Solid Slat
Most of Stuga’s floors are engineered wood with a solid slat core. This is the most non-toxic construction style for engineered wood and many sensitive people have done well with their floors.
They have options with a water-based acrylic urethane finish (without aluminum oxide or titanium dioxide) and options with an oil finish.
My top recommendations out of all the Stuga floors if you are chemically sensitive are the ones with a solid slat base and water-based finish.
The oil-based finish is low odor, solvent-free and has a completely natural look.
The maintenance oil, however, is a solvent.
It is made of n-Paraffin C5-20. It has 771 g/l of VOCs and has some initial odor which flashes off quite quickly. (Though won’t work for most chemically sensitive folks).
You may be able to use Rubio Monocoat Maintenance Oil instead, but that is not the official recommendation (and you’d have to look into that more).
This article contains affiliate links, upon purchase I earn a commission. This post is not sponsored by Stuga, it is a review by a customer of thiers.
HDF Core
The Rebel line is also engineered wood (this means it has an real wood top layer) but this line has an HDF/MDF core, though they say it’s “an alternative to HDF that has a higher surface density, 1/10 of the surface swelling, and a much lower formaldehyde release compared to HDF. This makes for a more stable and higher-quality end product”.
It looks like HDF or MDF.
The formaldehyde emissions for the Rebels are less than 0.05 ppm (parts per million). This is about half of what CARB allows in MDF/thin MDF.
And they also say they are GreenGuard Gold, which allows only 0.0073 ppm formaldehyde (also many floors with this core are now formaldehyde-free which you can check out here).
This line has a solvent-free acrylic urethane finish, and is not re-sandable.
Kahrs is one of the suppliers of Stuga floors, and some of the lines are exclusive to Stuga. (You can see a review here of Kahrs engineered wood with the water-based finish).
Which Model Did You Go With?
The Stuga model is Shell.
It’s a slightly white-washed white oak with an oil finish.
They need to be oiled at installation and once a year with Satin Oil.
The core is lamella (solid slat) which is my top pick for the chemically sensitive (though the most sensitive would go with the water-based finish) – Corinne
They can be re-sanded 2 times.
What made you choose this floor?
I chose our Stuga floors as I saw them at a friend’s house and was impressed with the quality and durability.
We were looking for a wood floor to complete our re-model of a 1960s a-frame cabin and wanted a rustic yet modern feel. We wanted a square nose stair and the Stuga stair solutions seemed perfect.
We were also going to be installing the floors ourselves, so ease of installment was important.
Overall, we couldn’t be happier after considering multiple other options. We are continually complimented on them and find they add a rustic yet modern feel to our remodel.
Was the color the same as the sample?
Yes!
You have had the floors since 2021 – are there any areas of wear or other problems?
Our floors have weathered very well.
We have since had a kid and they seem to hold up well to the rough and tumble associated with everyday use.
We should oil them once a year as directed and have missed a few summers (once going two years without oiling them). This causes them to be a bit dry, but they still look amazing in high-traffic areas.
Do you have kids, dogs, or wear shoes in the house?
One kid (who loves crayons) and a cat. No shoes in the house if we can avoid it.
How has the flooring done with spills of liquid?
Great, unless the floors are super dry. If they are super dry they can discolor a bit, but this goes away when we oil them and is not super noticeable.
Any areas where there is regular movement like a trashcan that gets pulled across?
Yes, absolutely. Durable. No issues.
What Was the cost?
Our underlayment was Traffic Master Foam Underlayment (a closed cell polypropylene foam which is a healthy choice – Corinne), we purchased for $918, for around $.54/square foot.
Our initial buy for Stuga flooring, which is currently priced at $10.29/sq ft, was $10k, and the second was $3,896.29. We got stair nosings, as well as transition pieces from them (which are bought separately on top of the sq foot price).
We installed them on our own.
How did the installation go? Did you float, nail or glue down?
We did both float and nail.
Float was ideal for our floors on all levels, and we chose to nail on the stairs. Both processes were simple and easy enough that my husband and I had no issues.
Were the locking mechanism parts chipped or damaged before install?
Once or twice we ran into this, but it was never an issue.
Buy Stuga online!
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Related:
Non-toxic engineered wood floors
Non-toxic solid wood floors
Marilyn
Hi Corrine, I have followed your website for years and recently read your book. These floors look wonderful. But I don’t understand how the maintenance oil works. The oil is N-Paraffin C5-20, which is CAS# 64771-72-8, which also seems to also be known as kerosene. The fine woodworking website says if you put kerosene on wood that part of the kerosene oil will evaporate and part of the oil will stay in the wood. So it seems the result will be that a not highly refined petroleum oil will be left in the floors. How can that be considered ok for human health?
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
That is why I mention the maintenance oil and an alternative that I believe will work. Otherwise sensitive folks should go with the UV cured polyurethane not the oil finishes.
Lauren Baldwin
Hi, Thanks for this review! Question for you. The wood in your pictures looks more yellow than on the Stuga website. Do you feel like the color has changed over time?
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
I asked the owner of the floors, she said she didn’t think it has yellowed with time that it is the lighting of the photos. She said it can fade though where the sun is hitting the floors. Which is normal.
Lauren Baldwin
Thank you!
Brad
I love Stuga flooring, but I’m very skeptical of their VOC and certification claims. Their site shows FloorScore certifications from Kährs, but the product names don’t match Stuga’s, so it’s unclear if they’re actually the same floors. Only three types are listed, yet Stuga claims all of their floors are certified. They also source from companies beyond Kährs but don’t provide any certifications from those other manufacturers—sketchy? As for CARB 2, they just link to a general fact sheet instead of offering proof. Kahrs is no better on backing up their claimed certifications.
It still feels like the wild west out there, even with brands touting third-party vetting. Waiting to see if they respond to my request for evidence that they have “the most certified floors in the world.”
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
floorscore is not useful anyway so that doesnt matter. carb is just what is legal and all flooring meets both of those. What kahrs does do which is not the norm is show their exact testing results and they have for as long as I’ve been writing this blog. I dont know who the other suppliers to Stuga are.
Brad
Hi Corinne, thanks for the response and the clarification. Also, thank you for your incredible work! Can you point me to the published data from Kahrs that you are referring to? I can’t seem to find it apart from just the ones listed on the Green Building Supply website.
carole wiles
Hi there, i could not figure out the blog for engineered floors, and need some help….upon reading your site at length we went with the Raintree engineered floors, as non toxic and affordable. The bummer is that nothing we would regularly use to clean; oil, vinegar, regular non toxic soap etc is not recommended, in fact the Raintree site specifically says not to use any these, including water and steam…..the only thing recommended is Bruce’s Hardwood Floor cleaner, and there’s no way i want that on the bottom of my feet or in close proximity to me….the floor is getting filthy, and i am at my wit’s end….any advice would be great!
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
there are lots of products you can use on flooring with a UV cured water based polyurethane. i have an article on that.
carole wiles
Thank you! looking desperately for that article having done the search for it, still can’t find it Corrine. Can you send or post the link to that article please…..