charring wood surface as treatment

[dustydave]

Hi, Has anyone heard of charring the surface of wood as a preservative treatment? I'm facing a shed with some larch board and i heard mention that a charred surface is used for this purpose, but can't find anything on the net..

 

Thanks

[stihllearning]

i,m sure i've seen it done on grand designs,but it was a 2/3 years back (i think)

 

it was on cedar on an architects house. maye its on the shows website ???

 

good luck

[Brushcutter]

Been done on Grand Designs a few times. Its been in this series episdoe 2 or 3 i think. Its ment to work buy doing something to the celulose in the wood. Don't know if it does or doesn't work.

[tommer9]

It does work, and is a very old way of treating wood. You are essentially tarring it using the resin from the wood.

Why bother with larch though- it doesnt rot!!

[John Barleycorn]

Testing by the FC many years ago completely discredited the idea that charred wood is more rot resistant, if anything the damaged surface is more vulnerable.

[miker]

i was always led to believe that charring fence posts ends helped against rot