Do you remember the Afzelia end-grain parquet recovered from the former printing house of the National Bank of Belgium? Those small 7x7 cm hardwood blocks formed the floor on which the printing presses stood – presses that, for half a century, produced all the Belgian franc and euro banknotes.
End-grain parquet is made from the cross-section of wood logs, which is why the surface features growth rings and a dense, distinctive grain pattern. This not only gives it a stunning appearance, but also makes it highly resistant to wear and tear. In the past, it was often used as a heavy-duty floor in workshops and factories.
The main obstacle to reusing this end grain parquet lies in the mortar residues still clinging to the salvaged wooden tiles. With around 200 blocks in a single square meter, this is one of the most labour-intensive cleaning projects we’ve ever undertaken! Since the summer of 2025, a significant portion of this flooring has already been treated and found new destinations. As the stock is processed little by little, the cleaned end-grain parquet resurfaces only occasionally on our webshop. This spring, we’ve got back to work. We’ve given ourselves a little time before releasing it online, so we just publish a decent quantity in one go!
Thanks to our partners in this project! Travie, Batiterre, Burco Europe and 3d real estate.
Picture of the printing house before works: Burco
End gain parket back from the printing house of the National Bank of Belgium
Published on 25/06/2026