03/07/2014 - HEAT-TREATED WOOD FOR FURNITURE. WHICH FUTURE? WHAT IS OUR POINT OF VIEW?

Heat-treated wood came to the fore at the Salone del Mobile in 2008 stimulating the curiosity of designers and manufacturing companies in the furniture industry.

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After more than 5 years we can now draw some conclusions as for its current use compared to the expected potentiality. We can now make commercial assessments and consideration about its aesthetics, but above all about its technical features.

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Some information for non-professional users.

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Processed with a heat treatment using high temperature (between 150°C and 240°C) in a controlled atmosphere, wood undergoes physical and chemical changes. The main change is a reduced hygroscopicity together with better performances on dimensional stability, durability, lightness and fungus resistance. All this makes it an excellent material for outdoor use: paving, street furniture, garden and bathroom furniture, nautical details as well as saunas, swimming pools and hot tubs.

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Besides this, what attracts the designer is its particular color hue moka, coffee, dark-brown in line with the latest years trend: the higher is the temperature to which the wood is subject, the darker it gets.

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The challenge of this innovation was to use soft and poor wood essences in order to achieve furniture with an improved aesthetic value thanks to the heat treatment.

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The use of this material innovation has however been difficult up to now, especially in the segment of wooden kitchens. The aesthetic and technical performance of the essences which are subject to the heat treatment is not the same as using “traditional” wood essences such as ash, oak, walnut or chestnut. The increased stiffness and hardness, moreover, facilitate breaks and crashes during the carving of solid wood.

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The innovation challenge did also not take into consideration the related specific costs. The heat treatment implies an additional cost of 35-40% which cannot be underestimate especially during this long lasting economic change that we are experiencing. This situation lead companies to sometimes disregard the value of solid wood and we are currently finding more and more the characteristic nuances of heat-treated wood, also with tranché effect, proposed on papers and laminates.

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What’s the opinion of our Research and Development Centre?

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Thanks to the craftmanship of our specialized staff, the production of heat-treated wood kitchen fronts is part of the range of our company.

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We support the use of heat-treated solid wood.

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Taking into account the high dependability of its stability it guarantees a long lasting and inalterable door even in location with highly variable temperature conditions.

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We agree on its use in doors, details and accessories with a high level design which may justify the cost of the material and can make the kitchen trendy.

An example? Our 056_vr door handle is made of heat-treated wood and it is inserted in veneered panel.

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click here: http://www.mengucci.it/en/modern-collections/