Parquet and types of wood: an overview

The appearance of maple varies depending on the species. The colours of maple range from very light, almost white, to light-brown, to a reddish-grey tone. Canadian maple is yellow-brown and significantly darker and harder than European maple.

The structure of maple wood is typified by evenness and small pores. European maple has a more discrete grain than its Canadian counterpart. “Flame maple” is particularly prized for its unusual grain. Its lines create a flame-like undulating pattern.

Thanks to its light colour and fine pores, maple is good for smooth surfaces, such as real-wood parquet as well as stairs, panelling, furniture fronts and tabletops.

Maple is regarded as a light, cheerful type of wood. It serves to create harmony in homes and unite opposites, such as male and female residents. In the past, it was thought to have a special protective function. Maple twigs were used to keep moles away from fields, and maple wedges were inserted under door thresholds to ward off witches and lightning. Timber from the maple tree also represents calm and tranquillity.

Beechwood expresses rigour, clarity and order. The colours are typical for beech range from light-yellow to pink-brown. Steaming the wood can make its red hue more manifest. The grain of the beech stands out for its wide rays creating curled, tongue-shaped spots, with diagonal cuts.

This type of wood can be easily stained and flexed using steam. It is mostly suited for indoor applications. This includes parquet, stairs, panelling and furniture.

According to traditional beliefs, beech promotes vitality, consoles you and gives you sage advice when you’re feeling down.

The word ‘book’ actually originates from ‘beech’. But this is not because Gutenberg used beech to carve out the type for his first books: the ancient Germans used to carve runic inscriptions on this wood, which was commonly available in their native forests.

In the past, people used beeches for predicting the weather: in early November they hacked into a trunk with an axe. If the cut remained dry, there would be a harsh winter.

The wood is light in colour and has large pores. It is particularly good for staining. Because it is so elastic and strong at the same time, ash wood is popular for manufacturing sporting equipment and tool handles (hammers, axes, shovels, etc.). Thanks to its resistance to wear, ash also performs well in planks and parquet.

The tree’s name, ash, has a Germanic origin, meaning spear or bow. The different names used to refer to this tree in German, Bogenbaum (bow-tree), Geissbaum (goat-tree) or Wundbaum (wound-tree), point at its countless uses. Ash is considered to be a symbol of life, strength and closeness to heaven. In the Germanic Edda saga, the ash Yggdrasil contains all creation and stands in the centre of the cosmos.

Ashwood is said to ward off evil. Its sap is supposed to protect against snake bites, and its wood is said to staunch bleeding wounds if woven into fabric used to make clothes. Fishermen also ascribed it special magic qualities: ash wood used in boat components is believed to protect the crew from drowning.

Oakwood has a greyish-yellow to a yellow-brown core, which differs from the sapwood that surrounds it. The annual rings are clearly visible, giving oak wood an even grain. Its rays are very wide or very fine. Oak sees many applications in parquet, and can be used to achieve very different effects. For example, local oak, in the form of smoked oak parquet, is a sustainable alternative to imported darker tropical woods.

In latticework and wooden buildings, oak beams can last for centuries. Thanks to its resistance to moisture and special aroma, oak wood is used to make barrels for storing whiskey, wine and sherry.

Oaks have always been a symbol of fortitude and strength, of resilience and toughness, of perseverance and patient maturation. Oak is said to support virtue and bring out the truth, to build up new energy.

The early and abundant blossoming of the cherry tree is a pleasant sight after a long winter, and makes it the ultimate bee plant. In autumn, its bright red leaves enrich the landscape. Cherry wood has a uniform structure, fine pores and dense grain. The colour of cherry ranges from yellow- or reddish-brown to bright reddish-brown.

Because of its attractive reddish-brown colour, cherry wood is a popular material for interior objects, and is used for manufacturing musical instruments. Cherry has been utilised for making furniture since the baroque period. Today, it is used in solid and veneer form in various demanding indoor applications. This wood is turned into (designer) furniture, panelling, parquet, as well as carvings and inlays.

The red fruit of the cherry tree stands for love, passion and beauty. Like all other types of fruit, in German, cherry is a feminine word. It is closely connected to the cult of fertility. In the past, on St Barbara’s Day (4 December), they used to put cherry twig bundles in the parlour. Every twig stood for an indecisive unmarried woman's potential suitor. The first twig to blossom would indicate the one she should choose.

Walnut trees can reach a height of 40 metres, and a trunk diameter of up to three metres, remaining largely knot-free.

The walnut’s heartwood is dark-brown to purple-black, while the sapwood ranges from greyish-brown to light-yellow. Over time, the heartwood can become slightly darker. Deviations in colour and grain, as well as the clearly visible annual rings, make this wood particularly decorative.

The eastern American black walnut is considered to be one of the most beautiful and noble types of wood, making it well-suited for producing furniture and parquet.