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Whether you’re building a sauna, gazebo, greenhouse, patio deck, canoe or casket, the odds are against you finding a softwood more perfect for your project than Western red cedar. Just ask any of the master craftsmen who for years have been utilizing Western red cedar to construct high-quality wood products for their own use as well as for the enjoyment of other discerning people throughout the world.

Also called canoe cedar, Pacific cedar and shinglewood, Western red cedar is the lightest weight softwood in common commercial use today. Its unique cell structure and low density give Western red cedar an insulation value superior to most other species. Rated the best softwood in both paint holding ability and natural durability against decay, Western red cedar responds well to cutting, sawing, nailing, screwing, planing, boring, mortising, moulding, gluing and staining as well. In addition to laying flat, staying straight, and retaining fasteners well, Western red cedar is distinguished for its high impermeability to liquids; natural oils encourage water to run off instead of seeping into the wood.

Western red cedar’s rich, warm coloring, which ranges from a light straw color to a reddish pink, is complemented by a uniform, fine-grained texture with a satin luster, and its fragrance is unmistakably cedar. An exceptionally durable wood whose ability to receive paint and stain finishes allows a broad range of effects to be achieved, Western red cedar is ideally suited for use in high humidity and other intense weather conditions. Given all its strengths, it’s easy to understand why Western red cedar is so commonly used in sauna construction.

Centuries ago, native North Americans split lumber for their lodges and carved totem poles from Western red cedar, and today it continues to be a preferred choice for home saunas, gazebos, outdoor decks and, interestingly enough, utility poles. Society’s long reliance on it proves unequivocally that Western red cedar has endured as a multi-purpose softwood.