Hi guys!

In this video I explain the ancient technique of Shou Sugi Ban which is basically charring lumber in order to naturally preserve it without using chemicals. Although, the method of Shou Sugi Ban typically uses cedar lumber and tung oil, I chose to only char the lumber, so my method is a little different.

Here is the transcript that I read from later in my video:

If you're looking for a sustainable, cost effective way to build raised garden beds, then this is the way to go in my opinion.

I was considering many different ways to utilize raised garden beds, from using a combination of metal and pressure treated lumber, cedar (which has natural preservation properties, but very expensive) or just buying galvanized stock tanks. My OCD was actually driving me crazy!

I wanted t build something that would last a long time, look great, be free of chemicals and fairly inexpensive to build.

Charring untreated lumber for preservation is not a new idea. It's actually an ancient Japanese process know as Shou Sugi Ban (not sure if I said that correctly) however, I didn't do the entire process to a T... they typically use cedar lumber followed by a tung oil after the lumber is charred. I used douglas fire and did not use any tung oil, so time will tell how well these garden beds hold up!

Charring untreated lumber acts as a natural barrier against fire, decay, insects, fungus, rot and UV rays.

Not only will it hold up to the elements, but it actually looks great and gives the garden a little bit of a warm rustic charm!

Overall, this process did take a little more time than I thought it would...

For the size of my beds, I used about 50 gallons of propane on all the lumber, and all together took me about 6 hours to char it. Remember, the key is to CHAR the lumber, not just distress it, so you will need a large torch. A small hand held torch won't work, but I did use it to char any lumber that I cut.

So, there you have it! I hope this video helps you decide if charring your raised beds is right for you!

Let me know in the comments if you've tried this and what your experience was!

Thanks for watching, have a great day!!

Milk Paint Outdoor Defense Oil I mentioned in video: (I am not an affilite)

https://www.amazon.com/Real-Milk-Pain...