Window film to protect taxidermy from Sunlight Damage?

[superdutch]

My trophy room has some rather large windows. I have seen what sunlight can do to mounts, and thus far have avoided placing any of my taxidermy in front of the windows. However, as the room fills, the floor plan would lend itself to pedestals/full body mounts in front of the windows. I have read that 3m makes a window film that removes all the UV Ray's etc. Has anyone used a film? If so, has it protected your mounts? Any recommendations? Thanks!

 

[wesheltonj]

I have film on all my windows, UV will damage almost anything.

 

[K-man]

Depending on how old your windows are (say 20 yrs or less) you may already have a low-e coating on them. A reasonable way to check is to hold a match or cigarette lighter from the inside and see if there is a reflection from the interior of the pane, or multiple reflections from double or triple pane. I would guess that if you are from Florida, they probably have the coating. If not, the films certainly will work but you must pick one that will install clear and take care not to allow bubbles between them. Even without your mounts, your HVAC bill will be less with the film. Good luck and a great problem to have that you need space for trophies

 

[superdutch]

Thanks for the responses. I might have the coatings - my house is just three years old, but I didnt spec the windows, they are just the builders standard so I suspect they dont have any features beyond the minimum required. With the film, will the sun still damage the taxidermy, or will it be ok long term?

I have an unexpected, but kind of fun problem - I have taxidermy from three safaris and two trips to Alaska, all coming in the next year. It just happened that my 2017 Namibia hunt, 2018 Tanzania and AK Mountain Goat (being done by Dennis) and 2019 South Africa will all come this year! I am prob about year out on my 2019 life size Dall Sheep, too. 31 mounts. I figured they would each arrive staggered about once per year, but they all are coming in at roughly the same time. As I look around, I think I am going to need that space in front of the windows!

 

[YancyW]

I just built my current house a couple years ago, I still added an extra layer of UV protection to all the windows on the south and west sides of the house. I have a slight tint to them, you can't really tell from the inside, but from the outside looking in, they are pretty much mirrored.

 

[Bhfs300]

What direction are the windows on. North South Etc if you have windows that only get direct sunlight certain time of the day you could just have automatic drapes that are down during the critical time and up the rest of the time.

 

[K-man]

Most every choice involves a compromise. We can tint windows to almost black and will have a SHGC (solar heat gain coefficient) that is almost zero, but you won't be able to see out them. A quality low-e window will have a SHGC of 28 or less the smaller the number the better the performance. I think the best solution is to apply a film you can still see out of and them use a quality lined drape or blind for the heat of the day. That way you can open up for when you have people in, and keep them protected the rest of the time. Your electric bill will also improve. You could put a piece of colored construction paper on the floor for a couple weeks and see how much it fades, then decide what to do.

 

[superdutch]

My widows face due south, so quite a bit of sun comes in throughout the day. I have blinds on them too that I use. Is it a consensus that if I have the film applied I will be able to place taxidermy directly in front of the window?

 

[superdutch]

Which is great news - my room just got much bigger!

 

[CBH Australia]

I suspect it all helps and while its protection only time will tell. I dont have any taxidermy but i see effects of no film and the benefits of tinting car windows

 

[buck wild]

There is a UV protection spray out there specifically designed for taxidermy. I can't vouch for it but I did recently purchase some. I dont have damage and dont have direct sunlight but I still sprayed a couple of my special mounts for extra protection (if it works and I dont know for sure).
It's called Mount Protect
https://www.google.com/search?sourc....0....1..gws-wiz.......0i131j0i10.x2gSztwUVeE

 

[TXhunter65]

@superdutch can't wait to see pictures of the trophy room once all those arrive.

 

[superdutch]

@superdutch can't wait to see pictures of the trophy room once all those arrive.

Me too! I can't help but to keep working on the placement sketch and measuring and remeasuring!

 

[superdutch]

There is a UV protection spray out there specifically designed for taxidermy. I can't vouch for it but I did recently purchase some. I dont have damage and dont have direct sunlight but I still sprayed a couple of my special mounts for extra protection (if it works and I dont know for sure).
It's called Mount Protect
https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=4xYvXvySDcOpytMP_ceZmAM&q=mount+protector+for+&oq=mount+protect&gs_l=psy-ab.1.1.0j0i22i30l9.990.2848..4955...0.0..1.450.2255.0j12j4-1......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i131j0i10.x2gSztwUVeE

That's interesting, I had never heard of that product, thanks for bringing it to my attention. The fact that is sold by McKensies and Van Dyke lend it some credibility too, and will be worth a try!

 

[gizmo]

I put UV coating on all my windows and additionally add window treatments. UV will destroy mounts and UV coating is cheap.

 

[superdutch]

Just as a follow up - I had the window film guy out to the house yesterday and we will be having a 3M film put on the windows. It removes 99.9% of the UV rays, reduces heat etc. and will protect the taxidermy, among other benefits. Thanks everyone for your input!