Recommended Wood Flooring for a Sun Room

Solid Wood Flooring

• Oak, known for its strength as a hardwood floor, is a good choice for a sun room. Light finishes, like auburn, are best in this environment to enjoy the natural setting. The light colors of alpine ash also allow the outdoors to penetrate a room without overwhelming the space with its finish. Over time, solid hardwood is susceptible to the sun's rays, causing it to fade. Homeowners may want to protect it with rugs or possibly window shades during sunny parts of the day.

Engineered Wood Flooring

• Some manufacturers produce engineered wood flooring, made from heartwood cuts of certain woods like white oak, red, cherry and ash. The advantage of engineered flooring is that these veneers resist seasonal changes, a major consideration when choosing flooring for a sun room.

Acrylic Impregnated Engineered Hardwood

• Even more durable than standard engineered hardwood, acrylic impregnated engineered hardwood is injected with a plastic acrylic solution, making it up to 300 percent dent resistant and harder than natural wood. It also risks buckling and expansion and is available in an array of colors.

Wood-Like Alternatives

• For the look of wood without the concern of future fading from sunlight, go with laminate. Laminate is made from compressed layers of fiberboard, melamine resin and paper, not wood. Laminate comes with a long list of pros including scratch resistance, stain resistance and overall ease of maintenance.

  With its exotic appearance and strength, bamboo, which is derived from a grass, is a wood flooring alternative for sun rooms that looks quite like wood. Cork is another flooring alternative that yields a wood-like, natural appearance. Cork flooring is made from the ground bark of cork oak trees. Once ground, it is baked in a kiln and then made into tiles.