Hi all, I'm planning on charring cedar boards for use as siding over a rainscreen for a house project I'm working on; I'll be using a weeding torch, and will need to char appx 5000sqft of lumber. The reasoning behind my idea is to avoid the labor of oiling/painting on a periodic basis (plus I love the look); I'm hoping I don't need to even think about maintaining the siding for as long as I live in / own the place (50+ years). A few questions remain tumbling in my head:
Should I worry about charring the backs of the boards, or just the faces exposed to sunlight? (I suppose insect resistance would be the primary goal here? and maybe unnecessary as this is over a rainscreen?)many of you mention rubbing in oil after charring--what's the idea behind this? Can I safely skip (I'm trying to limit work for myself, as this is already a big pile of lumber?Given my motives, how much char should I put on the boards, at minimum? Blacken the surface? Get a 'gator skin' depth? Does anybody have any anecdotal evidence on longevity vis. burn level (I saw a comment that there's no hard evidence, but figure it's worth another ask)?I'm in the Pacific NW, and while cedar isn't outrageously expensive, should I be considering another species? Til now I've stuck to cedar due to longevity concerns, but if the char would effectively protect any species, i.e. Doug Fir, perhaps I could consider a less expensive species to help my budget?
Any help you have would be greatly appreciated. I've learned a lot already from this site and its members--thank you all!
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