About

Our History

Following his service in World War II, Kurt Weisbacher returned to Cincinnati to start a commercial flooring-cleaning business. After more than a decade of successful growth, Kurt expanded into flooring sales and installation with the opening of the first Carpetland showroom in Cincinnati’s Woodlawn neighborhood in 1959. It didn’t take long for Carpetland to develop a reputation for expert service, competitive pricing, and a unique dedication to its customers.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the company grew rapidly, expanding to six branch locations throughout Cincinnati. Kurt’s early success was driven by his ability to listen to customers, offer superior expertise and service, and fill gaps in the local flooring market. By 1982, Ken Weisbacher, Kurt’s son, joined the business after earning his undergraduate and Master’s degrees from Northwestern University, where he studied finance and accounting.

A couple of years later, Ken assumed the role as President and began preparing the company for future growth, including: implementing computerized accounting systems and opening a new corporate headquarters and warehouse. Ken’s expertise and early successes laid the groundwork for KW Flooring’s next stage of growth while still espousing the service-oriented culture established by his father.

In 1988, KW Flooring added its first Big Bob’s Flooring Outlet location in order to diversify its operations. Big Bob’s offers an “outlet style” shopping experience, where customers can expect to find a great deal on quality flooring products with the same expertise as traditional flooring retailers. One year later, KW Flooring’s Carpetland division joined Carpet One, a nationwide cooperative of flooring dealers. To this day, Carpet One continues to offer many advantages to the company, including pooled purchasing power and a network of more than 1,000 dealer-members across the country and Canada.

KW Flooring continued to grow and diversify its operations in the 1990s and 2000s. In 1995, the company added its first ProSource Wholesale location in Cincinnati. ProSource serves trade professionals, including contractors, designers, homebuilders, and installers, with a membership-based model and market-leading product pricing and selection. Today, KW Flooring operates three ProSource showrooms in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus.

In 2007, the company acquired the Cincinnati and Dayton locations of Buddy’s Carpet, a well-known retail brand serving customers throughout the region. Additionally, KW Flooring added Schumacher & Co. Custom Hardwood Floors to its portfolio, bringing significant expertise in hardwood installation and refinishing to the company. Both Buddy’s and Schumacher continue to grow and thrive under the KW Flooring umbrella.

During the 2000s, KW Flooring began working with general contractors on large-scale construction projects. Additionally, the company was approached by a number of multi-family property owners and homebuilders about providing flooring services. The company’s “customer first” culture translated well to the responsive, detail-oriented service expected by sophisticated builders and developers. Today, KW Flooring’s commercial and homebuilder divisions serve many of the largest and most well-respected general contractors, developers, homebuilders, and property managers from across the Midwest.

More than 70 years after its founding, KW Flooring has grown into one of the largest full-service flooring dealers in the country. Throughout its evolution, the company’s success has been driven by its highly skilled employees, service-oriented culture, and the ability to service a diverse group of customers with every aspect of their floor covering needs.