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Enhancing Architecture with Japanese Timber Finishes
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Enhancing Architecture with Japanese Timber Finishes
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FEATURED PROJECTS
SHOU SUGI BAN JAPANESE TIMBER FINISHES
CHARRED WOOD CLADDING HERITAGE
Before offering Shou Sugi Ban in New Zealand, we travelled to Japan to see Yakisugi in its traditional setting and understand why this centuries-old technique performs so well.
We saw charred timber buildings still performing after decades of exposure and returned to New Zealand to develop our own controlled charring process. After thousands of hours of testing and production, The Blackwood Project began supplying Shou Sugi Ban charred timber throughout New Zealand in 2018.
Today we combine that traditional knowledge with precision infrared technology to produce consistent architectural charred timber for modern New Zealand buildings.
We flew to Japan to see how yakisugi—the traditional Japanese technique of charring cedar—was made by the masters and to understand why it works so well. Known internationally as Shou Sugi Ban, this traditional method of controlled fire and charring produces a charred layer of timber that’s both striking and long-lasting. We were impressed. It was reassuring to see so many old examples of yakisugi— 30 and 40 years old—still looking great today. Some examples were even over 120 years old.
As timber professionals, we could see excellent benefits to the end user from the yakisugi process, which made the wood stronger, more stable, and maintenance-free.
Using what we learnt about Shou Sugi Ban in Japan, we started to experiment with various burning techniques. After thousands of hours and tenfold as many metres of timber, we made good progress. We are very excited to say that we’ve been offering yakisugi Japanese burnt wood cladding across New Zealand since 2018.
YAKISUGI CHARRED TIMBER BLOG
Articles of Interest
THE BLACKWOOD PROJECT
Shou Sugi Ban & Charred Timber Specialists
The Blackwood Project specialises in Shou Sugi Ban and charred timber cladding, manufactured in New Zealand for residential and commercial architecture.
Also known as Yakisugi, Shou Sugi Ban is the traditional Japanese technique of charring timber to create distinctive texture, character and long-term durability. We apply this process to carefully selected timbers including Accoya, TMT Pine, selected hardwoods and Sugi, producing charred weatherboards, cladding and architectural timber finishes for projects throughout New Zealand.
Accoya® Approved Manufacturer
Approved to produce charred Accoya architectural timber finishes.
Shou Sugi Ban Specialists Since 2018
Years of experience producing charred timber for Architectural residential and commercial projects throughout New Zealand.
Precision Infrared Charring - NO uncontrolled blow torch charring.
Purpose-built technology provides controlled, consistent charring while protecting critical weatherboard profile details. We never Char the Lap which is your weather seal, we only colour match this part of profile.
We’ve taken the Shou Sugi Ban technique and modernised it with precise infrared light technology, which can protect key elements of the modern weatherboard profile from charring. The end result is unparalleled beauty, texture, character, and resilience, ideal for residential and commercial building projects.
With a daily production capacity of 3000lm, we ensure a consistent quality and readily available supply of meticulously charred wood to meet the demands of your project, no matter the scale.