Frequently asked questions
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Is beech a good wood for flooring?
Yes, beech is a tried and tested parquet floor. It has high strength, fine texture and good durability, making it well suited for living spaces. HARO offers steamed beech parquet that is optimised for use as flooring.
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Why is beech cheaper than oak?
Beech grows faster and is often more abundant , which reduces costs. Processing costs are also lower because beech has a more uniform structure and requires less time-consuming sorting. HARO prefers to use steamed beech in its range.
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How hard is beech wood?
Beech wood is one of the medium-hard hardwoods. It is comparably robust to oak and is well suited for floors with normal wear and tear. HARO uses steamed beech parquet as this further increases the load-bearing capacity.
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Where does beech wood come from?
Beech is native to Central Europe and grows in many German forests. The mixed beech forest is considered the native natural forest. HARO sources a large proportion of its beech wood locally and uses steamed beech from sustainable management for its parquet products.
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How robust is beech?
Beech is relatively robust and can withstand heavy loads - especially in steamed form. It is resistant to pressure and mechanical stress and is well suited to medium-use living spaces. HARO uses steamed beech wood to further increase its robustness.
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Is beech wood of high quality?
Yes, beech wood is considered a high-quality wood in the parquet sector - thanks to its even grain, stability and good processing properties. Another advantage is its regional origin. HARO uses steamed beech to ensure consistently high quality in its parquet range.
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What other types of wood are there apart from beech?
In addition to beech, oak, robinia, maple, walnut and ash are the most common types of parquet wood. In Alpine regions, various types of conifers such as fir and pine are also used. HARO is dominated by beech and oak, which are also available in various types of finish, in addition to the other types of wood mentioned.
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What does beech wood look like?
Beech wood has a fine, even grain, a light basic tone and occasionally a delicate reddish hue. Steamed beech produces a warm, slightly reddish tone that gives rooms a cosy feel. HARO Beech parquet is always smoked, as this has additional technical advantages.
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What goes well with beech wood?
Light natural tones, warm shades of grey, pastel colours and materials such as leather or metal harmonise with beech wood. Thanks to its neutral appearance, beech parquet can be combined well with many furnishing styles. HARO recommends beech parquet as a very flexible combination and visually warm parquet.
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Which style of living does beech flooring suit?
Beech flooring goes particularly well with modern, minimalist or natural styles, as it looks warm, neutral and friendly . It blends harmoniously into many room concepts. HARO uses steamed beech wood, which makes the colour tone even warmer and slightly reddish.
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Is beech a more modern wood?
Beech is a perennial favourite among domestic wood species and was particularly popular at the turn of the millennium. Beech has a natural and modern look, especially in light-coloured or ship's floor variants. Its restrained, neutral character allows it to be interpreted in a modern way. HARO uses steamed beech to make it colour-stable and suitable for modern use.
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Which is better? Spruce or beech?
Clearly beech for a floor covering . Beech is significantly more robust, harder and more resistant than spruce. Spruce is softer and more sensitive to wear and pressure. For flooring, beech is superior in almost all applications. HARO only uses spruce as the centre layer of its multilayer flooring and uses beech in steamed form for the parquet wear layer.
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Why is beech not a timber?
Beech is rarely used as construction timber because it is sensitive to moisture and not very weather-resistant. Outdoors, it tends to swell, shrink and warp, which limits its durability. Above all, the higher price makes beech unattractive as construction timber. HARO therefore uses beech for high-quality parquet flooring, where the wood becomes dimensionally stable, durable and aesthetically pleasing through steaming and finishing.
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What are the properties of beech wood?
Beech wood has a fine, even texture, medium to high strength and good durability. Steamed beech shows improved colour and dimensional stability. HARO uses steamed beech for parquet floors to combine natural beauty with technical reliability.
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What grades of beech parquet are available?
Beech parquet is available in various grades - from calm, uniform to more lively planks with knots. High-quality parquet floors are characterised by assorted articles, which are usually labelled with a name suffix such as "Trend" or "Universal". This allows the floor to be individually selected for the desired style. HARO offers beech parquet in grades ranging from "calm" to "striking".
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What surface treatments are available for beech parquet?
There are various surface treatments for beech parquet that influence its appearance and maintenance properties . Oiled or sealed surfaces are common: Oiled floors have a natural appearance and are breathable, while sealed versions are more resistant and easier to care for. HARO offers beech parquet with high-quality finishes such as naturaLin (oiled) and naturaDur (sealed) - for optimum protection and a natural, warm wood look.
