Technological Breakthrough in Wood Flooring in Colour and Sustainability

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  • 2026

  • Product
    Hardware and Building

Designed By:

Commissioned By:

Schotten & Hansen

Designed In:

Germany

The questions Torben Hansen set out to answer were deceptively simple: Could colour be placed deep inside wood – not on it?Can this be done, utilising only the natural materials the world provides (i.e. without chemicals) ? And can this be achieved enhancing rather than diminishing the longevity of wood?


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  • CHALLENGE
  • SOLUTION
  • IMPACT
  • MORE

  • Natural wood gets contaminated with chemicals in all commercial colouring and protective surfacing. This creates large scale pollution and waste and provides challenges in recycling, via dust, thinners, general and chemical waste.Is there a truly natural way of protecting and colouring wood, instead of staining or painting the surface?

  • No other manufacturer in the world produces a natural pigment colour system for solid wood for commercial flooring, furniture and veneers like this. The multi-step patented precision process of deep cleaning, (using only water at various pressures and temperatures) smoking, infusing, utilising natural pigment, (known since cave painting), oil and wax finishing is proprietary to Schotten & Hansen and is the result of continuous research and refinement since the company's founding.This has produced an unrivalled process of putting colour IN the wood, - not ON the wood, and in doing so, improves the durability x 10 fold.

  • Impact on multiple scales.Health & environment: All pigments are 100% natural in origin. No synthetic lacquers. No formaldehyde. No off-gassing.The finished surface is vapour-permeable, contributing to indoor humidity regulation and air quality. Longevity & circularity: The pigment colour embedded wood does not fade, peel or wear through or trap moisture beneath.This creates a fundamentally different product lifecycle from any surface coated product that needs sanding and re-coating. Design enablement: The NCS colour matching system lets architects and designers compose interiors in natural wood with colour control previously available only in paint.

  • Because the timber is "full" after the process, it becomes virtually stain resistant, as nothing can permeate the surface as the timber is no longer porous.Proven at high traffic areas like airport lounges, hotel wellness areas and ships decks. Supported by a simple bi annual clean and wax routine and no need to EVER be sanded back.