Parky, brand of Decospan Group

Decospan is a name that rings a big bell in the timber sector. The West Flemish specialist and market leader in veneer processing was founded in 1978 by Urbain Desmet and grew into a global player with over 900 employees. ‘Every day we process some 15,000 panels of veneer wood,’ Griet Fournier, Product Manager Flooring, points out. Decospan, headquartered in Menen, is still owned by the Desmet family and has nine production sites worldwide. Four of those sites (three production sites and one sawmill) are dedicated to flooring.

In 1990, Decospan Group founded the Parky brand, establishing itself as a pioneer in the veneer flooring segment. Parky floors are produced in Belgium and distributed through a worldwide network of importers, from Australia, over China to America. In Belgium, distribution is made directly to the retail sector, mainly parquet and tile shops.

Veneer flooring is much more than a sideline activity for the internationally active Decospan Group of companies. "Decospan has always strongly believed in veneer flooring, as evidenced by the investments they have made and continue to make. Thus, autumn 2024 will be marked by a brand update, expanded collections and improved specifications to make the Parky brand even more future-proof in this growing market segment,’ says Griet.

The Flooring Product Manager points to wood scarcity, budgetary considerations and improved performance as some of the reasons for the success of veneer flooring. ‘Moreover, there is an increasing awareness among consumers that floors with a thicker wood top layer are not always better floors." 

Veneer floors, future or hype?

Veneer floors have been around longer than yesterday, but have enjoyed growing success, especially in recent years. According to Griet, this is mainly due to the excellent price-quality ratio. ‘With veneer wood you get an affordable floor because the top layer is thinner, but with the unique character and warmth like that of a parquet floor."

Parky wood floors are constructed according to a carefully considered composition. The wood top layer is reinforced by a solid HDF core, consisting of 100% recycled wood, which protects the floor from dents. The wooden counter-layer, in turn, ensures even stability. Parky offers two possible click systems, the Uniclic system and a Unifit X-drop-down click system that ensure hassle-free installation.

It is clear that wood veneer flooring combines the best features of different types of flooring and is more than a passing hype. ‘We strongly believe that wood veneer floors offer an answer to the traditional obstacles and doubts when it comes to parquet." says Griet.

Solidity hand in hand with durability

Parky's strengths? Griet doesn't have to think long about that. She refers to the real wood, the strength of the floors thanks to the Woodshield treatment, their durable nature and ease of installation thanks to the user-friendly click systems.

No imitation, nor fake at Parky. ‘The success of Parky wood floors is certainly partly due to the fact that our floors have the look and feel of a real wood floor. And that look and feel is authentic because the top layer is simply real wood, which is brushed and super-matt finished."

In addition, Parky prides itself on its Woodshield treatment that makes the floor scratch, water and dent resistant. Parky floors have a waterproof surface of no less than 24 hours and joints are also protected. It makes the veneer flooring brand the ideal partner for intensive commercial use (use class 33). ‘In addition to the protection offered by Woodshield, this treatment also respects the authentic look. The floor is also easy to maintain and re-sanding and varnishing are not necessary."

The Parky brand and by extension Decospan Group have a progressive policy on sustainability. The slogan from the sustainability report - ‘nurturing favourite places for generations to come ’ - is no empty promise. Meanwhile, Decospan Group can boast FSC® and PEFC certificates, an A+ rating for air quality and is proactively working on renewable energy, among other things. ‘Besides the company's various sustainability actions, a Parky floor is anyway more sustainable than many other flooring types. Because of the thin layer of wood, we can produce over 25 times more floor area with the same wood than with solid parquet,’ Griet clarifies.

The production process itself is also sustainable. An LCA (life cycle analysis) showed that Parky floors are CO2-negative during the production phase as the carbon stored in the wood exceeds the emissions during production. 

New Parky range

There is something for everyone at Parky. The number of formats and colours cannot be counted on one hand. In October 2024, Parky unpacked a new range consisting of five wood flooring collections.

The Pro collection has dimensions of 1203 x 190 x 7.2 mm and uses the Uniclic click system. This floor falls in use class 31, suitable for residential and light commercial applications.

All other collections feature the Unifit X-drop-down click system and fall into use class 33, making these floors suitable for intensive commercial use.

The Master, with dimensions of 1506 x 166 x 10 mm, is an elegant plank that comes into its own everywhere, even in the busiest rooms. The Deluxe+ collection offers a pleasant walking sound thanks to its integrated cork underlay and measures 1810 x 166 x 12 mm. For larger rooms, there is the Summit collection, with generous dimensions of 2050 x 233 x 10 mm. Finally, there is the Swing collection, which is specially designed to create a herringbone pattern. These floors measure 593 x 121 x 10 mm.

In addition to the various formats, Parky also unpacks new wood species, colours and different grades. A total of 36 references are available from stock and Parky is launching new accessories to install, finish and maintain the floor. ‘The diversity of the stock range combined with enormous flexibility for the project market gives us the ability to respond even better to the needs of local markets,’ concludes Griet. 

Website: www.par-ky.com