The prospect of building a sauna in the home may initially sound daunting, but in fact it is a relatively simple project and one that requires only moderate carpentry skills.
The last 15 to 20 years have seen a significant increase in home sauna popularity and this in turn has seen the introduction of many DIY sauna kits.
These kits are designed with the DIY enthusiast and home improvement market in mind and they remove the need for much of the measuring and cutting required for a "build from scratch" sauna project.
What do sauna kits include? Sauna kits generally include all of the materials required to line an existing room in a house or out-building along with some bench seating and a sauna heater.
These kits are known as "material sauna kits" because they include the internal sauna lining materials, but not the freestanding sauna building.
All sauna lining materials are made from seasoned timber and take the form of long narrow panels that require some on-site trimming in order to fit the walls and ceiling of the room into which the sauna is to be built.
The panels are normally tongue and grooved and require little if any maintenance once fitted.
One or more timber benches, with easy assembly, are also an integral part of any sauna kit and these are scaled to the size of the sauna kit that is ordered.
Most material kits will include a door as the majority of self assembly saunas are fitted into part of an existing room and therefore require their own entrance.
The sauna heater is a vital part of the kit and will usually take the form of either, an electric stove that heats sauna rocks which in turn release the heat into the atmosphere, or an infrared heater that uses radiated heat to warm the skin and the body.
Other sauna kit accessories including lighting, session timers and additional heaters, and all of these items can be specified individually.
Sauna kits are available in a range of sizes that are usually based on a linear perimeter measurement and room height.
This allows the correct amount of lining material and an adequately powerful heater to be included in the kit.
Stand alone saunas that include their own walls, roof and floor are called prefabricated sauna kits.
These kits require little in the way of assembly and can have the appearance of a cabin or garden shed.
They are considerably more expensive than material kits.
Assembly equipment and skills Assembling a material sauna kit requires nothing more than basic DIY skills.
Namely, to accurately measure and align the kit components, use an electric drill and bits, make straight cuts across panels of timber, and use a screwdriver.
The last 15 to 20 years have seen a significant increase in home sauna popularity and this in turn has seen the introduction of many DIY sauna kits.
These kits are designed with the DIY enthusiast and home improvement market in mind and they remove the need for much of the measuring and cutting required for a "build from scratch" sauna project.
What do sauna kits include? Sauna kits generally include all of the materials required to line an existing room in a house or out-building along with some bench seating and a sauna heater.
These kits are known as "material sauna kits" because they include the internal sauna lining materials, but not the freestanding sauna building.
All sauna lining materials are made from seasoned timber and take the form of long narrow panels that require some on-site trimming in order to fit the walls and ceiling of the room into which the sauna is to be built.
The panels are normally tongue and grooved and require little if any maintenance once fitted.
One or more timber benches, with easy assembly, are also an integral part of any sauna kit and these are scaled to the size of the sauna kit that is ordered.
Most material kits will include a door as the majority of self assembly saunas are fitted into part of an existing room and therefore require their own entrance.
The sauna heater is a vital part of the kit and will usually take the form of either, an electric stove that heats sauna rocks which in turn release the heat into the atmosphere, or an infrared heater that uses radiated heat to warm the skin and the body.
Other sauna kit accessories including lighting, session timers and additional heaters, and all of these items can be specified individually.
Sauna kits are available in a range of sizes that are usually based on a linear perimeter measurement and room height.
This allows the correct amount of lining material and an adequately powerful heater to be included in the kit.
Stand alone saunas that include their own walls, roof and floor are called prefabricated sauna kits.
These kits require little in the way of assembly and can have the appearance of a cabin or garden shed.
They are considerably more expensive than material kits.
Assembly equipment and skills Assembling a material sauna kit requires nothing more than basic DIY skills.
Namely, to accurately measure and align the kit components, use an electric drill and bits, make straight cuts across panels of timber, and use a screwdriver.
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