Window Film vs Solar Shades in South Florida: What Each One Blocks, and What It Costs
Both are sold on the same three numbers: heat, UV and glare. Here are those numbers from the film makers' cards and the screen mills' sheets, what each one does at 4 PM and at 9 PM, what each costs on one window, and the warranty question that decides it on impact glass.
Window film or solar shades: which one for a South Florida window?
Film and a solar screen block about the same things on paper, and behave in opposite ways in the room. A quality film rejects 50 to 77% of the sun's total energy and over 99% of UV, and cuts glare 22 to 85% depending on how dark it is (3M, LLumar, Madico, Solar Gard spec sheets); a 3% solar screen blocks 97% of UV, passes 4 to 17% of the visible light by colour, and leaves a solar heat gain of 0.21 to 0.58 on the glass it is tested on (Mermet, Phifer). The difference is that film is on the glass permanently, day and night, and a shade moves: open for the view and the light at 9 AM, closed for the 4 PM west sun, up at night when a reflective film would turn the window into a mirror from inside.
On laminated impact glass, the window warranty decides before the numbers do. PGT's residential warranty is "null and void" if "aftermarket products, such as window films, are applied to the PGT product". 3M's own glass checklist requires a glass check and 3M's prior approval for "laminated glass in single pane or double pane", and its warranty covers thermal-shock breakage only on "recommended types of glass", to $500 per window; Pilkington "will not accept responsibility for glass performance following the application of any field-applied film"; Avery Dennison requires written approval for any laminated glass. A shade leaves the glass and its warranty alone. And the UV and heat figures film is sold on are the ones impact glass already delivers.
- Cost: film $5 to $20 per square foot installed (Fixr; HomeAdvisor $7 to $15 plus labor), about $210 to $840 on a 72 by 84 in window; a manual roller shade in the same screen fabric $382 on our price list for that window, a motorized one $833 to $2,287 by system.
- Choose film for glass that cannot take a shade: a storefront, a stair window, a skylight nobody will operate, glass that is not impact-rated and whose warranty allows it.
- Choose the shade for any room you live in: it does the film's job when the sun is on the glass and gets out of the way when it is not, keeps the night view, and keeps the glass warranty.
- Both is a real answer on an older clear-glass west wall: a light film for the UV and a share of the heat, a screen for the glare and the privacy.
Compiled by Exotic Shades & Draperies in Fort Lauderdale from the film makers' specification cards, the mills' fabric sheets, the published cost guides and our own price list. We sell shades, not film, and the table below gives film its numbers in full; the case for each is in the conditions, not the headline figure.
What the film makers publish #
Representative products from the four large makers, on their own specification cards. Figures are for single-pane clear glass unless the card says otherwise; TSER is total solar energy rejected, SHGC the share of solar heat that still enters.
Swipe sideways to see every column.
| Film | Visible light transmitted | Glare reduction | Total solar energy rejected | SHGC with film | UV rejected | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3M Prestige 70 (clear, non-metal) | 69% | 22% | 50% (44% on dual pane) | 0.50 (0.56 dual pane) | 99.9% | 3M Prestige family card |
| 3M Prestige 40 | 39% | 55% | 60% | 0.40 | 99.9% | 3M Prestige family card |
| 3M Night Vision 35 (low interior reflection) | 35% class | 63% | 54% | 0.46 | 99.9% | 3M Night Vision card |
| 3M Night Vision 25 | 25% class | 73% | 63% | 0.37 | 99.9% | 3M Night Vision card |
| 3M Night Vision 15 | 15% class | 85% | 72% | 0.28 | 99.9% | 3M Night Vision card |
| LLumar DRN 35 (neutral) | 34% | 61% | 56% | 0.44 | over 99% | LLumar DRN 35 spec |
| LLumar DR 15 (reflective) | 15% (13% dual pane) | 83% | 76% (61% dual pane) | 0.24 (0.39 dual pane) | 99% | LLumar DR 15 spec |
| Madico Solar Grey 35 | 35% | 61% | 53% | 0.47 | 99% or more | Madico Solar Grey |
| Madico Reflective Silver 20 | 19% | 79% | 76% | 0.24 | 99% or more | Madico Silver |
| Solar Gard Silver 20 (NFRC) | 16% | not stated; fade reduction 83% | 77% | 0.23 | over 99% | Solar Gard Silver |
| Solar Gard TrueVue 30 | 31% | not stated | 61% | 0.39 | over 99% | Solar Gard TrueVue |
Reading the film table. The darker the film, the more heat and glare it removes and the less of the view and the daylight you keep, all day, every day: a 3M Night Vision 15 cuts glare 85% and the light to 15%, a Prestige 70 keeps 69% of the light and cuts glare 22%. Reflective films (LLumar DR, Madico Silver, Solar Gard Silver) reject the most heat and give "daytime privacy"; LLumar's own page adds that "after dark, when interior lights are on, visibility from outside increases". The film is a decision made once, for noon in August and for 9 PM in December alike.
