Connecting to Collections Care

Dear Laureen,

Thanks for your question! I will pull together some information and get back to you shortly. In the meantime, I hope others who have experience using UV films will chime in and share their thoughts.

Best,

Jen

Hi Laureen,

The historic house I used to work at hired a company to install UV window film in some of the rooms. It was fairly expensive because of the company we chose, but the more rooms we did at one time the cheaper it was per room. About $1200 for one room vs. about $5000 for five rooms. The price will vary by company and depends on the style of window and type of film you choose. We received lower quotes from other companies, but ultimately chose the company that we did because of the recommendations we received from other museums that had worked with them.

Initially, I chose a clear film because I thought that's what we already had (they were over 20 years old and needed to be replaced). I was wrong and the clear film I chose let in so much light that it felt too bright in the room where it was installed. It also got noticeably warmer in that room on sunny days. So, if you have objects in your gallery, I strongly suggest a film that is at least somewhat tinted.

-Kasey

Hi Laureen,

We've used two different kind of UV blocking film in our historic house museum. In our more modern gallery spaces, we installed roller shades with tinted film. For 23 windows in three rooms, the shades cost us under $2000. Sometimes guests take notice of them, but it's the people who are interested in historic preservation and who appreciate that the objects need to be protected from harmful UV light. The hardware is pretty unobtrusive and you can see in and out of the windows just fine. I think the company we used had different levels of tinting to choose from. We also put some Gaylord Blue Scales Textile Fading Cards in the space two years ago, and compared to the control card we keep in a dark closet, the shades seem to be doing a great job. 

I have also been thinking about adding UV protection to the rest of the house that is interpreted as an early 20th century home. Pull-down shades are not an option so I asked my Gaylord rep about their UV window film. Their supplier no longer carried it as of August 2023 but they were able to send me a sample from their stock. It was a large, clear roll of film. I thought the film was adhesive, but it was not. I used it to cover the windows in our collection storage space, and hung it up with some double sided tape. I had hoped to use it on the leaded windows in the house museum but don't think I can use it for that as I am not sure how I would attach it to the windows. I may use it to line the inside of our clear display cases instead. 

Hope this is helpful!

One of my favorite references from the Canadian Conservation Institute about light (ALL wave lengths of light) as an agent of deterioration:

https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/agents-deterioration/light.html

And the CCI on-line Light Damage Calculator:

https://app.pch.gc.ca/application/cdl-ldc/description-about.app?lang=en

Hi Laureen,

We regularly use films to reduce sunlight and filter UV. There are a ton of different options out there (it's overwhelming), all with different technical specifications regarding transmittance, reflectance, appearance, and more. My biggest suggestion is to work with a window tinting company to get your hand on samples that maximize UV reduction and review them in situ. We frequently use neutral tints to also reduce visible light, and these can vary in appearance and give different effects in different spaces. Personally, I don't find that a slight darkening is distracting once a surface is fully covered, but there is a balance: it will really depend on your space, collection concerns, intensity of light, and aesthetic tolerances.

As others have already mentioned, it's not usually too expensive, but do plan for replacement after 10-15 years. Lifetime can be maximized by applying indoors, but sometimes it just depends on the context.

CCI also has a helpful resource on navigating UV filters, if of interest: https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/conservation-preservation-publications/canadian-conservation-institute-notes/ultraviolet-filters.html

Sarah

Dear Laureen,

I see you received a number of great responses here. I second the CCI references that Margaret and Sarah shared. I'd like to add a couple of considerations that I didn't see specifically mentioned. It is important to be aware of any risks associated with the method of film attachment, and be comfortable with the balance of risk to the windows themselves versus the benefits gained to protect your collections. Reversibility of films and their adhesives can be difficult, and these films will need to be replaced at some point in time. Solvents or scraping may be required to remove the film and adhesive from the window surface. For this reason, applying film to historic windows, or any glass with an irregular surface is not recommended.  Keep in mind any delicate adjacent surfaces that could be affected during the removal process. Also be sure to ask about any precautions for cleaning the windows, as films can become scratched creating a hazy appearance over time. 

I found this article by Samantha Springer to be helpful.

https://cool.culturalheritage.org/waac/wn/wn30/wn30-2/wn30-204.pdf

It was shared as a reference from Tara Kennedy's C2CC webinar, Collections Environment: Practical Solutions for Imperfect Places, which may be of interest to you. You can access the full webinar via YouTube:

https://youtu.be/DM8Iu875G8A?feature=shared

Best,

Jen