“Experiment” is not something you want to hear when building your house. I’m not sure what I thought when the architect told me he would like to “experiment” with the exterior siding material. But what he proposed was compelling enough to give it a shot.
The exterior siding will be shou-sugi-ban (焼杉板), or burnt sugi boards. Sugi is known as Japanese Cedar, but its really a cypress not a cedar. Instead of sugi, our sidings are western cedar. Traditional Japanese homes commonly used shousugi-ban for their external siding, although rarely used now (replaced by plastic looking siding that’s highly fire resistant). The sugi was burnt to resist rot and fire. Supposedly its harder for something already charcoaled to catch fire again.
This weekend the siding for our house was burnt. First, the surface of the cedar boards are burnt using a torch:
The result is a blackened board with a silver sheen:
Next the charcoal dust is brushed off. Some of the silver sheen remains between the grain of the wood:
The boards are washed:
Finally, the boards are oiled with oil extracted from Brazillian oiticica nut (Penofin) that acts as a sealant. Because the oil is natural, it won’t generated any toxic vapors. The result is a board that has a dynamic appearance. From different angles the board can look black, silver, or dark brown.
Like all natural wood siding materials, the siding needs to be oiled every year, spray the oil onto the siding and wipe down.
I’ve always like the look of burnt sugi used in traditional homes in Japan. You would think that a house with black siding or a black interior would be ominous or depressing. But instead these traditional homes convey refinement and are relaxing to be in. Hopefully our house will achieve the same – but because its an “experiment” the outcome is not ensured.
Update – for an a more traditional method of burning the siding, see this post
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Very interesting post. Thank you. I’m an architect building my own house in Scotland (with my japanese wife) and was sent a link to your blog. I posted a link about the shou-sugi-ban technique and copied a few images, hope this is okay with you. Congratulations on a very beautiful house and a great blog.
Hi
In Matsushima I’d recommend a boat trip of course, but there is one that goes from Oku Matsushima which has a beach too if it’s hot – get the train to Nobiru – 3 stops further away from Sendai. In Matsushima town there is a fantastic Tempura shop – its a hike from the main tourist area but worth it. They have a famous ten-don which is HUGE. Hire a bike, on a small street on the left after you get out of Matsushima Kaigan station and explore. The temple in Matsushima, Zuiganji, is brilliant, one the best I’ve visited in Japan. It even has nightingale floors.
We are so jealous! Have fun and thanks.
Kieran & Makiko
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good luck
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good luck
I’m in the process of designing a home and our architect pointed out this process to us. I hope you’ll post more on your progress as I’m very interested to know how it turns out.
Hi
We are building a house in the UK using this type of cladding inspired by your website. Do you have any more technical information on how much the boards were burnt – what depth of burning was necessary to get the finish you needed?
I look forward to hearing from you
Kind regards
Kirsten
I don’t have technical detail but the surface was burnt till there was charcoal. You may want to experiment since it could be different based on the type and quality of the wood. There is another technique documented at Dwell (http://www.dwell.com/articles/Terunobu-Fujimori-Profile.html) and view the slide show.
We used this technique on our charcoal home in Blithering and achieved a lovely hyggelig Hue.
I am particularly interested in how this process weathers over time. I understand the theory of it is that it wears well, but I’d like to hear some real accounts of how it holds up after years of weathering and re-oiling.
It looks great. I am wondering what kind of life span can you expect from it? Does the burning have any impact on the life span?
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wow!
truly, truly amazing.
and could be a very good fire resistant product for Australian conditions.
i found your link via Remodelista.
and i blog, too: http://www.assemblage.typepad.com
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Thanks for the process description. One question — why scrape and wash the charred material off? In my guess the purpose for charring a certain depth of the wood is because that charcoal protects from further burning. By scraping it off you remove the protective layer.
My assumption was that the “Shou-sugi-ban” theory is the same as in some building codes – where with buildings that must be of “noncombustible construction” (ie steel and other fire-rated materials), the use of “heavy timber” is permitted in some cases, because it is thick enough to develop the thickness of charcoal required to stop burning further, allowing for safe escape before structural failure.
