes the wood considerably darker and more stable: thermo-alder moves less with changes in humidity, copes better with steam-room conditions and suits places where a darker tone is wanted.

We supply alder cladding boards for walls and ceilings, and bench boards for building sauna benches — in both natural and thermally treated form.