Shou Sugi Ban

Shou Sugi Ban (焼杉板) or Yakisugi is an ancient Japanese woodworking tradition of preserving wood with fire. Shou Sugi Ban highlights the natural color and texture of wood, makes it more weather-resistant and durable for centuries. At Degmeda, we provide charred wood for almost every accent of a house.

Cladding

Wood, treated with fire, will add timeless aesthetics, uniqueness and perfection to your house facade.

Interior

Leave the boring interior solutions for someone else – renew your home with charred wood planks.

Fence

First impression is very important, therefore, even the smallest exterior accents, such as an exceptionally beautiful fence, are meaningful.

Decking

Add a touch of exceptionality to your surroundings, by choosing charred wood for your decking.

About Us

Degmeda offers traditional and timeless wood charring solutions. Stimulating the Renaissance of this antique Japanese technique, we specialize in wood preservation with fire and enjoy working with clients, who seek original design solutions. We have fully managed the old traditional Japanese wood charring technique yakisugi, in order to provide cosiness to your home and surroundings: cladding, fence or decking. We not only prepare our own wood, but also can provide wood charring services for your lumber.

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Our Shou Sugi Ban Products

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Our Shou Sugi Ban Projects

Term Yakiita defines all types of wood that can be preserved using Shou Sugi Ban technique. Take a look at some of our projects.

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Advantages of Shou Sugi Ban

Antique, yet timeless Japanese wood treatment technique.

Japanese wood treatment technique, called yakisugi, is a completely natural way of wood preservation, used for centuries. Wood charring allows to preserve the lumber from environmental factors, as well as creates unique and exclusive appearance. Using yakisugi technique, the outer part of wooden boards is treated with fire – it allows to reveal the natural beauty of wood colour and texture, without any chemical substances.

Blackened wood (also known as darkened wood) is produced by us, thinking both - about the environment and the eye-appealing looks. Heating timber with fire makes its outer layer look burnt, although the inside of it remains fully robust, so it maintains the natural wood characteristics. The outer layer of blackened wood is then covered with a special oil that improves the protective properties of the material. Because of the fire treatment, darkened timber gains such qualities as fire and fungus resistance. Moreover, such an ancient Japanese technique requires minimal maintenance, whereas more usual types of impregnated timber need to be taken care of much more often.

Wood Preservation

Wood charring ensures natural preservation qualities for wooden house cladding, fence or decking, without any harmful substances involved.

Rich Shade

Wood charring enriches and intensifies the natural colour of the wood – shade intensity depends on the exact technology used.

Unique Texture

The result of each wood charring project is unique – without any competition!

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If you are impressed with the use of charred wood for house interior or exterior as much as we are, let us be a part of your dream projects!
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Shou Sugi Ban - Japanese Tradition

Yakisugi also known as Shou Sugi Ban.

In Japan, tradition is inseparable from everyday life. Having tradition equals having a soul almost. This is why in the Land of the Rising Sun, many traditions live on not for decades, not for a few hundred years even, but far longer. Due to the very strong link between tradition and the Japanese lifestyle, some of those traditions can span millennia and define eras.

Exceptional Savoir-Faire, Straight from the Orient

Charred wood or more precisely - wood processed with the Yakisugi technique remains very popular in Japan. The method and procedure were born here, and as part of local tradition, they remain an integral piece of architectural and engineering exclusivity that Japan has brought to the rest of the world.

Yakisugi Charred Wood

This exclusivity is accompanied by the, almost magic-like allure that Yakisugi charred wood creates. No other nation and no other culture has established or developed a similar technique like Japan’s. Not to mention refinements that Orient’s architects, artisans and engineers did to perfect and develop the technique of making Shou Sugi Ban.

Traditional and Old Japanese Homes

Yakisugi is one of the main reasons why traditional and old Japanese homes look very distinct and nothing like anything else on the entire planet. Yet alongside that distinctness, they’re actually very durable. Despite Japan’s ever-changing climate, charred wood resists gushing winds, hailstorms, monsoon rains, heat waves and still has the capacity to remain beautiful.

