Furniture is a key feature of our living and working spaces, not only serving a practical purpose, but also having aesthetic value. Materials play a decisive role in the manufacture of furniture. It is impossible to imagine modern furniture production without engineered-wood components, which are one of the best interior design solutions. The materials they are made from have outstanding properties, offer the customer a wide range of design options and, last but not least, a provide multitude of essential advantages for kitchen fitting, contract fitting and interior design.
In the following, we will look at the benefits of components made from engineered wood, explain their potential applications and highlight their specific properties. We will look at various laminates and the associated design options and, last but not least, describe the ways in which we at Toms Gerber GmbH produce high-quality prefabricated furniture components and supply them to our customers for further processing.
Furniture components from Toms Gerber GmbH
Toms Gerber GmbH, based in the Zwickauer Land region, is a supplier of engineered-wood furniture components. Prefabricated engineered-wood components offer many advantages, including strength, good dimensional stability and easy processing. We provide our customers with high-quality pre-cut furniture parts for individual and serial production, as well as individual processing on 3- and 5-axis milling centres. We also produce individual parts for system furniture, which can be used for hotel rooms and contract fittings in hospitals or care homes. Our state-of-the-art machinery enables us to produce precision components of the highest quality.
Toms Gerber GmbH’s prefabricated furniture components are made from customised composite components that are available in various sizes and thicknesses. The classic example of a furniture panel with a decorative layer is the kitchen worktop, which is usually given a rounded edge using postforming technology. However, our furniture panels are sawn, edged and milled for a wide variety of furniture components. Moulded parts and compact-formed panels are also solutions for contract fittings, for example, where they are joined together by our customers to form finished pieces of furniture.
Potential applications in interior design
Engineered-wood components are often used in furniture for contract fitting. In public buildings such as hotels, restaurants and shops, furniture and fittings are heavily used and must be able to withstand high loads. A modern piece of furniture made of engineered-wood material usually consists of MDF (medium-density fibreboard) or chipboard. Specific structural requirements, such as fire safety, acoustics, moisture resistance, etc., can also be delivered by selected engineered-wood materials. They are therefore ideal for the manufacture of furniture for public facilities. The option to provide engineered-wood materials with a variety of decorations and surfaces also makes them a popular choice for interior design.
Engineered-wood materials are also widely used in kitchen fitting. Our worktops can be produced in various designs to meet the requirements of kitchen manufacturers. They are also able to meet the specialised requirements of modern kitchen equipment, such as electrical appliances. They even facilitate intricate solutions such as the flush integration of induction hobs. In kitchen fitting and interior design, furniture components are used to produce individual items for system furniture, such as cabinets or shelves. However, customers also regularly ask us to manufacture prefabricated furniture components for individual and serial production. In addition to our self-coated panels, we also process direct-coated panel materials from the industry, known as decorative chipboard.
While cabinet doors and drawers made of moisture-resistant engineered-wood materials are very popular for kitchens and bathrooms, flame-retardant furniture panels are in high demand for shipbuilding. Regardless of application, however, prefabricated furniture components are always easy to clean and offer good durability.
Furniture components from moisture resistant to flame retardant
Engineered-wood materials are very popular in furniture production due to their versatility and the numerous advantages they offer. Furniture boards can be attached with waterproof glue and are therefore ideal for use in humid rooms, such as bathrooms or kitchens. The boards are processed in such a way that do not swell or warp even in high humidity or in contact with water. This makes it possible to use engineered-wood components in areas where conventional materials, such as solid wood, do not perform as well.
On the other hand, furniture is a potential fire risk, and it is important that it complies with fire-safety regulations. Flame-retardant engineered-wood materials can help improve the safety of furniture in living spaces, but also in special-purpose vehicles and watercraft such as camping vans, boats and yachts. Many engineered-wood panels are therefore flame retardant and offer B1-call fire protection. This means they are difficult to ignite and will not emit any dangerous gases in the event of a fire. This is particularly important in public buildings, such as hotels, schools and hospitals, which have to meet strict fire safety regulations.
Moisture resistance of engineered wood and panels
Engineered-wood materials are particularly popular in interior design and kitchen fitting due to their moisture resistance and ease of cleaning; this is why this property is an important factor in the production of furniture components. When furniture is put in rooms with varying temperatures and humidity, it is important that it is protected against moisture and mould.
Producing engineered-wood materials with a melamine-resin covering is a well-known method of achieving moisture resistance, in order to prevent finished furniture components from swelling. However, recycled polyurethane panels provide even more effective protection against moisture and humidity. These are panels made from recycled polyurethane foam. Due to their closed cell structure and the use of polyurethane as a binder, recycled PU panels are extremely moisture resistant, retaining their strength and shape when exposed to moisture.
Recycled PU panels are impressively low-weight, have good insulating properties and are available in various sizes and thicknesses. Their resistance to mould and fungal infestation also makes them ideal for use in public facilities such as hospitals or schools, where they are often used in humid rooms, such as bathrooms or kitchens.
The special thing about the production of moisture-resistant finished furniture components at Toms Gerber GmbH is that we cover recycled PU panels in the same way as MDF or HDF boards and process them like engineered wood. PU foam boards are therefore a popular choice for kitchen cabinets, cupboard doors and other furniture that is used in damp environments. These applications are accompanied by the important benefit of sustainability. Made from recycled materials, the panels not only help reduce waste; they also produce functional and aesthetically pleasing furniture.
