Kahrs oil finished floors- a good choice for variable climate?

10 years ago

Hi all!
I've been stalking these forums for months and I've finally decided to start asking some advice!

My husband and I are beginning the remodeling process on our 1960's bi-level home. It's our first house and while my husband and I are definitely handy, we're both nervous about starting major renovations and making big decisions. We've been debating flooring options, considering practicality for our lifestyle, price point and the variable indoor climate we have. The floor will be installed in an entryway (concrete subfloor on ground level), kitchen-dining-living open concept area, and in a hallway to the bedrooms on the main level, on an above grade plywood subfloor. We will have a professional install them.

We have a swamp cooler for the summer and our humidity level gets around 60%+, but during the winter we have electric baseboards and our humidity levels plummet to between 10-15%. Some installers we've talked to express concern for the huge swings in humidity for hardwood, saying that we need to find an alternative or install a whole home humidifier (not an option... too much $$ to run ducting!).

We finally settled on the idea that we needed to look for an alternative to wood and looked heavily into luxury vinyl tile, specifically the Mannington and Karndean lines. We ended up being excited that they seemed so low maintenance (we have a large dog... and let's be honest, I spill. I walk through the house with wet shoes or high heels. I don't make guests take their shoes off. I'm not perfect, and I like being able to LIVE in a house, not constantly worrying about the floors.)

However while shopping, the sales associate introduced us to Kahrs engineered wood flooring-- I mean she RAVED about them-- saying that it would be good for our issues with humidity. She also strongly recommended the oil finish for a lower-maintenance finish (as far as scratches and that sort of thing).

I suppose my questions are: 1) Does anyone have an opinion about putting hardwood in at all with the swings in humidity that we're seeing and 2) Is Kahrs really as wonderful as this lady claims? It's pricey, but pretty much in the same range as the high end luxury vinyl planks we were looking at. 3) Is the oil finish the right choice for a lower maintenance option?

Once I looked at the Kahrs, I got excited again thinking that we could have wood-- but I'd hate to spend a ton of money on something that will gap and swell and look terrible in a year or something that is high maintenance to care for! I'm feeling SO LOST!

Thanks for any thoughts!

(The picture I included is just a preview in a virtual showroom on the Kahrs website of the finish I like.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Why Kahrs Claims to be Good for Changing Climates

Comments (6)

lazy_gardens
10 years ago
That's a wild swing ... vinyl or tile would be my choice.

Engineered floor might handle it, if it's multi-layered and meant for wide swings. Kahrs is not the only one that uses basically plywood as flooring.

You can do a lot with a few room-sized humidifiers to get the humidity up to the high 20s or low 30s. And turn the heat down to as low as you can stand with a sweater and wool socks on.
User
10 years ago
Youu NEED a whole home humifier for your own comfort as well as any wood products in the home. That is much too much variance, even for engineered or even pieced vinyl. Sheet vinyl could deal probably deal with it.

The only fooring material that really fits your needs is tile. You can probably DIY that install if you don't go too large in size and the subfloor is pretty flat.
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trufolsom
10 years ago
I love the look of these floors, too. As a matter of fact, I have samples of their Original Harmony line sitting by me, and someone from a local flooring company will be here this morning to take some measurements and give us an estimate. What did you choose?
User
10 years ago
The advice about the humidifier is correct. In other flooring forums there are occasional inquiries about cracking and splitting floor that can be attributed to low RH.
Jordan E
Original Author
10 years ago
I'm so sorry I never replied here-- like I said, I'm a newbie to posting and I didn't have the right settings to get notified when anyone replied and I just assumed no one ever responded! Anyway, thank you so much for your responses.

I know it was months ago, but if you could believe it, still not one major renovation has started. When I finally made the decision to go with the luxury vinyl plank, specifically Mannington Adura Heritage Buckskin (if you are curious!), we started shopping quotes and ohhhh man confusion set in. It's so funny how you go into something so convinced you know what you want and where to start, you talk to a contractor, and then suddenly it seems like everything you previously knew is out the window. We had cabinet contractors telling us to get the floors in first, flooring guys saying floors go in last and we needed to do cabinets first (which we weren't budgeting for yet)... Not to mention we found out we'll be only living in this house part time because my husband's job is now going to split time in another city... EEK!

Needless to say, it got put on the backburner for a little, but we figure that with the split time, it'll be a perfect time to have a construction zone for a house... Since we won't be living in it full time! Hopefully we'll find some contractors we like and trust so we can get this renovation moving!

PurpleDot, how did your flooring decision go? I'd love to know!
skeezix05
9 years ago
Hi, I too am considering the heritage buckskin. As I have read on so many forums, choosing flooring seems to be a daunting task. Have you started the floors yet? Would love to see pictures as all I can find is their ad photo. Hope your transitioning is going smoothly.