I spotted this method on Pinterest awhile back and was so taken with the results I just had to have a try. To keep it simple I chose to do a Shou Sugi Ban picture frame as my first project.  I have a bad habit of diving in feet first and biting off more than I can chew, so I kept it simple.

I was looking for a new picture for my bedroom and having lived in South Africa most of my life, I love the African bush.  So my idea was to have an African bush scene that is framed in burnt wood. I found this stunning canvas online from a company called photowall.  They have so many different designs to choose from, it took me a week just to decide which one to choose. This canvas was called walking in savannah if you are after the same one. A 25% Discount code available at the bottom of this post.

What is Shou Sugi Ban?

Originating in 18th century Japan, Shou sugi ban is a particularly striking method of preserving wood by charring it with fire. Traditionally, this practice is used with Japanese cedar in order to weatherproof it. The wood is burned until the surface is charred, and then coated with natural oil. The result is a scorched finish with a magnificent charcoal black colour. The surface of the wood can take on a crackled or alligator skin look depending on the wood species and the burning intensity. Traditionalist utilizes only Cryptomeria japonica or Japanese cedar because it can take the heat for a deep burn resulting in pest, rot, and fire-resistant as well as becoming a natural water repellent and sun shield.

While this is the traditional method, over the years people have played around with it and this post will show another great way to use Shou Sugi Ban.

Shou Sugi Ban Picture Frame

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Find suitable wood

Before I started this project, I did a few tests using scraps to see how the different woods would burn. In my tests, I found pine had the best results for what I had in mind for this project. The softer the wood, the deeper the burn and the more dramatic the look. I used scrap wood that was leftover on a construction site so mine is not matching.  And believe it or not, I did not notice it until I was finished with the project.  So my frame has a two-toned colour.

This timber was actually decking planks so I had to run them through the thickness planer to remove the ridges and get them to the same thickness.

Safety precautions

Start by preparing your work surface area to prevent surface damage.  I used sheets of metal I had laying around in my workshop to protect my table surface from burning.  A cement floor would also be a good place to burn your wood. Make sure you do not have flammable materials close to the wood you are burning.  If you are burning a large amount of wood in a confined space I would also recommend using a respirator and safety glasses.

Burning the wood

To burn the wood you will need a suitable blowtorch.  I first tried my butane blow torch which worked great for my test pieces, but not for a large project like this.  For larger projects, I would highly recommend a blow torch like the one used in the image below or bigger. I started at one end and burnt the wood evenly until I noticed the wood start to char and crack like the image below.  For a better outcome, you should burn the sides too.

Cleaning the wood

To get the same effect as I got, you need to remove all the charred wood.  Using a wire brush is the quickest way to do this, rubbing with the grain of the wood.  I must add that this step is super messy and better done outside.  My husband said it looked like I had just come out of a coal mine, my whole face was black except where the glasses and face mask covered.

Removing the charred wood

The image below is how the wood will look after you have brushed off the charred layer. The idea now is to dig down past the charred wood to get back to the natural wood colour.   The grain will stay black giving you a lot of contrast between the two colours. You can either keep the natural wood colour or you can add some coloured stains.  For this project, I am keeping the natural wood natural, but I have some great projects coming up to show you the coloured Shou sugi ban.

To get back to the natural wood colour you can keep using a wire brush but I found it too much hard work. You can use one of these coarse nylon flap brushes that you can attach to a drill.  This works brilliantly and works pretty fast too.

You need to hold the coarse nylon flap brush over the surface going with the grain.  You can do as much or as little as you want here, going deeper for lighter wood.  The grain seemed to stay black no matter how deep I went.

It is hard to tell from the image below, but the lighter wood is at least 3mm deeper than the darker wood. So you have some great texture on the surface.

I used different planks for this project, but if you can find wood with more grain the effect is so much better as you can see below.

Cutting the wood to size

I measured the canvas and cut the wood to size at 45 degrees angles using a  drop saw. My original idea was to box the canvas into the frame.  But as I was laying the frame around the canvas, I changed my mind.  I loved the look of the canvas sitting slightly higher than the frame.

To join the sides of the frame together I used a portable pocket hole jig.  This allows you to get a tight joint on the corners. I did add glue before the corners were screwed together for added support.

The canvas I chose was fairly large at 1200 mm x 700 mm, so I felt the corners needed some extra support. I used some metal brace plates to offer more stability to the frame.

Adding the laces

To give this Shou sugi ban picture frame a more unique look I added some leather laces to the corners.  I used an offcut as a template to do this.  Cut the wood at a 45-degree angle and measure out where you want the holes to be. You can then use this wood as a drill guide for getting the same spacing on every corner.

If you don’t want to add the laces you can burn the corners a little darker to add definition. I did this first, but the darker wood took away the effect of the laces, so I sanded mine lighter again.

I added shoe eyelets to make the holes look more defined. When you drill the holes you need to choose the correct size drill bit for the shoe eyelet. You can then use multipurpose glue to glue the eyelets in place and wipe away any access glue.

Sealing the wood

For indoor use, you do not have to seal Shou sugi ban wood, but I chose to seal mine because there was a difference in the colour of my wood. The wood on the sides had a more orange tinge to them than the top and the bottom.  I did a test on the offcuts using clear wax, and the colours were a better match with the clear wax. You can apply the wax with a rag or brush and wipe off the excess with a soft rag.

You can now thread the laces through the holes and staple the ends to the back of the frame.

Add back supports

Because I did not box in the canvas I needed a way to hold the canvas in place inside the frame. I used some scraps of aluminium I had leftover from my wine barrel tables. They were cut to size and screwed across each corner on the back.  I added some self-adhesive velcro tape to the canvas frame and the aluminium support to stop the canvas from falling out of the frame.  The other benefit the doing the frame this way is that the picture can be changed.  Photowall has such a big selection of suitable images that will go perfectly with this frame. Once I get bored with this one, I can just add the new one to the frame.

Photowall

Photowall has given me a great deal to share with you today.  They are offering all my readers and subscribers an amazing 25% discount using this discount code (anitaholland25)on all purchases up until the 9th of April 2021.  So if you are looking for a new canvas, wallpaper, mural or poster, pop across to their website and check out their great selection.

Completed Shou Sugi Ban picture frame

More Unique DIY ideas

This cool corner shelf is great for small spaces and doubles as a Christmas tree in December.

This patio cooler was made from mainly recycled materials and would be a great addition to any party.

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