Karri Flooring - Harder than Jarrah

Karri

Karri is a West Australian hardwood.  It has a brighter colouring than Jarrah with rich reds and pink tones and is often sought be people who want the colours of Jarrah but want a brighter floor. The timber is widely used and well known in Australia. In older floors it is often mixed with Jarrah. The timber is good to work with. Karri needs to be on site for at least two to three weeks to acclimatize to the surroundings in older established homes. This is important as Karri is a dense timber and therefore adjusts slowly to localized conditions. Karri is usually dried slowly for best results.

Sanding; Karri is a hardwood. Sanding machines are very effective when used on this timber. It can be sanded to a very fine finish suitable for all finish types. Whereas with some timbers there is a large range of density from piece to piece, Karri is more even and therefore it is possible to achieve a very even finish at the sanding stage. The grain of Karri often runs in straight lines as the timber is quarter sawn though it looks more interesting when plain sawn. Karri feels fibrous when sanding and requires more care than Jarrah. Additional time may be required with the rotary sander and the tradesman needs to allow for this.

Karri accepts most types of coatings. Solvent based finishes in two packs and single packs have been used for a long time with this species. Waterborne finishes also work well with Karri though there is a need to work quickly as sometimes strong shading can occur. It is important to determine the correct sealer with waterborne finishes as shading can be dramatic with the wrong base. Oils have been used extensively with Karri with good effect. It should be noted that due to the high density of Karri the oil coverage may need to be varied significantly for a good result. Often oils are tested on more open timbers such as Oak and the take up of oil is greater on these species. Applying too much oil on Karri can cause problems with a blotchy finish that doesn’t dry out. Liming is a popular notion however it is difficult to obtain the correct take-up of solution on Karri due to the high density and the fibrous pattern. OSMO oils look great on Karri as do finishes such as Bona Traffic & Traffic HD.

Generally Comments.

Karri is a proven Australian hardwood that is ideal when used in flooring. It wears well, looks excellent and is good to work with. Termites are attracted to Karri and you need to maintain good perimeter protection around a Karri floor. Several of the stories about Karri and termites have legendary proportions.  There are a lot of stories about timber floors that have been damaged by termites.  Having said this during my 20 year association with the timber flooring industry in Western Australia I have seen very few Karri floors that have been affected by termites where proper perimeter protection as being maintained around the house.