How to add colour to Shou Sugi Ban

How to add colour to Shou sugi ban

A few months ago, I made this wall hanging and the feedback was amazing.   It is one of my most popular projects and everyone wanted to know what I used to add the colours.  In this post, I will share how I coloured the Shou sugi ban and what products I used.

How to add colour to Shou sugi ban

When I posted the Shou sugi ban wall hanging, I did mention the products I used but there is more to the story. The process is not as simple as adding a particular colour paint. A few factors affect the final colour results eg, how it is applied, how the wood is prepped and sealed. I am no expert on how to colour the Shou sugi ban but I am happy to share with you what products I used how I used them.

How to add colour to Shou Sugi Ban

How to prepare the wood

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I am starting this step after the wood has already been burnt and sanded, here is the tutorial if you missed it. The image below is how your wood should look after you have burnt and sanded it. The deeper you sand into the wood the lighter the wood will become and the more vibrant the colour will be.   I like to have a mixture of both light and dark wood in my wall hangings because the results are more dramatic.

How to add colour to Shou sugi ban

On my first test, I just poured some Unicorn spit onto the surface and spread it around with a foam brush. Big Mistake!

How to add colour to Shou sugi ban

The wood absorbed the pigment even though I spread it straight away, the initial application stayed behind. This ruined the look and I had to go back and burn and sand the wood again.

How to add colour to Shou sugi ban

The best way I found was to wet the surface first.  I used water in a spray bottle and soak the surface first. Leave the water on the surface until you have added the colour.

How to add colour to Shou sugi ban

I found less is more when adding the colour.  I added a small amount of paint to the sponge and moved the sponge over the surface.  The idea is not to add paint to the entire surface leave some areas plain.  The water will allow the colour pigment to spread around the surface.  I left the paint to sit for 3 to 5 minutes before wiping it off with a dry cloth.

How to add colour to Shou sugi ban

How you wipe it off the paint also affects the colour, in some areas you can rub really hard to remove more colour.  This will give you a bigger variety of colours.

How to add colour to Shou sugi ban

What products do I use

I did some test runs using a few different products to see what the results would be. All the colours were applied to the Shou sugi ban, in the same way as using the water as mentioned above. I have combined a few products per photo in order of left to right.

Alcohol inks

Alcohol inks are a great product to use.  I diluted a small amount into a tub with some water and applied it with a foam brush.  The sponge was pulled across the surface and the excess was wiped off.  I found the inks simple to use and the colours were all very vibrant.

Acrylic Paint

I was really surprised at the results of this cheap acrylic paint, the colours were just as bold as the alcohol ink.

Unicorn Spit stain and glaze

Next, I tried unicorn spit stain and glaze which I really loved. The colour range is very vibrant and easy to use. The only downfall is unicorn spit dries with a light powdery finish. So you do not get a true representation of the colour until the wood is sealed. To seal the wood you must use oil-based polyurethane or furniture oil to make the colours pop. It was one of the top products that I used in the end.

Unicorn spit and mica powder

Unicorn spit has a sparkling version of their product which I tried to replicate by adding mica powder. This effect was really pretty it does not show up very well in the photo but the surface has a shimmering effect on the surface. This colour was really beautiful once sealed.

How to add colour to Shou sugi ban

Metallic acrylic paints

The metallic acrylic paints were a real surprise because the colours turned out nothing like the colour in the bottle. The final colour on the wood looked like the colour had separated into two different colours.

Pigment powder

I added half a teaspoon of pigment powder to a small amount of water and applied it to the wood was the sponge brush.  I believe the results will differ depending on the amount of pigment that you add.  The colour was really bold.

Poster paint

Poster paint is great if you don’t want a deep colour. I added two coats and the colour still stayed very light compared to the other products I tried.

Alcohol ink and mica powder

This combination worked well but I think the wood used will also affect the colour you get.

How to add colour to Shou sugi ban

The first image below is what you will get if you want the plain look.  While this piece of wood looks really boring, this picture frame I made turned out stunning.  For the next two, I used regular wood stains.

How to add colour to Shou sugi ban

The colours did look a bit boring, but once I added the polyurethane the colours came to life.

How to add colour to Shou sugi ban

Combining colours

Another method that I tried was combing colours on one piece of wood.  I added a drop of the colours on the sponge and dragged it along the wood.

How to add colour to Shou sugi ban

This was the result that I got, I found it interesting and a great way to get more variety in the colours.  The next test was to try alcohol ink on pallet wood.  I burnt the wood in the same way and the results were very dramatic, I loved it. The last one in this image was another cheap acrylic paint.

How to add colour to Shou sugi ban

Interior wall paint

And for the grand final, I saved the best for last.  I was making a wall hanging for my sister and she wanted some of the paint colour in the hanging that she used on the walls.  Instead of trying to match the colour, I tried this paint and the result was awesome.

How to add colour to Shou sugi ban

This wall hanging was made up of a few different types of wood. It was mainly pine, knotty pine wall panelling, pallet wood and a few others I could not identify.  I added the same colour to each piece in the same way and got all these different colours. I hope I have covered everything.  If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

How to add colour to Shou sugi ban

More project ideas for you

Steampunk Mixed media Mannequin

I made this Shou sugi ban barn quilt.

