Can you see through solar screens that are shading your windows?

In this post, I am going to discuss the topics “can you see through solar screens” and “looking through solar screens“. “What outward visibility for solar screens is like“. “What it looks like seeing through solar shades at night“. These are all topics that come up from conversations I have had with my customers. Topics that are on the top of people’s minds when looking to have solar screens installed. In addition to these questions, I have SOOOO many more posted under my Austin TX Solar Screen Q&A page.

Can you see through solar screens?

Looking from the inside out, you can see through our 80% and 90%, PVC-coated, evenly woven solar screens very well. Looking from the outside-in you cannot see through our PVC-coated fabric all that well during the day.

Take a look at the following pictures. You will comparatively see that the 90% solar screen fabric is considerably denser. For the 80% solar screen fabric you can see past the fabric to about a foot into the home. Past that, it’s hard for your eyes to focus. By the same token, if it’s dark outside and the lights are turned on inside, you can see inside. You can then see right past the fabric to see inside. You will see that this is addressed towards the bottom of this post where I correspondingly discuss evening privacy.

Can you see through solar window screens looking in from the outside?

Addressing the can you see through solar screens question, looking from the outside-in take a look at the following picture. This picture shows two 80% solar screens and three 90% solar screens.

How well can you see through solar screens? This picture shows the 80% solar screen fabric next to the 90% solar screen fabric. You can first hand see the difference between these two fabrics. — How well can you see through solar screens? This picture shows the 80% solar screen fabric next to the 90% solar screen fabric. You can first-hand see the difference between these two fabrics.

Solar screens give you great daytime privacy. I constantly hear from people that tell me how they are pleasantly surprised at the privacy. If you read through some of my solar screen reviews, you will see where people have written in to me talking about this.

To get an idea of cost for your Austin TX project, I post my installed solar window screen pricing here. 

And have a great article about how much solar screens for windows cost here.

Order screens and shades for self installation. — And be sure to check out my self-install DIY window screen online store.

How about looking out from the inside?

Looking out, can you see through solar screens? People are consistently pleased with my answer to this question. As I hear all the time from customers asking, -can you see through solar screens? Will my vision be impaired? I have a great backyard, will I continue to be able to enjoy/see it? I like to look outside, will I be able to with the solar screens?

Sliding solar screen door system. — What an installed solar screen sliding door system looks like. The system provides shade for the entire door.

I can also shade your sliding door with a sliding solor screen door system.  

Doing so will provide full shade for your sliding door.

When I put sample solar screens up for people to show them how well they can see through our 80% and 90% solar screens, people are astonished. Additionally, when I install the solar screens on people’s windows, people are elated. I hear all the time from surprised customers telling me how well they can see through the solar screens. This is a common reaction that I get from people that have never had solar screens before.

The following picture shows a 90% solar screen on the left window. And, no solar screens for the 2 windows to the right.

This picture shows how well you can see through the solar screens looking out from the inside. The left window is shaded by a 90% solar screen. the right two windows are not shaded at all. — This picture shows how well you can see through the solar screens looking out from the inside. The left window is shaded by a 90% solar screen. The right two windows are not shaded at all.

Comparing Twitchell Textilene and Phifer’s Suntex fabrics

Our PVC-coated fabric, Twitchell Textilene, and Phifer’s Suntex have an even weave pattern to them that allows for great outward visibility. The two models, both of them, Textilene and Suntex are identical as far as I can tell. With one exception, Textilene has better tie knots than Suntex. But that’s an assembly/manufacturing issue, nothing for a homeowner to think about. Except, I will say that sloppy screen assemblers will roll solar screens with those tie knots. Phifer’s Suntex tie knots are unsightly, they are big and obvious if they are part of the screen assembly. We use to use the Phifer Suntex fabric and while I think it is a great fabric, I will say I had to deal with these tie knots quite frequently.

JoshHobbs.com carries 6 fabric colors, each in 80% and 90% shade levels

Fabric colors I can make my Austin TX solar screens for windows out of. — I can custom-hand make solar screens for Austin Texas windows out of any of these 6 fabric colors. Something I do not recommend is to use multiple fabric colors on the same home. These are also my frame colors I can use. Typically you will want to match the color of window frame when building the solar screens. However, an installation can really be dressed up by outlining the solar screen with an accent color. It’s like painting the crown molding within your home a different color, it can be a nice accent. To get a feel for what installations like that look like, I encourage you to look through my Pictures – Solar Window Screens page.

To get fabric samples mailed to you, give us your address.

What’s it like looking through solar screens?

I tell people that looking through solar screens made out of our 80% fabric is great. The 80% fabric lends outstanding visibility. Looking through the 80% fabric is not too terribly different than looking through your existing bug screens. Sure, 80% fabric is a little bit darker, but with the even weave lends great visibility.

Looking through solar screens that are made from our 80% fabric.

Looking though solar screens made out of the 80% fabric. The two windows on the right have 80% solar screens. The left window does not have a solar screen. Look how clear (how well) you can see through this 80% fabric. — Looking through solar screens made out of the 80% window shade fabric. The two windows on the right have 80% solar screens. The left window does not have a solar screen. Look how clear (how well) you can see through this 80% fabric.

Looking through solar screens when made out of this kind of Textilene 80% or 90% fabric is great. This picture here above shows the difference between not having a solar screen and having 80% solar screens. Look how well you can see through the 80% solar screen fabric.

Showing how solar screens do not provide evening privacy. — For evening privacy, you will still need interior shades like blinds and curtains.

Do I need curtains for  my windows if I have solar screens?

Will solar screens replace the need for window blinds or shutters ?

Looking through solar screens that are made from our 90% fabric.

