Materials Guide
BUILT FORFLORIDA.
Heat, humidity, salt air, and six months of hurricane season. The materials that survive here — and the ones that quietly fail.
The Stress Test
WHAT OUR CLIMATE DOES TO WINDOW TREATMENTS.
South Florida is the hardest environment in the country for window treatments. UV here fades surface-dyed fabrics in a couple of seasons. Humidity warps natural wood, swells cords, and feeds mildew in closed rooms. Within a mile of the coast, salt air corrodes cheap metal hardware from the inside out. Products that perform fine in Atlanta or Dallas visibly age here in two or three years.
The difference is almost entirely in material selection — which is why we spec Florida-grade materials by default rather than as an upgrade.
What to Choose
THE FLORIDA-PROOF SHORTLIST.
Poly-composite shutters shrug off humidity that cracks and yellows painted hardwood. Coastal homes, kitchens, and baths should default to composite — details in our shutters line.
Color locked into the fiber itself means shades that look new after years of direct sun. The spec that separates commercial-grade fabric from big-box product.
Coastal-rated brackets, tubes, and chains resist salt corrosion. Ask what the hardware is made of — it’s the part nobody shows in the brochure.
PVC and composite blinds handle splash zones and humid laundries where real wood fails. See the range in our blinds line.
Lining protects the face fabric from UV and doubles insulation. On west exposures it’s the difference between drapery lasting three years and lasting fifteen.
June Through November
HURRICANE SEASON, HONESTLY.
Let's be direct: interior window treatments are not storm protection, and we won't pretend otherwise. Impact glass and rated exterior shutters do that job. What good interior treatments do during the season is practical — raised fully, they stay clear of the glass; motorized systems retract everything in one command as a storm approaches; and battery motors keep working through the power outages that follow.
After the storm, the climate points above take over: whatever you install has to live through the humidity spike and weeks of intense sun that follow. Florida-grade materials are what make that a non-event.
Common Questions
CLIMATE & MATERIALS FAQS.
Do window treatments protect windows during a hurricane?
No — and anyone who claims otherwise is misleading you. Storm protection comes from impact glass, shutters rated for that purpose, or panels. Interior treatments are for light, heat, and privacy; during a storm they should simply be raised away from the glass.
Real wood or faux wood in Florida?
Near the coast and in any humid room, composite (faux wood) wins. It won't warp, crack, or yellow the way natural wood can in our humidity, and modern composites are hard to tell apart from painted hardwood. We cover both in our shutters line.
What fabrics hold up best against fading?
Solution-dyed fabrics — where color runs through the fiber rather than sitting on the surface — resist UV fading dramatically better. On strong sun exposures, that's the spec worth paying for.
How do I prevent mildew on my window treatments?
Choose moisture-tolerant materials in kitchens, baths, and any room that stays humid — composite shutters, aluminum, or synthetic fabrics — and let treatments breathe: raising and lowering them regularly keeps condensation from settling.
We'll spec materials for your exact exposure — coastal Key Biscayne is a different job than inland Weston. Build your project to start.
Next Step
DESIGN YOUR LIGHT.
Tell us about your space. We'll reach out within 24 hours.