05.08.2021
New veneer trends show a wide range of possibilities
Bonn. The image of veneer has changed considerably in recent decades. In the past, thin veneer was considered inferior to solid wood, especially for furniture. This is no longer the case, as most cabinets, chests of drawers and modular furniture are made of wood-based panels covered with foil. While these may look like real wood, they are not. Veneer, on the other hand, as real wood, is a quality product of special ecological grade. Veneer surfaces are being used more and more by the furniture industry as an ecological alternative to foils and as the most economical variant of solid wood. Something is also happening in the flooring sector. That pleases the clientele oriented to climate protection.
Oak is currently the best-selling veneer, topping all other veneers. In addition to oak, the light wood of maple, the medium to dark brown American walnut and the yellowish-light birch are holding their own. There is a noticeable increase in demand from the international furniture industry for softwood veneers. Here it is larch, pine and fir that are increasingly being processed into veneer. "This positive demand shows us the increasing sensitivity of consumers for ecological products. Whoever buys a piece of furniture today wants to burden the environment as little as possible. Veneered furniture saves resources, is climate-friendly and just as durable as its solid competitors," says Ursula Geismann, managing director of the Initiative Furnier + Natur (IFN).
Veneer surfaces don't just feel good on furniture. Anyone who has ever walked barefoot across a wooden floor knows its warm properties. A great novelty is a birch bark veneer manufactured without varnishes and chemical surface treatment. The Saxon company Nevi has now developed a floor covering from it that is slip-resistant and bacteriostatic. Birch bark is quite soft and can best be compared to the bark of the cork oak. It is tough like leather, water repellent like plastic and feels as warm as velvet. The water-repellent birch bark veneer is therefore suitable as flooring for wet rooms and barefoot areas such as bathrooms or saunas. But it also works well on furniture surfaces, work surfaces or as a control surface with touch functions. Birch bark veneer was a traditional material in many ancient cultures and is now being rediscovered as ecologically attractive. The manufacturing process and also the specific design have been patented by the Nevi company. "With Betula Veneer made of birch bark, we have rediscovered an ancient biological building material and developed it into an absolute novelty. This is important for our responsibility in this time, which must drive green innovations," comments Tim Mergelsberg, managing director of Nevi from Görlitz, his product idea.
Initiative Veneer + Nature (IFN)
The Initiative Furnier + Natur (IFN) e.V. was founded in 1996 by the German veneer industry and its partners. Today, it is supported by European companies from the veneer industry, trade and the veneer processing industry as well as trade associations of the wood industry. The aim of the association is to promote veneer as a natural and climate-friendly all-rounder material.
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Photo 1: Soft and water-repellent, birch bark veneer is an innovative flooring material. Photo: Nevi.io
Photo 2: Birch bark veneer resembles cork oak bark. It is soft like velvet and tough like leather. Photo: Nevi.io
Photo 3: The rediscovered ecological birch bark veneer in use as flooring. Photo: Nevi.io
August 5, 2021
Initiative Furnier + Natur e.V. - Bonner Talweg 84 - D-53113 Bonn - m +49 171 1783 444 - www.furnier.de - www.veneer.eu - presse@furnier.de
New veneer trends show a wide range of possibilities
Save solid wood, use veneer
Bonn. The image of veneer has changed considerably in recent decades. In the past, thin veneer was considered inferior to solid wood, especially for furniture. This is no longer the case, as most cabinets, chests of drawers and modular furniture are made of wood-based panels covered with foil. While these may look like real wood, they are not. Veneer, on the other hand, as real wood, is a quality product of special ecological grade. Veneer surfaces are being used more and more by the furniture industry as an ecological alternative to foils and as the most economical variant of solid wood. Something is also happening in the flooring sector. That pleases the clientele oriented to climate protection.
Oak is currently the best-selling veneer, topping all other veneers. In addition to oak, the light wood of maple, the medium to dark brown American walnut and the yellowish-light birch are holding their own. There is a noticeable increase in demand from the international furniture industry for softwood veneers. Here it is larch, pine and fir that are increasingly being processed into veneer. "This positive demand shows us the increasing sensitivity of consumers for ecological products. Whoever buys a piece of furniture today wants to burden the environment as little as possible. Veneered furniture saves resources, is climate-friendly and just as durable as its solid competitors," says Ursula Geismann, managing director of the Initiative Furnier + Natur (IFN).
Veneer surfaces don't just feel good on furniture. Anyone who has ever walked barefoot across a wooden floor knows its warm properties. A great novelty is a birch bark veneer manufactured without varnishes and chemical surface treatment. The Saxon company Nevi has now developed a floor covering from it that is slip-resistant and bacteriostatic. Birch bark is quite soft and can best be compared to the bark of the cork oak. It is tough like leather, water repellent like plastic and feels as warm as velvet. The water-repellent birch bark veneer is therefore suitable as flooring for wet rooms and barefoot areas such as bathrooms or saunas. But it also works well on furniture surfaces, work surfaces or as a control surface with touch functions. Birch bark veneer was a traditional material in many ancient cultures and is now being rediscovered as ecologically attractive. The manufacturing process and also the specific design have been patented by the Nevi company. "With Betula Veneer made of birch bark, we have rediscovered an ancient biological building material and developed it into an absolute novelty. This is important for our responsibility in this time, which must drive green innovations," comments Tim Mergelsberg, managing director of Nevi from Görlitz, his product idea.
Initiative Veneer + Nature (IFN)
The Initiative Furnier + Natur (IFN) e.V. was founded in 1996 by the German veneer industry and its partners. Today, it is supported by European companies from the veneer industry, trade and the veneer processing industry as well as trade associations of the wood industry. The aim of the association is to promote veneer as a natural and climate-friendly all-rounder material.
veneer.com
Photo 1: Soft and water-repellent, birch bark veneer is an innovative flooring material. Photo: Nevi.io
Photo 2: Birch bark veneer resembles cork oak bark. It is soft like velvet and tough like leather. Photo: Nevi.io
Photo 3: The rediscovered ecological birch bark veneer in use as flooring. Photo: Nevi.io
August 5, 2021
Initiative Furnier + Natur e.V. - Bonner Talweg 84 - D-53113 Bonn - m +49 171 1783 444 - www.furnier.de - www.veneer.eu - presse@furnier.de
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Soft and water-repellent, birch bark veneer is an innovative flooring material. Photo: Nevi.io
.jpg)
Birch bark veneer resembles cork oak bark. It is soft like velvet and tough like leather. Photo: Nevi.io
.jpg)
The rediscovered ecological birch bark veneer in use as flooring. Photo: Nevi.io