How to Choose the Right Honeycomb Fabric for your Unique Window.

	Products » Cellular Shades Overview » Skylight Shades » Arch Shades » Energy Saving Sidetracks » Accessories & Parts » Insulating Roman Shades » Free Color Samples
	How To's » How to Order » How to Measure » How to Install » Ordering Tips » Contact Us » How to Videos » FAQ's
	More Information » Energy Saving Info » Insulate Against the Cold » Insulate Against the Heat » Professional's Page » Warranty » Shipping & Policies » International Customers » Referral Program » Blogger Program » Blog
Shop Online with Confidence » Customer Comments » Secure Ordering » Free Color Samples » Comparison Shopper » Child Safety » Newsletter » Press » Tell a Friend About Us » Resource links » Photo Gallery » Current Specials » Contact Us » About Us
Sign Up For Savings Enter Your Email Address We'll email our specials.

How to Choose the Right Fabric for your Window

Types of fabrics available

Not sure where to start?



Double Cell Light Filtering R- Value: 4.6	Double Cell Black Out R- Value: 5.8

Single Cell Light Filtering R- Value: 3.4	Single Cell Black Out R- Value: 4.3

R-Values above include double pane glass. Click here for details.

Type of room

We find that many people choose the type of fabric based on the room that they are buying for.

For bedrooms, media rooms and children’s bedrooms, black out fabrics provide the light blocking and privacy that you need for a sound sleep or to immerse yourself in your favorite movie! Blocking out 99% of light, the black out fabric can be paired with ComforTrack Plus side tracks for the darkest room.

Studies show that our bodies get better sleep in a dark room. This is especially true for people that work the night shift or live in areas that the sun shines into the night time. Black Out shades with sidetracks provide superior darkening over conventional window treatments.

For Living Rooms and Offices light filtering fabrics are often the way to go. They reduce glare and still offer energy savings. They are perfect for cutting down glare on TV and computer monitors.

Consider the time of day that you use the room.

Light filtering fabrics provide privacy and will not allow people to see in. Strong lighting from the interior may allow people to see silhouettes of items or people close to the window, but otherwise provide plenty of privacy. See photos below.

Black out fabrics will not allow passersby to see light from inside your house and blocks the light from the outside from coming in. Adding the top down bottom up option will transform a standard black out shade to one that can still allow in some light and maintain privacy.

We frequently get the question, how much can people see in and out? We’ve taken some photos of one of our team member’s shades at home to show you!

What can you see?

What do I see at night?

view at night View from the outside at night View from the inside at night
(Both Light Filtering Shade in 108 Cameo)

What do I see during the day?

view day View from the outside on a cloudy day View from the inside on a cloudy day
(Light Filtering Shade in 108 Cameo)

How much visible light does a shade allow in?

All of our cellular fabrics filter 100% of UV light, which helps protect your furnishings and family!

Light Filtering Fabrics

The amount of visible light that Light Filtering shades allow in really depends on the color of fabric that you choose. Although all light filtering fabrics are white to the exterior, the interior color may affect how much light enters the room. If you purchase a white shade, you will have more light in the room than one that is for example, Dark blue to the interior. Request free fabric samples so that you can hold them up to the window and see how much light the color you love lets in!

Black out Fabrics

All Black out shades block 99% of visible light. Adding the sidetrack system will block the light gaps that are present with a shade that does not have tracks. The foil within the cells not only blocks light, but it helps block the outside air off the window surface from entering your room. The foil is not visible from the interior or exterior of your room. Black Out shades are always white to the outside.

(No flash or interior lights were used in the light filtering images to measure only how much light comes through from the outside.)


1. See the amount of light filtered for multiple Light Filtering fabrics. Colors from L-R: Manuscript 106 (Off-White), Harp 101 (Cream), Mezzo 147 (Light Green) and Serenade 146 (Dark Green).	2. See the amount of light filtered for multiple Light Filtering fabrics. Colors from L-R: Romance 126 (Burgundy), (Off-White), Amadeus 154 (Lightest Blue) and Mezzo 147 (Light Green).

3. See the difference between a White Light Filtering Shade and a White Black Out Shade. Colors L-R: Manuscript 106 (Off-White) & Gardenia 3200 (White)	4. See the difference between a White Black Out Shade and a Black Blackout Shade. Notice that they block equal amounts of light, even though the fabric color is different. Colors L-R: Gardenia 3200 (White) & Night Sky 3499 (Black)

If you still have questions, feel free to contact us!

Quick Quote

Regular Skylight
Arch

Width:

Height: