Kahrs Wood Flooring | Options, Prices and Installation
February 22, 2023, by: Greca Fotopoulos
Founded in Nybro, Sweden over 160 years ago, Kahrs Flooring is one of the world’s oldest hardwood flooring manufacturers. Kahrs hardwood flooring is priced between $5 and $14 per square foot.
We continue our engineered hardwood flooring reports with an overview of Kahrs hardwood flooring.
WHAT IS KAHRS?
Kahrs flooring is, predominately, a wood flooring manufacturer credited with inventing the first engineered hardwood flooring back in 1941. A Swedish company, Kahrs flooring is best known in Europe, but does sell into the US.
Kahrs currently offers just under 120 different engineered wood flooring products on its website and has also started manufacturing a tidy range of wood look luxury vinyl tiles.
Although not a household name in the US, Kahrs engineered wood flooring is widely available from local US flooring retailers and online at stores like Wayfair, Efloor and Green Building Supply.
SPECS, STYLES AND SELECTION
Kahrs offers a vast selection of flooring choices within their 22 collections available in 11 wood species including Red and White Oak, Maple, Cherry, Brazilian Cherry, Walnut, Ash, Beech and Jarrah.
The Smaland Collection gets its name from the historical province in southern Sweden where this flooring got its start. The Euro-style planks are produced in White Oak and graded as Expressive, meaning the wood shows knots and cracks providing high character. The planks are 3-layer construction and measure 7.5” wide, 95” long, and 5/8” thick with a 4 sided beveled edge. The floor is lightly smoked, hand scraped with saw marks and an oil surface treatment. Smaland is available in 10 brown tones ranging from the very light natural of Aspeland to the rich dark brown of Tveta.
The Harmony Collection features mostly White Oak, and one floor in Ash, with 3-layer construction. The 2-strip and 3-strip planks provide variation to the flooring. In other words, each plank has a surface layer made from either two or three strips of wood depending on the specific Harmony Collection flooring. Harmony planks measure a robust 8” wide, 95” long, and 5/8” thick with a brushed, matte finish. The color choices include the medium brown gray of Alloy, the pure white of Ash Alabaster, and the dark brown of Oak Lava.
Similar to the Harmony flooring, the Classic Nouveau Collection is 2-strip engineered hardwood. White Oak takes center stage in this collection too – available in 10 colors including a very dark brown and a black.
For something more unusual, Kahrs calls it “audacious,” there’s the high-sheen Shine Collection. Black Copper, a deep, dark brown, and Black Silver, blackish gray are finished in high gloss, as is the nearly white Opaque. Beech and Ash are employed. The size of the planks is 7.5” wide, 95” long and 5/8” thick.
Chevron, anyone? The Chevron Collection features the namesake pattern in gray, light brown, and dark brown. The planks are 3-layers and measure 12” wide, 73” long, and 5/8” thick. The flooring is smoked and brushed with an oil finish.
The World Collection features 2 flooring choices in Cherry and 1 in Jarrah, in either a 2-strip or 3-strip plank in a silk matte finish. This flooring provides an interesting multi-tone effect. Planking measures 8” wide, 95” long, and 5/8” thick.
Both the Living and the Habitat are Kahrs’ entry level collections featuring 3-layer planking in a 1/4 ” veneer with a brushed, matte finish. The plank size in the Living collection is 5” wide by 48” long and plank size in the Habitat collection is 6” wide by 71” long. Both are available in colors ranging from very light to dark brown and almost black. These planks can be refreshed with a light sanding, but don’t expect multiple refinishes from them.
Planning a basketball court in your Great Room? The Activity Floor Collection featuring flooring specifically designed for sports activities. It’s available in natural Beech, Maple, or Oak with planks measuring 8” wide, 95” long, and 1 1/8” thick.
PROS AND CONS
Here are the advantages:
CONSTRUCTION
Kahrs pioneered multi-layer engineered hardwood flooring, and nobody does it better. The 3-layer floors are 15 to 20mm thick; the 2-layer flooring is 9 to 11mm thick. Both can be sanded and refinished 3 to 4 times, and both use a wood lamella inner core. The construction process makes the flooring very resistant to humidity and temperature changes that can be a problem with engineered hardwood floors. Below is a video detailing Kahrs wood flooring construction process.
WOODLOC INSTALLATION
Kahrs floors are easy to install due to their innovative locking system creating a superior, airtight fit, and making the floors less susceptible to moisture damage and generally more durable.