What the screen mills publish #
The same quantities for the screen fabrics we cut, by openness and colour. Openness is the share of the weave that is open; colour decides the view and the glare, and dark fabrics absorb heat at the glass while light ones reflect it.
Swipe sideways to see every column.
| Fabric | UV blocked | What the colour does | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mermet E Screen 1% | about 99% | the darkest view, least glare | Mermet E Screen spec |
| Mermet E Screen 3% | 97% | the everyday South Florida screen | Mermet E Screen spec |
| Mermet E Screen 5% | 95% | more view, more light | Mermet E Screen spec |
| Mermet E Screen 10% | 90% | the most open weave | Mermet E Screen spec |
| Phifer SheerWeave 2410, 3%, Brite White | about 97% | Tv 17%, SHGC 0.27 on single clear glass, 0.21 on insulating glass | Phifer 2410 card |
| Phifer SheerWeave 2410, 3%, Charcoal/Grey | about 97% | Tv 4%, SHGC 0.58 single, 0.36 insulating: the glare killer | Phifer 2410 card |
| Phifer SheerWeave 2000, 5%, White | about 95% | Tv 16%, SHGC 0.30 | Phifer 2000 card |
| Phifer SheerWeave 4000, 5%, Greystone | about 95% | Tv 8%, SHGC 0.43 single, 0.29 insulating | Phifer 4000 card |
Reading the fabric table. A 3% charcoal screen passes 4% of the visible light, less than the darkest film on this page, and gives the sharpest view out; a 3% white passes 17% and keeps the room bright. On single clear glass the white screen leaves a solar heat gain of 0.27 and the charcoal 0.58, because a dark fabric absorbs the sun at the glass and warms the room from there, which is why colour, not openness, is the heat decision on an interior screen. The full ranking of every product by the sun's energy that still reaches the room, with the glass each mill tests on, is on best window treatments to block heat; the openness choice is on 1% vs 3% vs 5% vs 10% and the colour choice on dark or light solar shade fabric.
The number the tables cannot show. A film's figure applies 24 hours a day. A shade's applies while it is down, and the DOE-funded survey behind the AERC rating schedule found that most coverings stay in one position all day; an automated screen that closes when the sun is on the glass and opens when it is not is the version of a shade that competes with film on heat while keeping the view and the daylight the rest of the time.
Film on impact glass: what the window and film makers say #
Window makers
PGT: void with aftermarket film
PGT's residential limited warranty: "This limited warranty shall be null and void ... if any other 'aftermarket' products, such as window films, are applied to the PGT product." Pilkington's technical bulletin on field-applied films: "The application of a film or coating can in some circumstances cause or contribute to glass breakage", and Pilkington "will not accept responsibility for glass performance following the application of ANY field-applied film".
Film makers
3M and Avery: laminated glass needs prior approval
3M's glass checklist names "laminated glass in single pane or double pane" and "double pane glass larger than 40 square feet" as situations where a glass check is required, and "dealer failure to obtain 3M's prior approval will result in no glass breakage warranty". 3M's 2026 film warranty covers thermal-shock breakage only when the film is "applied only to recommended types of glass", to "a maximum value of $500 per window". Avery Dennison's film-to-glass chart: laminated glass "needs prior written approval from Avery Dennison".
