The Best Flooring Options for Your Sunroom

From beach-side sun to canopied forests, spacious valleys to overflowing gardens, we can’t get enough of the goodness that is the great outdoors. In fact, we could use some of that bright, wide-open feel inside, too!

Enter the sunroom.

For three seasons out of the calendar year—four, depending on your climate—sunrooms have the power to be the heart and soul of a home. Done up right, they’re inviting lounge spaces where you can feel one with nature–you know, without the birds, bees and literal rain on your parade.

The key to turning your sunroom into the ultimate hang-out space for you and your family is to outfit it comfortably. And for that, we’re taking a ground up approach.

Our Top Pick Is...

Vinyl plank flooring for the win! Vinyl flooring products are long-lasting, difficult to damage, and absorb sound, with many options also having the benefit of being waterproof. Today’s vinyl plank tile flooring is painstakingly designed to mimic popular surfaces that aren’t nearly as durable in variable conditions, like real hardwood. 

In fact, this vinyl looks so beautiful that it’s becoming a popular option to install throughout your house to create a beautiful, continuous look that will hold up to whatever life tosses your way.

Still, even among luxury products, not just any vinyl will do. Because most sunrooms are exposed to extreme temperature differentials as well as differing levels of humidity, they need to be built for the elements.

Look for:

• Rigid core structure, which will keep the tiles stable and even, despite changing weather conditions.

• Float installation. If you choose an adhesive vinyl, you could face flooring problems come summer or winter, when the glue on the bottom of the tile could crack and separate from the subfloor or melt and slide. 

• Extra thickness. You want the vinyl flooring in your sunroom to be around 5 mm thick and have a wear layer of about 20 mil. 

• Sunroom usage should be stated in the warranty. Don't assume you can select the right properties and the warranty will hold up.

Which vinyl plank tile products would we install in our dream sunrooms? These sunroom flooring options are where we’re putting our home improvement money.

Surf-Side Style

Whether you are beach-adjacent or wishing your toes were buried in the sand, consider a coastal-inspired collection from Beauflor featuring light and breezy colors and visuals. You can also use this flooring with radiant heating devices, ensuring you and your tootsies stay warm even when the temperatures start to drop.

Just Like Wood

If you’re using your sunroom as part of an open-concept living and entertaining space, continuous flooring can be a boon to homeowners who want to maximize their space. This Palmetto Road vinyl plank tile is made for impact, as its name suggests. While Impact it’s not rated for extreme cold conditions (and it’s not an indoor-outdoor surface), it can take high heat, moisture and however many kids and pets you throw at it without breaking a sweat.

Sunroom Flooring Maintenance

Unless you decide to pour a concrete slab floor, which is nearly maintenance-free, you’re going to need to do a little work occasionally to preserve the condition of your three-season room flooring. With the luxury vinyl options we selected in this guide, your upkeep will be minimal.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Install sunshades on your windows and doors to prevent your flooring from fading. This is important if your sunroom gets direct sunlight during the day.
• Clear standing water. While these vinyl plank and tiles are waterproof, they’re not made to act like a bathtub. Use a wet vac or even a broom to clear off puddles regularly.
• Read the Manufacturer’s Care and Maintenance Instructions before cleaning your floors!
• Mop and vacuum like a regular floor. The longer dirt and other debris hang around, the harder they’ll be to clean up and the grimier your floor will look.

There you have it. Sunroom flooring made easy. Whichever you pick, make sure to check in on it year-round, even if the room isn’t in use. Enjoy that new haven of yours!