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UV Window Treatment advice please

C

Copperjacket

pfm Member
I am looking for advice primarily for Velux windows to reduce the effects of fading on furniture and furnishings please.

Ideally the treatment will not be opaque and will be used in conjunction with blackout blinds so we dont get woken at ungodly o'clock.

A DIY option would be preferred.

Many thanks
 
Pretty much any radiation coming through the window will cause fading, that is why many museum exhibits with dyes in them are dimly lit and sometimes only lit at all when someone wishing to view them, has to hit a timed switch.

If you really want to reduce fading, then fit proper blackout material and only open that when you actually need/want to.

Pigments are fine, dyes are not.
 
There is UV blocking window film available that can be applied yourself, preparation is key to a decent job. Pretty simple with such a small area.
I can put you in touch with someone who will cut you some pieces, online services are generally robbing bar stewards.
 
UV absorbers have finite lives, and unless you have a UV luxmeter, they are more hassle than they are worth.
 
I guess it might depend on how finite is finite? If, say, at typical UK insolation levels, the effective life was ~5 years, that might be a workable solution, whereas 6 months clearly isn't.
 
Sue Pertwee-Tyr said:
I guess it might depend on how finite is finite?
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It will, but good luck to anyone who tries to find numbers. I strongly suspect that any figures will be when exposed to sunlight, not on the inside of soft glass, which absorbs most UV anyway.

UV being the major problem is a total red herring.

Loads of technical information online, but any that is relevant to this???????

Light Stabilizers/UV Absorbers - Selection Tips & Formulation Examples

Understand the effects of UV degradation on polymers, how light stabilizers/UV absorbers can help prevent it & select the best suitable additive for your polymer (PA, PP, PE, ABS, etc.).
polymer-additives.specialchem.com polymer-additives.specialchem.com
 
Maybe a better solution is to fit a blind or similar to stop direct sunlight while allowing light through to the room. I have a painting I especially like and I make a point of putting it on a north facing wall so while the room may be sunlit the painting never sees direct sunlight.
 
Paints contain pigments, what gets damaged is the binders, including any varnish.
If it were not so, the great masters would be great grey amorphous blobs.
 
Thank you All for the suggestions so far.

Velux's own recommendation is their Duo Blind which incorporates an opaque section which expands / contracts as the blackout blind is drawn but they admit it may not really address my concerns and it is expensive. Living with windows that are substantially blacked out arguably defeats the point of the Veluxes to my mind at least. A film / overlay that works even if it needs replacing every say 4/5 years is what I would ideally wish to find.
 
So far as I am aware, films that are meant to be applied to glass are far from easily unapplied. How you would judge effectiveness at any point in time...................................

You are also far, far too fixated on UV.
 
Copperjacket said:
I am looking for advice primarily for Velux windows to reduce the effects of fading on furniture and furnishings please.

Ideally the treatment will not be opaque and will be used in conjunction with blackout blinds so we dont get woken at ungodly o'clock.

A DIY option would be preferred.

Many thanks
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Blackout is all that'll work.

over what period of time - 10 or 20 years? Are the furniture and furnishings valuable, antiques? Personally I'd live with it or move the furniture and furnishings to another room or sell em...
 
gintonic said:
Blackout is all that'll work.

over what period of time - 10 or 20 years? Are the furniture and furnishings valuable, antiques? Personally I'd live with it or move the furniture and furnishings to another room or sell em...
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Or accept that furniture that's regularly used will wear out after 10 to 15 years. Which reminds me, I'm going to need a new sofa.
 
stevec67 said:
Or accept that furniture that's regularly used will wear out after 10 to 15 tears. Which reminds me, I'm going to need a new sofa.
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so true we buy the cheapest leather sofas. They last about 10 years and they are done. Meanwhile my friends buy sofas that cost 4k each and then want to change decor after a few years....
 
Tony L said:
Just move to Greater Manchester, there are only three or four days of sunlight a year.
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I still remember the winter I spent working in Oldham. I didn't turn the wipers off on the car between September and March, I just left them on and turned the engine on and off as required. Occasionally I set the wipers to intermittent, but I never turned them off. Upon restarting the engine, the wipers would get going again. The mechanism wore out in fact, around 150k miles, towards the end of my stay there.
 
dweezil said:
One of our sofas is good and solid so we've booked in a recover / reupholster.

Very wide choice of fabrics, went with some people called Plumbs iirc.
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Not for me, mine was a castoff from a friend 15 years ago and looked somewhat used back then. It's leather, and decent quality, but I think it's beyond restoration.
 
dweezil said:
One of our sofas is good and solid so we've booked in a recover / reupholster.

Very wide choice of fabrics, went with some people called Plumbs iirc.
Click to expand...

yes my parents did that with their 5k each sofas - recovering costed more than new
 
Vinny said:
So far as I am aware, films that are meant to be applied to glass are far from easily unapplied. How you would judge effectiveness at any point in time...................................

You are also far, far too fixated on UV.
Click to expand...

Unless the glass has specific coatings it will only block UVB and not much UVA, I'm talking about commercial window films, designed specifically to block UVB - UVA and if required some of the visible light. They do not have to be opaque to function many with a slight tint. They are used in shop windows and offices, tower blocks etc too reduce heat, glare and UVA.
 
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