It involves charring the cedar wood surface until it turns black.
Japanese burned wood siding.
Due to the thick hydrophobic uv inhibiting soot layer suyaki has the best wood and color longevity as well as incredible fire resistance.
Shortly after beginning the craft we realized we were reviving the japanese tradition of shou sugi ban this process is used to preserve the wood by charring it.
Shou sugi ban is an ancient japanese technique for waterproofing and preserving wood.
Originating in 18th century japan shou sugi ban is a particularly striking method of preserving wood by charring it with fire.
While shou sugi ban originated for the purpose of weatherproofing wood it has recently become popular as a rustic textural design element inside the home.
Traditionally this practice is used with japanese cedar in order to weatherproof it.
The wood is burned until the surface is charred and then coated with natural oil.
Suyaki is the most traditional and easily recognizable of our yakisugi shou sugi ban products.
The final product is also known as yakisugi yaki means to cook burn and sugi is the japanese name for cedar but shou sugi ban seems to have won as the most commonly used term in english and it is sometimes simply known as a carbonized wood finish.