Get solar shades you get the view without the fade

I have a couple chairs that are man made fabric and I can place them in direct sunlight and have not had any fading. I have a window seat with a very good UV film on the windows but pillows fade very fast anyway during the strong summer sun.

Having your furnishings exposed to sunlight will cause fading. As a general rule, 40% of the fading comes from the UV, 25% from the visible light we can see, 25% from the heat literally cooking your furnishings and the last 10% from sources like interior lighting, poor dye anchorage, humidity, etc. In our business we see natural fabrics fade faster than synthetics, while bolder, darker colors fade faster than neutrals.

we have a pink couch up in our loft, but under the arm protectors its as red as red can be. be warned.

we have a solar shade in the kitchen to slow the yellowing of our maple cabinets.

Here's an interesting article from Houzz. "[A Surefire Way to Prevent Sun Damage Indoors[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/a-surefire-way-to-prevent-sun-damage-indoors-stsetivw-vs~28288104)"

You have to take extreme measures to eliminate fading. Nothing will be 100% effective. Our goal with the proper application of window film is to reduce the fading so you can get the natural lifespan out of your furnishings. Navy blues, and deep reds are going to show noticeable fading much faster than many other colors. A lot of this is from the dyes used and how well they hold onto the base fabric.

With all products, quality and performance vary. Some inferior brands of window film will lose their UV absorbing ability after 4-5 years of normal sun exposure. This is an unfortunate outcome when manufacturer's cut corners to reduce cost. If your window film is a few years old and you are experiencing fading, the film effectiveness can be tested with a UV meter. Quality brands like Vista and LLumar provide 99% or higher UV blocking which is maintained even after 10+ years of exposure. We recently tested one of our first installations from 12 years ago that was still blocking 99%+.

This picture is from a clients home that had a poor quality window film installed when they first moved in. The client noticed the damage and contacted us for a consultation (the company that originally did the work was out of business). This film was less than 4 years old and we measured virtually no UV blocking power left. The film was removed and replaced by us 4 years ago and the refinished floors are looking as good as new!

Enerlogic window film - Carmel, IN · More Info

Enerlogic window film - Carmel, IN · More Info

sunlight causes serious fading for sure, over time it can be dramatic.

As stated above, eveything is going to fade over time. Nothing last forever. However we can take steps to drastically reduce fading especially when it comes to fabrics. All fabrics are different when it comes to durability and light fastness. Usually this information can be found on a specification card for the fabric. It really depends on how and where you plan on using your furniture. If you are going to put a sofa in a sunroom with lots of daylight and put a 100% dark linen fabric on it be prepared to have it reupholstered frequently. Not only will it change color but the fabric will weaken with the exposure to heat. Now if you want to put a sofa in that sunroom and use a Bella-Dura or Sunbrella fabric that has a 1,500 hour minimum light fastness rating then it should definitely fade slower over time.

Look at fabrics like you look at buying a car. You would not buy a corvette to drive in the winter in Colorado even though you like how it looks and feels to drive. You would buy something more practical for that situation. Same with fabrics. Just because it is more expensive per yard doesn't mean that it is going to handle the elements any better than something that is less expensive. Be aware of what you are buying.

The combination of the right fabrics and good UV Protecting Window Film can go a long way to ensure that you get a good life out of your furnishings. I actually have Vista UV Window film on my furniture store to protect my pieces from east facing windows.