Facts About Fading


What causes fading on fabrics, furniture, and artwork?

Fading is mostly caused by the Sun's energy, specifically Ultraviolet (UV), heat, and visible light.  There are other things that cause fading like chemical vapors, indoor lighting, poor dye quality, humidity, etc. 

The chart at the right illustrates two important points.  First, that no matter what we do, fading cannot be stopped.  What we can do is extend the life of your belongings and reduce sun damage. 

Second the amount of heat and light reduced has a large impact on the amount of protection you will get from your film.

Any of our films will cut at least 99% of the incoming UV rays.  But the pie chart shows that a film that cuts even 100% of the UV rays will only eliminate 40% of the problem.  Without addressing heat and light, there will still be noticeable fading.

Superior protection can only be achieved by cutting some of the heat and some of the light.


 

Do we have to darken your room to do the job?

No, but we always recommend that you choose a film as dark as you can stand.  But remember the pie chart.  It is a very important concept.  The darkest film feasible will give you the most protection. 

Rest assured that a film which cuts even 50% of the visible light will not noticeably darken your room nor change the appearance of your home or building.


What about my North-facing and shaded windows?

UV is reflected all around us just as is visible light.  And both are present even if the windows are not getting direct sunlight.  Moreover, most of the ambient UV is still present on cloudy and rainy days.  

From this we draw two conclusions.  First, that all windows in your home should be considered if fading is an issue - even if they are not getting direct sunlight.  And second, that if you use window treatments to control fading by closing them on bright days and opening them on cloudy days, you are fading your fabrics and window film can help you.