When installing hardwood flooring in your Minnesota home, you may think of them as something that will look the same forever. After all, professionally installed hardwood floors are the most durable and long-lasting floor covering, with many older homes having the same wood floors as they did a century ago. However, hardwood floors are made of organic material, and without the proper care, they can fade or discolor. Sometimes refinishing hardwood floors is the solution, but learning how hardwood flooring ages and how to care for it can help keep your floors looking beautiful for years.
UV rays, heat, and moisture all contribute to hardwood floor discoloration. Nothing will stay perfect forever; this is how you can expect your hardwood flooring to change over time.
How Does Sunlight Affect My Hardwood Flooring?
Hardwood floors are still wood and have retained many of the same properties as wood, like photosensitivity. Depending on the wood floor type, it could fade, darken, or bleach when exposed to sunlight and the sun’s UV rays. About 40% of all interior wood floor fading happens because of exposure to UV rays.
Your finish can also contribute to the degree that your hardwood floors will fade. Certain kinds of finishes reduce the penetration of UV rays into the wood, acting much like sunscreen does on a person’s skin. Over time, the finish breaks down, allowing more sun damage to your hardwood floors.
Some species of wood are naturally more photosensitive than others, so when installing your hardwood flooring, consider the direction and amount of natural light your room gets. For example, lighter-colored wood like maple or birch will change color faster than darker-hued wood such as mahogany or walnut.
What Can I Do To Prevent My Hardwood Flooring From Fading?
There’s no guarantee for preventing fading; it’s a natural part of hardwood floor aging. You can minimize the degree that your floors fade and maintain an even tone for the room. Curtains, especially light-blocking ones, are the best way to reduce sun damage to your hardwood floors. Drawing your curtains during the part of the day when the sun hits the floors the most powerfully will minimize the damage of full sunlight on wood.
If you have a part of the room exposed to direct sunlight more than the rest of the room, consider placing a rug over the floor where the sunlight hits. Rearranging the furniture in your room also helps keep the flooring stable.
If curtains, rugs, and rearranging furniture doesn’t help, or if you notice patches on the floor that are significantly discolored, then refinishing your floor may be a better option. At Dave’s Hardwood Flooring & Sanding, we can sand your floors and remove the existing finish, then refinish them to the uniform color you prefer.
Do You Need Hardwood Floor Refinishing or Replacement?
If you notice that your floors are fading quicker than they should be, or if you aren’t satisfied with the finish of your floors, we can help. Dave’s Hardwood Flooring & Sanding is Minnesota’s first choice for professionally replacing hardwood floors. If you need expert repair or refinishing hardwood floors, or if you want to install new hardwood flooring in your Minnesota home, contact us today!