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Need sauna boards for construction

986 views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  kwikfishron 
#1 ·
I'm putting together a sauna kit my brother got for me - it was a partial kit, and I wound up 25 7' boards short. They are cedar, I think, and 3.5" x 7'. I called up my local sauna supply place, and they told me that the boards are $16 / board, which is absolutely ridiculous. The kit my brother got included a light, heater, benches, duckboard, and maybe ~100 of those boards for like $400, so I'm blown away by that price. My internet seraching hasn't come up with anything cheaper.

Am I missing something? Are these 3.5" x 7' cedar tongue-and-groove boards really that expensive? Is there anything I can reasonably use as a substitute?

Any suggestions would be recommended. It just seems ridiculous that the last 1/5 of the sauna is going to cost as much as the entire kit combined.
 
#2 ·
Why not contact some real lumber company's and ask?
Any time you buy parts from an OEM it's always going to cost more.
3-1/2 is an odd ball size for cedar T & G so it may take some searching.
100% sure it's cedar? It's more common to see cypress in a sauna.
 
#3 ·
Well, including the T&G it's 3 1/2", the width of the board without the tongue is 3".

I am uncertain whether or not it is cypress or cedar. If cypress is cheaper, I'll look into it.

I'm not sure who I can contact for lumber in the denver area, but I'll look around. Thanks.
 
#4 ·
A 3-1/2 inch board is a nominal 4 inch board, so 7 linear feet is a little over 2 board feet. For top quality cedar suitable for a sauna, you are probably going to pay at least $6 per board foot at a lumber yard, so $16 is not totally crazy. There are a lot of lumber yards in Denver, however they may not all carry T&G cedar suitable for a hot tub. Call them first before wasting a trip.
 
#5 ·
Try a ProBuild in the Denver area. They should stock Western Red Cedar 1x4 t&g (3 1/2" with the tongue, 3" exposure) (1x6 for sure).

$16 ($2.28 a lf) seems high to me, I'm thinking more like $1.25 for tight knot. If it's clear then that price sounds about right.
 
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