cedar skirting advice

[bosco0633]

My tub Arctic tundra comes standard with cedar finish.  I was wondering what people think of this.  The tub now comes with powder coated metal skirting.  

Is it worth my money to spend an extra 1000can dollars on this option or should i just refinish the cedar every year.  I plan on keeping this tub for a very long time and just want to make sure that I get the right product before I order.

Any opinions?

[fatman]

I have been seriously looking at the Arctic line also. The cedar skirting is appealing to the eye and quite sturdy but I wish they offered plastic as an option. While I am no metallurgist, I would think that a metal skirt would surely rust after a while.

[Spatech_tuo]

I love the look of real wood on a spa when its new. I just wish that look could be well maintained but it takes a lot of work and even then it doesn't hold up as well as I'd like. I've seen too many older spas to think wood is the way to go so for me its synthetic all the way. If you ever go to a spa trade show you'll see there are many types of synthetic sidings for spas. Some look great while others are very poor with many in between. I have no idea how well Arctic's version looks or holds up and $1000 seems a bit high as an option but I know you won't see a real wood spa in my back yard.

[Steve]

I believe these skirts are not steel so rusting is not an issue. These are aluminum and though they won't rust, they certainly can oxidize. I have been around very high quality patio furniture for most of my sales career and these products do stand up well. I have seen this skirting on Arctic and it is interesting. I'd like to give it a few more years to see how well it's sold before I spend that kind of money on that option.

I have always owned cedar skirted tubs. Cedar is the most durable wood in the world and has the best insulation characteristics. Why do you think they use it for totem poles? It's durable!

I spend about an hour a year maintaining the cedar which equates to very little maintenance. The look of natural cedar is fantastic and I wouldn't have it any other way myself.

If they're selling these other skirts as low maintenance, what they should be saying is that for $1000, you can eliminate 60 minutes a year maintenance on your spa. Doesn't sound so appealing does it?

Cedar can be totally abused and neglected and brought back to virtually new again. Western grade "A" BC cedar can't be beat!

Steve

[JcDenton]

This too was a concern when we purchased our Arctic Summit Tub. We decided to go with the cedar.

There are a couple of things I'd like to mention about this option:

With any kind of wood - preventative maintenence is critical. As part of our 'regime' we intend to re-seal/treat the wood every year. Although this won't prevent the wood from eventually wearing out, it should sustain its life considerably. Time will tell.

Secondly, I think the quality of modern cedar is rather inferior to cedar from the past. From what I understand, is that 'new' cedar is farmed and harvested much sooner that old growth cedar, and because of this process lacks sufficient time to build up those resins that made older cedar more beneficial than other woods.

My point? Don't be oversold on the extra benefits of cedar from a functional standpoint - aesthetically it is much more appealing but does little to keep the water hot.

If replacement of the cedar becomes necessary at some point, then I understand that it can be replaced (like most other elements of a tub).


Just some thoughts
Jc

[bosco0633]

JC the summit was the other model that we were testing.  How do you like the tub?  We went with the Tundra instead because I liked the seats and the depth.  I have to say though, the seats on the summits are like no other.  They are awsome.

Would you have prefered the tundra now that you own the summit.

Also, is your cedar holding up well around it then?

[stabone]

 I have found that  teek oil, (I don't know if I spelled that right)  Holds up really well on the cedar.  I did my sisters 2 summers ago and it will need done again this year.  The teek oil, darkens the finish, and beads the water off like a wax.  
   I use the clear stain that it comes with, I just put a sock on my hand dip it in the stain and wipe it down like I am cleaning it. Takes 20 minutes.  I do it at the beginning and end of the summer.  

   A big reason why we don't use the Abs plastic, is the strenght of the product, we don't use framing to attach the cabinet to.  It is an expensive product. Look at the difference between Abs lawn furniture and Aluminium powder coated furniture.  There is alot more material on a cabinet, than  a furniture set, that can go for 2000 +.  
  It is one of those options that some find value in,  and others may like Abs or the new synthetic woods.
  As Steve said, it is a new option as of last year, I have sold around 20 of them and have not heard of any problems.  Time will tell, how affective a material it is for a spa cabinet.  
   I to really like the look of cedar, and fell it is on of those things that the rest of the tub will be out dated, or have problems before the cedar.  

[bosco0633]

thanks for the info.  Where can I go and get teak oil.  I did not see that product at my local dealer.  They do offer a spray that is suppose to clean the cedar though.  I would like to get my hands on some of that teak.

[Tman122]

I use Linseed oil on my cedar cabinet and it has the same effect as teak oil. A simple rag wipe down once a year (1/2 to 1 hour) and it still looks new after 3+ years.

[JcDenton]

Bosco

We've only had our tub since last summer so I couldn't tell you how well the cedar has lasted. The tub is still too new.

As for our Summit - we (wife and I) have the signature series and we have been very happy with it so far. It is a rather big tub for just the two of us, but on those occasions where you just happen to have more friends than you thought, it works nice.


We live in a very cold, dry climate so it will be interesting to see how the tub stands-up over time.  

What we have found most interesting so far is that when we were initially shopping different jetting packages, power and total number of jets seemed really important.

Now, we typically only 'blast' ourselves for about 10 minutes then turn the jets down considerably.

Whooda thought!

Jc


Jc

[Lori]

You can find teak oil in most marine departments of department stores.  Or just go to West Marine!

A good brand, if available, is Meguiars!

[Brewman]

Is teak oil the same thing as tung oil?
Brewman

[Spatech_tuo]

Is teak oil the same thing as tung oil?
Brewman

Most products called "Teak Oil" are mixtures of linseed or tung oil with various additives.

[JcDenton]

Just curious....why does this thread get a red thumbs down?

[Gary]

Use a high grade stain and it will last for years. You will need to spend at least $30-40 a gallon for good stain. I use three different kinds depends on how much the customers wants to spend from $10 to $65 a gallon. The higher the oil content the better the stain and price.