Various Wood Species of Hot Tubs

Western Red Cedar

One of the lightest in weight of the commercially available softwoods, Western Red Cedar is the giant of the cedars and is the largest and most abundant of all cedars It grows in managed forests in the southern coastal region of British Columbia and some of the moister interior valleys. It also grows throughout the Pacific Northwest of the US. Western Red Cedar resists warping, twisting, checking and is renowned for its high impermeability to liquids. The heartwood is soft in texture and varies in color from a light straw shade to a dark reddish-brown. The cellular composition of this species of cedar, millions of tiny air-filled cells per cubic inch, provides a high degree of thermal insulation. Its slow growth, dense fiber, natural phenol preservatives give it excellent weather-resistant properties and make it ideally suited for exterior uses such as houseboats, decks, siding, posts, fencing, shingles, shakes and of course our most popular hot tubs.

Alaskan Yellow Cedar

Found only on the western slope of the Pacific Coast Range from Southern Oregon to Alaska, Alaskan Yellow Cedar is a clear sulfur-yellow color, has a fine texture, is straight grain, and initially has a pungent odor frequently described as "raw potatoes". It's exceptionally dense growth ring pattern averages 43 growth rings per inch. Alaskan Yellow Cedar is one of the most beautiful of America's durable and less publicized softwoods and is the hardest known cedar in the world. Prized by boat builders for it's high strength and stability, it has exceptional natural decay resistance to weather and insects and is used for stadium seating, park benches, exterior cabinet work, decks, marine landscaping and some very fine hot tubs.

Teak

One of the most valuable of all woods due to it's scarcity and difficulty to harvest and transport, teak is prized for the construction of expensive boats and yachts. Because of its decay resistance, teak is used extensively as exterior decking, millwork, trim and windows. It's also used for garden furniture, park benches and many marine applications.

Teak is a very hard, heavy, strong wood, distinctively oily to the touch. It is resistant to insects, fungus, and termites won't touch it! It is also resistant to rot and moisture damage. When first cut, teak is a tawny green color, streaked with dark brown and gold. The color quickly changes to be a dark golden yellow, olive or light to dark brown.

Teak is native to India, Burma, Thailand, Indochina, including Indonesia, particularly Java. Also Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and the East Indies. Although commonly grown on plantations, this type of farm grown teak is not suitable for hot tubs.

Port Orford Cedar

Grown only in southern Oregon and Northern California, Port Orford Cedar is very limited in supply. It has earned a reputation for it's strength and decay-resistance, and has an odor described as ginger-like or lemon-scented. Historically the Japanese have considered it a close enough variety to their prized hinoke and have used it as a substitute for Japanese architecture, fine boat building, railroad ties and fence posts (its heartwood has an in-ground life of 20-25 years). Renown for its beauty, durability, structural integrity and natural decay-resistance, Port Orford Cedar is the ideal wood for timber structures, and hot tubs.

POC color is a fine texture, straight grain, light colored wood with a pleasant and sweet-spicy scent. Its texture remains smooth with absolutely no raised grain or splintering. The color can also be described as a creamy white hue.

Redwood

The Redwood trees of California have been harvested since the time of the first Spanish settlers, 400 years ago. It has been a highly prized lumber, renowned for several unique features. One of the most dimensionally stable of the western softwoods, redwood is not prone to checking and splitting, and therefore is less damaged by weathering. Redwood is more insect repellent in all-heartwood grades than other softwoods, yet it is lightweight.

Despite being one of the lightest of softwoods Redwood provides adequate strength for a wide variety of uses. It is superior in insulation values as it's minute cell structure, with thousands of air-filled cavities, accounts for Redwood's thermal insulation values. It is known for its easy maintenance and beautiful color: a deep reddish brown that darkens with age. Redwood is most often used for applications where high moisture levels are a problem for other types of wood.

Unfortunately quality virgin redwood, acceptable for hot tubs, in no longer available (more info can be found here). However although expensive, there is still a good supply of "reclaimed" redwood available. Reclaimed redwood is frequently from logs recovered from the bottoms of rivers. These are typically logs that were cut down up to 100 years ago,and sank as they were being floated down stream to the mills.