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Which formats and installation types are common with beech?
Beech parquet is available in various formats - from classic ship's flooring to plank flooring. But strip parquet for herringbone installation is also possible. This means that the floor can be customised to suit the style of the room. Both floating installation with a click system and full-surface gluing are common installation methods. HARO offers beech parquet in many formats and installation variants for simple and stable installation.
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How easy to maintain and durable is a beech floor?
A beech floor is hard-wearing and durable. The cleaning and care intervals are generally determined by the intensity of use and the amount of dirt . With the right cleaning and regular care, beech will remain beautiful for many years. HARO recommends customised care products for oiled and sealed surfaces.
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What characterises beech wood as a floor covering and for which rooms is it ideal?
Beech wood is solid, evenly grained and creates a warm, friendly room effect. It is ideal for living rooms, bedrooms and workspaces, but less suitable for damp rooms. HARO recommends beech parquet for natural and light-coloured living concepts in particular.
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What does steamed beech mean?
Steamed beech is treated with hot steam, which intensifies its colour and makes it more even . At the same time, its dimensional stability improves and it reacts less strongly to temperature fluctuations. HARO relies exclusively on steamed beech for high-quality parquet floors.
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Can beech wood darken over time?
Yes, beech wood darkens slightly over time - especially when exposed to sunlight. The colour changes from a light beige to a warm, reddish-golden tone. HARO recommends uniform lighting conditions in the room to allow the colour to develop harmoniously. Carpets should be avoided, especially at the beginning. In addition, HARO only uses steamed beech wood to ensure greater colour stability.
The robust wood of beech cuts a fine figure in your home.
Did you know that beech is a real top performer? The so-called "beech era" was heralded in Central Europe as early as around 800 BC. Thanks to optimal climatic conditions, the beech was able to assert itself over time against the oak, which was still the most common tree species until around 4500 years ago. With a share of around 20 % of Germany's forest area, beech is now the most important hardwood species and one of our most important commercial timbers.
With beech parquet flooring, you can bring a piece of nature into your home. Beech parquet gives every room an inviting, light atmosphere. At the same time, the fine-grained wood brings peace and relaxation into your own four walls. Steamed beech parquet shines with its expressive, warm, rosy colour. But don't be fooled by the delicate appearance of this parquet. Beech is just as hard-wearing and tough as oak. If you are looking for a hard-wearing floor covering that provides natural serenity in any room, beech parquet is the right choice.
This parquet flooring defies all resistance
You should also pay attention to the degree of hardness, especially if you are laying parquet in rooms with high traffic. With finished beech parquet, you can sit back and relax, because this floor covering can take a beating. In terms of hardness, beech wood hardly differs from oak wood, which is generally considered to be particularly robust and resistant.
Breathe deeply and enjoy a feeling of freedom.
Beech parquet is not only convincing because of its optimal properties. The use of PEFC-certified, domestic woods corresponds to our understanding of the sensible and sustainable use of our natural resources. In this way, we at HARO also fulfil our responsibility.
Does the colour of beech parquet change over time?
Just like all other wooden floor coverings or furniture, beech wood parquet also discolours over time under the influence of UV radiation. The light-coloured beech wood darkens after prolonged exposure to sunlight and takes on sun-yellow hues. This is due to the lignin contained in the wood. To ensure that your new beech floor remains beautiful for many years, we only sell steamed beech parquet. Steaming the wood causes the lignin components to decompose. This makes our steamed beech parquet much more colourfast than untreated wood.
Why choose parquet with steamed beech?
Because the quality of our parquet floors made in Germany is our top priority, you will only find parquet made from steamed beech in our HARO range. Don't worry, even if the wood is treated, our floors remain healthy to live on. During the steaming process, the wood is only treated using heat and water vapour. We do not use any chemicals that are harmful to health.
Steaming closes the pores of the wood, making it more colourfast. This is a particular advantage for beech parquet, as the beech wood changes colour much more slowly. In addition, steamed beech works less, making it less susceptible to cracking.
What colours can I combine beech parquet with?
Do you want to install multi-layer beech parquet in your home and are wondering which furniture will go with your new flooring? As the understated appearance of beech parquet blends unobtrusively into any room, there are plenty of design options.
It's best to let your individual taste decide.
Whether ship's floor or plank, your beech parquet is best complemented by wall colours with a pronounced blue component. However, more intense colours such as violet or mint also go perfectly with beech parquet.
If you are still undecided as to whether this flooring suits your personal style, simply test it out with our Room Visualiser.