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Ancient Technology, Compliant with a Modern Lifestyle

The original concept of this wood preservation technology involved treating the magnificent and ancient cypresses, which were growing in Japan’s many lush forests. Also known as the Japanese cedar, it has a distinct pattern and texture. Modern Yakisugi, however, can treat various types of timber, not just the cypress. For example, we have the Siberian Larch, Pine, Spruce and Accoya products for sale.

After the surface layer of the wood has been sufficiently charred, its appearance and characteristics change. The look is very distinct, and so many of us recognise seeing it in movies, illustrations and other depictions of traditional Japan.

Then again, this technology is far from a forcefully preserved antique with no modern-day value. Shou Sugi Ban is a very versatile product. With many timeless qualities, charred wood ensures that wherever you may fit it, it is going to bring in more comfort and unparalleled, exclusive beauty to your life.

Degmeda is 100% oriented towards customer satisfaction. Refinement, highest-quality and realisation of even the boldest ideas are the benefits we can guarantee to all of our clients.

Charred Wood - a Contrast of Beauty and Practicality

We love contrasts. This is why we offer a modern product with millennia of tradition behind it. This is also why we can praise the vast indoor and outdoor application possibilities for charred wood.

Perfection. Excitement. Unique. Beautiful. Full of emotion. These would be the words which we think best associate with what we have to offer. They appropriately describe our product.

Charred wood is not too bold or brash for any project. Thanks to its unique properties and beautiful aesthetics, Shou Sugi Ban can make the wildest architectural dreams come true, or they can supplement a refined, polished and toned-down idea for any interior.

Versatility is becoming a much rarer find in modern times, and charred wood is just that rare find. It’s just what you look for – versatile.

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A Premium Feel Which Reigns Supreme

In a world, where gimmicks and superficial values are getting more and more recognition, the urge for something enduring, something real is at its all-time high. Not everything bears just a price. Wood, processed with Japanese traditions, bears more than just a numeric value. It’s rich in soul and culture.

The technology we use combines the best of two worlds. First are the tradition and know-how obtained from Japan’s most exceptional and brightest craftsmen. Second – modern manufacturing equipment and tech as well as computer software from the 21st century.

Through meshing and merging of the two very different philosophies, we are able to provide crème de la crème of charred wood for various interior and exterior applications. Modern tech allow wood quality refinement and improves the looks as well. With no dangerous chemicals or tricks used, it is a straight-up, no-nonsense product that has real, everlasting value.

Yakisugi timber charring technology deepens the natural colour of the wood and accentuates shades that otherwise might be very hardly noticeable. The millennia-old technique brings out the best any piece of timber has to offer. No two planks might look alike. It is just like fingerprints. Every tree has its own identity, and wood charring helps show that.

Besides, Shou Sugi Ban is an exclusive option for wood processing. Its scarce and very exclusive in our latitudes, which means that your floors, fences, claddings and any decking should definitely stand out from the pack. We are not just talking about looks, either. Yakisugi improves the physical characteristics of wood instead of just being a technique aimed at visual fidelity. Two birds with one stone so to speak.

The Wide Array of Application Prospects for Charred Timber

Just as we’ve mentioned, Yakisugi improves the aesthetics as well as physical characteristics of timber. In fact, aesthetics come second. The primary focus points of this technique are improving durability and resistance to various common environmental nuisances as well as giving it the tools to stand its ground against the test of time.

In our experience, Shou Sugi Ban timber has had a vast range of suitable applications. Due to its immense resistance to harsh weather and dynamic climate changes even, it can be fitted outdoors. At the same time, the beauty which emerges after the wood is charred makes it a very welcome addition to seemingly any contemporary interior design. Or anything that is going for a Japanese-themed interior or a retro vibe, nonetheless.

