There has always been a special relationship between people and their wall coverings. However, this relationship has not always been characterised by harmony. Thus it was that, as early as one hundred years ago, the aesthete Oscar Wilde despaired at the patterned walls of his Paris hotel. His last words are said to have been, “My wallpaper will be the death of me – one of us has to go”. If only the hotel owner had used woodchip...
It was with this genuine innovation that the company Erfurt & Sohn once revolutionised wall design; since then, it has constantly expanded its possibilities – in residential buildings as well as in offices and objects, in professional use as well as in the do-it-yourself sector.
The company was founded in 1827 by Friedrich Erfurt. In 1864, Hugo Erfurt, grandson of the company founder, developed a new product which was to embark on a triumphal march around the world in the twentieth century under the name ERFURT-Rauhfaser. Initially, the material was used as decoration paper for display windows and as a base paper for size print wallpaper. In the 1920s, its advantages were discovered for the four walls of the home. Painted in individual colours, it made it possible to achieve unique effects in the room. Woodchip thus opened up completely new opportunities for creating a very personal ambience.
Since this time, Erfurt & Sohn has established itself worldwide as the expert in woodchip, design-based, paintable and functional wall coverings. A whole tranche of further innovative new product developments followed: embossed paper wallpapers, nonwoven wallpapers, creative wallpapers, nonwoven woodchip and external wall coverings. Some recent examples include the ERFURT-KlimaTec products for energy-saving internal wall systems for enhanced energy-saving and “well-being” and the SanReMo range - the complete solution (refurbishment, renovation and modernisation) for use indoors.
It is for exactly this reason that all products continue to be produced in the original plant in Wuppertal-Beyenburg. Made in Germany. By Erfurt & Sohn.
Time Line
- 1827–1843 Handmade filter paper, printing paper
- 1844 Installation of the first paper machine
- 1864 Development of Rauhfaser as shop window decorative paper
- 1885 Improved wallpaper base, velour paper, ingrain paper
- 1914 Paper for emergency currency, paper for food stamps
- 1930 Marbled paper, duplex paper, bookend papers, and rope papers
- 1972 Erfurt-Novaboss embossed wallpapers
- 1985 ERFURT-Rauhfaser receives Blue Environmental Angel
- 1995 ERFURT-Vliesfaser, ERFURT-Variovlies
- 1995 ERFURT is awarded DIN ISO 9001 certification for quality and reliability
- 2002 ERFURT is awarded DIN ISO 14001 certification for environmental awareness
- 2003 ERFURT-Rauhvlies
- 2005 ERFURT-Fassadensystem, Öko-Test "Very good" for ERFURT-Rauhfaser 52 / Classico
- 2006 TÜV seal "Hypo-allergenic" for all ERFURT-woodchip textures
- 2007 ERFURT is one of Germany’s "Brands of the Century"
- 2008 ERFURT-nonwoven woodchip, ERFURT-Vlies Rauhfaser Superweiss,
ERFURT-Rauhvlies Design, ERFURT-Wandtattoos - 2009 ERFURT-FassadenFit, ERFURT-KlimaTec thermal nonwoven,
ERFURT-KlimaTec Pro KV 600, TÜV seal "Hypo-allergenic" for all ERFURT-KlimaTec wall coverings, ERFURT-EMV Carbon fibre nonwoven system, ERFURT-SanReMo system, ERFURT-Digitalvlies - 2010 ERFURT-ColorVlies, ERFURT-MagicVlies, ERFURT-EcoVlies, Öko-Test "Good" for ERFURT-Vliesfaser Basic 4301
- 2011 ERFURT-KlimaTec KP 2500+, BESTWOOD by ERFURT