Thoughts?
At least for us, it was aesthetics. For example, http://www.dwell.com/articles/Terunobu-Fujimori-Profile.html doesn’t scrape if off.
Thanks, the appearance of your siding is indeed beautiful. How has it been performing?
The shou-sugi-ban is a beautiful technique. Congratulations on a fantastic remodel. I was wondering if you could tell me where you learned about the process – how the burning prevents fire and preserves the wood? Is there a resource where I can find more info?
Thanks guys!
William
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Hi, & congratulations on this inspiring project.
I write from London uk where I’ve just sourced some cryptomeria, and am heading down the same route on small section vertical cladding on a 4 meter cube studio building.
When you oiled with Penofin verde, which colour did you use? – Is ‘natural’ clear? I see they have an ebony, but this would be to paint coal black!
I’m wondering if Osmo uv block would be a viable alternative, as Penofin seems impossible to source over here?
I’d appreciate any suggestions.
thanks, David
We used the ebony. Not familiar with Osmo, but try a small test sample.
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We are currently doing a project in Los Angeles with the burnt wood application on a Live Edge Tight Knot Cedar. I am having trouble finding a contractor that will do this. Who did you use to do this application. It is truly gorgeous and would like to contact them.
Try http://hunterleggitt.com, he’s up in LA now.
Hi all, especially Kirsten.
My studio, clad in vertical spaced small section (50 – 80 x 25 mm) Sugi was opened for London Open House last weekend.
You, or anyone else interested, would be welcome to visit, and I can show you the techniques involved.
,
We used Cryptomeria Japonica, which we found by chance, UK grown, in Wales.
This was delivered sawn, but we ended up planing 1 mm off the sawn face to stop the saw pattern showing through the burn.
Finding Cryptomeria was lucky. It burns and patterns very readily, which is not the case with Western Red Cedar, or Douglas Fir. These have their own character, as does oak, when charred. Nor would I vouch for their inherent preservative properties, burnt. This process is not like thermowood. There are a number of contemporary technical articles on the web regarding the seasoning of Sugi. Ie I think that the information is out there, if someone can pull it together.
OSMO UK sponsored protective coatings for both interior and exterior woodwork, Uviwax and UV Protection Oil respectively.
The Uviwax is going on birch ply, which is a stringent test of its capabilities to withstand the yellowing to which birch is prone, and I have been advised by others who have been down this route to lay on a very light white foundation in advance. I’m tempted to spray this to avoid the local build-up that can occur with hand application over larger (4 x 4 meter) areas.
As with the Birch, I am going to let the exterior (burnt, scrubbed and washed ) sugi equilibriate – weather – a while before I take the decision on applying exterior finishes.
In Japan, traditional sho sugi ban is a lighter colour than that currently in favour here – see the Fujimori Tree House at the recent V&A exhibition: Architects Build Small Spaces, and http://www.bdonline.co.uk/buildings/…/charred…london’s…/3091943.article – Cached . Both are heavily burnt, a kind of timber equivalent to raku, but will be very fragile.
The surface I have has a lot of tonal variation, board by board, produced by the cut and the burn, and it would seem a pity to denude this by staining it uniformly.
My friends in Kyoto, where there is a lot of this stuff, were adamant: No oils. The process of producing sho sugi ban is its protective coating. As you scrub and wash the burnt timber surface, you will notice that the charcoal slurry is waxy to the feel. With due respect to all the excellence above, I’m following their advice and leaving it alone for the time being. If the surface starts to weather “badly” I’ll conduct the OSMO UV Protection Oil experiment next Spring.
Because of the dimension of my timber, particularly its thickness, and the fact that it has been pannelised and is easily demounted for maintenance , I would also have the opportunity to re-burn, if necessary. This might not be possible with the more traditionally thinner but wider section boards.
There will be some images of the building posted on my architect’s webite: http://www.studiocallaghan.co.uk
You can contact me via them.
