Avoiding sun fade / window tint

[johnwhitfield]

I’ve got a long running battle going on about how dark my games room is. To avoid sun fade I’ve got the curtains permanently closed which makes the hallway very dark. If I’m honest I know my wife has a point.

I know Paul R had some special treated glass to reduce the effects of sun fade.

Anyone else tried this? Does it actually work

There seems to be a range of films you can buy and just stick on the glass. Anyone successful done this? Any brands better than others?

Any one do anything else or are we all turning into a group of mole people enjoying sunless rooms

 

[Paul]

Take a look on ebay - Most window tint filters UV, which is what causes the fading... applied with Soapy water and a squeegie... Cheap, cheerful and depending on the type chosen, with a varying amount of reflectiveness to those on the outside.

Used some in my Gamesroom - Unless you were head against the window, with the internal light on, you couldnt see a thing inside..

 

[Wayne J]

I've seen varying results (on Pinside) with the use if UV filters. The majority I've seen slightly reduce the fading, but certainly don't eliminate it.

Assuming moving the games so that the back of the machine is out of the question the only foolproof way to eliminate fade would be a cover.
However the vast majority of covers people use dont block out UV, just dust, so they wouldn't work either. A cover made out of a completely opaque material would be needed - perhaps blackout curtains would be the best bet, or smearing the sides with suntan lotion SPF50

A simpler solution is to arrange machines with predominantly red artwork further away from the window and out of direct sunlight and have those machines with a more blue/black artwork nearer the window. E.g. Imdn as far away from window as possible, WPT/AS next to window.

Although in an ideal world we could eliminate UB fade altogether, I think the vast majority of people accept it with a machine of any age.

 

[johnwhitfield]

Curtains is the current solution but I need to find a better one.

A thick layer of ginger cat hair doesn’t seem to be the answer which is a bit of shame as the cats have provided it free of charge.

 

[Sako-TRG]

I’ve used the tint film on skylight with soapy water and squeegee - is a real bastardo trying to eliminate the bubbles and creases though. I do thinks it’s effective at filtering the UV. It looks mirrored from external and tinted from internal. Ok on skylight but not sure on full window panes.