Facts About Window Film Fading
To understand the causes of fading one needs to know a little about the makeup of sunlight. Sunlight is basically made up of three elements
- Ultraviolet light - which we neither feel nor see but is the main factor in causing fabrics and furnishings to fade.
- Infra Red - the part which we feel as heat.
- Visible Light - the part which enables us to see.
- Miscellaneous elements - indoor artificial lighting, humidity, and poor dye anchorage.
Visible light and infra-red heat are the other factors that contribute to fading, which is why effective film installations must harness all three sunlight elements.
Ultraviolet absorbers are used to stop ultraviolet light at the film. The type, amount, and location of the absorbers in the product determine the film's effectiveness in reducing fading. Absorbers located in the adhesive instead of the film itself can be far less stable and enduring than those which are built into the film.
Professionally installed films will block 99% of all UV rays with UV absorbers as an integral element of the film.
Nothing completely stops fading. 3M™ Scotchtint™ Films help reduce the major causes of fading (ultra violet light, visible light, and solar heat), thus prolonging the life of your furnishings, perhaps as much as two to five times.
Keep in mind the article(s) to be protected; if they have a typical life of five (5) years then they may last ten (10) years to much longer depending on the performance of the film selected. However, if the typical life is only 2-3 weeks, then the expectation should be expressed in terms of months.
As a general rule of thumb, ultra violet (UV) is approximately 40% of the cause, visible light is about 25%, and heat about 25%. The remaining 10% can be attributed to humidity, pollutants, interior lights, dye stability, and more.
Fading is caused by four reasons
Not using 3M window film on your windows can leave quite an impression