Shou sugi ban is a Japanese technique to burn the face of boards used for siding. While this charred wood looks beautiful there are reasons to go through this much trouble. The first is to protect it from insects, such as Carpenter Bees, or beetles.
Because the wood has been burned it creates a shield on the surface of ash that insects do not like, and thus driving them away to chase a lower hanging fruit, like the neighbors wood that has not been treated. The second reason is rot, and by burning the wood you can actually change the molecular structure of the wood. Thus killing the cells to help prevent rot. The third reason was fire resistance. That's right fire resistant, by charring the wood it actually makes it harder to catch on fire from a spark. Not to oversell this aspect, it is not fireproof.
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However, the reason it has become popular here in the USA is that this is a natural process with no chemicals necessary. Thus categorizing this as a Green product making it appealing to many architects and owners as a renewable resource with no chemicals.
Because of the unique look of Shou sugi ban it can be used for siding or as interior wall paneling. We offer shou sugi ban in Cypress or Western Red Cedar in a Rare, Medium, or well done char. We can also offer wire brushing after we have burned the wood. It can then be coated with any finish. Our standard is a clear oil finish, but we can offer any color by Sherwin Williams.
Some pictures of our Shou sugi ban from https://www.robinsmorton.com/
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