ECO-FRIENDLY
Kahrs uses raw wood materials as efficiently as possible and recycles all of their wood waste. Their production process has been designed to have minimal impact on the environment. Kahrs has earned an ISO 14001 environment certification, the Nordic Eco Label and Forest Stewardship Council certification.
LOW-VOC
FloorScore-certified too. Kahrs uses no solvents, formaldehyde, or isocyanate in the surface treatments of the floors.
GOOD WARRANTIES
The Lifetime structural warranty and wear-through warranties of up to 25 years offer good protection for the significant financial investment a Kahrs floor requires.
Here are the disadvantages:
STICKER SHOCK
Kahrs is a premium brand with prices ranging from high average to high. You can expect to pay between $5 and $15 per sq. ft. depending on the specific floor. While Kahrs is more expensive, reviews indicate that the quality of the flooring is worth the price.
FLOORING CAN EXPERIENCE COLOR CHANGES
Hardwood flooring can change color over time due to exposure to sunlight and natural ageing processes, and Kahrs indicates that their flooring is no exception. Most of its flooring product pages say colour change “can” occur over time. Others state it more bluntly, “Stained product – noticeable color change over time.” Keep in mind that your floor will get darker, a common occurrence with oil-stained hardwood.
PRICES
When it comes to cost Kahrs hardwood is priced similarly to a quality solid hardwood floor despite being an engineered hardwood flooring. This speaks to the quality of their engineered floors.
In a sale you might find some of their products selling at around $5 per sq.ft but typically prices start at around $6.99 and typically peak at around $12.99, although some Kahrs flooring goes as high as $16 per sq/ft.
take a look at our price comparison table below to gauge how Kahrs compares with other leading hardwood brands.
| Brand | Solid Hardwood, per sq.ft. | Engineered Hardwood, per sq.ft. | |
| Bruce | $3.30 – $9.00 | Jasper | $1.50 – $5.00 |
| Blue Ridge | $3.50 – $5.50 | Pergo | $2.90 – $3.50 |
| LM Flooring | N/A | LM Flooring | $2.20 – $7.20 |
| Mohawk TecWood | $3.50 – $7.00 | Mohawk SolidWood | $4.50 – $8.50 |
| LifeCore Hardwood | N/A | LifeCore Hardwood | $4.00 – $7.00 |
| Mazama | $3.90 – $7.00 | Heritage Mill | $3.50 – $6.25 |
| Mullican | $4.30 – $7.40 | Mullican | $4.20 – $5.60 |
| Somerset | $4.50 – $8.50 | Somerset | $6.00 – $8.50 |
| Johnson Hardwood | $4.40 – $8.99 | Johnson Hardwood | $7.99 – $8.99 |
| Kahrs | N/A | Kahrs | $6.00 – $14.00 |
| Anderson Tuftex | $8.00 – $12.00 | Anderson Tuftex | $12.00 – $14.00 |
INSTALLATION
All of the Kahrs flooring can be installed by gluing down or floating on a firm, level, moisture-free subfloor. Some of the floors can also be installed by nailing or stapling. A few styles are suitable for installation over radiant heating systems. Installation appears easy due to their Woodloc system.
Here’s an overview of the process. If you float it, the work will remind you a little of installing laminate flooring, if you’ve had that experience. Professional installation is recommended but DIY is possible with experience.
Complete installation instructions are available on their website.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Standard stuff for hardwood flooring.
Kahrs recommends using mats at entryways and in high traffic areas. Felt pads should be used under furniture legs, especially chairs that are moved often.
The floors should be cleaned regularly by sweeping, do not use vacuums with any type of rotating brush. Damp (lightly damp, mind you) mopping is OK. Kahrs also sells their own cleaning products including oils for maintaining and refurbishing the flooring and their website includes videos on care and maintenance.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
The reviews are generally positive with the main negative being that special order floors may not be returnable if the customer has a change of mind or gets hit by a bus.
Anita writes that she’s had Kahrs flooring for 10 years and multiple dogs the whole time. She’s happy with the durable good looks of the floor.
Do you have a Kahrs flooring review to share with us? Please leave it in the comments section below.
About the Author:
Greca Fotopoulos
Greca is the lead style writer at Home Flooring Pros (more), with a BA in Technical Art, she’s focused on flooring trends, flooring ideas, and flooring brand reviews.
“There’s nothing more satisfying than creating a home that you love. The hardest thing about this job is trying not to covet all the great floors I get to review; if I could remodel my home every month, I would!”