We interview CEO Georg Stöckl, the man who runs Stöckl Parkett. We want to hear from him why his company opted for wood powder technology and what the advantages are compared to traditional multilayer parquet.

Two types of multilayer
"I should mention right away that we bring two types of multilayer parquet to market. Our traditional multilayer parquet is two-layer and is offered under three names. First, there is Actus, with a top layer of 3, 4 or 6 mm. Then you have Epico with a 3 mm top layer and finally there is Kreativ, which allows for different patterns. We offer this with tongue and groove, for glued installation. The parquet comes varnished or oiled in various colours," Mr Stöckl clarifies. "Our parquet made with powder technology is three-layer and is marketed under the brand name B:Hard. We offer this in planks that are either 223 mm or 283 mm wide, at a fixed length of 2.20 metres. There are also special patterns, with a herringbone (under the name B:Hard Modern) measuring 129 mm wide and 774 mm long. B:Hard is offered in oak and walnut, brushed and with Microbevell. Most finishing is done with oil, but we also offer this varnished. Of course, we also supply various colours."

100% wood
It goes without saying, we want to know why a company starts marketing this kind of product. What are the USP’s of boards made with wood powder technology?
"For this you have to keep several things in mind, the most important of which is that the world today simply uses way too much material, we consume twice as many raw materials as are available. Just looking at the EU, we saw that the so-called overshoot day fell in July last year. B:Hard provides a solution to this. We work with 100% wood, no plastics and the result is that we can make ten times more oak surfaces than with comparable, normal wooden floors. This is an answer to a challenge, in which, if you ask me, the winners both today and tomorrow will be those who manage to drastically reduce the use of raw materials."

"To briefly explain the process: we start from a Compositek (wooden fibre) board with a density of more than 1,000 kg. Powder is applied on top of that and a top layer on top of that. This is then pressed using presses that can be compared to presses for plywood, which means that you work differently than with multilayer parquet. The enormous force causes the powder to liquefy and penetrate the pores of the wood, which you literally petrify. So it basically comes down to using a mix of wood particles and various resins."

Ecological and other benefits
From the preceding explanation, there is a clear ecological benefit of this technology. Can Mr Stöckl say a little more about that, including the other advantages?
"The biggest advantage is of course that you use ten times less wood and thus contribute to reduced CO2 emissions at the same time. In the superstructure, we also use Compositek as a carrier, a wooden fibreboard made in the same way and which is a lot more suitable than traditional plywood. It has greater surface density, exhibits only one-tenth of the surface swelling and the amount of formaldehyde released is much lower than with a traditional HDF board."

"Another interesting thing to note is that we work with a top layer of only 0.6 mm. So only a minimal amount of wood is used, which is certainly an advantage when you see the increasing problems with the supply of oak, among others."

"Yet another advantage is that in addition to a particularly high fire resistance (class B, virtually non-combustible), there is great compatibility with underfloor heating, with correspondingly much lower heating costs. Our underfloor heating resistance is by far the best of all wood floors, specifically 0.065m2K/W glued or 0.071 floating. By the way, this is a completely glueless process, as the powder takes over the function of the glue and also locks up the knots and pores. This creates a very hard top layer, so no dirt penetrates the pores. Renovating even becomes unnecessary because finishing with hardwax oil is sufficient. If damage occurs, you simply remove the hardwax layer and apply a new layer. Our product has already received several certificates. We are already ISO 14001 certified and ISO 38200:2018 will be added soon. That way, we meet the requirements of both PEFC and FSC."

Coming soon: click Dry
In which markets is B:Hard already present? And what innovations can we expect in the near future?
"We started in our own Austria, but other interested markets were soon added, such as France, Germany, Switzerland, Finland and Norway. And of course also the Benelux, where we are notching up nicely," concludes Mr Stöckl. "Of course, we are constantly working on further innovating our product, and one of the things I can say is that we will be introducing our click Dry to the market before the end of the year. This is a floor that is guaranteed to remain waterproof for 24 hours, further details will follow at a later date."