Flooring 101: How do I protect my new floor from being damaged by the sun?
As great as it can be to have your home bathed in sunshine, unfortunately, those powerful rays can do considerable damage to your floors. Regardless of whether your floors are made from hardwood, bamboo, cork or linoleum, if you want them to look good for long you proactive in protecting them from the sun. Here are a few good ways to start.
Invest in solar films for windows
Having solar films applied to your windows can block up to 99.9% of harmful rays from the sun, making this one of the most effective ways to safeguard your flooring. The beauty of solar films is that they block sunlight without impeding your view, saving your floors from damage without making you feel like you are trapped inside.
Protective floor coatings can help
Some types of floors can be at least partially protected by having special coatings applied to them. While these coatings won’t provide total protection against the sun, if they are reapplied regularly they can make a significant difference in reducing the impact of those harmful rays.
Cover your windows
The more light you can stop from getting inside your home the less damage it can do to your floors, so cover those windows and skylights as best as you can. Curtains, blinds, shutters and awnings can all be effective at keeping sunlight out, but the only downside is that they will also block your view and make your home’s interior darker and colder. If nothing else try to minimize the amount of direct sunlight that impacts your floors by covering east facing windows in the morning and west facing windows in the afternoon/early evening.
Add a few rugs
A marvelous way to add style, color and texture to a room while protecting your floors at the same time is by adding a few decent rugs. While you will need to rearrange your rugs regularly to prevent your floors from fading in certain areas, rugs can play a magnificent role in keeping your floors looking great for longer.
Rotate your furniture
A few wellplaced pieces of furniture can help to prevent the sun from damaging your floors, though keep in mind that your furniture will be bearing the brunt of the damage instead. As with rugs, it is important to rotate your furniture regularly to prevent your flooring from fading in one area more than others.
Your floors will play a major role in establishing the look, feel and value of your home, making it a wise move to do what you can to protect them. Investing some time, effort and money into safeguarding your floors will mean they will look their best for longer and therefore won’t need replacing quite so soon.