Looking out a commercial 90% solar screen installation. — You can see through the 90% solar screen fabric very well.

This picture here above shows the 90% solar screen fabric. You see there to the left of that door. That upper and bottom window does not have a 90% solar screen on it. However, all the rest of the windows above and to the right of the door do have 90% solar screens.

When you have west-facing windows, you should use the 90% fabric. Use the 90% Fabric and don’t give a second thought to visibility for solar screens as a question. Visit this section on my website. Where I discuss the differences between the 80% and 90% Solar Screen Fabrics.

Difference between 80% and 90% Solar Window Screen shade levels — Shows what 0%, 100%, 80% and 90% shade levels look like.

Visit my Q&A page to learn more about when to use the 80% and 90% solar screens for your windows.

What 80% fabric vs 90% fabric for the solar window screens looks like.

What outward visibility for solar screens is like.

The following picture is a great illustration to show you what solar screen outward visibility is like. For the window on the left, that is a 90% solar screen. For the window on the right, that is an 80% solar screen. The outward visibility for solar screens here is great. You can see through both solar screen fabrics well.

Outward visibility for solar screens. This picture which shows outward visibility for both the 90% and 80% side by side. — Outward visibility for solar screens. This picture shows outward visibility for both the 90% and 80% side by side.

This is representing outward visibility for solar screens using the beige fabric. The beige fabric is actually harder to see through than the black or chocolate fabric. The reason being light is reflected off of the beige Fabric and your eyes see that reflection. When there’s black or chocolate fabric there is no reflection and your eyes see right through the fabric.

For optimal outward visibility for solar screens, we recommend using the black or chocolate fabric. The beige, stucco, or gray fabric all being lighter in color, show light reflections.

Considering using window tint or film instead?

Considering window tint or window film vs solar screens, well don’t. The two are far apart as far as effectiveness. Solar screens as a shading device provide shade from the outside, therefore the two are incomparable products. Shading from the outside keeps the glass from getting hot and provides internal shade. For effectiveness, window film (tint) and solar windows screens are not in the same ballpark.

What it looks like seeing through solar shades at night.

You can see through solar shades at night. You can see through all solar shade fabrics. Even the densest, darkest, 99% shade fabric out there you can see through at night. Seeing through solar shades at night is a given, and we have proven it with the following pictures.

Black 90% office sun shade screens Austin Texas — Keep the sun out of the office, but still see through to the outside.

Need to shade your commercial windows from the outside? With the objective of keeping the business inside cooler? Then you are looking for Austin TX commercial solar window screens.

Showing a Government 99% fabric project.

For this Government building central Austin commercial roller shade project off of 15th street. The project calls for total evening privacy. Other bidders told the purchaser that you can not see through the 99% fabric. I told the purchaser that you can at night. The companies that we were bidding against me assured the purchaser that the 99% fabric would lend evening privacy. To prove my point to the government purchaser, I made the following solar shade samples for him to see. Once the government purchaser saw these pictures, he knew what I was telling him was correct. We had to ultimately use a vinyl fabric for the project.

80% shade Austin TX solar screens for apartment buildings. — Showing how well apartment buildings can clean up with a uniform appearance.

Have a multifamily apartment property in Central Texas you would like tranformed with my solar screens for apartments?  

Make the multifamily property look uniform and clean with solar screens.

What I showed the government purchaser.

Dense 99% solar shade fabric. — A test showing what seeing through outdoor Austin TX solar shades at night is like. This picture shows the densest solar shade fabric out there. The 99% solar shade fabric. This picture shows what it’s like with the lights on inside and outside.

You can see through the darker solar shade fabric more than you can through the lighter gray fabric. As a result, your eyes notably see the reflective light on that lighter-colored fabric. Nevertheless, you can see through both colors of fabric.

Privacy at night with solar shades — A comparative test showing the results of seeing through solar shades at night. This picture shows that you can not get total privacy at night with solar screens, even with the densest 99% sun shade fabrics. With any solar shade product, you can not eliminate seeing through solar shades at night.

If you are looking for total privacy for your windows or patio by means of patio roller shades, the solar shade fabric is not your answer.

Austin TX manual roller solar blinds for patios. — Custom hand-made, made-to-order, Austin TX manual roller blinds for patios.

To see more examples of what my patio roller shades look like, visit my Austin TX patio roller shades pictures page.

I hand make manual roller blinds for patios here in Austin TX. I make them to custom fit sizes up to 16' in width.

Thinking about solar roll up shades instead of blinds for your new home?

So if you have a new home. And for that new home was wondering if you could replace the need for blinds with solar shades. And you were asking yourself about seeing through solar Shades at night. The answer is yes you can see through them, and for privacy, you will still need blinds. Blinds that are for the windows that you would need evening privacy for.

Update December 2018: We will be bringing on board a new line of blackout shades that have zero visibility inward or outward. These new blackout shades offer complete privacy for the windows they are shading. With these new blackout shades, no one can see in at night. These blackout shades are for interior window use only, not for the exterior.

Visibility at night looking through solar screen fabric — Solar screens for windows do not provide evening privacy. Solar window screens are not the answer to nighttime privacy. For night privacy, you will need interior window coverings, aka blinds or curtains.

While you can see very well through our Austin solar screens and Austin patio solar shades from the inside looking out during the day.  Meanwhile, the opposite applies when the roles are reversed at night.  To begin with, visit our seeing-through solar screen material at night page to see what it is like to look through solar shade fabric at night.

Instead, just need residential insect bug screens for windows?  I can take of you there as well.

FYI ... solar screens, likewise to basic bug screens will also provide the same flying insect protection.