We have compared the most important properties and special features of glazed and painted facade coatings with traditionally carbonised wooden facades for you. Below we explain what you should look out for when choosing your wooden facade and what advantages and disadvantages you can expect with the different surface treatments.
Thanks to its unique look and structure, our traditionally carbonised Deep Charred Wood is a stylish eye-catcher for your interior and exterior facade. In the long term, it proves to be a sustainable, low-maintenance building material.
Carbonised wooden facades also have other advantages: Compared to wooden facades with glaze or paint coatings, they are particularly resistant to weathering and offer natural protection against fungal attack, mould and external influences such as rainwater or UV radiation.
Wood differs significantly from other building materials due to its open-pored structure: This is because the open pores easily absorb water and therefore make the wood particularly susceptible to natural weathering processes.
In nature, there is a proven means of protection against this weathering: the resin inside the trees. If the bark of a tree is damaged, this tree resin – a sticky sap produced by the tree cells – seals the cracks in the wood bark.
However, as a pure building material, wood has no natural protection as it does not contain enough resin for this. A protective coating is therefore applied to the surface of the wood to protect it from rainwater, UV radiation, fungi, pests, mould and other external influences.
If this protective coating is not applied, the wood changes regularly over the years: due to natural weathering, grey stains, cracks and crumbling form in places on exterior wooden facades without a coating. Pests can penetrate, the facade becomes discoloured and looks less and less attractive. In the interior, mechanical wear and tear, for example on wooden floors, can lead to similar phenomena.
To prevent these signs of wear and weathering, wood varnishes or wood stains are almost always used to coat the surface of modern wooden facades.
Although these chemical coatings protect the wooden surface from rapid weathering, they also have some disadvantages.
Varnishes or glazes are widely used as coating agents and protect the wood surface from wear and weathering. They are available in various optical finishes. However, coating with varnish or glaze has two major disadvantages:
Wood preservatives almost always contain chemical components. The stronger the protective effect, the higher the proportion of chemical components and the worse the ecological balance.
In addition, a facade coating with varnish or glaze must be renewed every few years because otherwise the facade would gradually crumble or crack in places.
The intervals at which the coating needs to be renewed depend on the type of wood, the type of coating and the location of the building. House facades that are in an unprotected location and are regularly exposed to wind and weather, for example, need to be renovated more frequently.
In any case, this regular painting is associated with increased maintenance and additional costs.
In contrast to varnishes and glazes, the surface treatment of our carbonised wooden facades is carried out naturally using pure flame – without using fossil fuels or chemicals.
We use a special deep-charring process in which our wood is flamed particularly deeply using the traditional, vertical Yakisugi burning process. This deep charring of the wood surface compacts the wood cells, protecting the black wood from rainwater, UV radiation, mould, fungi and other external influences.
To further improve the natural weather resistance and durability of the carbonised surface, natural oils or water-based sealers are suitable for sealing the carbonised wood. This provides optimum protection against mechanical influences and abrasion and gives them an exclusive lustre.
Ultimately, carbonised wooden facades impress with their long durability and high protective effect and – unlike varnishes or glazes – do not need to be re-treated every few years.
Do you have any questions about our carbonised or refined woods? We will be happy to advise you on the selection of the right carbonised wood for your individual construction project: We will be happy to advise you at any time by phone, email or in person on site!
T: +43 6245 23 513
Mail: office@ennobled.at
Do you have any questions about our carbonised or refined woods? We support you with fire and flame in the realisation of your individual building project: We are happy to advise you at any time by phone, e-mail or in person on site!
T: +43 6245 23 513
Mail: office@ennobled.at
As a thick, superficial protective layer, the varnish covers the natural grain and structure of the wood. Due to its thickness, wood varnish is not permeable to light and air: On the one hand, this has the advantage that it offers increased UV protection and stronger protection against mechanical influences.
On the other hand, this also makes the paint stiffer and more rigid: this is a disadvantage for wooden facades, especially outdoors, as it does not expand when exposed to rain and heat, for example, and the wood cannot “breathe”, so to speak.
As a result, wooden surfaces with a lacquer coating crumble after a few years at the latest, the lacquer layer cracks and cracks appear in the facade.
Although a coat of lacquer paint needs to be renewed less frequently than a coat of varnish, it is associated with higher expenses: The old protective layer of the wooden facade must first be completely stripped off before the new coat of paint can be applied.
Wood varnish is available in a wide variety of colours and thicknesses as well as in the transparent “clear varnish” variant. The latter differs from normal varnish in that it is translucent, but otherwise has the same properties.
The advantages of varnish are its thick protective layer and the associated higher and more long-term protection against UV light, weathering and mechanical influences.
The disadvantage is that the rather solid layer does not move with the wood, resulting in crumbling and cracks over a longer period of time. For this reason, the paint coat must be renewed after a few years – the renovation process is considered to be relatively costly.
When the surface is treated with a transparent or semi-transparent glaze, the grain and structure of the wood are emphasised more than with a lacquer coating.
A distinction is made between thick and thin-layer stains: the latter penetrates deeper into the wood as a thin, light and air-permeable protective layer. Due to the low proportion of colour pigments, the grain, veins and structure of the wood can still be seen very clearly.
The air permeability of the wood stain has the advantage that the wood can continue to “breathe” and adapt to external influences: In hot weather, the varnish expands, in cold weather it contracts again, and after heavy rainfall it swells slightly together with the wood.
Thick-layer stains, on the other hand, form a less transparent film on the surface of the wood that contains varnish. Similar to varnish, however, this layer is firmer and more immobile, which means that the wood can crack more quickly under physical or mechanical impact and cracks can occur.
