Silver backed fabrics change the whole game when it comes to fabric color and performance for your roller shade. Non-silver backed solar screen fabrics have some predictable performance characteristics- if you look at the chart below, you’ll see that typical light colored screens perform well at keeping a room cooler, with a lower shading coefficient overall, but they also fall to the right on the graph with a higher Visible Light Transmission. Conventional solar screen fabrics in darker colors fall far to the left, with very low VLT values, meaning that they reduce glare very well, but they also fall in the upper portion of the graph, showing higher shading coefficient values. So what does this mean in plain English? Well, darker shades are easier to see through - i.e. better visibility but are hotter because their color absorbs heat which gets transmitted inside your space. Lighter shades are harder to see through - i.e. less visibility because the light will "glow" when it strikes the lighter fabrics which obscures the view. However, the lighter color does not absorb heat as much, so less heat is transmitted into your space. Here is the good news. By using some sort of space age silver technology, these silver backed marvels allow for dark fabric which preserves view and then magically the heat gain is reduced by the silver on the back - which does not create a glow problem. Again, if you can understand it, check out the silver fabrics on the chart below. Or said more technically, "notice that all of the colors of both SilverScreen and EnviroScreen high performance fabrics fall into what we call the “silver sweet spot”… low on the Shading Coefficient axis and low on the Visible Light Transmission axis. Every color! Excellent performance in both areas (all three really, if you consider view-through a separate value). No compromise necessary. This is all due to the ultra-fine, reflective layer of silver backing on the solar fabric, which reflects away heat and light, allowing the interior to stay cool, glare free and maintain a great view and connection to the outdoors." Of course, we would love to help you choose best silver screen fabric for your roller shade project. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation and thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!
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Occasionally, shutters are mounted inside a window frame. One method is to mount the shutters with a hanging strip on the side using a standard non-mortised hinge. The manufacturer generally provides a hanging strip for both sides and a light block for the top and the bottom. For each panel, two magnets and a regular hinge should be included. (Usually, the hinges are attached to the panel at the factory, however hanging strips, light blocks, and magnets come and are installed separately) The diagram below will help you visualize how this shutter application will mount to your window opening. We would love to help you with your shutter project. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation and thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!
It is critical that buyers of wood and faux wood blinds understand the industry standards for production and quality. It is wise and prudent to have a meeting of the minds as it relates to what is possible in the production of your wood or faux wood blinds - and ultimately leave no unpleasant surprises come installation time.
For instance, color variations generally occur from product samples to actual production runs. It is just a fact, that in any industry, colors change from one lot to another. Also, dye lot coloration and surface texture variations occur between material runs. For example, when wood is painted a pure white, the color if affected by both temperature and humidity. Since component runs could be weeks apart, the temperature and humidity will be different and as such you might see a slight variation. Also, for PVC products, the color depth and texture is not only affected by temperature and humidity, but also by the speed and pressure with which the material is run through the extrusion process. Even with these issues, it is very difficult to see a discernible difference between different runs. The industry responds to complaints of whether the color and texture is within acceptable parameters, by holding the materials two feet apart, and then determining whether one is able to see a discernible difference. Of course, this test must be done with similar light and shadow on each piece. Another issue the industry deals with on wood and faux wood blinds is bow and camber. Bow is the arched up or down shape the slat may take when open or closed. Camber is the curved shape from back to front. There will always be a certain amount of bow or camber in all wood and vinyl slats, but as long as it is within established parameters, the blinds will look great and function properly. The bottom line - as long as you order all the wood or faux wood blinds for a single room at the same time, these variances should never be an issue. With any luck, you are now ready to dive in, fully informed, to beautify your home with affordable and functional wood or faux wood blinds. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation and thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters! The pictures above are from a roller shade project for a Weinerschnitzel restaurant. The East facing windows (4ea) had really old roller shades which were completely unusable and made the restaurant look old. The West facing window (1ea) was completely uncovered and as such the customers and employees were brutalized by the sun every afternoon. The West facing window shown directly on the main order counter for the restaurant.
As you can imagine, this was an untenable situation. However, after replacing the East facing windows with a simple cream colored solar roller fabric with a matching facscia and likewise covering the West window with the same type of roller fabric and fascia, we saw a transformation of their space. The restaurant now looks newer, cleaner, and is far more comfortable for customer and employees. It was a real pleasure to be part of a relatively simple, yet profound, transformation of this standby food establishment. We would love to help you find the right roller shade for your restaurant application. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation and thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters! |
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