What this means in Broward and Miami-Dade. Most windows installed here since the 2000s are laminated impact glass, and most of them are PGT, CGI, ES or a similar maker whose warranty should be read before film is quoted. A shade, a drapery or a honeycomb touches nothing but the frame or the wall above it. Where film is still the right tool, on a storefront or on older non-impact glass, the glass check in 3M's own process is the step to insist on.
What each one costs on a 72 by 84 inch window #
Swipe sideways to see every column.
| Option | Published rate | On a 72 by 84 in window (42 sq ft) | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window film, professionally installed | $5 to $20 per sq ft installed (Fixr); $7 to $15 per sq ft for the film plus $5 to $10 labor, ceramic $10 to $20 (HomeAdvisor) | about $210 to $840 for a 72 by 84 in window (42 sq ft) | HomeAdvisor's average job $614, normal range $317 to $943; Fixr's average $375 for five windows | HomeAdvisor, June 2026 |
| Manual roller shade, Mermet or Phifer screen, fascia, installed | Exotic Shades & Draperies price list, October 2026 | $382 for 72 by 84 in, before tax; $225 at 36 by 60 in, $767 at 144 by 120 in | about $9 per sq ft on the reference window, falling as the shade grows | Roller shade prices |
| Motorized roller shade, same fabric | Exotic Shades & Draperies price list, October 2026 | $833 Essential, $933 Somfy WireFree, $1,133 wired Somfy, $1,293 Lutron Triathlon, $2,287 Lutron Sivoia QS, for 72 by 84 in, before tax | fabric, motor, measure and installation included | Published price list |
Reading the cost table. On one window a professionally installed film and a manual screen shade land in the same range; the film is cheaper per square foot on a wall of glass, the shade costs more and does more, and a motorized shade is a different purchase, priced on our price list by system. Film is replaced when it bubbles or purples; a screen fabric carries the mill's own warranty and the shade is serviced, not replaced. Neither number includes the window warranty a film may cost you. Electrochromic and switchable glass, the other product sold as the shade you will never need, is costed the same way on smart glass vs window treatments.
Film, shade, or both: the honest split #
Our practice We sell shades. These are the cases where we say so, and the cases where we do not.
Film
Glass nobody will operate a shade on
A storefront or an office lobby, a stair or hallway window, a skylight with no pocket, a sidelight at a door, older clear non-impact glass whose maker allows film. The film works all day without anyone touching it, and nobody wanted the view back at night anyway. Have the glass checked under the film maker's own rule first.
Shade
Any room you live in
Living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, offices: a screen does the film's job when the sun is on the glass and gets out of the way the rest of the day, keeps the night view, adds privacy when it is down and a blackout layer where the room sleeps, and leaves the impact glass and its warranty alone. Automated, it beats film on heat without giving up the daylight.
Both
The old clear-glass west wall
Behind pre-2000 clear or lightly tinted glass, common in older Broward and Palm Beach buildings, a light non-reflective film takes the UV and a share of the heat permanently, and a 3% screen takes the glare and the privacy when it matters. The film goes on only with the glass maker's blessing, and never on laminated impact glass without the film maker's written approval.
Window film vs solar shades: questions
Is window film or a solar shade better for heat? #
On paper they overlap: quality films reject 50 to 77% of total solar energy (3M Prestige 50 to 60%, Night Vision 54 to 72%, LLumar DR 15 76%, Solar Gard Silver 20 77%), while an interior screen leaves a solar heat gain of 0.21 to 0.58 on the glass it is tested on, by colour. Film works 24 hours a day; a shade works while it is down, and an automated screen closed when the sun is on the glass matches film on heat without giving up the view and daylight the rest of the day.
Does window film void an impact window warranty? #
It can. PGT's residential warranty is null and void if aftermarket products such as window films are applied; Pilkington will not accept responsibility for glass performance after any field-applied film. 3M requires its own prior approval before film goes on laminated glass, and Avery Dennison requires written approval. Read the window maker's warranty before quoting film on impact glass.
