The eye-catching black Thermory Ignite cladding provides a bold look, while also offering the stability and durability that Thermory is known for.
Australia is one of the leading markets for our Ignite product range. So, we asked Julia Hall, the CEO of our down under partner, McCormacks Australia, to tell us about the reasons why Aussies love this product.
“One of the reasons why Aussies just love the Ignite is that you get that beautiful shou sugi ban look, but you have none of this blackness coming off,” Julia explains.
Shou sugi ban, or yakisugi, is an ancient Japanese art of treating wood with a flame to make it more waterproof and rot resistant.
Thermory’s Ignite cladding panels emulate shou sugi ban’s gorgeous singed look, while our state-of-the-art thermal modification process gives the wood even greater levels of durability and rot resistance. The signature dragon-scale pattern of Thermory Ignite cladding is created by embossing and tinting thermally modified spruce wood.
Julia says that with the traditional shou sugi ban, when they char the timber, it runs off onto everything. “So, if you have concrete, it gets the black stain on it. Also, it wears off over time and you have to either redo it or you have to put some kind of coating every year. With the Thermory Ignite, it’s 5-7 years before it needs to be re-coated. It’s also easy as most water-based black paints can be used.”
It’s a new build in the style of a Californian bungalow. “At the back, they wanted something a little bit different, a little bit modern. And so, what they did was the whole lot under the pitch of the roof is just one big flat area of Ignite 5 and then they did all the fencing in the black as well. And then they did a beautiful spotted gum decking and a fire pit down the bottom,” Julia describes.
The other reason why people love Ignite is because it’s light, Julia says.
“For a carpenter, this cladding is very efficient and fast to install, and it cuts really easily on site. So, it’s very convenient for them to handle and move around,” she adds.
“Aussie hardwoods are heavy, they’re hard to cut, they’re hard to nail, they’re hard to screw. Some of our timbers have to be pre-drilled. Not the Thermory Ignite 5. Put it straight up!”
Japandi is the theme for the whole house and the key thing is consistency. When it came to the sauna, it was an easy decision as they wanted something that would blend into the natural and built environments.
The Thermory Ignite 5 Cladding blends perfect with the environment with its texture and colour, creating a beautiful solution that marries the greenery in the backyard with the smokey darkness of the exterior cladding.
The couple love the sauna in their backyard, as it fits the space well. They love that it isn’t an eyesore and blends with everything else they’ve built. They’re very happy with the outcome of this build and they went on to win the Block 2023.
But mainly it’s the look. “It’s just such a beautiful and a very high quality looking product. The precision, the finishing that Thermory does in the factory is amazing!” Julia emphasizes.
She says because it’s already painted, you can literally install it and walk away, whereas with a normal cladding, you have to put it up, then you have to paint it and sometimes you might even have to fill the holes and then sand it again and then coat it. “It can be a huge amount of work! Whereas the Ignite is all done,” Julia adds.
And on top of that, it’s timber, so it’s good for the environment. “And it’s great to have on your house, it’s a beautiful thermal insulator.”
Julia also confirms that nobody is doing thermal modification with that type of timber in Australia — they only do it with hardwoods which are heavy and not so easy to handle —, that’s why they’re buying it from Thermory.
In a six-part series called “Country Home Rescue”, Shaynna Blaze took the viewers along for her journey as she was restoring a 120-year-old historical home. At the bottom of her house’s garden, where a rusty iron shed once stood, Shaynna built a two-storey Carriage House.
The Carriage House is a modern addition to this old country home and that’s where she used the Thermory Ignite cladding. The black cladding was chosen as a contrast to the light main house in order to differentiate between the old and the new.
The Ignite cladding was laid in a chevron pattern to pay homage to the era of the original house. The finish ensured that the building shone but didn’t overshadow the main building.
Shaynna also matched the chevron pattern inside the garage, which doubles as a studio apartment and entertainment area.