Short answer: openness is the percentage of the weave that is open. Lower numbers block more sun and give more daytime privacy but soften the view. Higher numbers keep the view and still cut glare. Which way the space faces should decide it.
The rest of this covers the options that actually work in that situation, what to decide before you order, the mistakes we get called out to fix, and how the Texas sun should change your choice.
What works, and why
Tighter weaves
Block the most sun and give the most daytime privacy. The right choice for a west facing patio that takes hard afternoon sun, at the cost of some view.
Mid range weaves
The usual compromise. Meaningful heat and glare reduction while keeping a usable view out to the yard. Where most patios land.
More open weaves
Keep the view almost intact and still cut glare. Suit north facing porches and spaces you use in the morning rather than the afternoon.
Fabric colour matters too
Darker fabrics cut glare and preserve the view better. Lighter fabrics reflect more heat but scatter light, which can actually increase glare.
What to decide before you order
- Which way the space faces and when you use it
- Whether you want to keep a specific view
- How close the neighbours are, since daytime privacy comes with a tighter weave
- Whether the space is used mainly morning or afternoon
Material, and why it matters more than style
The format of a treatment is a look. The material is what decides whether it still works in three years. Getting this wrong is the most expensive mistake available, because a custom treatment is not returnable and a warped one gets replaced.
Real wood
Lightest, takes stain beautifully, and belongs in dry living areas. It moves with humidity, so it is the wrong answer near a shower or a sink.
Faux wood and composite
Handle moisture and hard sun without warping. Heavier, which matters on a wide span, but they are why most Texas kitchens and bathrooms end up with them.
Fabric shades
Softer and warmer in a room, and the only option where openness factor lets you tune view against shade. Choose a weave rated for sun on a hot wall.
Vinyl and aluminium
Cheapest, and they behave like it on a west facing window. Fine on a shaded north opening in a room nobody uses.
Light control, privacy and the night time problem
Daytime privacy and night time privacy are different problems, and a lot of disappointment comes from assuming one treatment solves both. A weave that gives perfect privacy at noon can go transparent once the lights are on inside.
- Decide per window whether you need light filtering, room darkening or blackout
- Check whether the window needs to work after dark, not just during the day
- Remember that any inside mount leaks light at the edges, by design
- Layering a shade under a drape solves most cases that one product cannot
Mistakes we get called out to fix
- An open weave on a west facing patio, which does not cut enough afternoon sun
- A tight weave on a north porch, which makes it gloomy for no benefit
- Choosing colour on looks without considering glare
- Expecting any openness factor to give privacy after dark, which none of them do
The Texas factor
West and south facing glass takes the worst of the afternoon here, and it is the single thing that should drive the specification. A treatment that is perfect on a north window can fade, warp or simply fail to do its job on a west wall.
- Check which way each window faces before choosing material
- Moisture rules bathrooms and kitchens: faux wood or composite, not real wood
- Anything on the hot side should be specified for sun, not chosen on looks
- Shading the outside of the glass beats shading the inside, every time
How we would approach it
At the consultation we look at which way the window faces, what the room is used for, how the opening is built and whether it is square and deep enough for the mount you want. Then we measure every opening ourselves and quote from those measurements.
- Samples brought to your home so you see them in your own light
- Every opening measured on site rather than estimated
- A written quote based on those measurements
- Installation by the same team that measured
- Remade at no cost if it does not match the approved measurements
Let us measure it
The consultation is free, we bring samples you can hold against your own light, and we measure every opening on site. You get a written quote from those measurements.
