Window film can help reduce fading in upholstery, carpets
A how-to guru advises a reader on how to stop the sun from bleaching upholstery and carpets.
Q: My apartment — on the 12th floor, with southeast exposure — is wonderfully sunny. Plants do well, and I enjoy the light and the view all day. However, the sun has bleached both wood and upholstered furniture and some carpet. I don’t want to close the drapes and live in the dark. Can my windows be treated? Who does this work and what is the expected cost A: Having window film installed on the inside of your windows could be the solution. These films come with a wide variety of characteristics, enabling them to let certain wavelengths of light through while reflecting or absorbing other wavelengths.
Window film cannot totally prevent fading because other factors, such as humidity, account for about five per cent of the problem. But depending on the window film you select, it can go a long way toward reducing the problem. All films block virtually all ultraviolet rays from the sun, which are responsible for about 45 per cent of fading.
Because you live in a tall building with many other units, begin by checking with the building managers about whether there are restrictions on window films.
Once you know the rules, make an appointment to have a window film installer visit your apartment. Installers typically bring samples so you can see the differences in how the films affect your light and your view. Installers can also recommend suitable options if you have double-pane windows, because films that absorb infrared light can cause glass to heat up enough to break the seals or glass and void warranties. Be sure to ask the installer to leave you with a sample or two of films you like so you can check the effect in different conditions: sunny and cloudy and on different times of the day.
Before the visit, read up on the basics about window films. One good place to start is the Efficient Window Coverings website (efficientwindowcoverings.org), which allows you to compare the benefits of various window treatments — from films to drapes to awnings — and then drill down to the highest-rated products in each category.
This website uses the term “applied film” to distinguish the type of film you might want from “seasonal film,” which is the shrink-wrap-type plastic that people sometimes put up to cover drafty windows. Of all the many interior window treatments, applied film ranks highest if you select “view” and “visible transmittance” (i.e., the amount of visible light) as crucial factors and “solar heat control” and “glare control” as important ones.
If you can afford it, professionally applied window film is definitely the way to go. The product selection and warranties are better, and there’s less risk of having hair, lint or other debris trapped between the film and the glass. But for people on a tight budget, especially for renters who aren’t sure how long they will stay, do-it-yourself installation is an option.