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You are here:Guest Speakers»Roberto De Piero (Imada Parquet -I)
Thursday, 25 May 2023 14:58

Roberto De Piero (Imada Parquet -I)

Special Producers of style panels

Floor Forum International N° 130, May 2023

"We design and produce our wood floors as if we ourselves were the customer for them"

When it comes to style panels, you notice that an ever-shrinking number of companies still really specialise in them. Floor Forum found a real family business in Pramaggiore Blessaglia, in the Italian province of Venice, that made the artisanal manufacture of wooden floors its speciality. Meet manager Roberto De Piero's Imada Parquet.

Because a company is always inevitably marked by its history, it is best to dwell on it first. Roberto De Piero takes us to his production unit and outlines how Imada Parquet came into being. We are immediately taken aback when we learn that it first requires a diversion to... Canada.

"Actually, my thriving small business is still quite young. To establish it, we only have to go back ten years, to 2013. Although this by no means means means that I only then entered the world of timber," laughs our interlocutor. "I literally grew up surrounded by wood and got the love for that material with my feet through my father. He was always in love with wood and made it his main profession. Growing up, I was constantly surrounded by wood because my father owned a sawmill in Canada. When I returned to Italy, I decided to follow in his footsteps and make wooden floors."

Meeting unique needs
Of course, there are many ways to make wood flooring. What sets Imada Parquet apart from (most) other companies specialising in wood?
"The main goal of our company is to design and produce floors that meet the unique needs of our customers. The bottom line is that we make floors as if we were manufacturing them for ourselves. We treat wood with the utmost respect and preserve its essence and natural beauty. Our most unique and sought-after products are the style panels. These high-quality panels are highly sought-after, especially on the French market. We are proud to offer special products that stand out from the rest."

"For us, wood is more than a material. We consider it a living, breathing entity that is constantly evolving and inspiring. It evokes a sense of warmth and family and reminds us of man's first real home. We take great care to preserve the natural beauty and essence of wood in all our products."

Specialising in style panels
Roberto De Piero goes on to explain why his company has specialised in these style panels in particular. The gist of the story could not be clearer: it is precisely with these products that Imada Parquet can distinguish itself because only the highest quality is good enough.

"As a small artisan company, we attach great importance to attention to detail and care and this is reflected in the quality of our style panels. Time and again, it is nice to find that customers give delighted and amazed comments about the beauty and uniqueness of our panels."
What immediately stood out during a preliminary search on the website was how many wood species Imada Parquet offers. In Pramaggiore Blessaglia, there is much more than the classic oak...

"First of all, I have to say that we market solid wood, but we mainly produce plywood products glued on phenolic birch. We offer a range of wood species, including oak, national or Canaletto walnut, chestnut, cedar and elm. We also use recycled antique timbers for smaller supplies, such as briccola, spruce first patina, oak first patina and oxidised alder, expertly installed with water-based vinyl adhesives. We source our raw materials from reliable European suppliers and carefully assemble and finish each product with water-based varnish, acrylic or natural oil."

Bespoke designs
Of course, we also supply products other than just style panels. Can Robert De Piero elaborate a little further on that?
"Besides the style panels, we offer Hungarian 30°, French 45° or Italian 90° planks, fishbones and herringbones with right and left locking. We are proud to offer such a wide range of products that meet the needs and preferences of our customers. By the way, those customers are mainly private individuals, but we also work with construction companies and architects. On our website, you will find a nice overview of all our products. You can also go and see them in our showrooms in Milan and Padua."

"To come back to how we do things: we aim to bring each customer's dreams to life, which is why we design a customised product for each customer. We work with them during the various stages of designing and creating the spaces, starting with the choice of materials and finding solutions that best suit them. To this end, we offer a wide scale of materials, sizes and finishes so that each environment becomes unique and exclusive."

"Moreover, I cannot stress enough how much care we take in sourcing our material. Our wood has to be sustainable. Therefore, our first step always consists of choosing only certified materials and only quality raw materials are good enough. We treat these raw materials safely with oils or waxes or, alternatively, with water-based finishes. In our view, a quality product can only be marketed if you minimise the impact on the environment. In doing so, we combine the natural character of wood with the use of innovative methods."

Penetrating outside Europe
The company recently participated in the BAU trade fair in Munich. That suggests plans to expand into other markets.
"We are indeed thinking of expanding our area of operation. Currently, our market is predominantly national and European, but with our presence in Munich this year, we hope to penetrate other markets outside Europe."