The disadvantage of glazes is that the thinner protective layer causes the wood to weather more quickly. For this reason, wooden facades with a glaze coating also need to be renovated more frequently than facades with a paint coating – depending on the type of glaze and the location of the building or house walls, approximately every 1-3 years.
The new coat of paint requires less effort, as the old colour can simply be painted over.
Semi-transparent glazes emphasise the wood structure better. The thin protective layer penetrates deeper and adapts flexibly to the wood surface, but also needs to be repainted more often.
On the other hand, repainting a glazed facade is less time-consuming than repainting painted wood.
Wood oils are thinner and penetrate deeper into the pores than glazes. This gives the wood a natural appearance with a velvety lustre.
Compared to varnishes or glazes, which are chemically produced and usually contain solvents, oils are derived from nature and have a long tradition in surface treatment. Natural oils in particular are therefore considered environmentally friendly.
Thanks to their water-repellent properties, wood oils slow down the natural weathering process on the surface of the wood. Oils protect the wood from the inside, while at the same time it remains breathable and open to diffusion, which prevents rapid cracking.
However, as with a coating of varnish or glaze, facades with oil must be repainted regularly because they allow dirt to penetrate quickly.
Compared to lacquers and varnishes, surface treatment with wood oils is more environmentally friendly and provides a natural lustre. Another advantage of wood oil is that it does not form a film and is therefore difficult to flake off.
The disadvantage: the thin, deep layer of oil allows dirt, for example, to penetrate more quickly and therefore needs to be repainted frequently.
Using our traditional, vertical deep-charring process, our woods are carbonised with pure flame according to the Japanese Yakisugi method, resulting in extremely resistant, durable wood products with a unique, black charred surface structure which, thanks to its exclusive character, is also compared to alligator skin, silk wood or leather.
If you opt for the refined style, the already carbonised wood is then carefully brushed by hand and refined using a special process so that the grain and structure are revealed under the layer of carbon. Depending on the processing and type of wood, our wood finishing creates an exclusive colour look: from elegant silver-grey to an ingenious reclaimed wood look in rustic brown tones.
Carbonising wood using the traditional, vertical Yakisugi method, a sustainable burning process with a pure flame, naturally increases the weather resistance of the wood surface: this is because carbonising the top layer of wood closes the pores of the wood.
This protects it from mould, fungi, insects and weather influences such as rainwater or UV radiation.
Ennobled has developed a unique deep-charring process in which the wood is flamed particularly deeply – without the use of external fossil fuels or chemicals!
The wood is carefully carbonised by hand. The result of this process is a very high quality carbonised wood that is even more resistant and durable than conventionally carbonised wooden facades.
Thanks to these properties, the carbonised surface does not crack after some time, in contrast to coating with varnish or glaze, and deep cracking is therefore prevented. In addition, Ennobled’s carbonised wooden facades are also fire-certified.
Due to the long durability and resistance of Deep Charred Wood, there is no need for post-treatment with chemical wood preservatives, which is why wood finished with Yakisugi is considered environmentally friendly and sustainable.
A positive side effect: carbonisation creates a unique, characteristic surface structure of the wood. The colours range from elegant black to rustic brown tones with a reclaimed wood look.
Carbonised wood is not only an extraordinary eye-catcher, but is also suitable for a wide range of applications.
When used on interior or exterior façades, the natural durability of the wood can be further optimised with natural oils or water-based sealers, which protect the wood surface from abrasion caused by mechanical impact and give it an exclusive sheen.
The biggest advantage of carbonised wooden facades – apart from their special appearance – is that their high resistance to weathering means that, unlike glazed or painted wooden facades, they require hardly any after-treatment or maintenance.
Although the wood surface does change over a long period of time, this happens very slowly and as a whole. Instead of unsightly cracks and stains appearing in places, the entire facade transforms over the years from an imposing black to an elegantly shimmering silver – depending on the type of wood and how it is treated.
This slow change is a continuous, natural process and does not need to be re-treated. In comparison, a wooden facade painted with black paint or black glaze, for example, would discolour after a while and take on a visually disturbing purple tint!
Good to know: Carbonised wooden facades are no different to ordinary wooden facades when it comes to installation! They are relatively easy and uncomplicated to install.
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Carbonised wooden facades are somewhat more expensive to purchase than conventional facades with a lacquer or glaze coating.
In the long term, however, they pay for themselves twice over: this is because costs are regularly incurred for repainting the glazed or varnished protective layer, plus the additional labour required. If you factor in the subsequent costs, carbonised wooden facades are actually the cheaper option in the end!
Our carbonised wooden facades impress with their unique appearance, sustainable production using the traditional, vertical deep-charring process with a pure flame, fire protection certification and particularly high weather resistance.
They stand out as sustainable quality products and require hardly any aftercare or maintenance. They are slightly more expensive to purchase than glazed or painted wooden facades. However, they are even cheaper in the long term, as the costs for regular repainting are eliminated.
Traditionally carbonised wooden facades are more environmentally friendly, robust and durable overall than glazed or painted wooden facades.
Our traditional, vertical deep-charring process with a pure flame makes the wood surface resistant to fungi, pests and weathering in a sustainable way – making chemical wood preservatives superfluous compared to varnish or glaze coatings.
Glazes, varnishes and oils also have one thing in common: they need to be renewed regularly. In contrast, our black charred facades made of Deep Charred Wood score points with their long durability, fire protection certification and three-dimensional surface structure and can be used in a variety of indoor and outdoor applications.
