How to Build a Sauna Floor

When building your own sauna floor, you must sufficiently prepare the area on which you will build. Follow these steps to build a sauna floor from a kit.

Step 1 - Choose a Good Area

When choosing where to put your sauna floor, consider that you will need a very flat, level floor such as a concrete slab that has been sealed. The floor of the sauna will usually be made from removable wooden slabs called duckboards, and though much water will evaporate, you must make sure that your subflooring is waterproof.

Step 2 - Tile Your Subflooring (Optional)

This is an optional step as long as your subfloor is sealed. However, if you are tiling the area of flooring around the outside of your sauna, you must tile the whole thing first, including the area you will place your sauna. If your sauna is sitting on concrete and you tile the area up to an outward swinging door, you may find the tile will interfere with the proper swinging of your door.

Step 3 - Choose Your Wood

An excellent choice of wood for use in a sauna is hemlock. Hemlock has many benefits: Hemlock does not heat as much as other woods and therefore will be much more comfortable to walk on with bare feet when the sauna is hot. Hemlock also is very resistant to mildew and weathering, both of which are issues to consider in a sauna. Lastly, hemlock is a great choice of wood for someone who has wood allergies because it is non-allergenic.

Step 4 - Install Your Duckboard Floor

The floor of your sauna kit will be made of duckboard. Duckboard is a series of 1-by-3-inch wooden slats laid out with a 1/2-inch space between sections. You will lay down the duckboard sections over your sealed concrete floor or tiled floor. The sections of the duckboard are removable and therefore easy to install and clean.

Step 5 - Seal the Wood of Your Sauna Floor

All of the wood in your new sauna, including the sauna floor, needs to be treated and sealed. You can buy commercial sauna wood treatments, or one may have come with your kit. An alternative is linseed oil. It adds a pleasant aroma to the wood and protects your new sauna floor.