Training for parquet professionals stops at Mapei

Major parquet manufacturers rely on Mapei to complete the training they offer professional salespeople and installers of wooden floors

Training is key to ensuring high-quality and long-lasting parquet installation, and Mapei actively supports both parquet professionals in developing specialized expertise. Recently, Mapei Academy welcomed salespeople and installers accompanied by representatives of the German parquet manufacturer Bembé Parkett for an intensive training program in Milan, focusing on substrate preparation, adhesives, and protective varnishes.

'Education, education, education' said Tony Blair in 1997. Today we say: "He who does not train, stops" or "He who does not train, is lost" because more and more professionals recognise the importance of training, even among those working in the construction sector. It is precisely for this reason that Mapei dedicates a lot of resources and commitment to offering know-how and skills to those working in this field: among them, also parquet installers, who need specific skills to guarantee safe and long-lasting results to their work. At the beginning of May, Mapei Academy has hosted a group of apprentice salespeople and parquet installation professionals at the Mapei SpA headquarters in Milan who, in their daily work, deal precisely with wooden floors.

The group, consisting of around 30 apprentices, was accompanied Hans-Jürgen Schmitz, Managing Director and Sales Director of Bembé Parkett, Markus Müller, Human Resources Director and Siegfried Dürr, Training Director of the same company. Bembé Parkett is one of the most important parquet manufacturers in Germany, with a long history dating back to 1780. In addition to producing a large part of its own parquet, the company invests heavily in the training of parquet installers who are able to install the wooden floors with care and expertise while meeting the expectations of the end customer. Throughout Germany, more than 300 professional parquet installers from 45 Bembé training schools install more than 1 million m² of parquet, vinyl or laminate floors each year.

At the beginning of May, the Mapei Academy welcomed a group of German apprentice salespeople and installers, accompanied by representatives from Bembé Parkett, to the Mapei SpA headquarters in Milan.

From 6^th to 7^th May Bembé's training offer stopped off at Mapei to allow the group of participants to follow a two-day programme, also accompanied by Angelo Giangiulio, Mapei Corporate Product Manager for the Wooden Flooring line, and Stefan Eimer, Regional Sales Manager for South Germany at Mapei GmbH, a Mapei Group’s subsidiary. The programme started on Tuesday, 6^th May in the testing room at the Group's headquarters with a session of practical demonstrations dedicated to products for preparing the substrates. Primers, levelling compounds and smoothing compounds play a key role in the creation of parquet floors: they make it possible to obtain sufficiently flat, resistant and compact laying surfaces that do not compromise the subsequent bonding of wood coverings. Mapei has a long tradition in the development of products for the preparation of substrates which are more and more performing and sustainable, and the participants in this training programme were shown some examples such as the primers Eco Prim T Pro, Eco Prim PU 1K Turbo and the smoothing compounds Planipatch and Planitex Pro, the latter produced and distributed on the German market by Mapei GmbH.

The two-day training programme included a session of practical demonstrations dedicated to products for preparing substrates before laying parquet.

On 7^th May, the training continued with practical demonstrations of other Mapei solutions for parquet: in particular, the focus was on the silylated polymer-based adhesives Ultrabond ECO S 948 1K and Ultrabond ECO S 958 1K, both solvent-free and with very low emission of volatile organic compounds, and therefore certified EMICODE EC1Plus by GEV. These adhesives allow the installation of solid and pre-finished parquet of any wood species on any type of substrate. Under the spotlight also the Ultracoat line developed by Mapei for the protection and varnishing of parquet: simple and fast systems to protect wooden surfaces, even if subject to heavy traffic, which respect human health and the environment and is free from NMP (N-Metil-2-Pirrolidone) a solvent which over the years has proved harmful to health because it continues to produce emissions even after the application of the products in which it is contained.

The group, consisting of around 30 apprentices, that visited Mapei headquarters in May was accompanied by representatives of Bembé Parkett including Hans-Jürgen Schmitz, Managing Director and Sales Director.

The training programme for Bembé's installers and salespeople also included a visit to Mapei's Research & Development Laboratories in Milan and to the Robbiano di Mediglia plant to allow the participants to see up close the Mapei Group's great investment in the study and development of increasingly innovative, sustainable and effective materials, on the one hand, and its commitment to guaranteeing safety, efficiency and reduced environmental impact to its production activities on the other.

Through its Mapei Academy, Mapei actively supports parquet installation professionals, providing hands-on training, technical expertise, and access to innovative solutions. By enhancing industry knowledge and promoting sustainable flooring practices, Mapei ensures that installers and salespeople can deliver high-quality, reliable results, fostering excellence and innovation in the sector.