Should I choose Privacy Screening?
In our business of helping homeowners get outdoor privacy in their Florida screen enclosures and pool cages we come across a lot of products claiming to offer privacy for screened rooms and aluminum enclosurers. Some of these products give privacy and some do not and they each have their pros and cons. One of the first options people consider for screen enclosure privacy is to replace their existing screening with darker “privacy” screening. There are screen enclosure builders who offer a darker replacement screening that is said to provide a certain level of privacy inside screened pool cages and patios.
I recently had a customer in Viera, Florida who was sold this “privacy” screening and found that the screening was only slightly darker than his regular screen. Needless to say, he was very disappointed with the product. Not only did his new privacy screens not give him any privacy, the new screens were very expensive. After a very frustrating and fruitless attempt to get his money back from the purchase of his privacy screens he was stuck with “privacy screens” and no privacy. Unfortunately, this customer’s privacy screen story is common in our business.
How about Florida Glass?
Another product that attempts to be a privacy screen replacement for existing screens is Florida Glass. The difference between darkened privacy screens and Florida Glass is that you actually get privacy in your enclosure with Florida glass. Florida Glass is an opaque screening that will block views from both inside and outside of the screened enclosure. Some things to consider when re-screening with Florida Glass as a privacy screen is the permanent loss of view from the inside of the screen enclosure.
You should also be aware that while Florida Glass does a great job of providing screen enclosure privacy, it also does a great job of blocking airflow. Permanent loss of view and loss of airflow are significant reasons to strongly consider whether or not to use Florida glass as a privacy screen replacement.