Daring to go dark? Black timber cladding can provide a bold, eye-catching finish to the exterior of your property.

If you were asked to visualise some traditional timber cladding, you may think of the gorgeous reddish-browns of Western Red Cedar, or perhaps the characterful golden brown-yellow tones of Siberian Larch.

You’re probably less likely to imagine an imposing jet-black timber, or a striking black-dark brown charred wooden surface.

This type of cladding is certainly trending amongst design-minded self-builders, DIYers and architects — but why?

Standing out from the crowd

There’s no getting away from it — black cladding is not a traditional cladding colour in any way. Particularly in jet black, it’s not something that occurs naturally. This makes it a bold statement choice.

Chartex® cladding in particular, elicits a certain shock factor that is bound to catch the eye. It has design origins from 18th century Japan — known as Yakisugi, translating literally as ‘burned cedar’, was a technique for preserving the wood.

This modern version involves taking a cladding board, structuring the grain with a wire brush to create texture, then applying a factory coated coal black wood stain.

It creates an undeniably arresting and eye-catching structure but with a more robust hard wearing finish that doesn’t flake!

Modern house exterior with dark vertical siding, large glass doors and windows, a light brick base, white side wall, and a glass-railed balcony.

Two dark wood-clad houses with red-tiled roofs, a paved driveway, an open carport on the left, brick bases, and a wooden back fence.

Modern dark wood-clad building with tall vertical panels, two large glass doors, and a flat gray deck, set beside evergreen trees under a blue sky. — Charred-look vertical cladding.

Dark vertical wooden wall with a long narrow horizontal window; a green lawn and trees on the left, with a wooden fence in the background.

Dark wood-clad house with a steep roof and two skylights; ground-level glass doors and windows reflect a grassy landscape.

Modern two-story home with dark vertical siding, a wooden central panel, and large glass windows. Left: garage with a car and solar panels; front garden and path.

Dark blue wooden cottage with red-framed windows sits on a stone foundation, its grassy sod roof on a green hillside, with rocky mountains and a cloudy sky behind.

Providing contrast

Black doesn’t doesn’t have to dominate. It can be adopted sparingly to add a nice flourish and contrast with other cladding or building materials.

Modern house with a black slanted roof, timber columns, and glass walls; covered patio with wicker seating, potted plants, and a green lawn.

Olive green front door with a slim vertical glass panel on the right, flanked by white walls with two black exterior lights and a wood-clad facade.

Row of modern semi-detached homes with white lower walls and wood-clad upper facades, gray roofs with solar panels; fenced front gardens.

Row of modern two-story townhouses with dark gray metal siding, brick bases, large windows, and small front yards with trees along a paved street.

Modern wooden garden studio with a dark frame and glass doors, surrounded by potted plants on a sunny lawn.

Bold Nordic-inspired, agricultural looks

When used extensively on larger outbuildings — particularly in a featheredge profile — black cladding evokes a rural feel, often popular on Oxfordshire barns.

The colour has also been historically popular on agricultural Nordic buildings. Kirkjubøargarður, located in the Faroe Islands, dates back to the 11th century and is one of the oldest still-inhabited houses in the world.

Go vertical for a more contemporary feel, or horizontal for a traditional look.

Dark wooden houses with sod roofs and red-framed windows along a stone wall, warm lights glow inside as green hills and rocky cliffs rise behind, with a path and a picnic table in the foreground. — Distinctly Nordic: Kirkjubøargarður, a historic farm and museum in Kirkjubour, Faroe Islands.

Three adjacent buildings from a low angle: brown clapboard left, white center building, and a weathered gray wooden shed on the right under a cloudy sky.

Modern dark wooden building with a long sloped roof and several skylights; ground level features tall glass doors and narrow windows under a clear blue sky.

Outdoor performance

The best way to produce black cladding is with a factory finish during the product’s manufacture. This professional treatment shields the wood from its biggest exterior threats: moisture and wood-decaying pests.

The result is a naturally durable, dimensionally stable product that will remain looking its best and performing impeccably until first maintenance.

Similarly, the carbon layer produced during the charring process imbues wood with excellent outdoor properties. As we mentioned, charring — Yakisugi — is actually a traditional Japanese method of preserving wood.

Close-up of weathered wooden boards with pronounced grain, stacked together, with a blurred green background.

Braced for black?

We offer a wide range of quality timber cladding, including factory-finished black cladding. We can also supply black pre-painted spruce featheredge cladding — perfect for a rural feel whilst making a cost and time saving!

This is available as vertical and horizontal in a number of designer profiles. Everything is precision machined by us on site in North Yorkshire to your specification, with a wide range of additional processes available.

For more advice or to start your project, get in touch with our team using the button below.