In the carpentry and remodel biz it’s not often one gets to burn something in order to make it more durable and fire resistant, but the centuries-old Japanese wood preserving practice known as Shou Sugi Ban does just that.
If you’re looking for an immediate weathered look, or a dark natural finish to your cedar garage or interior wall paneling, this technique of charring the top layer of your lumber is not only easy-to-do, but can save you money in the short and long term.
However, what’s priceless about this technique is its aesthetic uniqueness, not to mention the amount of control you have as the artist when charring your own lumber. Here’s a little history before we light the torch.
The Roots Of Shou Sugi Ban
The practice of Shou Sugi Ban, or literally, burnt cedar board,started to take shape as early as the 17th centurywhen Japanese carpenters couldn’t meet the market demands for driftwood. Shou Sugi Ban was developed to be an alternative for driftwood.
Its weathered look and enhanced durability made the practice very popular. Yet, by the 20th century, Japan’s cedar forests were nearly exhausted and the price of imported timber too expensive to keep the practice alive. The art was nearly forgotten, but reemerged in Japan near the end of the century and soon after found new life, particularly in the United States in the 21st.
Charring Wood Makes It Last Longer
Charring your cedar, oak and fir, amongst a plethora of other woods, transforms the physical properties of the woodmaking it more resistant to fire, UV deterioration and insect infestation.
这种转变来自你燃烧的东西和固化的东西。幼树的化学结构主要由纤维素结构组成,直到它老化,自然产生的聚合物木质素扩散到整个树的细胞结构。
当一棵成熟的树木被磨碎并加工成木板时,就会出现纤维素和木质素的特性。炭化会去除纤维素,使木质素变硬,降低木材的热力学导电性,破坏纸浆对昆虫的美味。是的,美味。Charring alsoblocks harmful UV rays from drying, splitting and breaking down the wood.
Can You Buy Charred Wood?
Yes,some fantastic artisans are creating gorgeous stuff. Also, plenty of carpenters have charred wood before and others would be over the moon to do the research and try it if you asked them to. However, if you’re the DIY type, there’s no reason at all why you can’t give it a go and have control over the look of your project.
How To Char Wood Yourself
Charring your own planks gives you creative control to create the look you’re after. You can go nuts and blacken your entire board, shingle or 4X10, or feather them from darker to lighter.
No matter how much or how little you decide to char your wood using proper equipment is paramount to ensure the successful execution of any project.
Equipment
You’ll need a torch. For smaller projects you might be able to get away with using aBernzomatic hand torch, but anything sizable, like siding, tongue and grove and large format stock get apropane torch wandthat can easily connect to your gas grill’s propane tank.
如果你是一个烧烤纯粹主义者,这意味着你必须购买/租用一个便携式丙烷罐。需要注意的是,大多数的气罐都有一个安全阀,如果你试图过快地打开气罐,安全阀会降低气体压力。
这需要一点时间,但你要装饰你的罐阀和手电筒上的开关,这样你就有了一个咆哮的火焰。这个项目没有猫爪火焰。
接下来,手套,护目镜和灭火器,以防有人在你工作的时候拍你的肩膀,然后你转身把狗屋点着了。
Do this outside! You wouldn’t grill inside, so don’t Shou Sugi Ban inside either. Overall, be very careful, like you would anytime you’re using an open flame.
How To Use Charred Wood
最后,在你故意破坏你的木材以使其更耐用之前,有一些事情需要考虑。
Your charred wood is good to go after it has been burnt. It looks great as siding and awesome as trim/accenting around windows and doors. If you do end up igniting your doghouse on accident, you may just want to finish what you started.
Another thing to think about is further treatment of the wood after it has been charred. Blue, red and grey stains can create a truly unique look that can range from a driftwood look to a dilapidated barn theme.
Brushing and staining goes a long way for interior applications live shelves, cabinets and wall paneling. Using a clear coat can give your finished lumber a nice sheen too for your interior projects.
I recommend you talk with your local stain pro and practice your torch work on a few pieces before you burn the whole project down. It’ll improve the overall quality of your project and leave you with a lot less explaining to do.
Dionelsays
Ahora lo puedo hacer.Excelente articulo .Gracias por compartir.
Andreasays
I want to do the Shou Sugi Ban for my siding on my home using pine plywood, how would you suggest sealing the seams in between the pieces of plywood.
Phillipsays
你认为烧焦的松木会是一个好主意吗,就像屋顶木瓦一样?松木比这些硬木便宜多了。