When picking out flooring, knowing what to expect if there is a lot of sun is important. Sunlight can damage flooring over time. There are flooring options that you can install that will resist fading. Others will change or lose color over time as well as deteriorate.
One flooring option to look at is laminate flooring. Laminate is a faux wood flooring that the surface tends to be more sunlight fade resistant. Being that the surface is printed and there is a protective coating, it doesn’t have the natural wood surface that reacts to sunlight.
A second option is luxury vinyl plank flooring. A rigid core click together product usually works well against fading in the sunlight. Make sure though, if the windows are older and thinner that the sunlight may heat up the floor causing it to expand. If you don’t leave enough space against the wall for expansion, it could bubble up when the sun it out heating it up. Glue down products don’t work well since the glue can get over heated and the planks warp under the heat.
Carpet is a cooler product than hard surfaces to put in rooms that get a lot of sunlight. Just be aware that if it gets a lot of direct sun all the time, it can lose color and become brittle over time. Hardwood flooring will either fade or get darker depending on the species of wood. Wood floors that have rugs on them show this problem even more over time. The place where the rug is will stay the original color of wood when installed, but the areas exposed to sunlight will change color. The only possible way to fix this is by sanding the flooring down and starting over, but this still may not work completely.
Tile flooring doesn’t fade under the sunlight indoors. It is a great option for sunrooms and areas with lots of light. When the sun hits tile flooring, there may be some temperature change while the sun is out but nothing else. If you still want to have wood or carpet though, look into window tinting. https://precisiondetailtint.com/ is who I would recommend in Western NC near our store in Rutherfordton NC.
You can always find flooring that is fade resistant, but if you want more elegant and expensive options you may want to look into window tinting. It will reduce the UV exposure to wood flooring that causes it to change colors and reduce the heat transfer into the home as well. Carpet will look better and not lose their color as much with window tinting. You can always find ways to get the flooring you want if you have lots of windows. Just take the time to see if fade resistant is really what you are looking for, or have someone look at tinting your windows to protect the flooring you always wanted.
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