Question : What makes up a good sun control fabric? How many different solar shade fabrics are out there that one can make solar screens out of? What are the differences between the different sun screen fabrics? What sun shade fabrics are better than others? Are there different colors of sun control fabrics? What sun screen fabrics last the longest in the direct sun? What solar shade fabric will fade the least in the direct sun? What solar screen fabric is the strongest, that's the most durable, that's the most pet resistant?
Answer : We are "HUGE" fans of Phifer's Suntex Sun Control fabric line. The Suntex sun control line comes in a 70%, 80% and 90% weave. The 70% weave currently only comes in Black. The 80% and 90% weave are available in Black, Chocolate, Stucco, Grey and Beige as shown in this photo.
Phifer Suntex Sun Control Fabrics
You can go to Pictures, Solar Screen Services - Austin, TX to see many houses, homes and commercial buildings that we have installed our solar screens on that display these various color options.
The Suntex Sun Control Fabric is extremely strong and durable. So strong, I guarantee you that you can not rip or tear it with your bare hands. It's 'the one' line of the many sun control fabrics out there that I have personally seen over the years that lasts the longest from the harsh direct sun we endure here in Ausitn Texas during our long hot summers. All over town here in Austin TX I get a chance to see old solar screens, old solar screens that have been installed over the previous years by our competitors, and I can say with 100% certainty that the solar window screens made out of the Suntex sun shade fabric by far holds up the best.
Alternatively, I have to admit that the Phifer Super Solar sun control fabric is not bad, it holds up in the direct sun very well, but it is not pet and hail resistant like the Suntex line, it's an entirely different sun shade fabric, and it only comes in the 90% weave and two color options. Simply put, the Super Solar sun screen fabric is yesterday's model.
The Suntex sun shade fabric is so strong it is pet resistant, now that's not to say that pets can't tear it up, it is to say however that the Suntex sun shade fabric is super durable and very resistant to abuse. The fabric is made out of yarn with a PVC coating around it.
When you see the Suntex solar shade fabric first hand, you'll appreciate its quality. In fact, if you live in the Austin TX area we will for free send you one of our solar screen sample kits. From our website http://www.joshhobbs.com/ you can order for free our solar screen sample kit so that you can first hand see how strong the Suntex sun screen fabric actually is.
The Suntex Sun Screen fabric was first manufactured by Phifer as a fabric to integrate into the construction of outdoor furniture. Interestingly, we see it on the patio's of people's houses quite often. We always get a kick out of walking up to a person's back patio seeing furniture made out of the Suntex fabric.
I can't stress enough how SUPER strong the Suntex Sun Control fabric is.
The key to a good sun shading fabric is that you want one that will withstand the test of time. Anything in the direct sun will fade and wear on you, especially here in Austin Texas where the sunny hot days are long and brutal. For your solar window screens, you will want to use the best sun shade fabric that you can. And that's the Phifer Suntex sun control fabric.
We sadly see on people's houses all of the time degraded solar screens that customers tell us are only 3 years old that just look horrible. It's such a shame, I feel for these people. Sadly, a shady solar screen company will bid a job based on him making the highest profit margin he can, whereby one of the things he will do to cut those corners to make that higher profit margin is to assemble his solar screens out of the cheapest lowest end fabric and framing materials that he can. It saddens me to see this. Consumers rely on the expertise of the professionl they have hired to do the job. These type of unscrupulous companies do this at the end-result expense of durability and longevity. It's sad, because often at the end of the day, the consumer won't know the difference, leaving the light to be shed on these shady companies years down the road when the customer starts to see their solar screens fade, degrade and wear.
This is not how we operate, we only use the industries highest-end materials "period" to assemble our solar screens with. The materials I use for your assemblies are the same I have used for myself, on my own home as shown in these two pictures.
You can find our installed cheap solar screen pricing on our website at
Solar Screen Pricing
By using a far superior product we will often come in under most everyone elses bids much less than our competitors do with their cheaper materials. We are not greedy, we are smart about about are work, thus we can be extremely 'effecient' which is a savings we pass along to you. Compare our published pricing and you'll see for yourself.
We see jobs all over town that we did many years ago that look just as good today as they did back then. That's saying a ton about our solar screens. Actually, we refuse to build solar screens out of anything but the Suntex sun control fabric. When we do government contract work for example that has a low installed government fixed rate, we refuse to stoop to the low practices of using inferior products to increase our profit margin. We will always absorb the loss (difference in cost). We all the time bite the bullet and chalk up the manufacturing cost difference to use our high-end Suntex screening. I refuse to use an inferior product. I know better and will not concede integrity and quality for a minimal profit.
J P Hobbs, Inc - Sponsor(s) & Underwriter(s)
