Search Results (11)

Consumer preferences in interior design are increasingly shaped by sustainability, aesthetics, and functionality. Wood flooring, valued for its natural appeal and durability, remains a preferred option, yet little research has explored perceptions specific to the Croatian market. This study investigates consumer behavior and preferences for wood flooring in Croatia, focusing on decision-making drivers, preferred materials and attributes, and differences between consumer and expert perspectives. Data were collected from 157 respondents via structured questionnaires using snowball sampling, focusing on their preferences, purchasing behavior, and evaluation of wood flooring attributes. The results were analyzed using the AHP and CRITIC methods to assess and compare the relative importance of nine selected product attributes from both consumer and expert perspectives. By integrating subjective and objective evaluations, the study offers insights into how both consumers and professionals assess wood flooring. The findings indicate a strong preference for classic, natural wood flooring, especially massive and multilayer parquet, driven by aesthetic appeal, quality, and durability. Although sustainability was positively viewed, it was not a top purchasing criterion. Notable differences in attribute prioritization were found between consumers and experts, particularly regarding price and prestige. The combined weights, which integrate consumer and expert evaluations, indicate that product quality, liability for damages, and durability are the most valued attributes, while price, ease of installation, and prestige are the least influential. Additionally, the findings aim to support manufacturers and retailers in aligning their strategies with market needs and advancing sustainable consumption practices. Full article

Household energy consumption is influenced by a variety of factors, including climate, demographics, and socio-economic conditions. This study is a review based on clustering analysis of data from the 2019 Household Budget Survey in Turkey, and explores the role of dwelling structure, household habits, and possessions as indicators of energy patterns and preferences within distinct household groups contributing to Sustainable Development Goals 1, 7, and 12. The data analysis identifies three distinct clusters with specific features that set them apart. The Urban Majority cluster represents densely populated urban areas where natural gas is a preferred fuel source, and parquet and ceramic tiles are common flooring materials. The Deprived-like Remote Residents cluster portrays areas with less access to natural gas, where wood and coal are frequently used for heating, and the Urban Comfort-Seekers cluster highlights urban areas with high comfort levels, featuring natural gas, floor heating, and various amenities. These clusters reflect energy consumption patterns and social aspects related to poverty and habits. They indicate that Turkey’s energy preferences are closely linked to accessibility, user-friendliness, and affordability. Urban households prioritize comfort, while rural areas are more resource-constrained, and contextual factors like location and possessions play a vital role in energy preferences. Full article

This preliminary study investigates the emission characteristics of formaldehyde (HCHO) and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) in indoor environments, comparing the effects of eco-friendly materials and general materials. The study analyzes the concentration changes over time in the living rooms of experimental units to assess the effectiveness of eco-friendly materials in reducing indoor air pollutants. The results show that eco-friendly materials exhibit lower initial emissions of TVOC than general materials, gradually decreasing over time. Compared to the eco-friendly material unit, the general material unit takes longer to reach acceptable TVOC concentrations. The emission pattern of HCHO differs from TVOC, with the highest peak occurring on the seventh day. Major individual VOCs, except for benzene, exhibit a similar decreasing trend for TVOC over time. Eco-friendly materials demonstrate significant reductions in emissions compared to general materials in various material applications, including parquet flooring, wallpaper, built-in furniture, and kitchen furniture. However, the difference in emissions for door and window frames using eco-friendly materials is minimal. These findings emphasize the effectiveness of eco-friendly materials in reducing indoor air pollutants and provide valuable insights for creating healthier living environments. Further research is needed to optimize the application of eco-friendly materials in specific components and investigate their long-term impact on indoor air quality and occupant health. Full article

