Using your sun room year round has never been easier. Although you’re used to leaving it alone in the winter, a few simple tweaks can make your sun room the perfect hang out no matter what the weather.

Your sun room is an excellent place to relax in the summer but you may be tempted to stay out of his room in the winter, making it virtually useless to you nearly half the year unless you live in the perpetually spring time environment of the Marshall Islands.

Since most of us aren’t lucky enough to live in an eternal spring, we have to find ways to deal with blistering heat and chafing winters. Making the most of your sun room, even in the winter months can be one of the best ways to love your home no matter where you live.

But how do you get around the issues of a sun room in the middle of a snowy winter?

Of course, in a sun room, you probably don’t have draperies or you don’t have them hanging down over the windows. Consider changing to the black out thermal curtains that will keep heat out in the summertime and keep the heat in during the winter months. This can not only help make the room more comfortable all year round so you actually want to spend time there throughout the entire year, but can also help cut your energy costs throughout the year as well by keeping heating and cooling to a minimum in surrounding areas of the house.

The other thing that probably keeps you out of your sunroom during cooler months is a wood or laminate floor. Most sun rooms do not have carpet because it gets too musty and hot in the sun and because most sun rooms branch out onto the porch or straight into the garden and you can’t have filthy carpet that’s constantly covered in dust in your sun room. During the winter time, laminate and wood floors can get extremely cold, keeping you from wanting to walk around on the floors. The easiest solution to this problem is to purchase a high quality area rug.

If you choose a jute area rug or a bamboo area rug, you will have a light airy feel for your sun room during the summer that will also keep the floor warmer during the winter. With an area rug you will never have to worry about your feet being cold again. If you’re not in tougher natural fibers, you can always stick with a light and airy cotton area rug or braided area rugs that will still give your room the warmth and the feel you deserve all year round.

And if you’re looking for other ways to make your sun room more comfortable year round, you could always consider a small space heater to help spread warmth through the entire room during the cooler months.

Remember, you sun room doesn’t have to go to waste nearly half of the year, but you don’t have to freeze yourself silly to use it either. Finding ways to heat up your sun room can be easy and fashionable.

A sun room with plantation shutters is the perfect combination. A sun room allows you the pleasure of bringing the outside in without wind, rain or the elements so you have a chance to enjoy the outdoors all year round. By installing plantation shutters, you not only make an attractive design statement but you add a layer of protection against the elements in your sun room.

Plantation shutters are basically shutters that can be mounted either inside a window or outside a window. They have adjustable louvers so you can regulate the amount of light and have some climate control on your sun room. Plantation shutters in your sun room can also keep drafts out from any cracks around the windows.

There are several materials that may be used to create plantation shutters such as:

1. Old-fashioned hard wood;
2. Polyurethane;
3. Poly-vinyl; and
4. A composite mix of a resin glue and sawdust to look like wood.

Wood shutters may be painted or have a stained finished. You can also purchase unfinished wood shutters and paint or stain them yourself. Either way, be sure to choose a weatherproof wood finish for plantation shutters that will stand up to the seasons for timeless, elegant appeal in your sun room.

Poly plantation shutters have been perfected so much that it is virtually impossible to tell the difference between them and painted wood shutters. Poly is weatherproof, durable and cleans up easily. Finally, though composite is the least expensive, it is also the most risky with regard to durability because it combines wood chips and glue. Also, composite will swell up in moist environments, so it is not advisable in a sun room.

Now that you have decided that plantation shades are the ideal way to finish off your sun room oasis, you need to measure your windows to get the right size. Determine whether you want interior or exterior plantation shutters prior to taking measurements.

Once you know which plantation shutters you want, use a steel tape measure for accuracy to take the window dimensions. All heights and widths should be measured to an eighth of an inch. First, measure across the bottom, middle and top of the window and take the largest measurement of the three. Finally, you need to take an accurate measurement from the top of the window sill to the top of the window molding. Once you have measurements, you are ready to get plantation shutters to beautify and protect your place in the sun – your sun room!

To protect yourself against the weather while your bask in your sun room, consider installing attractive and functional plantation shutters. They offer an element of coziness and old world charm to any space while keeping out the blistering summer sun that fades furniture and increases home cooling costs.