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Charred Painted Wood from a House Fire View through a Microscope

Charred Painted Wood from a House Fire

This is a piece of charred wood with associated residual paint pigment (titanium dioxide) and paint filler (larger crystals in the background). This was from an environmental tapelift collected in a home after remediation from a house fire.

Transmitted Off Crossed Polarized Light and Reflected Darkfield Illumination

Definition/Function:

Charring or coking of wood tends to retain the structure of the wood. As a result the genus or even the species of the wood can often be determined from an examination of the structure still evident. There is a reduction in the size of the structures of about 20% typically.

Significance in the Environment:

Many types of wood are used in a wood structure building. The studs and structural beams in a wood building are often Douglas fir or Pine. This wood is often the dominant type of charred wood in the burnt building. The finish woods are generally hardwoods though Cedar and Pine are also used as a common paneling is some regions.

Characteristic Features:

Associated Particles:

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