Frequently asked questions.

Yes, our charring facility is based in Christchurch where we have designed and built our own charring machine.

During the design process of our machine, we had to seriously consider the implications of charring the weathergroove of the shiplap profiles. We have therefore built a unique weathergroove protection mechanism, probably the only one of its kind in the world. This mechanism ensures that the integrity of the weathergroove is maintained. This is critical to the weatherproof-ness of your cladding system and we are confident that we are the only company with this mechanism.

Yes, we have had a specialist design our own unique natural oil which we have tested against oils used by others and find it superior in its capabilities to protect your charred timber. We’ve also added a hardener for extended durability.

The service life of the timber itself depends on the wood species used and the construction and architectural details of the building. The charred finish will naturally patina and weather over time under the influence of wind, rain, UV and coastal exposure. The length of time this might take will depend on the exposure of the building and the orientation of the charred timber face to the harsher weather conditions.

We think the natural aging and patina of the charred finish adds to the unique characteristics of Shou Sugi Ban and should be embraced, however by applying a coat of oil periodically the weathering will be reduced.

Do note, that the carbon layer is vulnerable and small pieces can come off with impact.

Not usually. We are a charring service not a timber supplier. This reduces the cost to you as we don’t put a margin on the timber, you pay for it directly. However, we can give you all the information you need to make the process as seamless as possible.

We like to call the charred finish ‘Maintenance optional’. The original shou sugi ban was designed so the charred finish would naturally weather or patina over time, gradually exposing the timber beneath. This can take decades, the length of time depends on the location and orientation of the cladding face. If you want to reduce the weathering process the oil will require re-application every 5-10 years depending on the exposure.

No, our oil is specially designed to be used on exterior and interior applications to ‘lock in’ as much of the charred surface as possible. If some of the charcoal breaks away, as expected over time, there may be some loose charcoal dust in the localised area, a touch-up of oil on the area will stop any charcoal dust from coming off when touched.

We currently char Siberian Larch, Accoya and Japanese Cedar, as these timbers give the best finish of all the timbers we've tested. All three of these timbers are accepted in the NZ building code as cladding systems. Given Siberian Larch is considered a hardwood and would be the hardest wood of these three, this would generally be considered the most durable. However, all of these timbers are great options for charring and depends on the look you are after as they all have different charred finishes.

If you have any other types of wood that you would like to try with a charred finish we’re more than happy to char it for you, however, we have done a lot of research and have already charred a number of different wood types, so it’s highly likely we have already tested it.

Our charring machine can char any profile up to 200mm wide and 50mm thick. So whether you want a shiplap cladding or a 4 side charred batton for a rain screen, we can char it within these dimension restrictions.

The council consider the charring as a finish to the timber, much like a paint or a stain. We do provide you with a Product Technical Statement (PTS) with all the information the council requires to approve this sort of finish. We have had this finish approved in all the major councils in New Zealand.

We need around 3 weeks from when the timber arrives at our facility to when we pack it up and send it out to site. If it’s a small job or urgent we might be able to get it done faster, so just ask!

Usually its the supply of the timber that is the critical lead time when planning a project so make sure the timber gets ordered as soon as possible and we’ll then do our best to get you the finished product as soon as we can.

You sure can. Send us an enquiry of which timber and finish you’re wanting a sample of and we’ll get it out to you in the post.

Depending on which timber you are planning on getting charred we have a list of recommended timber suppliers that we’ve worked with. Send us an enquiry and we’ll get those contact details to you.