The synergy between harmony and tradition makes Shou Sugi Ban the ideal choice for any lifestyle. The blend of Orient’s finest traditions and modern wood refinement is particularly well-received when contemporary home décor meets exotic or slightly out of the box ideas. You also have many wood profile breeds to choose from. The list of profiles will have something for everyone. Go with the popular Shiplap or choose something matchless and exciting like Tongue & Grove profile patterns of burnt wood.

Despite that, do not think of it as only the eccentric’s choice of materials. Charred timber has a much broader appeal. It can be much more than just a deck in a Summer villa. Shou Sugi Ban makes for great floors and fences. Yet we have to admit that it shines best when picked as a gracious, finishing or an extra touch to the façade or the interior.

Shou Sugi Ban colors

Top of the Range Charred Timber Goods, Only at Degmeda

You might wonder what about wood charring, and Shou Sugi Ban, in particular, is worth your while. Well, the devil is in detail, and in this case, we see no exception. The technique of Japanese timber charring improves every physical and aesthetic trait/characteristic of said timber. From the texture all the way to shadows and smoother tone transitions, Yakisugi is meant to make wood an even better construction material than it already is. Thanks to this technique, you can achieve standards and reach goals that regular carpentry simply is not capable of.

Learning and optimising the very-best savoir-faire of Japanese experts has allowed Degmeda to refine products and offer only the very best in charred timber.

The Yakisugi wood burning process is a multi-step journey from an unpolished, unrefined, regular piece of wood into something special. Something timeless which people can genuinely appreciate.

How do We Make Shou Sugi Ban

It all begins by exposing a piece of wood to scorching flames that reach an average temperature of 1100 degrees Celsius. Such a high temperature demands the highest levels of caution and precision. Only specially trained and experienced personnel can undertake and manage such an objective. The aforementioned exposure to fire brings out the very best qualities wood has to offer. At first, thanks to high temperatures – various organic components and mainly sugar, abundant in cellulose which wood is plentiful of, dissolve. As a direct result of organic compounds dissolving (processing), timber becomes much more resistant. Immune to many threats, so to speak. Thanks to carbonisation, the wood turns water-proof as well.

When timber is free from organic compounds, it can be labelled as ‘sterile’. That means that rotting, decay and decomposition are entirely out of the equation. With a material that is already as long-lasting as wood, improving durability and longevity is an astonishing feat nonetheless. Along with tremendous added resistance to pests and vermin, Yakisugi would likely not have much competition for the title of ‘most refined and most impressive / best wood processing technique in the world’.

A Diverse and Versatile Wood Processing Technology

However, the Japanese have been perfecting this craft for hundreds of years. So, charred wood is more than just a fancy way to label a vermin and water-proof plank. It’s scientifically clever, thanks to simple but brilliant things. As you may or may not know, wood is covered with lots of miniature pores. In regular cases, any porous material absorbs and soaks-in liquid, most notably – water. It accumulates and is a catalyst for degradation, decaying, etc. After the timber is treated with very hot flames, however, the pores shrink and enclose. Thus, water simply has nowhere to go and is not absorbed as a result. Hence, the wood becomes water-proof.

Likewise, application possibilities for cladding, flooring, panelling, fencing, decking, roofing, ceilings and other interior as well as exterior locations become near limitless. It is a premium solution aimed at those who appreciate the natural beauty of wood and its uniqueness.

Even though we mentioned that it should come second, but the beauty of charred wood is what most people notice first. After processing, the texture is enhanced. What was just a barely noticeable streak, stain or line before, is now an expressed streak or grand pattern on a dazzling piece of siding, decking, flooring or whatever else. Treated wood is also UV resistant, thanks to the crème de la crème in wood oil. The latter protects the colour from fading, yet you have the most bleach-resistance when the wood is left untreated.

Wood that lasts. Proudly made in Europe.