Solar Shades 101

Understanding and choosing which solar material is right for you and your application can be tricky. Unlike a generic window covering company, we are specialists in sun protection. The primary benefit of solar or sun shades is the ability to protect your furniture and flooring from damage, reducing heat, cutting glare to make your home comfortable, all while preserving your view. If you’d like to discuss options, styles, or advantages please don’t hesitate to give us a call – when it comes to sun shading, we’re the experts! In general, there are 4 main components to solar window shades:

UV Block – All Solar shading material is made up of a tightly woven fabric, wrapped in a PVC coating. The tightness of this weave dictates how much ultraviolet light penetrates. In commercial applications we start at a 70% block. In home based applications, shades in the 90-95% are usually incorporated.

Glare Reduction – When it comes to watching your new flat screen, or typing away on your laptop, Solarus Shades are FANTASTIC at cutting glare – all the while retaining your view. Color plays a very important function here, and is often counter-intuitive. Darker colors, like brown, black and dark gray virtually eliminate glare, while lighter colors like whites, beiges, and taupes reduce them. Typically you can look right at the sun through the window shade, and not have to squint at all!

Heat Block – Just like the glare reduction properties, color plays an often counter-intuitive role. Lighter colors will typically block around 70% of the heat through the glass, while darker fabrics will reduce heat by about 30%. While we are speaking in approximations here, each individual fabric is laboratory tested, and we can tell you exactly how much heat a specific fabric will allow heat to penetrate through your windows. As mentioned above, if heat is a big problem, you may consider an outdoor shade.

Motorization or Manual Drop Shades – When it comes to solar window shades, nothing beats push button convenience. When it comes to motorized window shades, we’re experts. From battery operated shades, to smart home systems, we’re familiar with it all. Whether you want manual roll-up shades, or motorized shades, we are happy to discuss any option with you. If you’d like to use a continuous chain, we’ve got those, too, and they come with a 10 year warranty!

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