A sunroom can be a wonderful addition to a house. It can increase the value of your home overall, as well as just being a good place to enjoy. Your sunroom can be a place of quiet and reflection or the main entertainment space in your house. No matter the style that you choose for your sunroom you have to take into consideration that it is more open to the elements than the other rooms of your house.
The difference between the different options is how your space is enclosed. A sunroom is different from a screened porch because a sunroom is enclosed from the elements, where a screened in porch only has a screen between you and the elements. A sunroom is different from a solarium because it doesn’t have a glass roof. Now that we have pinned down what a sunroom is we can talk about the best flooring for you to put into it.
Your choice from the available options has to keep the fact that your sunroom will likely be both hotter and colder than the other rooms in your house. Different sunrooms will require different flooring options. Fully enclosed sunrooms with glass windows can support different materials than a sunroom that is exposed to the elements and only has screen.
Your Options
Concrete:
With the proper finishing concrete can be a great choice for your sunroom. The days of bare grey concrete are long in the past, these days there are many different finishes. Where concrete was once only found in garages or basements it can be found in many different areas of the modern home. Concrete is durable, long lasting, and easily accommodates odd angles and shapes. Concrete can also be used with radiant heating systems which can heat your sunroom in the cold of winter cheaper than forced air systems. Concrete is heavy though, and usually not used where it can’t be supported directly by the ground.
Carpet:
Carpet can make your sunroom feel welcoming, and is the softest option when it comes to flooring. Many different styles and types of carpet are available that can work in your sunroom. You have to remember that the carpet that works in your living room, may not work for your sunroom. Carpet may fade with exposure to direct sunlight easier than many other materials that you can choose from. Also if your sunroom is going to get a lot of traffic from outside your carpet can quickly become a headache to keep clean.
Laminate:
If you are looking for a durable and long lasting sunroom floor laminate is a great choice. Don’t think of laminate as just a kitchen flooring option. Laminate stands up fairly well to direct sunlight, and is easy to clean. There is little maintenance involved with laminates, they are a set and forget type of flooring. Those looking for more of a luxury look can choose luxury vinyl tile. Luxury vinyl tile can give the appearance of other materials, while keeping the low cost and ease of maintenance of vinyl itself.
Tile:
There is a wide variety of tile out there to choose from. Tile ranges from the relatively inexpensive to the prohibitively expensive. Tile is strong and durable and can last for years. However, depending on the tile material maintenance can range from almost nothing for ceramic tile, to sealants and cleaning for high quality stone. No matter the choice tile can give your sunroom the specific look that you are trying for, from rustic to roman.
Linoleum:
For those looking for somewhat of an eco-friendlier option linoleum can be your friend. Linoleum is made from recycled materials in a way that has minimal environmental impact. Modern linoleum is of much higher quality than the linoleum of days gone by. Linoleum is one of the cheaper options as far as flooring goes. The ease of linoleum is that it requires only routine maintenance. This has to be balanced with the unavoidable fact that your sunroom flooring will be exposed to sunlight constantly. This is a problem for linoleum, which has a tendency to fade in direct sunlight over time. Selecting a linoleum with a good UV coating can make this less likely.
Hardwood:
The look of hardwood flooring is something most home owners want throughout their home. This desire for hardwood is no less sought after in the sunroom. Hardwood comes in an almost limitless array of styles and designs. As a sunroom flooring option hardwood can give you a warm natural feel. When selecting a hardwood consider the traffic that your sunroom will have. If you are going to have a lot of traffic, ensure you select a hardwood with a durability that will hold up over time. There are prefabricated options that are easily installed and have the durability that is desired. Sunlight can fade a hardwood, you can manage this through oil based stain and UV blocking windows.