Wood parquet

Parquet wood: prices, characteristics and types of wood for parquet

WOODEN PARQUET Performance characteristics and CE marking according to UNI EN 14342: 2005 + A1

Starting from 1 March 2006 the manufacturer can optionally affix the CE marking on its own wooden parquet , while from 1 March 2010 the marking becomes compulsory.

The CE marking must be affixed by those who place the product on the market, therefore the manufacturer, that is, those who physically manufacture the product, but also by those who import or resell it with their own brand and trade name; the latter figure, for legal purposes, becomes a producer in all respects and therefore responsible for the trademark and for any discrepancies. The standard defines the performance characteristics to be declared for the purposes of CE marking, the methods for determining the aforementioned characteristics with references to the test methods, the production control procedures, the procedures for attesting to conformity, the methods for affixing the marking CE and product labeling.

To be able to CE mark the parquet wood , the manufacturer must start upstream from the conformity of his product to these standards, and then proceed with the verification of the performance characteristics.

The CE marking does not include the installation of the product; however, the manufacturer is required to provide indications on use, related to the type of installation envisaged (glued, nailed or floating), in order to guarantee the suitability for use of the product itself.

The performance characteristics foreseen by the CE marking are the following:

• Reaction to fire

This feature is required if the wooden parquet is intended for an activity subject to fire prevention, according to the provisions of national legislation.

The fire reaction class must be determined in compliance with the EN 13501-1 standard, already implemented at national level, and the product must be tested in installation conditions that are representative of the conditions of end use. The legislation provides for the possibility of declaring the reaction to fire class without carrying out specific tests, based on the minimum average density of the product, the minimum total thickness and the conditions of final use, as reported in the excerpt in Table 40.

• Release of formaldehyde

The standard states that this characteristic must always be declared in terms of classes. It also states that a solid wood floor without chemical treatment, adhesive, finish or surface coating, does not have significant formaldehyde release. Instead, where materials containing formaldehyde, such as particular resins or adhesives, are added to the product and considered as an integral part of the manufacturing process, the product must be tested and classified. For the initial type tests, the sampling and frequency of the tests must be carried out in compliance with the product standard EN 13986 relating to wooden panels, as well as the internal production control which must always follow the indications of the aforementioned standard.

Regarding the test methods, the references for the initial type tests and for the internal production control concern the standards EN 717-1, EN 717-2 and EN 120.

The Decree of 10 October 2008 “Provisions aimed at regulating the emission of formic aldehyde of wood-based panels and products made with them in living and living rooms”, which entered into force on 11 December 2008, relating to the manufacture, importing and placing on the market of wood-based parquet and artifacts made with them both semi-finished and finished products (therefore also wooden floors and parquet, for example multilayer) containing formaldehyde, states that products whose equilibrium concentration of formaldehyde exceeds the value of 0.1 ppm (0.124 sqm / m “), which corresponds to the limit set for class E1

• Pentachlorophenol emission from parquet wood

This characteristic must be declared only when the wooden parquet contains a quantity of pentachlorophenol greater than 5 ppm (parts per million); in this case the product must be tested on the basis of the regulations in force in the country of destination of the product and the wording U must appear on the CE marking> 5 ppm “

• Flexural strength

If required, for example by national standards for specific applications of use or by specific specifications, the flexural strength must be determined in compliance with the EN 1533 standard. In the event that a characteristic is not contemplated by national legislation, then the CE marking, in correspondence with that particular characteristic, can bear the words “NPD” (No Performance Determined No Performance Determined)

• Slipperiness

This feature must also be declared if required by national standards or specific specifications. The slipperiness value must be determined using the British Pendulum as a test method

• Thermal conductivity

Characteristic to always declare, as it is contemplated within the national legislative framework on the energy saving of buildings, recently updated with Legislative Decree no. 192/2005 “Implementation of Directive 2002/91 / EC relating to energy performance in buildings” and Legislative Decree 311/2006.

The thermal resistance value, expressed as the ratio between the thickness of the product and its thermal conductivity value, can be obtained from laboratory tests according to the EN 12664 standard or by using table values, correlated to the average density of the product at a humidity of 12. For multilayer elements, the total thermal resistance must be calculated as the sum of the thermal resistances of the individual layers.

• Wooden parquet and durability over time

It is intended as resistance to biological attack, both as wood as such and as treated wood, and must be declared in terms of use classes, with reference to EN 335 part 1 and part 2

The CE marking can be affixed on the product itself, on the label attached to the product, on the packaging and / or on the accompanying commercial documentation and must include the following information:

• name or identification mark and address of the manufacturer
• year of affixing of the marking
• reference to the European standard UNI EN 14342: 2005 + A 1
• product description: name, materials, dimensions and intended use
• information on the relevant characteristics declared
• performance characteristics, including density and thickness

An example of CE marking for wooden floors is shown in Table 41.

Tab. 38