Flame-retardant engineered-wood materials and non-combustible panel materials
In addition to moisture resistance, another important property of engineered-wood materials is their fire resistance. Particularly in areas where the risk of fire is high, such as hotels and public buildings, but also on board ships, furniture components made of flame-retardant engineered-wood materials or non-combustible panels are a safe solution.
In order to make a guaranteed flame retardant piece of furniture, engineered-wood materials must be treated with special chemicals. There are various standards and certifications attesting that engineered-wood materials meet certain fire standards. One example is the European fire protection standard EN 13501-1, which categorises engineered-wood materials into different classes depending on their fire resistance.
MDF panels, which are made flame-retardant by additives, meet the fire safety standards for public facilities, such as schools, hospitals and offices. Our customers, who include contract furnishers and shipyards, use these engineered-wood components to create safe interiors and furniture.
If the intended use necessitates higher standards than low flammability on the part of the material, we can make fire-resistant furniture components from our non-combustible panel materials. We use gypsum fibreboard and vermiculite board made from powdered volcanic rock. These building materials in are categorised as fire class A1. Materials in this classification are considered non-combustible and deliver a high standard of safety and fire protection in buildings due to their resistance to fire and heat.
Decorative laminates
In addition to the functionality of prefabricated furniture components, visual criteria also play an important role in the production of engineered-wood components, and function and appearance often complement each other. One of Toms Gerber GmbH’s many strengths lies in the large variety of decorative laminates that we stock, and which give the material unique aesthetic properties. We regularly stock the equivalent of 57,000 advertising boards of laminate, which is why we are able to manufacture them promptly and address individual requirements. We also work with unusual coatings, such as linoleum, magnetic coatings, and natural-look coatings made of unprocessed plant material.
Furniture components made of engineered-wood materials thus offer a wide range of design options. Of course, we also use more conventional decorative laminates, which are familiar from kitchen worktops, as well as melamine laminates. These consist of a variety of paper layers pressed with melamine resin, with a decorative layer under a protective and robust overlay, which are applied to the engineered-wood panels. These laminates are available in a range of colours and patterns and allow almost complete freedom of design. From classic wood-pattern surfaces to contemporary block colours or metallic surfaces, we offer a wide variety of solutions.
Magnetic laminates and linoleum finishes
In addition to classic laminates, we also work with magnetic laminates and linoleum finishes. Magnetic laminates are ideal for use in modern office furniture. The need for versatile office furnishings is growing, particularly in view of the increasing prevalence of agile and flexible working. Our magnetic laminates can integrate pinboards or whiteboards into furniture components, turning them into write-on shelves or pinnable cupboard doors. We install integrated magnetic boards and write-on whiteboards flush into the engineered wood component so that functionality blends with the overall visual experience.
Linoleum finishes, on the other hand, are elegant, have a warm appearance and acquire a natural patina over time. Due to the fine appearance of the soft material and its elasticity, linoleum finishes are ideal for high-end living space. At its core, however, the material has an impressive sustainability pedigree. This is because linoleum consists of over 90% renewable raw materials and is therefore the perfect decorative addition to furniture made from engineered wood. Thanks to the natural colours of linoleum, the features embedded in furniture components deliver impressively minimalist furniture that is well suited to hotels, restaurants and natural environments, for example.
Organoid: A natural and lively laminate
Organoid – a laminate made from a mix of straw and plants from a flowering meadow that actually smells like alpine hay – is also well-suited to natural environments. Organoid exudes a lively charm and creates a natural look that will enhance the interiors of organic hotels as well as coworking spaces that like to bring nature indoors. In line with the principles of biophilic design, this laminate brings natural elements into the interior of rooms and thus connects them with the natural world.
Organoid surfaces are a pleasure to look at, feel and smell. Manufactured exclusively with ecological binders, the Organoid prefabricated furniture components we produce are natural composite components that are particularly suitable for decorative furnishing of sustainable designs. We obtain the raw materials from the Tyrol in our neighbouring country; production is climate-neutral and the materials do not have to travel far to our production hall. Here they are processed with care and precision so that they can be installed in all their glory at their destination.
State-of-the-art machinery delivers the highest quality
Toms Gerber GmbH uses efficient, state-of-the-art machinery to ensure that all our furniture components are cut to size, manufactured to a high standard and processed with precision. This gives us industrial capabilities, as well as the ability to produce from “batches” of just one unit. From cutting on the panel saw to processing on the milling centre and finishing on the edging machine, we offer one-off and serial production of high-quality furniture components.
Our high-level quality control systems and use of barcodes means we ensure that only flawless engineered-wood components leave our production facility. These are prefabricated at the customer’s request so that they can be delivered to the relevant construction site in the preferred configuration. Like an online carpentry company, we therefore offer a wide range of components, including cabinet doors, worktops, wall panelling and much more. We are also happy to receive requests for customised woodwork.
As a supplier of engineered-wood components, we have been supporting our clients with our technological expertise, experience and qualified personnel for three decades. We always find the right solution for your problem and offer personalised advice. Our high-precision components are manufactured in-house and can be made more durable, moisture resistant or flame retardant on request; they meet the highest quality standards. We also offer a broad portfolio of laminates for special projects. Contact us to find out more about our furniture components and the potential of customised wood processing.