Optimum between strength, stiffness and durability

A durable duo: steel grilles with wood inlay

"We see a clear trend that architects and other customers are looking for sustainable products, with of course a sustainable appearance," says Johannes Berger, commercial director of Dejo. To meet this demand, the company offers galvanized steel deck gratings with wood inlays. "In this we use a unique combination of sustainable building materials."

"Wood is a sustainable product, provided it meets the right conditions in terms of origin. We can buy this for the customer, or he can do it himself. However, wood does have some disadvantages. Consider, for example, the resilience of the material. And, you can't weld anything to it. That makes it more difficult to mount fasteners. We therefore use wood purely as an inlay material; it hardly has any constructive function."

Optimum between strength, stiffness and durability

Combining the look of wood with steel improves the properties of the overall product. "A stand of only wood is risky. Thanks to the combination with steel, we make welding possible. This allows us to make beautiful products. Fabricating a T-profile is difficult with wood, but easy with steel and enormously strong." 

In this way, according to Dejo, an optimum is found between strength, stiffness and durability.

"The strength of steel and the appearance of wood are brought together in these gratings. Wood feels less cold and absorbs heat. This is advantageous with a grandstand. If parts of wood need to be replaced over time, this is easily possible while the structure remains standing. Thus, the life span is extended." 

Wood alone can become very slippery during the autumn period due to tarnish. "With steel, we can therefore apply a serration. This anti-slip function is further enhanced by applying this in the transverse design. Another possibility is to raise the steel structure slightly to create a ridge."

Sustainable Cradle to Cradle

As mentioned, sustainability is an important issue for Dejo. "This manifests itself, among other things, in the use of wood with an FSC seal of approval. In addition, we were the first grate factory to receive a Cradle to Cradle certificate for the steel press grate in 2010. This means that our product 100% is recyclable. It is not only about steel itself, but also about production processes. For example, we do not use any plastic by-products. No more diesel or gasoline cars are allowed within our company. All lease cars are electric."

Dejo gratings are used for the construction of jetties, stands, outdoor flooring and decking. For example, at the IJdock on the Western Islands in Amsterdam, a marina has been built for water sports. Here the Dejo decking grid (DVR) with Bilinga inlay is used. The platform floor is modular and is secured with special clamps. This offers great freedom and flexibility for the future. The steel galvanized 60-4 girders with anti-slip serrations guarantee a high load that allows the floor to effortlessly meet the requirements of the building code. 

For the Ministry of Finance in The Hague, Dejo also supplied Vlonderroosters, with wooden planks 30 mm high. The support protrudes 2 mm, creating an anti-slip effect in the transverse direction.