Oak

A long history ensures a bright future

Experience is the best innovator. With more than 150 years in the business, Kährs is one of the oldest manufacturers of wood floors in the world. It is also one of the most innovative.

Kährs is still located in the town of Nybro, deep in the heart of a Swedish forest, where our company was founded in 1857. Our knowledge of wood, accumulated over the years, has been passed down from generation to generation, from neighbour to neighbour. We are constantly exploring new ideas, as we strive to find new ways ow to improve our floors. But the goal is always the same; to provide even more choice, to make our floors even stronger and easier to install - and even more eco-friendly.

Our combination of tradition and high-technology is unique. It has inspired us to use wood in an innovative way – for the benefit of both present and future generations.

1857 – Johan Kähr founds the company

Kährs was founded in 1857 by a young Swedish man named Johan Kähr. He came to the village of Nybro, in the south eastern part of Sweden, where he set up a small wood turning shop. Wood products were in his genes, since his father owned a sawmill, and Johan’s turning-shop started off by producing spinning jennies, or spinning wheels. Soon the small company widened its product range to include furniture and other wooden items for the home. And, eventually, wood floors were included in the range.

1941 – The multi-layer parquet board is born

A milestone in Kährs’ history – as well as in the history of wood flooring – was reached in 1941. Gustaf Kähr, grandson of the founder, was granted a patent for the multi-layered parquet board. The world’s first engineered parquet was born.

This happened during a time when practicality was becoming increasingly important when building houses and decorating homes. After World War II, the housing market boomed and many families built small houses of their own. As a result, there was increased demand for parquet floors, which were seen as essential in the main living areas of every house.

1958 – The first factory-lacquered floor

Previously, floors were installed and sanded before being lacquered on site. The production of a factory lacquered floor required a high degree of precision to ensure that the surface of the floor was smooth and consistent in use. Kährs introduced an accuracy in production that was unparalleled in wood processing.

1965 – The first sports floor

Kährs patented a completely new sports floor construction. Boards were nailed to a flexible batten system, which resulted in a floor that was able to absorb impacts and give a more uniform response to sports activities. Most modern sports floors are still based on this construction.

1973 – Record sales - 1,000,000 m2

A record year for Kährs, as the company sold more than 1,000,000 m2 of wood flooring. On a global level, the year was memorable for the worldwide oil crisis. During the years that follow, Kährs focused production towards quality wood floors and on making both its products and processes even more environmentally friendly.

1980s – Kährs goes worldwide

Kährs expanded its business to several markets in Europe, including the Nordic region, Germany and France, as well as the USA. In the middle of the 1990s, Kährs also moved into East European and Asian markets, including Russia and China.

1984 – Solvent-free lacquer

Kährs started its own environmental programme long before this became a general practice in the industry. Kährs was the first floor manufacturer to be able to boast an entirely solvent-free production process.

1993 – ISO 9001 quality certification

Kährs was the first wood floor manufacturer to achieve the ISO 9001 quality certification.

1995 – Introducing a new generation of wood floors: Linnea 

Kährs introduced Linnea, a floor range with outstanding qualities. Whilst Linnea has a thin surface layer, it is as hard and durable as many wood imitations, such as laminate floors. Linnea offers a combination of style, performance and ease of installation, and is eco-friendly and economical too.

1997 – ISO 14001 environmental certification

Kährs obtained ISO 14001 environmental certification. Waste products from forest felling provide district heating for the community around the factory. The ash that remains is returned to the forest as fertiliser.

2000 – Introducing Woodloc®, a world innovation

Kährs introduced the world’s first parquet floor with the glueless Woodloc® joint. The technology was seen as revolutionary, resulting in a faster installation and giving perfect results, as well as eliminating climate-change gapping between the boards.

2004 – Activity Floor, the new sports floor

A new sports floor was developed and launched. Kährs Activity Floor can be laid more quickly and over larger areas. It is approved for the global standard for sports floors - DIN - and used at major sporting events, such as FISAF World and European Aerobics Championships.

2007 – Celebrating our 150th anniversary with lots of new products

Kährs celebrated its 150th anniversary by launching numerous collections of new floors. We also celebrated our own achievements; growing from a simple wood turning shop, craftring products for local customers, to a world-leading manufacturer of wood floors. Our products are sold in more than 50 countries in many hundreds of designs, styles and finishes.

2010 – Introducing the next generation wood joint

Kährs launched the next level of the Woodloc® joint system – Woodloc® 5S. The new joint makes installation even faster and easer, while producing a stronger floor.

2010 – No to tropicals

Kährs has stopped marketing tropical wood floors – until there are processes and documentation that offer guarantees that the rainforest timber is derived from controlled sources.