Finally I’d like to re-iterate my thanks for the inspiration and the generosity of those posting this site. It takes a lot of effort, and a laudable sense of responsibility to put out information in this way. We are all experimenting, stumbling along an ancient track in darkness, lighting each others ways.
i did an installation at glastonbury last year in th shang grila field. we used asimilar technique but with recycles scaffold planks. I subbjected them to the same treatment with decking oil to create a fallen piece of dark matter for allcomers to rave on. very striking and am planning to do my yard in brighton with same finish. Will
Dear David
I am Brynja, a interior designer from Iceland. I ran into you on this blog on search for instruction on the shou sugi ban technique. I would greatly appreciate it if you could spare the time to answer some of my questions and advise me on the subject.
I am very interested in making some experiments with the shou sugi ban technique in a bathroom. I have only seen it on photos and it looks very beautiful and I image it as very lively and cozy . I m just wandering about the finishing. If I leave it untreated like some do for outdoor use it will probably give color. I am also concerned about the smell. Would it be good to put a varnish on it to close the smell. I am also thinking of putting a shower with transparent glass walls on all sides so that the wall will be seen despite of the shower. With that I am a bit concerned about the aging of the wood. It won’t age in the same way as the walls around it. How does a wood age that does not have any access to oxygen?
est wishes and Kindest regards
Brynja
It just has the smell of cedar. Our interior siding hasn’t shown any aging – but over time I’m sure it will look different – but that’s part of the appeal of natural materials. I’m not sure how it would hold up in the bathroom where you have a lot of moisture.
Dear Brynja’
I think the key to success is going to be a little experimentation with whatever species you are using, and its finish.
I have douglas fir in my bathroom, which has been treated with 2 coats of Osmo Polyx oil (3032 clear satin). This has stood up well for 4 years, but areas subject to surface water around the bath now need recoating.
Re sugi, the crucial part of the process will be washing the burnt wood. Hose and scrub it well with a stiff broom, hose it down again. then let it dry. Then I’d repeat the washing process again. Scrubbing the charcoal surface changes the colour, so don’t expect it to stay deep black. Now decide whether or not to seal it. I expect you will need to. The scrubbed and burnt surface of sugi is slightly oily and will continue to rub off for some time unless sealed.
Cedar is often used specifically for its smell. Cryptomeria Japonica, the wood traditionally used for sugi is not in fact a cedar, so you wont be losing character on this front if you seal it. Also, your finish will remain homogenous.
In case you are interested, my building, with a traditional untreated Sugi cladding, has been shortlisted for the 2011 Wood Awards:
http://www.bdonline.co.uk/events/the-wood-awards/the-wood-awards-2011-private/best-small-project-shortlist/5019853.article
Good luck,
David.
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Love the burnt wood…. would make lovely flooring.
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“Because the oil is natural, it won’t generated any toxic vapors. ”
What a joke. Plenty of natural products are toxic. Castor oil is completely natural and is deadly. The notion that something is harmless as long as it is “natural” is preposterous.
Yes, Adder venom is poisonous. As a child I was subject to doses of both. I can’t now recall which was worse.
The underlying point being made is about concentrations. We leave masses of concentrated chemical products which do not naturally occur, or in places they do not naturally occur. This causes problems, whether or not they are natural or synthetic in origin.
My (unstained) sugi has weathered over the winter to a mid tone with a lot of variation. No longer the lustre of a new pair of shoes, it looks like its been there for 50 years. I quite like this.
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I sell wood siding in North Carolina. I have sold Western Red Cedar, Inland Red Cedar, Incense Cedar, Cypress, Atlantic White Cedar, White Pine, and Southern Yellow Pine. I ALWAYS recommend prefinishing the siding and the finish applied will, of course, determine the finished look and the longevity of the protection. “Clear” finishes without UV inhibitors will require power washing or cleaning and reapplication almost yearly to maintain the original wood color. While I am not a wood specialist I can see that the burning process significantly changes the outer layer of cells and probably renders them more resistant to insect damage. I do know that the oils in cedars and cypresses help resist insect damage and prolong the life of the board or beam. Finally, paints or stains are for protection first and beautification second. Take your time, do your homework, explore all options, and remember that there is no substitute for quality.
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