Which blocks more UV, film or a solar screen? #
Film: over 99% on every card here. A 1% screen blocks about 99%, a 3% screen 97%, a 5% screen 95%, a 10% screen 90% (Mermet). Laminated impact glass already blocks about 99% on its own, which is why UV is rarely the reason to choose either one behind new glass.
Does window film give privacy at night? #
No. Reflective films give daytime privacy; LLumar's own page says that after dark, when interior lights are on, visibility from outside increases, and a reflective film mirrors the room back at you from inside. A shade down at night gives privacy; a dual roller or a lined drapery gives the night layer without losing the day view.
How much does window film cost compared with a solar shade? #
Film: $5 to $20 per square foot installed (Fixr), $7 to $15 for the film plus $5 to $10 labor per square foot (HomeAdvisor), so about $210 to $840 on a 72 by 84 in window. A manual roller shade in a Mermet or Phifer screen is $382 on our price list for that window; a motorized one $833 to $2,287 by system, installed, before tax.
Can I put window film on laminated impact glass? #
Only with the film maker's approval and the window maker's blessing. 3M's glass checklist lists laminated glass as a case needing a glass check and 3M's prior approval, with no breakage warranty otherwise; PGT voids its window warranty for aftermarket film. Most South Florida windows installed since the 2000s are laminated impact glass.
Does window film reduce glare better than a shade? #
A dark film cuts glare more than a light screen, and a dark screen cuts it more than a light film: 3M Night Vision 15 cuts glare 85% and passes 15% of the light; a 3% charcoal screen passes 4% of the visible light; a 3% white screen 17%; a 3M Prestige 70 cuts glare 22%. The film does it permanently; the shade does it when you ask.
Will window film stop furniture fading? #
It removes the UV share. The International Window Film Association puts UV plus visible light at about 65% of fading and solar heat at another 25%; 3M says even UV films do not completely stop fading. A screen or a lined drapery over the west glass takes the visible light and heat share that film and impact glass leave.
When is window film the right choice? #
Glass nobody will operate a shade on: a storefront, an office lobby, a stair or hallway window, a skylight without a pocket, a sidelight, or older clear non-impact glass whose maker allows film. The glass check in the film maker's own process is the step to insist on.
Can I use both film and solar shades? #
Yes, and on an older clear-glass west wall it is often the best answer: a light non-reflective film for UV and a share of the heat all day, and a 3% screen for the glare and privacy when the sun is on the glass. On laminated impact glass the film goes on only with the window maker's and the film maker's written approval; the shade needs neither.
Where the numbers come from #
All documents accessed 17 October 2026. Figures are reproduced as the film maker, the mill or the cost guide prints them; our shade prices are from our own published price list. Makers revise their documents, and we will update the page when a figure changes.
- 3M, Sun Control Window Film Prestige series family card: PR70 VLT 69%, glare 22%, TSER 50%, SHGC 0.50 (dual pane VLT 62%, TSER 44%, SHGC 0.56); PR40 VLT 39%, glare 55%, TSER 60%, SHGC 0.40; UV 99.9%. multimedia.3m.com
- 3M, Prestige 70 product page: up to 97% infrared rejection, up to 99.9% UV, up to 60% of the heat; non-metalized. www.3m.com
- 3M, Night Vision product card: NV15 TSER 72%, SHGC 0.28, glare 85%; NV25 TSER 63%, SHGC 0.37, glare 73%; NV35 TSER 54%, SHGC 0.46, glare 63%; UV 99.9%. multimedia.3m.com
- LLumar, DR 15 specification (NFRC): VLT 15%, UV 99%, glare 83%, TSER 76%, SHGC 0.24; dual pane VLT 13%, TSER 61%, SHGC 0.39. blog.americanwindowfilm.com
- LLumar, DRN 35 specification: VLT 34%, UV over 99%, glare 61%, TSER 56%, SHGC 0.44. americanwindowfilm.com
- LLumar, reflective window film: daytime privacy; after dark with interior lights on, visibility from outside increases. llumar.com
- Madico, Solar Grey: 55/35/20 VLT 57/35/19%, glare 36/61/78%, TSER 37/53/64%, SHGC 0.63/0.47/0.36, UV 99% or more. madico.com
- Madico, Reflective Silver 20: VLT 19%, glare 79%, TSER 76%, SHGC 0.24. madico.com
