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Home Decorating

Solar Shades Openness vs Glare

12 years ago

Hi,

I am having a really hard time deciding on the level of openness. I want to maximize the view however I need to completely cut out all glare. I have a west facing living window and glare on the tv will really bother me. I had a local installer come and take a look. He recommended 3% openness but couldn't guarantee it would cut out all glare. I said what if I went to 1% openness, he said still couldn't guarantee that I would be happy with watching tv. So I am concerned about dropping the money and it being a step backwards.

Anyone happy with their solar shade openness level with an east or west facing window?

Thanks

Featured Answer

Saypoint zone 6 CT

12 years ago

I think it's going to be a trade-off, glare or view. As much as they are a PITA to clean, my 2" wood blinds allow me to control light and privacy while keeping much of the view better than other options. Next time I may go with faux wood and no decorative tapes so I can hose them off outside every couple of years.

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Comments (6)

joyce_6333
12 years ago
We purchased Phase II solar shades for our great room in 5% openness. We opted for the dark color, and only use them occasionally when watching TV during the early evening in the summer. The windows are west facing so get the afternoon sun. They definitely block out enough glare to see the TV clearly. And you can still enjoy the view. When rolled up, the are not noticeable at all. We've been pleased, they function as we expected. Now that the sun sets earlier, we don't use them. We got them at Penneys, and they had samples of the fabric. I brought them home and held them up to light before making my choice. They definitely are not decorative. If you want something decorative, these are not for you. I love wood blinds, and plantation shutters too. But now that we in a wooded area with beautiful views, I wanted it to be wide open when we didn't need the shades for TV viewing.

Here is a link that might be useful: Phase II
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I had exactly the same scenario. Large super wide beautiful windows in my living/dining combo with amazing views (we are on a hill top). But the sun gets really glaring in the summers in the morning and afternoon. So after a ton of research I invested in exterior solar shades from blinds.com (not affiliated in any way). Got them installed on the exterior of the house. Like you have 4 panels, I have 6 panels, the center two panels are sliding doors that open up to a patio. So I got one solar blind each for each of the 6 panels, got them installed on the exterior. They let the view to still be very visible. They control the heat and the glare that the sun gets into the house very well. Overall, its been a year that they have been installed, and I couldnt have been happier. From the inside I cant tell that I have any shades installed when they are not down. Also coz they are the roller kinds, I can control how much down do I want to pull them. I got the manual ones, so I do have to go to the patio to bring them up and down, not a big deal, as I love going out and enjoying the view. In winters - they stay up almost always. In mid-summer, I end up bringing them up and down everyday. I started with samples from blinds.com and they send them for free. They have sales often, so watch for that. The customer service is excellent too - one of my blinds would not come up and down that easily, there was a bit of tension in it - they mailed me a replacement without any questions.
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I would recommend solar shades. They would offer you a stylish way to maintain your view and guard against glare. Bali Blinds has a large selection of colors and textures with varying degrees of solar openness. Use their free mobile app to select swatches and use the My Decorator tool to see your selection in combination with your wall, floor, and furniture colors. Check it out on www.baliblinds.com
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User
12 years ago
I installed solar shades on my west facing sliding doors. Would not do it again. I don't remember the "openess" number, but I can't see through it, yet the angle of the mid afternoon sun is still a problem.
rajlives
Original Author
12 years ago
joyce_6333, quick question how large were the samples at Penney's? I ordered some samples from an online place but they are about 4" by 4" which is enough to decide on a color but not enough to tell if they will stop glare. I was told when I got an estimate that dark color solar shades offer more visibility and less glare, so that's the direction I'm heading in.

I have 3 windows all lined up facing west with total of about 18' so I get a lot of light. Starting to think I will just buy 1 shade and see if it works. I'm looking to do a motorized somfy install as well, which is making this more expensive than I initially was going for.
Mom2BoysWisconsin
12 years ago
I would go to Bali Blinds "Ask the Expert" tool on their FB page and see what they have to say about this. After all, that is what they do (window treatments), they should know. I would think they could give you a more definitive answer to your question regarding openness.

Here is a link that might be useful: Solar Shade Options
Fun2BHere
12 years ago
I did a dual installation, a blackout shade (outside mount) and a shade with 5% opennesss factor (inside mount). My issue was privacy at night, so that's why I added the blackout shade, but you could use it for television viewing.

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