Nowadays, in the era of growing ecological awareness, composites based on synthetic or bio-based polymers and fillers of natural origin find various potential applications. Plant-based materials are obtained using plant-derived materials, such as e.g., vegetable oil or wood fillers. Such synthesis of polymer composites allows for the selection of the reactants in terms of the potential requirements of the application. In the presented research polymer composites were obtained using bio-based high molecular-weight epoxy resins of hydroxylated soybean oil (SMEG) and a low-molecular-weight epoxy resin (EPR 0162) filled with the oak wood flour waste from the production of parquet flooring. To increase the poor compatibility between the highly hydrophilic wood fibers and the hydrophobic polymer matrix, waste wood flour (WF) was subjected to chemical modifications (mercerization, acetylation, and diisocyanate modification). Based on performed FT-IR and SEM analysis of wood flour, it was found that, among all performed modifications, the acetylation allows for the hydroxyl groups removal to the greatest extent. As a result of sequence synthesis including (1) the synthesis of SMEG_EPR polyaddition product, (2) the introduction of WF followed by its (3) curing with diisocyanate, obtained wood/polymer composites contain about 40% of raw materials of natural origin. As a consequence of the carried out modification of the wood waste flour, the compatibility of the filler and the bio-based polymer matrix was improved, resulting in an improvement in compressive strength by 3.51 MPa (SMEG_EPR_2% WF-10% NaOH) and 2.19 MPa (SMEG_EPR_2% A-WF) compared to samples containing unmodified wood flour. Additionally, concerning the results registered for pure SMEG_EPR composition, the introduction of 2 wt.% of wood filler resulted in a three/fourfold increase in the elongation at the break of the composition containing unmodified and chemically modified wood flour (10.99%—SMEG_EPR_2%WF; SMEG_EPR_2%WF-5%NaOH–10.36%; SMEG_EPR_2%WF-10%NaOH–9.54%, and 12.15%—SMEG_EPR_2%A-WF). Moreover, the incorporation of wood filler increased the value of the compression set of samples (2.40%—SMEG_EPR_2%WF, 2.39%—SMEG_EPR_2%WF-5%NaOH, and 2.34% for SMEG_EPR_2%WF-10%NaOH compared with 2.32%—SMEG_EPR). Full article

Sustainable development should take into account the conservation and preservation of architectural features characteristic of a given cultural area for future generations. Chemical, physical and mechanical properties of timber components are key to assessing the technical preservation of historical timber structures, defining proper restoration methodology and extending the durability of timber structures. Moreover, this evaluation will help to elaborate assessment criteria to decide between the restoration or replacement of a given antique structure. The article presents a method of assessing a historical wooden structure on the example of an antique decorative wooden floor from the beginning of the 19th century, preserved in the Tarnowiec Manor House. It determines tests and scientific analysis as a tool for a decision of possibilities of further usage of the historical floor structure. We performed tests and scientific analysis by calculating the functional properties of the parquet panels, performing a visual inspection, as well as resistance tests, tests of longitudinal curvature deviation and shape preservation, tests of fungi infestation and its impact on the state of preservation, as well as future perspectives for the use of parquet elements. The results of the evaluation verify that the proposed methodologies are reasonable and will help to elaborate assessment criteria to decide between the restoration or replacement of a given antique parquet. Full article

The aim of the present research was the development of a management method for wood-processing waste that was obtained during the production of parquet flooring. Currently mostly useless, such waste mainly ends up in landfills. The oak waste flour was used as a reinforcement material for epoxy biocomposites based on the polyaddition product of epoxidized soybean oil and bisphenol-A (ESBO_BPA). The biofiller was subjected to mercerization, acetylation, and diisocyanate modification to increase the typically poor compatibility between the highly hydrophilic wood fibers and the hydrophobic polymer matrix. Among the analyzed epoxy biocomposites, which contained about 60% raw materials of natural origin, it was found that the best mechanical properties were recorded for cured samples of the ESBO_BPA composition filled with 5 wt % of oak flour mercerized using a 5% solution of NaOH. It was also proven that a higher concentration of alkali deteriorated the mechanical-strengthening properties of the wood filler. The acetylation of the biofiller independently in the best elimination of hydroxyl groups from its structure also removed irregular strips and smoothed its surface. This resulted in a poorer wettability of the oak flour surface by the polymer and consequently an easier pullout of the filler from the polymer matrix and worse mechanical properties of the wood/epoxy composite. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present research was the first to examine the possibility of the application of parquet flooring post-production wood flour in biomaterials based on a polyaddition product of epoxidized soybean oil and bisphenol-A. Full article

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) floors with supplementary layers or floating floors comprise a common solution in new multistory timber structures. However, bare CLT components provide poor sound insulation, especially in low frequencies during structure-borne sound propagation. Thus, floor configurations in wooden buildings deploy more layers for improved acoustic behavior. Twelve contemporary CLT floors were analyzed after laboratory measurements of airborne sound reduction and impact sound transmission utilizing the following indicators: $R_w$, $R_{w, 100}$, $R_{w, 50}$, $L_{n,w}$, $L_{n,w,100}$, and $L_{n,w,50}$ (per ISO 10140, ISO 717). An increase in sound insulation was achieved thanks to added total mass and thickness, testing layers of the following: elastic mat for vibration isolation, wool insulation, gypsum boards, plywood, concrete screed, and wooden parquet floor. The results indicate that multilayered CLT floors can provide improvements of up to 22 dB for airborne sound and 32 dB for impact sound indicators compared with the bare CLT slab. Floating floor configurations with dry floor solutions (concrete screed) and wooden parquet floors stand out as the optimal cases. The parquet floor provides a 1–2 dB improvement only for impact sound indicators in floating floor setups (or higher in three cases). Full article

In recent years, with the occurrence of standards in the field, the realization of parquet floors in basketball halls acquires new values that take into account, among other factors, the response of the ball to touching the floor. That is why the paper aims to test four beech parquet floor structures in order to find optimal solutions for these sports activities. Each structure with an area of 1 m × 1 m includes beech parquet with friezes glued together with vinyl adhesive, fixed on a support of longitudinal spruce slats 20 mm thick in the case of structure A, fixed on a spruce frame in the case of structure B, fixed on a spruce frame and beech taggers in the case of structure C, and fixed on a spruce frame and rubber taggers in the case of structure D. The results of laboratory tests showed the clear advantages of type B structures, of type C structures with a large number of beech shock pads, and D-type structures with a small number of rubber shock pads. All tests were based on the antagonism of the elasticity and rigidity properties of the beech wood. Through methodology and experiment, the research contributes to the construction of beech parquet floors used in basketball halls, in terms of the ball’s response to touching the floor. Full article

Parquet flooring is one of the most common types of flooring, the surface of which can be covered with various coatings. To avoid possible damage to the parquet during use, it is necessary to test the surfaces before installation according to various non-standard and standard protocols. The present study provides an overview of the interactions between the properties of selected waterborne coatings (solids content, hardness, resistance to cracking, tensile strength) and the properties of oak wood flooring surfaces (dry film thickness, coating adhesion, resistance to scratching, impact, abrasion and cold liquids). The tests conducted showed that the performance of the surface systems was highly dependent on the coating formulations, as they were either one- or two-component systems. Although no major differences in surface resistance to cold liquids were found, there was a correlation between coating thickness, hardness and tensile strength. The harder coatings had higher tensile strengths and lower elongations. The coatings with higher tensile strength and better hardness achieved better adhesion properties. The coatings that exhibited ductile behavior showed the worst scratch resistance. A statistically significant relationship was found between the higher resistance of the flooring systems to impact stress and the improved abrasion resistance. The obtained results provide potential end users of surface coatings with valuable information on the quality that can be expected in wood flooring. Full article

Residential dust is recognized as a major source of environmental contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and plasticizers, such as phthalic acid esters (PAEs). A sampling campaign was carried out to characterize the dust fraction of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than 10 µm (PM₁₀), using an in situ resuspension chamber in three rooms (kitchen, living room, and bedroom) of four Spanish houses. Two samples per room were collected with, at least, a one-week interval. The PM₁₀ samples were analyzed for their carbonaceous content by a thermo-optical technique and, after solvent extraction, for 20 PAHs, 8 PAEs and one non-phthalate plasticizer (DEHA) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In general, higher dust loads were observed for parquet flooring as compared with tile. The highest dust loads were obtained for rugs. Total carbon accounted for 9.3 to 51 wt% of the PM₁₀ mass. Plasticizer mass fractions varied from 5 µg g⁻¹ to 17 mg g⁻¹ PM₁₀, whereas lower contributions were registered for PAHs (0.98 to 116 µg g⁻¹). The plasticizer and PAH daily intakes for children and adults via dust ingestion were estimated to be three to four orders of magnitude higher than those via inhalation and dermal contact. The thoracic fraction of household dust was estimated to contribute to an excess of 7.2 to 14 per million people new cancer cases, which exceeds the acceptable risk of one per million. Full article

Floor antibacterial technology prevents the human body from cross-infection with bacterial diseases. The most commonly used approach to endow daily-used floors with antibacterial properties is to apply a thin film of antibacterial agents on the parquet floor surface. In the present study, five commercial antibacterial nanoparticles were first dispersed in melamine resin solution, and then applied on a floor. Afterwards, the antibacterial properties of the nanoparticle-coated floor were investigated, in which Escherichia coli was used as the target bacteria. The impact of the nanoparticle dispersing agents on the ultimate antibacterial properties of the floor were also investigated. The results showed that silver nanoparticle-loaded hydroxyl zirconium sodium phosphate (Ag-HZDP) was most suitable as the antibacterial agent of a melamine coating for parquet flooring. With the help of sodium hexametaphosphate, the antibacterial agent was able to disperse well in the melamine resin solution and was also able to disperse well on the floor surface. When the loading amount of Ag-HZDP was 1 wt % or higher, the prepared antibacterial floor was able kill almost all the bacteria cultivated on its surface. Moreover, the prepared antibacterial floor had a lower toxicity compared with a pristine cedar substrate. The present study provides an effective way to provide daily-used parquet floors with excellent antibacterial properties. Full article