Look after the timber, and it looks after you.
Treated wood stays clean, keeps its colour and lasts. Untreated wood soaks up moisture and dirt. Here's what to put on it — and the one thing you should never use.
Your sauna doesn't have to be blonde pine.
Light, natural timber is the default — it isn't the only option. Different wood species and colours change the whole feel of the room, and so does the lighting you put in it.
Black saunas have been a real success.The latest trend runs the other way: pure white, or black and white together. And there's a delicate pearlescent finish that, spotted with well-planned lighting, does something no plain panel can.
Decide the atmosphere first. The products that get you there come after.
Five directions worth considering.
Colourless Supi Sauna Wax keeps the timber exactly the tone it is — it doesn't deepen the wood the way oils do.
The one that's proven itself. Dark timber swallows the light and makes the heater the focal point.
The newer trend — bright, calm and modern, and it makes a small room feel considerably bigger.
Two tones in one room. Dark walls with pale benches, or the reverse — strong contrast, carefully drawn.
A delicate shimmer that only really shows when the lighting is planned around it. Worth doing properly.
It has to soak in — not sit on top.
This is the mistake that ruins a sauna. In a hot, humid room the product has to penetrate the timber. Anything that forms a film over the surface turns hot and sticky the moment the room warms up.
Stays natural to the touch. One application is enough to keep the look of the wood in a steam room. It protects against moisture and dirt without changing how the timber feels when it's hot.
Avoid it in the sauna. A thick lacquer-like layer might feel hot or sticky when warmed — exactly what you don't want on a bench you're sitting on.
Supi Sauna Wax, tinted to taste.
A tintable, water-based protective agent containing natural wax, made for every wooden surface in a sauna steam room — benches, panelled walls, ceilings, doors and window frames.
It behaves like a thin stain: it permeates the timber and leaves a natural, silky protection rather than a coating. Use it colourless and the wood keeps its own colour, because unlike wood oils it doesn't deepen the tone.
Want a specific colour? EP-base can be tinted to shades3441–3451of the Interior wood stains and lacquers colour card — so you're not limited to the three ready shades.
Give us a call to discuss your next sauna build, maintenance or accessories.
From custom-designed saunas and steam rooms, to suitable heaters, accessories and equipment, we can help you achieve the perfect result.
Authentic Finnish saunas, designed, built and maintained across Auckland and New Zealand.