Pinterest pin

How to add multiple colours to a shou sugi ban wall hanging.

How to add one colour and get many different variations.

 

If you are looking for any of the items used in this project, please consider using our links. By clicking on the links we will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  Which helps us come up with new and exciting ideas to share with you. Please feel free to share or leave a comment we would love to hear your thoughts.

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29 Comments

  • Reply
    Cat Michaels
    November 9, 2021 at 12:56 am

    Wow! Luddite here, didn’t know that was a thing! I especially admired the way you fit together the wood and in a quilted star pattern, too. Great directions. I may pass this along to Hub for a project -:D

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      November 9, 2021 at 9:30 am

      Thanks so much, I just made it up so not sure if it is a thing or not. lol

  • Reply
    Carolina E Gonzalez
    November 9, 2021 at 1:56 am

    Thanks for the detailed instructions Anita, as always, I am very pleased and surprised at your talent. Stunning pieces of art. Amazing how colors look. Love it.

  • Reply
    Laura Walker
    November 9, 2021 at 2:52 am

    Love this, Anita. Laura

  • Reply
    Rosemary Palmer
    November 9, 2021 at 3:00 am

    This is gorgeous. What a way to add color

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      November 9, 2021 at 9:31 am

      Thanks Rosemary, it was fun playing around with all the products and colours.

    • Reply
      Lisa G
      May 5, 2022 at 2:57 pm

      All of it is gorgeous!

  • Reply
    Christina Woodcock
    November 9, 2021 at 3:35 am

    Oh my gosh Anita, it’s gorgeous!

  • Reply
    Marie - Interior Frugalista
    November 9, 2021 at 3:41 am

    Ever since seeing your gorgeous Shou sugi ban wall hanging, I’ve been intrigued and want to give it a try. The colors are absolutely stunning! When I finally get the courage, I’ll be coming back here and your original post to re-read the awesome tutorials. Finger’s crossed mine turns out half as good as yours.

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      November 9, 2021 at 9:32 am

      Thanks Marie, I am sure it will be a breeze for you and hubby.

      • Reply
        Leah Goss
        August 1, 2022 at 6:24 am

        Were do you find that kind of wood and does it have to be the shou sugi ban wood. I hope it can be done on regular wood I have this old ladder I would love for it to turn out like yours. I bought the unicorn spit I have the mica powder I have paint now I got to figure out what polyurethane and other items you used. You did amazing I have never seen anything like it. Thank you so much for sharing and I hope I can find all the items❤️❤️🫶🏽🫶🏽

        • Reply
          Anita Holland
          August 1, 2022 at 5:09 pm

          Hi Leah, I used regular pine wood for this project and most of my other shou sugi ban projects.

  • Reply
    Janet
    November 9, 2021 at 11:42 am

    Is there anything that you CAN’T do? So amazing!

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      November 9, 2021 at 12:43 pm

      Thanks Janet, that is an awesome compliment. I tell myself I can do anything so I will try, some projects work some don’t. lol

  • Reply
    Michelle Leslie
    November 9, 2021 at 6:33 pm

    Yoh!!!! I’m so glad you put this together, Anita. I’ve played with Shou Sugi Ban and Unicorn SPiT and the results were really lovely, but I need to get my alcohol inks out and play some more. They’re all so beautiful.

  • Reply
    Sara
    November 10, 2021 at 2:07 am

    Wow, you really did your homework on this; I’m surprised that the acrlylic paint worked. Did you wet the wood for every paint you used in this test?

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      November 24, 2021 at 6:02 pm

      Thanks Sara, Yes I wet every piece in the same way.

  • Reply
    Thomas
    June 7, 2022 at 9:11 am

    I was planing on doing something like that with weathered wood but now that I’ve seen this, I’ve changed my mind and I want to add some colours. Thanks for sharing it Anita, it’s really unique! Did you glue the pieces side by side or do you have a support panel in the back?

  • Reply
    Marcia Marshall
    June 12, 2022 at 12:43 pm

    I love your work. Where are I located? Do u sell the colorful wall boards? Please let me know. It’s gorgeous!!! marciamarshall66@yahoo.com
    Thanks

  • Reply
    Kit Williams
    October 5, 2022 at 8:13 am

    Loving your creativity Anita and thank you so much for sharing all the information – its really appreciated x

  • Reply
    Amber Bennish
    January 5, 2023 at 9:39 am

    I have also played around with shou sugi ban and I absolutely had a blast minus the mess. But I was playing with the colors and found that if I used food coloring mixed with rubbing alcohol it really worked well as long as you are going to seal it with a wax or polyurethane, etc. Another method that I tried was applying white unicorn spit using the same method as you had then applying color over that to create pastel colors or making others brighter. And lastly I used metallic colored wax which I tried to keep between the black as much as possible a bit more time consuming but had a cool look.

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      January 9, 2023 at 5:38 pm

      I would love to see some of your results if you are happy to share them. I am a huge shou sugi ban fan.

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