Categories: Flooring

Cherry Floors Darken From Sun Light

Sun Darkens Hardwood Floors

Our new home has Brazilian Cherry floors throughout the first floor. When we chose the Brazilian Cherry flooring a friend of ours warned us that cherry flooring will darken from sun light. If you use area rugs then you will notice the flooring under the carpet remains it’s original color while the area of flooring exposed to sun light will darken over time.

As you can see in the photo the Brazilian Cherry flooring under our area rug in the breakfast nook is much lighter than the floor that’s exposed to direct sun light (I’ve pulled back the carpet in the photo so you can see the difference). This significant difference in the flooring color has happened in just under two years time.

Ultraviolet Light Causes Wood Flooring To Darken

Ultraviolet light from the sun causes the tannins in the Brazilian Cherry floors to darken over time. Most Cherry floors, American, Black, and Brazilian will darken when exposed to ultraviolet light. This problem is most often seen when area or throw rugs are put down to cover the flooring for extended periods of time.

I can only think of a couple of solutions to help with this situation. You could install a ultraviolet film to your windows to reduce the amount of UV rays that are exposed to the floor. You could also use curtains and blinds to shield the amount of direct sun light that hits the floor. I suppose if this has already happened then you can pull up the rugs for a few months at a time and try to expose those areas to UV light so they can darken as well.

If you are looking to buy a home with cherry floors then take a look under any area rugs. You may well find this issue and want to consider it before making your purchase decision.

Have you seen this before? Any suggestions on how to prevent it or fix it?

Todd Fratzel

I'm full time builder for a large construction company in New Hampshire. I run their design-build division that specializes in custom homes, commercial design-build projects and sub-divisions. I'm also a licensed civil and structural engineer with extensive experience in civil and structural design and home construction. My hope is that I can share my experience in the home construction, home improvement and home renovation profession with other builders and home owners. I'm also the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Tool Box Buzz. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions or you'd like to inquire about advertising on this site.

View Comments

  • I have been in the building industry for 22 years and have seen this many times. You will notice this difference in color not only under rugs, but also the furniture.
    Removing the rugs and moving the furniture around from time to time is the only thing I can recommend.

  • I don't think we would have picked a different wood but it's something I'd like more people to be aware of. It was quite a shock when I lifted the carpet the other day. I had no idea it would happen that fast!

  • Yes, cherry is famous for it's darkening over time. After 5-10 years it will reach its darkest color though. My in-laws have cherry cabinets and there is a huge difference in color inside and outside the cabinet. We just bought a cherry bed frame but won't be buying the dressers or nightstands until later so we are a little worried about the difference in color they will have. To reduce the noticeable color differences you can use a darker stain but the best way is to use a UV protective stain.

  • I think periodic shifting of rugs would be a better idea. That allows the sunlight to fall over the entire area & flooring, whether dark or light, looks uniform.

    Kit homes

  • Todd, (or anybody else), What about walnut floor? does that also change color? anyone know how quickly?

    • I have Brazilian walnut, and the sun lightens it... I am sick about it, after spending $7000+, it looks terrible after just 5 years.

      • Woods with tannins are very susceptible to this. I wish flooring companies advertised this more. I certainly feel your pain.

  • We have Brazilian Cherry in our dining room -- now a 10 year old floor... And we recently installed Brazilian Cherry throughout our upstairs cause we just love it.

    The dining room had a large area rug under the dining table for just over seven years - and yes when it was taken up the floor was lighter beneath the rug.. However - the light coming into the room is not all that direct - filtered by the front porch - so the darkening of the rest of the floor was not all that dramatic.

    The room then remained empty - no rug.. no furniture.. for about six months after Katrina during which time the floor darkened uniformly. I suppose this is what threeacres is referring to -- the floors finally darkened as much as they were going to.

    Since we aren't sure.. We're purposely leaving our B. Cherry library floors exposed as long as we possibly can considering the intense light from the skylights... In less than one year those floors have darkened considerably. However, we can't do this for 10 years... So I suppose we better make sure we REALLY like whatever area rug I choose for that room. :)

  • I have the same thing happening on my Brazilian cherry floors and am selling my house. I have about 6-8 weeks before we move out so we are pulling up our rugs, and letting the sun shine in (We have very large windows in those rooms). I'm doing this to try and lessen the potential concern the buyers might have, though we know it will most likely take longer for it to blend. And yes, this will balance out over time. No need for alarm, its natural for the cherry to darken with UV light hence wood under the carpet stays the original color.

  • I know a guy that used cherry for his trim work throughout his house. He intentionally didn't fill the nail holes for quite some time because he wanted the wood to darken and then match the wood filler to the darkened cherry.

    • @ J. - That's a great tip!! Cherry darkens significantly over time when exposed to ultra-violate light.

  • We used an exotic wood from Australia....in less than a year we had a colour difference twice as bad as the one in this photo....it is shocking, we had no idea....had we known we would have made a different choice. We want to roll the carpet up but it is winter and we need it down for warmth in the house. Bummer.

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Todd Fratzel

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