- Solar Gard, Silver (NFRC): 20/35/50 VLT 16/33/52%, SHGC 0.23/0.35/0.49, TSER 77/65/51%, UV over 99%, fade reduction 83/68/51%. www.solargard.com
- Solar Gard, TrueVue: 15/30/40 VLT 12/31/39%, SHGC 0.23/0.39/0.48, TSER 77/61/52%. www.solargard.com
- HomeAdvisor, window tinting and films cost guide (June 2026): $7 to $15 per sq ft, labor $5 to $10 per sq ft, ceramic $10 to $20; average $614, normal range $317 to $943. www.homeadvisor.com
- Fixr, home window tinting cost (January 2025): $5 to $20 per sq ft professionally installed; average $375 for five windows. www.fixr.com
- 3M, glass checklist (2019): laminated glass in single or double pane requires a glass check; no breakage warranty without 3M's prior approval. multimedia.3m.com
- 3M, Sun Control Window Film warranty (April 2026): thermal-shock breakage covered only on recommended types of glass, maximum $500 per window. multimedia.3m.com
- Pilkington, technical bulletin ATS-113 on field-applied plastic films (2013): film can cause or contribute to glass breakage; no responsibility after any field-applied film. www.pilkington.com
- PGT, all residential products limited warranty (2020): null and void if aftermarket products such as window films are applied. www.pgtwindows.com
- Avery Dennison, architectural window film film-to-glass chart (2025): any laminated glass needs prior written approval. graphics.averydennison.com
- Mermet USA, E Screen grouped specification sheets (April 2025): UV blockage about 99%, 97%, 95% and 90% by openness. mermetusa.com
- Phifer, SheerWeave 2410 swatch card: Brite White Tv 17, SHGC 0.27 single and 0.21 insulating; Charcoal/Grey Tv 4, SHGC 0.58 and 0.36. www.draperinc.com
- Phifer, SheerWeave 2000 sample card: White Tv 16, SHGC 0.30; Charcoal/Gray Tv 7, SHGC 0.58. www.trivantage.com
- Phifer, SheerWeave 4000 series card: Greystone Tv 8, SHGC 0.43 single, 0.29 insulating. draperinc.com
- International Window Film Association, What to do about fading furniture and decor (2015): UV and visible light about 65% of fading, solar heat 25%. iwfa.com
- University of Florida IFAS Extension, FY1045: outside treatments keep out more heat than indoor treatments; SHGC the most important window number in Florida. ask.ifas.ufl.edu
Discerning homeowners, designers, and developers across South Florida trust Exotic with their most important spaces.
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Exotic Shades & Draperies, Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach
Exotic Shades & Draperies is a South Florida window-treatment company that designs, sews and installs its own work: Lutron and Somfy motorized shades, custom draperies sewn in our Fort Lauderdale workroom by five in-house seamstresses, plantation shutters and blinds. Established in South Florida in 2024, backed by more than 20 years of window-treatment manufacturing and installation experience. Lutron certified dealer, Somfy Expert, Crestron and Control4 integration. The same in-house team measures, installs and programs every project; when shading has to integrate with another control system, we bring in our smart-home partner Adom Smart Home.
Fort Lauderdale workroom and showroom
4539 Powerline Rd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 · 954-881-9331
Miami Beach showroom
500 South Pointe Dr #150, Miami Beach, FL 33139 · 954-872-9007
Where we install
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties: Miami Beach, Sunny Isles and Aventura through Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach to Boca Raton, Delray Beach and West Palm Beach, with projects in the Caribbean and New York.
How a project runs
Free in-home measurement, a written quote from the same engine as our published prices, fabrication in our own workroom, installation and programming by our own team, and service on the systems we install.
Solar screens that do the film's job when the sun is on the glass, from Miami to Palm Beach
Mermet and Phifer screens cut in our Fort Lauderdale workroom, chosen by openness and colour for the exposure, automated to close when the sun is on the glass and open when it is not, on windows whose warranty stays intact. The same in-house team measures, builds, installs and programs from Miami Beach to West Palm Beach.
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