Investing in a professional hardwood floor installation will ensure an enduring and beautiful floor covering for your home. After all, many century-old homes today still boast with their original hardwood floors. However, it doesn’t mean that your floors will always remain beautiful without looking after them. Hardwood floors are a product of nature, therefore require the proper care and maintenance to prevent discoloration or fading. After the passage of time and with years of wear and tear, it sometimes becomes necessary to carry out a hardwood floor refinishing project. Learning more about the properties of wood, how it ages and what you can do to care for them, will assist in making them look good for longer.
Heat, moisture, and exposure to UV rays are all contributing factors that can cause fading and discoloration of hardwood flooring. Nothing ever remains perfect, therefore please keep reading to find out more about changes you can expect to see in your floors over time.
What Effect Can Sunlight Have on My Hardwood Flooring?
Hardwood flooring is made from wood and therefore reflects many of the same characteristics as wood, including photosensitivity. Depending on the type of wood, exposure to sunlight and UV rays may cause it to fade, bleach or even get darker. Hardwood flooring contractors will tell you that 40% of all reported interior wood fading is due to exposure to the sun’s UV rays.
The finishing layer on your floors can also be a contributing factor in the speed at which your floors age. You can compare this to sunscreen used on skin, certain types can prevent much of the UV rays penetrating the protective layer whilst others are not quite as effective. Your hardwood floors can sustain significant sun damage as the finish ages and becomes less effective.
Some types of wood are inherently more photosensitive than others, therefore its best to keep this in mind when it comes to the planning of your hardwood floor installation. Be aware of the quantity and direction of natural light each room receives. For instance, lighter wood types, such as maple or birch, will change color more quickly than the darker kinds, like mahogany or walnut.
How Can I Prevent Fading of My Hardwood Floors?
There is no way to completely avoid fading, as this is an inevitable part of the aging process of wood. You can however reduce the amount of fading and take steps to ensure that your floors remain even toned. One of the most effective preventative measures is the use of heavy curtains, specifically the light-blocking type. To lessen the impact of direct sunlight on wood, draw your curtains during the specific time of day when the sun is at its strongest.
For rooms that only receive partial sunlight on the floor, you can consider making use of a rug that covers the spot where the sun hits the floor the most. You can also rearrange the room’s furniture as this may help to keep the floor’s color even.
Perhaps the aforesaid suggestions have not helped, or you already have uneven colored patches on your floor. In this case, you may want to consider having hardwood floor refinishing work done. For more localized or limited floor patches or other damage, you could arrange with your local hardwood floor contractors to carry out hardwood floor repair work. The experienced team at Idea Wood Floors can take care of your floors. We will sand them down, remove the older finishing layer and have your hardwood floors uniformly refinished in the color of your choice, making them look like new once more.
Do You Require Hardwood Floor Refinishing or Replacement Work Done?
Idea Wood Floors can help if you find that your floors are fading more quickly than they should be, or if you are not happy with the current color or finish of your hardwood floors. Idea Wood Floors are hardwood flooring experts and can take care of your hardwood floor refinishing, hardwood floor repair or replacement. Get in touch with our professional team today and experience hardwood flooring excellence.
