Charred, or burnt, wood looks amazing. That is why this material has been used by interior design lovers to decorate their rooms with pieces of furniture made of burnt wood. Black and curved floors or tables look extremely elegant and are not difficult to maintain.

Taken from Japanese tradition of preserving wood with the use of fire, burnt wood is a perfect type of material for those who want to surround themselves with extraordinary and appealing furniture. Usually done with planks of cedar, the pieces are covered with a thin film of carbon which makes it protected from sun.

In order to make charred wood, it is needed to be burnt on both sides with the use of a blowtorch. When carbon residue appears, it is immediately removed with a stiff brush and then rinsed with water. Once the wood is try, some natural oil is applied on its surface to seal it. The colours of the wood depend on the type of oil used and can vary from natural wood colour to deep black. To make the shade more intense, the oil is put on a wooden plank several times.

How to maintain burnt wood?

Owning furniture made of charred wood has a number of benefits: the pieces are durable, aesthetic and fire, water and insect resistant. Their maintenance does not seem to be troublesome as well. If the wood is supposed to be used outdoors and will be exposed to changing weather conditions, the best option to preserve the planks is to oil them every 10 to 15 years. It is a standard period for the preservation of every type of outdoor wood.

In case the wood is exposed indoors, especially if the planks are only exposed – seen and not touched – they require virtually no special maintenance. However, if you possess pieces of furniture made of burnt wood, you will need to spend a portion of time on their maintenance but the process itself depends on their use. In general, it is all about hand-sanding and wiping a bit of natural oil into its surface.

If your wood has been produced with the use of very high temperature (torrefied wood or thermo-modified wood) and modified or baked in a high-temperature oven, you will need to take a special care of your pieces. During the manufacturing process, all the moisture is removed through some changes in the structure of cellulose. Generally, such wood is said to be more dimensionally stable and resistant to fungi, however it is less resistant to abrasions and scratches. What is more, such planks cannot be maintained with the use of oils and stains after they have been processed.