Shou Sugi Ban
THE ANCIENT ART OF BURNING WOOD. REFINED FOR THE MODERN INTERIOR.
Shou Sugi Ban is a centuries-old Japanese technique of charring wood to preserve and transform it. At Mill & Woods, we've built on that tradition — burning, brushing, and finishing each board by hand in our Monticello, Georgia workshop.
The process starts with fire. Each board passes through an open flame, charring the surface to varying depths depending on the desired finish. What emerges is something that doesn't look like wood anymore — and yet is more fundamentally wood than anything a stain or paint could produce.
We work primarily in Cypress — a species with an open, dramatic grain that responds to char unlike anything else. Light the surface and you get warm amber browns. Push further and you reveal deep blacks with subtle bronze undertones. Go heavy and you get pure carbon — a surface that absorbs light rather than reflecting it.
Every board is different. That's not a disclaimer. That's the point.
THE PROCESS
LIGHT CHAR — LEVEL 1
A brief pass of flame opens the grain and develops warm amber and brown tones. The wood is brushed to remove loose carbon and finished with penetrating oil. The result is a surface that reads as richly colored wood with subtle depth — more character than a stain, less drama than a full char.
MEDIUM CHAR — LEVEL 2
Deeper flame exposure develops the grain more dramatically, revealing the cellular structure of the wood beneath the surface. Browns deepen to burnt sienna and walnut tones. Brushing removes the soft carbon while leaving the harder grain ridges intact. The texture becomes tactile — visibly layered and dimensional.
HEAVY CHAR — LEVEL 3
The full carbonization process. The surface becomes deeply black with a complex texture of ridges, valleys, and occasional bronze iridescence where the flame worked longest. Brushing defines the grain at its most dramatic. The result is a surface unlike anything else in interior materials.
THE COLLECTION
CARBON — Heavy Char · Deep black with bronze undertones
ORION — Light Char · Warm white with subtle char undertones
MEDIUM CHAR BROWN — Medium Char · Warm brown, burnt sienna — Coming Soon
SPECIFICATIONS
Species: Cypress (interior/exterior) · White Oak (interior)
Construction: 3/4" solid
Widths: 5" · 7"
Lengths: Random 8'–16'
Profiles: S4S · T&G · T&G Nickel Gap · Shiplap
Char Levels: Light · Medium · Heavy
Finish: Penetrating oil
Application: Interior standard · Exterior available on Cypress
Pricing: Contact for quote
Samples: Available upon request