You certainly may! There are some key aspects to sunscreen blinds to keep in mind when comparing and selecting the right fabric for your needs.
1. FABRIC SUPPLIERS
Are the fabrics offered from a reputable fabric supplier with a proven track record in supplying fabrics for NZ conditions? What warranty period and terms relate to the fabric itself. Avoid the low cost fabrics from who knows where? What certifications do they have or not? Do they have the right UV inhibitors to last in our conditions down here in NZ? Colourfastness? etc.
Blinds Online Ltd don't offer any cheap generic sunscreen blind fabrics – we only offer fabrics from well established fabric suppliers.
Texstyle and
Shaw are both proven NZ based sunscreen blind fabric suppliers. And we take this same lasting quality approach to the componentry we use as well; no cheap quality componentry that discolours, become brittle, and fails, available here. We only use
Acmeda componentry.
2. OPENNESS FACTOR
This relates to the small holes in the sunscreen blind fabric, how much light passes through into your home, and how much light is blocked out. You don't want to cut back all the light; otherwise you'd be needing a blockout roller blind, not a sunscreen blind. You want some light, you want to cut back glare and heat gain, possibly retain your view to some extent, and reduce the amount of UV damage to carpets, floors, and furniture. The openness factor will also dictate the amount of privacy you get. Openness factor is expressed as a percentage; Commonly: 3%, 5%, and 10%. For example a sunscreen blind fabric with an openness factor of 5% will allow 5% of the light to pass through into your home while blocking out 95% of it. The lower the %, the less light, less view, more UV protection, and more privacy you get. The higher the % the more light and the clearer view out you get.
3. COLOUR
Within any specific sunscreen blind fabric range, there is no price difference between colours. What you do need to consider is that light colours (straight white especially) can be quite 'glarey' to look at when the sun is directly on the fabric.
Dark colours are easier to look through (at the view) however will absorb more heat than lighter colours, which will
reflect more sunlight than absorb it. Also consider tying your colour choice in with some aspect of your homes decor; whether it be the carpets, walls, or picking up and complementing colours in the kitchen bench for an example.
4. WEAVE
This relates the how many fabric strands cross each other in each direction. Most sunscreen blind fabrics are 2X2; two strands vertically for every two strands horizontally making up a 2X2 weave. There is also a 2X1 weave which is typically easier to look through so great if retaining the view is important to you. Both weave options are available here. You may need to look at fabrics closely to see and understand what I mean in terms of weave. To my eye the 2X2 weave looks more stock standard while the 2X1 weave does have a more refined look about it. Then there's completely different weave designs like
Dakota; for more of a fashion statement or point of difference to your home's decor.
5. BUDGET
This of course comes into play to different degrees depending on your situation. I'd encourage you to request a quote based on what you want design wise, initially, but know that if the quote doesn't match your budget I can always help direct you accordingly, with an alternate quote. Or if your budget is tight and you want to go straight to the
most economical sunscreen fabrics (without compromising on the things that make sunscreen blinds last) then look at
these ranges.
So in conclusion, think about the above aspects and what's most important to you when considering sunscreen blind fabrics. There is a lot of specific fabric data in the
sunscreen blind fabric selector when you hover over the 'fabric range name' info icon as well. Scan through the other FAQS here too as some of these above aspects are discussed further. There may be other considerations relevant to your situation covered in the FAQ sections. And of course if you have more questions just ask!
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