TRAPA - A FAMILIY BUSINESS
History of the company
Foundation of TRAPA Böden GmbH by Hermann Hörndler in Traunkirchen/Upper Austria
(Tra)unkirchner (Pa)rkett
New office building and care products warehouse
New production hall with surface treatment plant for structure, lye and oil treatment of natural wood floors
Extension to production hall, new warehouse and showroom
Purchase of Ex-Vito Holzindustrie in St. Veit an der Glan/Carinthia
Foundation of TRAPA Holzindustrie GmbH
Installation of a tubular oven chamber and construction of a structural
St. Veit an der Glan
New construction of an air drying hall for wood drying
St. Veit an der Glan
Implementation of furniture and solid wood production
Traunkirchen
Cooperation for colour matching of Josko windows and doors with TRAPA natural wood floors
Merger of TRAPA Böden GmbH and TRAPA Holzindustrie GmbH to form TRAPA GmbH
Construction of the BlackBox and TRAPA living world
Traunkirchen
Installing a PV system and a briquette plant
St. Veit an der Glan
THE WOOD PROCESSING CHAIN-
THE TRAPA WORKSHOPS IN CARINTHIA
100 % in-house production at the Austrian TRAPA facility
From the drying of fresh wood to thermal pressure treatment, the production and compression of individual layers, until the floors’ surface refinement with natural oil: All processing steps take place at the TRAPA facility in St. Veit, Carinthia.
Drying on fresh air
Whether it's natural wood floors, stairs, or solid wood furniture: High quality and longevity can only be achieved with first-class raw material. In order to reduce internal tension, TRAPA therefore dries its wood, after sawing and before further processing, for a period of one year on fresh air. TRAPA grants the wood the time it needs.
A roof for drying and power generation
While the wood slowly and gently dries under the roof, a photovoltaic installation on the rooftop generates green
energy for the production of natural wood products. The climate-neutral electricity generation from renewable energy sources at the TRAPA facility will be further expanded in the coming years.
Austrian mountain spruce & sessile oak
TRAPA processes premium Sessile oak sourced from the French Alsace region for its oak floors. This oak variety is considered one of the finest and is also used for wine barrels. The wood of Sessile oak contains precisely those substances which, through thermal pressure treatment, give rise to the natural color tones of TRAPA’s wood floors.
Austrian mountain spruce also plays a significant role in the production chain of TRAPA natural wood floors: The core of the floors – the middle layer – consists exclusively of slowly-grown, finely-grained mountain spruce wood with upright annual rings. This high-quality wood ensures a tension-free connection of the floors’ three solid wood layers.
Tension-free natural wood floors - 100 % made in Austria
Different than usual in the production of wood floors, TRAPA doesn't purchase any semi-finished components like top, middle, or bottom layers for its natural wood floors. Instead, all wood components for floors, stairs, walls and furniture are self-manufactured at TRAPA's own Austrian production facilities. This ensures the highest quality and supports regional employment, fosters Austrian forestry, reduces unnecessary transportation and is sustainable. Through the optimal coordination of material and production under one roof, stress-free wood elements and non-slip, hygienic, lightstabilized floors with natural surfaces are created. These floors become even more beautiful over the years of use.
The charm of bog-look oak
Gentle thermal pressure treatment
Bog oak is oak wood, which has remained concealed in bogs under airtight conditions for thousands of years, undergoing a physico-chemical transformation process.
TRAPA replicates this natural aging process in fast-forward for its bog-look oak floors: in tubular oven chambers at 120°C and a vacuum of 18 bars premium French oak is treated with steam (above). During this process, the sugar (xylose) inside the wood caramelizes. Depending on how long these forces impact the wood, various color shades emerge, ranging from light gold to dark coffee brown. Additionally, thermal pressure treatment makes the oak wood even more resilient, durable, and long-lasting than it inherently is by nature itself.
Wood planning
The gently air-, chamber-dried and subsequently thermal-pressure treated wood, is meticulously planed. In the background, one can easily recognize bog-look oak by its typical color.
Dry cutting of top and bottom layers
The floors’ top layers are cut by frame saws. Since previous air drying relieves the floor wood’s internal stress, homogeneity and freedom from tension are significant quality advantages of this production technique.
Final hand-sorting of top layers
The sorting of the top layers for TRAPA’s natural wood floors isn’t accomplished by electronic scanners, but rather by experienced employees with a keen sense and trained eye. This manual approach ensures a harmonious overall picture for the individual grades.
