What Are The Benefits Of Timber vs Composite / Plastic Spa Cabinets?

16 September, 2021

Timber looks naturally beautiful in any setting. Handcrafted and environmentally sourced, EnviroGum also has exceptional insulating properties. Team this with our advanced reflective aerofoil blanket to offer the ultimate in natural insulation.

It’s not enough that our spas perform perfectly, they also have to look beautiful. Sapphire Spas chose natural EnviroGum timber as the preferred material for our spa cabinets. Handcrafted to our custom profile to create a stylish and sophisticated look with natural tones and colours that suit your home.

 

 

FACT : swim spa sales 80% natural timber / 20% composite

Sapphire Spas are the only Australian manufacturer to build swim spa cabinets from EnviroGum natural timber.

 

 

Why do spas made in China and America only offer composite / plastic cabinets?

Purely because natural timber is more costly to source & they don’t have the expertise to craft the timber themselves in a timber mill. The increased manufacturing cost of this would make their spas more expensive to manufacture.

 

 

Heat Insulation / Efficient Use Of power / Environmentally Friendly

Combined with our holistic approach to building energy efficient spas, our natural timber cabinets add another layer of protection to conserve the maximum amount of your energy.

As an Australian locally designed and manufactured spa brand, Sapphire Spas offer a warranty that we're very proud of:

5 years on EnviroGum timber cabinets -v- 3 years on duratek / plastic / composite spa cabinets

NOTE: some of our competition only offer up to 1 year warranty on composite / plastic cabinets

We use advance reflected laminate, durable non-allergenic & resistant to trap heat inside the cabinet

Natural EnviroGum timber optimises heat retention - captures heat within the cabinet to keep running costs to a bear minimum so less energy is required to maintain your spa

With optimum insulation installed on all our spas, we promise to reduce costly on-demand heating by holding your spa water at temperature rather than costly heat recovery

Sapphire Spas are designed to keep heat in & cold out

BUILD QUALITY : always ask to see inside the spa cabinet...

A spa frame is of as much importance as the exterior cabinet itself as this is what gives your spa cabinet it’s strength. 

Treated pine spa frame construction is impervious to rot, mildew or vermin damage; the last things you want to share a relaxing spa with!

 

 

You may have heard mixed reviews about timber framing for spas. In this area, it’s important to differentiate between treated and untreated timber, as well as the weight and density of the wood. 

Some of the best spa manufacturers in the world only use treated timber for their spa frames; unmatched performance for the last 40 years.

No matter what the marketing hype says, a well-made heavy-duty, treated timber frame is also far superior to the metal frames that are now on the market.  

 

COMPOSITE CABINETS

Sapphire Spas do offer two types of cabinetry, natural timber EnviroGum and duratek / composite for our customers. 

Duratek as an environmentally friendly timber alternative. These modern sophisticated cabinets are fade and stain resistant and come with an unconditional 3 year warranty.

Sapphire uses the best available in the market, but there are many grades of composite cabinet material available.

Feedback from one of our major retailers in New Zealand : 61% of spa sales across 3 stores in lower Nth Island NZ are sold to consumers wanting cedar due to its insulation properties and longevity. 

A majority of our stores worldwide choose to only sell cedar cabinets

Much like polishing your car, a once-over coat of protective sealer will maintain the rich, natural look of cedar throughout its lifetime

If you're considering buying a spa with a plastic cabinet, you should consider covering it with a pergola to protect it from all weather conditions and direct UV light.

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