Page 72 - History-of-flooringLR

THE HISTORY OF WOOD

FLOORING – JUNCKERS

The story of Junckers’ solid
hardwood floors began in 1930. It
is the story of a passionate and
innovative young man, Flemming
Juncker, who had a dream of using
the forest’s resources in the best
possible way.

An innovator and forward-thinking
individual from the outset,
Flemming Juncker approached the
wood industry with new ideas.
Even as a young Master of Forestry
Juncker understood how for a forest to remain healthy and
productive, it had to be used and renewed, in a managed way. It
was his philosophy to use the timber resources in the best possible
way, a philosophy which has underpinned the company since
its inception.

In the late 1920s, Juncker recognised how Danish forests were
suffering a crisis. A huge proportion of felled trees were used as
firewood or simply left to perish in the forests. At the time, there was
little synergy between foresters and sawmills, and it was
commonplace for trees to be felled as and when it suited the
foresters, leading to considerable wastage. Native beech wood logs
were often left for a long period of time before being transported to
a sawmill, leaving them vulnerable to fungal attacks. The slightest
heat in the air would lead to the sprouting of fungus and combined
with the draining from the cut edges it would cause discolouration
and tyloses, strongly degrading the quality of the wood. One of
Juncker’s earliest contributions to the industry was the development
of a coating product. The effect of this product proved to be so
good that the vaporising speed was reduced so strongly that the
most essential damages to the timber could be avoided. Throughout
the following decade, the treatment Juncker developed contributed
to reducing the discolouration in logs considerably.
The introduction of a value to the otherwise wasted wood
brought about a change in the nation’s philosophy – if the whole
tree could be used it would encourage forest owners to replant
and look after the forests, laying the foundation for what we now
refer to as managed forests. To this day, Junckers still employs his
philosophy of resource optimisation. Any waste or by-products
are used in the production of sustainable energy at Junckers’
on-site power plant.
Ever the innovator, Flemming Juncker introduced new
technology and methods of working to the industry which
helped increase production substantially. But the most important
innovation was the development of a long standard board made
from short beech staves by using a Lindermann machine,
originally purchased from the Swedish company Jonsered. This
provided the basis for an entirely new product which, contrary
to traditional, short parquet staves, was quick to lay and
therefore very competitive.
Another ground-breaking development came in the form of press
After fulfilling an initial order to supply 40,000 railway sleepers to the drying. Beech, a wonderful homogenous material, has only one
Danish State Railways, Juncker looked for new ways of using timber disadvantage – it twists and turns during drying and continues to be
that would otherwise be discarded. Seeing the value in one of full of life when humidity fluctuates. From the very beginning, Juncker
Denmark’s great resources, he set about to turn the economic tried to handle this problem. Many experiments were made with
viability of Danish forests on its head. Traditionally, only a small part steaming and various drying processes followed by a humidity
of each felled tree had been put to use. Juncker sought to make use regulated conditioning which improved the product considerably.
of timber in industrial production, seeing the value in every part of The introduction of an advice and guidance service for architects,
the tree. With a strong belief and through innovative manufacturing timber merchants and floor fitters, the start of what has evolved into
techniques, he started to use what was until that time thought of as Junckers’ technical department, further increased the popularity of
waste wood to produce solid hardwood flooring. the beech floorboards.

72 The History of Flooring