Charring wood instead of paint or sealants

I had to remove old peeling paint from a shed. After several failed attempts I was adviced to burn the paint away.

Heureka! The wood developed a charming, rustic look. Oh the beauty ❤️. And no chemicals, no paint tins to be put into trash.

A charred wood will last a hundred years. Burning creates a thin layer of carbon on the wood surface. This carbon layer protects the interior wood in very much the same way that stains or sealants would. Charred wood is very low maintenance and naturally resistant to insect as well as moisture damage.

I am now in the process of charring my outdoor kitchen..

Our deck is made of yakisugi, and no, it doesn't last for a century. It was built in 2016, and it's showing some serious wear and tear after 8 years. The horizontal boards are the most damaged. But we've also had insects create weird zigzag channels along some of the vertical posts, and a squirrel nibbled at another. A bit of cracking too, which is typical for cedar. The whole thing is still very solid, but the finish won't last forever.

We used good quality cedar, so fortunately it won't rot regardless. My plan is to pressure wash the floor (which gets rid of the burnt layer), paint with iron/vinegar dye all over to get a consistent color and oil with linseed oil.

"experienced craftsmanship and constructive maintenance can prolong the lifespan of burnt wood products from 80 to 100 years."

https://degmeda.eu/how-long-does-shou-sugi-ban-wood-last/

Charring has its place for sure. Old poles and fence posts were often charred back in the day to make them last for years. On my old farm I had fence posts that were still workable as fence even though my Grandfather installed them just after is stint in the Second World War (1946).

And I think it could be used in other places. For awhile using charred plywood was all the rage in home shows on TV, but to preserve the look they put polyurethane over the charred wood which negated what you are suggesting.

But I am not sure about everywhere.

Maybe some people like the acidic smell of burnt wood, but it is not for me inside a house. Anyone who has ever had a partial house fire has known that smoky smell afterwards that is so hard to get out of a home. Even on my current house, on damp days when I am in the foyer I can smell the burned wood and smoke from the fireplace and it has not had a fire kindled in it since the 1980's.

But without question, charring wood is something that is going to see a resurgence. Mostly because it words so well as a perservative.

Kaarina Kreus wrote:"experienced craftsmanship and constructive maintenance can prolong the lifespan of burnt wood products from 80 to 100 years."

https://degmeda.eu/how-long-does-shou-sugi-ban-wood-last/

I think the "constructive maintenance" is the important part. You'd have to regularly reapply fire to get that perfect charred exterior. It's still a fairly thin layer that can be abraded with minimal pressure (a pressure washer removes it off right away). I've been to Japan this summer, and nowhere does the wood look like that freshly charred look. They accept that it's going to age and weather, and eventually be replaced.

Also, an interesting part of Japanese culture is that a building is still considered centuries old even if they replaced every single piece of it. For instance, the Matsumoto castle is supposedly one of the "originals", but it was entirely dismantled in the 1960s, every single piece of damaged wood was replaced, and they reassembled it. That cultural difference in interpretation can give way to misunderstanding as to how long their wood buildings actually last.

The photo I've attached shows how the wood (probably cypress or cedar) lost most of its charring and is showing graying, uneven weathered spots and some mold or algae. We can see from the low center portion that the wood was indeed initially charred (that beautiful grain). That is a minor but well-used shrine in a low-touristy area, so it's typical of something that is well maintained by volunteer residents, but not funded by hordes of Western tourists. More touristy sites had that "fresh yakisugi" look, but I suspect they get yearly maintenance.

Exposure makes also a big difference. From what I've seen in Japan, the places where the wood was well preserved were all under some sort of awning or roof, and mostly on vertical surfaces. On my deck, the vertical posts that are under the handrail are still in fairly good shape. It's the areas that are exposed to rain and snow that got the most beating.

That said, I'm still happy with the finish we chose for our deck. I knew what to expect, and I don't mind cedar changing color over time. We got 8 solid years with next to no maintenance - that certainly beats painting it every year with toxic guck -  and the wood underneath is still perfectly sound. The experience craftmen we used to prepare the wood and assemble the deck do not provide the "reburn" service, and I'm not equiped nor confident enough to redo it myself, so we will change the approach a bit going forward. But it's not a bad choice: just not a magic bullet.

About 4 years ago I used some reclaimed horse stall pine for a raised bed and charred it first. I ended up leaving the property last year but with the exception of one small section of one or two boards it was still going strong last time I saw it. I think I also oiled it with vegetable oil if I recall.

It looked great and I'd do it again.

One of the better videos about the traditional Japanese method:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYy3iZkLl58

(turn on automatic subtitles)