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Sunlight filled southern facing condo with huge windows - need advice!

4 years ago

In the process of purchasing a southern facing, sun drenched condo. The wood is throughout the condo with the exception of the bathrooms, but including the kitchen. The current engineered cherry wood floors have gotten sun bleached so badly they need replacing.

I brought in a highly rated local flooring company and they're strongly recommending Luxury Vinyl Planks (LVP) and recommending against laminate. From what I've read, it seems LVP is more susceptible than laminate to fading. They say both materials are similar in this regard. For what it's worth, I know laminate is very popular in Condos here.

What would you recommend? LVP vs Laminate for this space? Any particular brands?

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Comments (4)

SJ McCarthy
4 years ago
Vinyl HATES sunlight. It warps. It bubbles. It does too much in sunlight. Whomsoever suggested vinyl in a condo with THAT MUCH UV damage needs to be told to sit down and shut up (but in the nicest way possible...'cause I'm Canadian).

And vinyl does NOT like underpad. The stuff that meets the HOA's noise abatement requirements.

To me, that floor is GORGEOUS! I LOVE the faded look. Remove that rug and let it out into the sunlight and it will even out inside of 1 summer. I kid you not. Just leave it alone and you will be VERY surprised at how beautiful that floor is going to look.

Go ahead and google 'european oak' flooring. You will find your floors are a GREAT mimic. People pay $18/sf for a floor that looks like that! And then they still have to pay $5/sf to get it installed! I kid you not.

Your floor is one rug shadow away from Scandinavian perfection!
Dave M
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you SJ! You really think that will even out? I guess it is worth a shot. I can always wait a bit and then see, but I'm not THAT hopeful.

Appreciate the comments on the LVP. I suspected that was the case. Worst case it doesn't come out, what would you recommend? A high quality laminate?
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SJ McCarthy
4 years ago
Wood has a 'terminal' colour which it fades down to. The vast majority of your wood is already at the end of it's colour range (fully faded). The stuff under the rug hasn't seen sunlight except for the day it was installed. That means you simply need to leave it alone and the super duper cheap thing called 'sunlight' will kill all the colour - eventually. The question becomes - do you have enough patience to accept the cheapest fix there is = doing nothing?
Dave M thanked SJ McCarthy
PRO
G & S Floor Service
4 years ago
As SJ suggested, remove the rug and allow it to be exposed to sunlight. Within a year it will even out.

LVP has a maximum heat rating. I believe it's 140 degrees fahrenheit. You would need to measure the temperature in that area, before purchasing. 8-12 hours of direct sunlight will damage LVP.
Dave M thanked G & S Floor Service

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