Low emission wood-based materials are rare.The best come from the Hunsrück region
As a family firm in its third generation, elka Holzwerke likes to follow its own traditions. While others were laughing off the early arguments concerning VOC and formaldehyde, company owner Karl-Robert Kuntz was already focussing on panels made from fresh spruce. And now the medium-sized company from the Hunsrück region has become the forerunner in this field. Its innovative board esb PLUS with its extremely low emission values is one of the few to already meet the requirements of the new building regulations.
In the future, wood-based materials and products will need to adhere to much stricter emission values in order to receive building regulation approval. From 1 January 2019, a new MVV TB (Model Administrative Provisions – Technical Building Rules) applies in Germany. Although the legislative authority affords the manufacturers a grace period until 30 September 2019 for the wood-based panel area (OSB & chipboard), the forward-looking among those working with wood are already
converting to low emission boards and using the few suppliers in this area to cover their raw material requirements.
elka Holzwerke already fulfills the MVV TB specifications
At elka Holzwerke, the atmosphere surrounding the stricter specifications is very relaxed. "We have already been fulfilling the specifications for some time," says the Head of Marketing and Sales Dagmar E. Hilden-Kuntz. "Since talk of new limits began, the demand for our products in every segment has shown a pronounced positive development. Our products are in line with the new generation of health-conscious timber construction."
The ecological quality of the elka products is confirmed by ecolabels such as "the blue angel" (esb PLUS and VITA spruce natural wood panel), the "Premium Quality" seal for timber materials, listing in the Austrian "baubook" and certificates from the Sentinel Haus Institut (esb PLUS and VITA spruce natural wood panel), as well as the German Sustainable Building Council. Additionally, the esb board has been awarded the ICONIC AWARD 2017 & the MATERIALpreis 2018 in ecology, and the low emission VITA spruce natural wood panel with the German Design Award 2018.
The variantesb PLUS with its very low VOC values, guaranteed formaldehyde emissions below 0.03 ppm and 100 % recyclability is particularly appreciated in the RAL-certified timber and prefabricated housing industry.
Recently, elka has also begun offering a 15 mm wall panel in a 3-layer composite in the formats 187.5 cm x 265, 280, 300 cm through the new main dealer system.
People working with wood are pleased with the time-saving, quick installation and improved statics of the wall panels.
The standard board esb is also a low emission, practically odourless wooden composite board from pure green wood (Emission standard E1). The spruce wood chips come from sustainable forestry; old timber is not used. Furthermore, a recycling and processing-friendly MUF glue without isocyanate is used.
Low emission vita 3-layer boards & wooden acoustic panels
The VITA natural wood panel, a 3-layer board from spruce or Douglas fir, is ideal for furniture, shop and trade fair fitting, as well as sophisticated interior design. The beautiful, continuous grain appears natural, while at the same time VITA is dimensionally stable and affordable. The spruce natural wood panel carries the ecolabel "the blue angel" and a certificate from Sentinel Haus if requested by the customer, as well as the German Design Award 2018. Under the brand name "Holzliebe", elka is marketing digitally printed natural wood panels with an oak or vintage appearance.
The latest innovation for BAU 2019 is the hybrid board e-vita (esb PLUS inside).
This board combines the classy appearance of the VITA natural wood panel with the technical properties of the esb PLUS. The top layers are made from solid spruce, while the 9 mm thick core is basically an esb PLUS board. The middle layer improves the static properties and allows dimensionally stable tongue-and-groove joints. e-vita is suitable for an extremely wide range of applications thanks to its ecological, technical and visual benefits. It can be used in high-quality furniture and interior design as well as in trade fair and shop fitting.
The equally low emission wood acoustic panel VarianteX (esb Silent inside) was developed through cooperation with Lahnau Akustik GmbH.
With its Class B1 Fire Protection certification, the innovative wood fibre panel is a true alternative to timber wool acoustic panels, and with a level of acoustic absorption of αw 0.65 even exceeds them. Its relatively low weight and large formats of up to 1.25 m x 3.45 m also prove advantageous during assembly. Since 2017, numerous nurseries and schools have already been fitted with VarianteX esb Silent inside.
The area of sawn timber is also not overlooked when it comes to innovation at elka. After all, elka Holzwerke originated from a saw mill over 100 years ago and since then has developed into a leading German supplier of sawn timber specialities in spruce/fir and Douglas fir from sustainably managed forests. The business activities range from lumber, square timber and quarter sawn wood, to every type of plank and board, splitting into wedge planks and guttering boards, to an extensive range of planed wood.
