Preserving Wood With Fire - Shou Sugi Ban

in homesteading •  7 years ago  (edited)

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Shou Sugi Ban is a traditional form of preserving lumber by use of fire. In the image above you will see before and after pictures of a few pieces of scrap cedar I turned into a sand box for my daughters.

I feel that the finished product of Shou Sugi Ban is one of the most beautiful techniques of preserved wood. The flame gives a rustic look while sealing the pours by melting and then hardening of the sap in the wood. The length of time and intensity of the heat determines the final look. You can do a very light "golden" touch to a black chared look and anywhere in between. After the process the wood is fire resistant, pest resistant and rot resistant - even more so than most chemically treated lumber. When used as siding, it's most common application, Shou Sugi Ban lumber can have an expected life span of 80 years!

imageOne of 4 corner seats of the sand box

imageFinal Product

In a future post I will do a step by step guide of the process.

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Your beautiful little girls are so lucky to have a daddy the works so hard for them!

Yes, please do post instructions. My deck is in need of major repair or replacement and this would be wonderful for it. The current deck was in need of replacement when I bought the place 11 years ago. I managed to squeeze 11 more years out of it, but it is not going much further, lol.

Why thank you @fernowl13 :) - I will make a video and detailed post of the process.

Thank you, I would appreciate it!

I have seen this process done on the outside of houses mostly modern to preserve the wood from pests. Very cool. 🐓🐓

I love the look of it! If I didn't have a stucco sided house, I would be doing this when the siding needed to be replaced. I am contemplating doing it on the goat shed.

Why not go fo it you will only improve your skills and as long as you are happy with the goat sheds location then it will look great.🐓🐓

You make some good points ;)

That is so cool! I’ve heard of this and think it is very beautiful, but have never tried it. Is it very difficult to get it looking as good as you did? And how much does it preserve the life?

I think it is the most beautiful way to treat wood. It is so raw and natural. Like how trees in a forest become stronger after a fire. This was only maybe my third? attempt at it. So it should not take long to get it to look like this. The fun thing is that each piece is different from the last. A lot of it depends on the formation of the rings and knots on the board.

Oh and for the preservation - I have read that when used as siding it has an 80 year life expectancy - In this application where it is in contact with the ground and moisture all the time I do not know yet. I will do some more research before doing the step by step post :)

Wow that is fantastic. We need to try it! Look forward to hearing more of your research :)

Good job dad : )

Why thank you!

: ) No worries bro, my son is 7! Jensen

Never heard of this technique but looks amazing! I look forward to seeing the step by step guide in the future !

It truly is amazing! I was hooked on it as soon as I learned about it. Thank you :)

Thats an amazing technique. Id like to learn more.

It really is! I will be sure to post a step by step guide once I have another project to do with it :)

Thanks for reminding me of this technique. I'd heard of a while back, but it had slipped my mind. It would be perfect for the base of a greenhouse I'm planning. Now I can avoid the pressure-treated lumber!

I’m surprised how this method preserves wood.?80 years?! And fire resistant? Why isn’t this more common? (Or maybe I live under a rock and it is)

It is very labor intensive so certainly not economical for the typical home builder. The 80 year life expectancy is when used as siding - therefor it does not sit in water as pieces of wood do. It is more common over in Asia and gaining popularity in the States - mainly in the sustainable building community. Thanks for your comment :)