We used Hunter Douglas Silhouettes in our kitchen, breakfast nook, and family room when we built our home in 1993 and they still look as good as new. Here is a photo of them on three of the windows in our octagonal shaped breakfast nook. The middle one is open to show the slats with see-thru fabric in between and the other two are in a closed position. They are somewhat delicate looking, but very subtle which makes them pretty versatile. I hope this helps.

You could try another Hunter Douglas dealer. Personally, I would leave the old shades and get new ones. Ron

Madeyna, did you use it only on a hard surface, or was there fabric involved? Strangely enough, I have absolutely no mildew anywhere on the wood frame windows. The only place it occurs in the room is 1) on the Hunter Douglas blinds 2) on the floor below the shady side window (took me a looong time to figure out why the white oak floor always felt kind of sticky on the "shady side" of the room -- a hot vinegar wash did that fine) and 3) on the underside of the bookshelves that line the two exterior walls (the two interior wall bookshelves have no issues).

Hi there! If you need more privacy than the solar shades offer the Silhouettes are a great choice. Since solar shade fabrics have different fenestration properties depending on things like how open the weave is, what color the fabric is, it's hard to tell if Silhouettes would block more or less u.v. when the vanes are open. However, with the Silhouettes, you also have the option of closing the vanes. When you close them they would definitely block more u.v. than solar shades. Keep in mind they are not as kid and pet friendly as solar shades. Another option could be zebra shades. https://www.hunterdouglas.com/window-treatments/roller-shades-solar-shades/designer-banded The roller shades you have could probably be retrofitted to be dual shades which would add another layer that could provide privacy. (I know we could do that.) Depending on the top treatment you have on your shades, it might be as simple as changing the bracket to a dual bracket and then getting another shade to put in front of or behind the one you have now. Or you could get new dual shades like this: https://www.hunterdouglas.com/operating-systems/manual/dual-roller There are window films that block about 99% of u.v. rays, too. Since solar heat gain is a problem for you, you might like window films that help with that. There are some that don't have much of a tint to them. (Check with your window manufacturer on whether or not film would void your window warranty.) http://www.johnsonwindowfilms.com/residential-commercial-products/sunlight/ We manufacture Open Light roller shades in Ann Arbor, Michigan. If we can help, please let us know. Good luck!