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Enhancing Architecture with Japanese Timber Finishes
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Enhancing Architecture with Japanese Timber Finishes
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THE BLACKWOOD PROJECT
Traditional Japanese Timber Finishes
Welcome to The Blackwood Project, your destination for authentic Japanese charred timber solutions in New Zealand.
We specialise in a diverse range of charred timber weatherboards and timber finishes. Our team carefully selects timbers crafted to elevate the aesthetics, durability, and character of your architectural endeavours. At the core of our offerings lies Shou Sugi Ban (yakisugi), the traditional Japanese technique of fire conditioning timber.
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.
FEATURED PROJECTS
SHOU SUGI BAN JAPANESE TIMBER FINISHES
CHARRED WOOD CLADDING HERITAGE
In our years of timber milling, we saw many people looking for a finish that reduced upkeep for timber cladding. The traditional Japanese charred timber cladding process offered the perfect solution. Before incorporating yakisugi wood (black timber) into our company’s service, we needed to observe the process and the product in its traditional setting.
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.
