Sun-fade on hardwood floors is painfully noticeable. Here’s what it looks like, what causes it, and what can be done to fix it and even protect your wood floors from future sun damage.
What sun-fade looks like
On wood floors, sun-fade will appear as distinct discoloration or in severe cases other damage to the finish. Commonly there will be areas that are faded, lighter in color, and blotchy. It is especially noticeable around area rugs (remove the area rug and the distinct pattern can be like night and day).
At its worst, sun-faded hardwood floors look washed out and get ‘blistered,’ just like sunburned skin will blister.
There can be quite a difference in the finish too. It can look “thin,” hazy, and in severe cases you can see blisters on the finish, just like a blister on your skin has popped leaving raw skin. In this case it leaves an open “wound” that becomes vulnerable.
Hardwood that has blistered typically will turn dark in the unprotected ‘raw’ areas. This is due to those raw areas being exposed to moisture. And at this point this area of the hardwood floor looks washed out, clearly affected by the sun exposure. It just plain-old looks “shot.” In fact, one would characterize it as one red hot mess!
What causes sun-fade damage?
Direct sunlight exposure can damage every surface in your home – from your natural stone countertops to your carpeted floors.
Sun-fade happens where there has been direct, strong sun exposure, commonly in areas such as under a skylight or a cathedral window over a formal entry. Or it can appear where you might have walls of windows or glass sliding doors that have direct light exposure. Bottom line, it happens where you don’t have window treatments or light-dimming film to minimize the UV rays wreaking havoc on your beautiful wood floors.
There is only one fix
Sun-fade-damaged hardwood floors can only be fixed by refinishing them. But keep in mind if you are planning to refinish your floors, if you don’t take action to address the problem –if the exposure is not remediated –all that work and expense can be for naught!
Fixing damaged hardwood floors is costly. So, prevention is quite necessary.
Unless the sun exposure problem is dealt with it will continue to cause damage
Along with repairing the floor or replacing it, or even just to protect from further damage, you must address the sun exposure problem.
Installing UV protective window treatments can help protect from UV damage. But if you don’t want to take on that hassle and expense or you want protection that goes the extra mile, a special sun-screen type treatment is essentially a “no-brainer” solution.
“Sunscreen” for wood floors… and more
We can now apply a proprietary sun sealer treatment that now fights damage from the sun. This treatment is the only sun-fade deterrent, anti-yellowing formula for hardwood floors, furniture, ceilings, walls, and cabinets on the market today. (It can also be used to treat other surfaces such as natural stone.) It provides excellent protection from UV rays for your floors and surfaces without changing the natural appearance.
“Sunscreen” for hardwood and more…? Yes, there is such a thing and it goes a long way in protecting your floors and surfaces from damaging UV rays.
The sun sealer is simply applied in the refinishing process. (Or, if the floor is lightly sanded, or a.k.a, abraded as we refer to it in the industry, the protection coating is applied before the finish coats are applied.
Not everyone offers this solution
Surprisingly, this very effective specialty treatment is hardly known in the refinishing trade. What that means is virtually no other refinishing companies in the area even know about, much less offer this service.
At Sparkle Surface Care we pride ourselves on continually searching for solutions that solve problems with the surfaces we work with –wood floors, natural stone, tile & grout, carpet and interior textiles, VCT, luxury vinyl, and more. We are driven to go above and beyond to help our customers maintain and restore the beautiful surfaces in their homes or businesses they treasure so their floors and surfaces reflect well on them.
Contact us for more information or to request a free estimate
If you have questions or are ready to restore your wood floors to like-new and protect them from harmful damage from sun exposure, reach out to us today. Use our CONTACT FORM or give us a call at (609) 953-0472.
Sun-fade on hardwood floors is painfully noticeable. Here’s what it looks like, what causes it, and what can be done to fix it and even protect your wood floors from future sun damage.
What sun-fade looks like
On wood floors, sun-fade will appear as distinct discoloration or in severe cases other damage to the finish. Commonly there will be areas that are faded, lighter in color, and blotchy. It is especially noticeable around area rugs (remove the area rug and the distinct pattern can be like night and day).
At its worst, sun-faded hardwood floors look washed out and get ‘blistered,’ just like sunburned skin will blister.
There can be quite a difference in the finish too. It can look “thin,” hazy, and in severe cases you can see blisters on the finish, just like a blister on your skin has popped leaving raw skin. In this case it leaves an open “wound” that becomes vulnerable.
Hardwood that has blistered typically will turn dark in the unprotected ‘raw’ areas. This is due to those raw areas being exposed to moisture. And at this point this area of the hardwood floor looks washed out, clearly affected by the sun exposure. It just plain-old looks “shot.” In fact, one would characterize it as one red hot mess!
What causes sun-fade damage?
Direct sunlight exposure can damage every surface in your home – from your natural stone countertops to your carpeted floors.
Sun-fade happens where there has been direct, strong sun exposure, commonly in areas such as under a skylight or a cathedral window over a formal entry. Or it can appear where you might have walls of windows or glass sliding doors that have direct light exposure. Bottom line, it happens where you don’t have window treatments or light-dimming film to minimize the UV rays wreaking havoc on your beautiful wood floors.
There is only one fix
Sun-fade-damaged hardwood floors can only be fixed by refinishing them. But keep in mind if you are planning to refinish your floors, if you don’t take action to address the problem –if the exposure is not remediated –all that work and expense can be for naught!
Fixing damaged hardwood floors is costly. So, prevention is quite necessary.
Unless the sun exposure problem is dealt with it will continue to cause damage
Along with repairing the floor or replacing it, or even just to protect from further damage, you must address the sun exposure problem.
Installing UV protective window treatments can help protect from UV damage. But if you don’t want to take on that hassle and expense or you want protection that goes the extra mile, a special sun-screen type treatment is essentially a “no-brainer” solution.
“Sunscreen” for wood floors… and more
We can now apply a proprietary sun sealer treatment that now fights damage from the sun. This treatment is the only sun-fade deterrent, anti-yellowing formula for hardwood floors, furniture, ceilings, walls, and cabinets on the market today. (It can also be used to treat other surfaces such as natural stone.) It provides excellent protection from UV rays for your floors and surfaces without changing the natural appearance.
“Sunscreen” for hardwood and more…? Yes, there is such a thing and it goes a long way in protecting your floors and surfaces from damaging UV rays.
The sun sealer is simply applied in the refinishing process. (Or, if the floor is lightly sanded, or a.k.a, abraded as we refer to it in the industry, the protection coating is applied before the finish coats are applied.
Not everyone offers this solution
Surprisingly, this very effective specialty treatment is hardly known in the refinishing trade. What that means is virtually no other refinishing companies in the area even know about, much less offer this service.
At Sparkle Surface Care we pride ourselves on continually searching for solutions that solve problems with the surfaces we work with –wood floors, natural stone, tile & grout, carpet and interior textiles, VCT, luxury vinyl, and more. We are driven to go above and beyond to help our customers maintain and restore the beautiful surfaces in their homes or businesses they treasure so their floors and surfaces reflect well on them.
Contact us for more information or to request a free estimate
If you have questions or are ready to restore your wood floors to like-new and protect them from harmful damage from sun exposure, reach out to us today. Use our CONTACT FORM or give us a call at (609) 953-0472.