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Solar / Screen Fabrics
Performance weaves in 1%, 3%, 5%, and 10% openness factors — glare and solar-heat control that preserves the view. Specified per elevation, with Title 24 SHGC documentation included.
Openness 1–10%
Commercial Roller Shades · San Francisco Bay Area
Solar screens that tame glare, blackouts that kill it entirely, and dual-roller systems that do both — fabricated to DLO-verified dimensions in San Francisco and installed on contract-grade hardware built for a decade of daily cycles.
4.9 ratingSince 1998 · 26+ yearsWidths to 180″ · NFPA 701 fabrics
Openness Factor
Openness factor is the percentage of a solar-screen weave that is open space. Tighter weaves kill glare and heat; more open weaves keep the view. Choosing it correctly — per elevation, per room — is most of what “fabric selection” means.
The commercial workhorse spec
The most-specified openness factor in commercial work — the balance point between glare control, heat rejection, and a usable view out. Our default recommendation for Bay Area office floors.
Best for
Open-plan offices · conference rooms · most commercial glazing
Glare control85
View-through45
Solar heat rejection80
Representative comparison at equal fabric color. Actual glare, view, and solar performance also vary with fabric color and composition — darker screens improve view-through; lighter screens reflect more heat. We evaluate both in selection.
Fabric & System Options
Four fabric families and four mounting systems — combined per room against light transmittance, colorfastness, and pilling resistance.
02
Light-Filtering Fabrics
Closed weaves that diffuse daylight into a soft, even glow — full privacy with no view-through, in a deep range of colors and textures for design-driven interiors.
Soft daylight
03
Blackout Fabrics
Total light elimination for hotel guest rooms, conference centers, AV rooms, and executive suites — paired with sealed cassettes and side channels for true blackout.
Full darkness
04
Dual / Double-Roller
Solar screen and blackout on the same bracket — daytime glare control and full darkening from one opening, operated by a single motorized or manual system.
Two-in-one
Mounting Systems
Cassette, fascia, or open roll — detailed to the millwork.
Contract-grade aluminum fascias, steel brackets, and tube systems engineered for 10+ years of continuous commercial use — with custom tube calculations, counterbalance systems, and multi-drop configurations for floor-to-ceiling glazing and atriums.
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Cassette
Fully enclosed headbox that hides the roll and seals the top light gap — the cleanest read, and the basis of true blackout assemblies.
02
Fascia
A crisp architectural face in painted or clear-anodized aluminum that conceals the tube while keeping service access simple.
03
Open Roll
The exposed-tube workhorse — minimal, durable, and budget-efficient where the shade sits inside a ceiling pocket or above sightlines.
04
Side Channels & Hembars
Perimeter light-gap control for blackout performance, plus sealed or weighted hembars that keep large fabric panels tracking straight.
Fabric libraries we specify from
MechoShadeHunter DouglasSilent Gliss
NFPA 701 fire-ratedGREENGUARD GoldPVC-free optionsHPD-documented
Dual-Roller Systems
Conference rooms and hotel guest rooms need two opposite things from the same window. A dual roller stacks a solar screen and a blackout fabric on one bracket set — so the room switches from glare-controlled daylight to full darkness in seconds.
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Day mode — solar screen
A 1–10% openness screen manages glare and heat while the room keeps its view and daylight.
02
Dark mode — blackout
The second roll drops for presentations, video calls, or sleep — full darkening on demand.
03
One bracket, one control
Both fabrics share a single bracket set and operate from one motorized or manual system — no doubled hardware, no visual clutter.
Drive Options
Most commercial floors mix both — chains where hands reach, motors where they can’t. We spec the split.
Manual
Clutch & chain
The proven, budget-efficient drive — a high-cycle clutch with a stainless bead chain, rated for years of daily commercial operation.
- High-cycle clutches sized to tube diameter and fabric weight
- Child-safety-compliant chain tensioners on every install
- Zero wiring — ideal for retrofits and reachable windows
- Lowest cost per opening across large shade counts
Best for reachable glazing, private offices, and value-driven projects.
Motorized
Quiet motors, smart control
Whisper-quiet tubular motors on Lutron, Somfy, or hardwired low-voltage platforms — with Crestron and BMS integration for scheduled, scene-based shading.
- Lutron, Somfy, and Crestron-integrated control platforms
- Hardwired low-voltage, line-voltage, or battery-powered options
- Multi-drop configurations — several shades from one motor
- Scheduled scenes and daylight-responsive automation, BMS-ready
Best for high or oversized glazing, conference rooms, and whole-floor rollouts.
Where They Work
01
Open-Plan Offices
3% solar screens across whole elevations — screen glare handled floor by floor
02
Conference Rooms
Dual-roller systems — solar screen by day, blackout for presentations and calls
03
Lobbies & Atriums
Large-format shades to 180-inch widths with oversized tubes and counterbalance systems
04
Hotel Guest Rooms
Sealed-cassette blackout with side channels, built for around-the-clock guest use
05
Healthcare & Labs
PVC-free, GREENGUARD Gold fabrics in sealed-cassette systems for controlled environments
06
AV & Training Rooms
Total-blackout assemblies with motorized recall to preset light levels
California Performance
West-facing glass in San Francisco and Silicon Valley takes direct afternoon sun for hours — and every commercial project answers to California’s energy and safety codes. Our roller shade specifications carry the documentation with them.
Title 24
California Energy Code
Solar-screen SHGC documentation prepared for plan check and final inspection — the openness factor you pick is the number we substantiate.
NFPA 701
Fire-rated fabrics
Flame-propagation certified fabrics across our standard roller range, with certificates included in every submittal package.
AB 2263
Child-safe operation
Cordless motorized systems and tensioned chain drives compliant with California's window-covering safety law — standard on every spec.
- 26+
- Years Commercial
- 180″
- Maximum Width
- 4.9
- Average Rating
- 10+
- Years of Duty
Roller shades since 1998
Single-panel fabrication
Verified customer reviews
Contract-grade hardware rating
How It Runs
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Step 1: Survey & DLO Measure
We field-measure every opening ourselves — DLO verification and bracket load calculation on each one.
02
Step 2: Fabric Selection
Openness factor, light transmittance, colorfastness, and pilling resistance evaluated against the room — with memo samples in hand.
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Step 3: Local Fabrication
Shades built to verified dimensions at our San Francisco facility — stocked contract hardware keeps lead times on your schedule.
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Step 4: Installation
Clean, coordinated installs — from single conference rooms to phased multi-floor rollouts.
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Step 5: Warranty & Service
Written warranty on every installation, with service and maintenance from the same local team.
Quotes · Memo Samples · Shop Drawings
Send elevations, window counts, or just the address — we’ll come back with pricing, fabric samples, and a spec you can put in front of the architect.
Cutting Edge Drapery · 15 Dorman Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124Info@cuttingedgedrapery.comFax 1-415-824-6001