Ash wood is hard and tough yet flexible, beneficial characteristics for wood flooring that needs to withstand years of daily wear. The colour of the ash tree's sapwood is light, almost white while the heartwood ranges from grey to brown with a hint of yellow. Over time, the wood may develop a more straw or hay-like hue. In the right conditions, some ash trees grow 30 meters tall with a diameter of 7 meters.

The beautiful grain makes ash a popular material for wood flooring. Even after surface treatment and colouring the distinct patterning is still visible, giving ash wood floors character and variation.

Ash has many uses other than flooring. Things like sporting equipment, tool handles or gardening tools are often made from ash because they need to endure a lot of strain.

It is also commonly used in musical instruments, especially guitars. Solid ash has great acoustic properties as well as aesthetic ones, even after surface treatment. In fact, the body of the first Fender electric guitar was made from ash wood.

A mythical wood

Apart from its reputation for great wood flooring, ash has historical and mythical significance. According to Eddan, a book in Nordic mythology, the tree that carried the world, Yggdrasil, was an ash tree. According to the same book, Ash was also the name of the first man, who was crafted from an ash tree by the god Odin. Speaking of Vikings, they often built their ships from ash wood because of its durability.

Wood floors from a healthy ash population

Sweden has a large and healthy population of ash trees. In fact, it’s our third most common deciduous tree. Most of the trees grow in the southern part of the country, which is where we source the material for our wood floors. And this is one of the main reasons we use ash in our parquet floors – because it can be locally sourced. By avoiding long-distance transport of wood we can minimise our environmental impact. We also work with foresters to support sustainable forestry.

Ash wood floors from Kährs

Below is a selection of Kährs’ ash wood floors. You can see all our wood floors in our floor guide.