10Jul2025

Strength Beneath the Surface: Mastering End-Grain Parquet Installation

In the high-traffic communal area on the ground floor of the Lotte Lemke Center in Cologne, approximately 240 m² of oak end-grain parquet was installed. The requirements were demanding: in addition to extreme mechanical stress, the flooring had to meet strict hygiene standards typical of a healthcare environment—without compromising on a warm and welcoming appearance.

Project: Lotte Lemke Center of AWO Cologne
Installer: UTSCHDESIGN GmbH, Freudenberg, Germany
Total floor area: 7,740 m², including 240 m² of end-grain parquet
Adhesive used: STAUF SMP 950

The Challenge of End-Grain: Movement from the Fiber

Anyone familiar with end-grain wood knows its unique behavior: the wood tiles reveal the annual growth rings and thus a fiber orientation that responds particularly strongly to changes in moisture and temperature. Swelling and shrinking are significantly more pronounced in end-grain than in longitudinally cut parquet.

This makes one thing clear: the adhesive must be flexible enough to accommodate the natural movement of the wood over time—while remaining strong enough to ensure lasting adhesion.

The Solution: STAUF SMP 950

The silane-modified adhesive STAUF SMP 950 was chosen for this task. Its properties match the specific demands of end-grain installations:

High initial tack: Prevents shifting during installation
Excellent wetting behavior: Ensures full-surface bond even on end-grain wood
Elastic yet strong: Absorbs movement without losing adhesion
Rapid curing: Supports efficient workflow without unnecessary delays
Very low emissions (GEV Emicode® EC1 ^PLUS): Safe for indoor air quality in sensitive environments like care facilities

An additional requirement was compatibility with the parquet’s surface sealing, which is essential for maintaining hygiene standards in such settings. STAUF SMP 950 meets this need as well, without any negative interaction with the finish.

Long-Term Performance, Even During Renovations

The parquet can be sanded and resealed multiple times without compromising the bond to the subfloor. This ensures a durable and resilient flooring solution that maintains both performance and comfort over time.

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