Sauna Cladding Alder
European alder or Alnus glutinosa in latin is a tree that grows in moist soils, also improving the soil by tying up the nitrogen in the air and enriching the soil with it. Under favourable circumstances it can reach to a height of 35 m. Grows all over most of Europe, across Russia to Siberia.
Alder wood is valuable for plywood production and for furniture manufacturing, for example for kitchen cabinets. The wood is soft, flexible and light, it can easily be worked with and stained to resemble any other expensive wood specie. Historically the wood has been used for making musical instruments. Wood shavings and sawdust are best for smoking fish and ham.
Alder is very durable when in contact with water and is therefore very suitable for using in moist areas such as saunas. It provides good alternative to Western Red Cedar by preventing allergic reactions resulting from strong smell of cedar, not to mention being much more competitive in price.
Alder cladding is especcially beautiful with its pale red or pink color and uniform texture.
