Many floors are easily damaged by sunlight, but one of the most sensitive is hardwood. As a photosensitive product, wood may darken or bleach out over time when exposed to sunlight. If you have hardwood floors, you’ll need to take steps to ensure the safety of your flooring.
Carpets and vinyl flooring can also tend to fade with excessive sunlight, as can your furniture. UV rays are potent and ruin many things if you don’t take care.
UV Protective Sealant
First, you can seal your floors with a special sealant that has UV protection built in. This will protect the flooring from fading and can keep it looking new for a long time. However, you do need to replace the sealant from time to time. If you do not regularly replace it, you will notice that some areas become patchy over time, as the sealant wears away from normal use, leaving the wood vulnerable to the sun.
Protective Windows
When installing windows, look for windows with UV protection. These not only help reduce the amount of fading or sun damage within the room, they also lower your utility bills. That’s because there is a lot of heat that gets trapped in the room by travelling through windows. With a window that blocks out much of the heat and sunlight, you’ll find it easier to cool your home, since the air conditioning system doesn’t need to work as hard.
The downside of specialty windows is that they cannot easily be taken with you when you move. While they will boost the value of the house, you’ll also find that UV protective windows are more expensive than most.
Blinds or Curtains
If you’re looking for a simple, temporary way to protect your floors, curtains and blinds are ideal for this. They can be tailored to your windows and you may choose from an assortment of materials to find the perfect match for your space. If you move, it’s quite simple to take the window treatments with you.
Be sure to choose thicker curtains and blinds. Thin, gauzy fabric will not be nearly as protective as something heavier. You will find that allowing light to filter into the space without ruining anything requires heavier curtains.
Both curtains and blinds work well, though blinds may have better coverage than curtains, which need to be pulled together.
If you’re looking for ways to help protect your floors from sun damage, blinds are definitely a good choice for you. Contact Blinds of All Kinds today to learn more about what types of blinds and curtains are available.