Pane protection

Lighter options for weathering the storm

Waiting in line at the big-box store for plywood to board up your windows as a hurricane approaches is bad. Hearing that the supply is exhausted is worse.

Worrying about whether the masking tape on your windows will keep the panes from falling into your house in pieces is bad. Cleaning the masking tape residue from the panes after the hurricane goes elsewhere is worse.

A number of newer alternatives to protect your windows and doorways from destruction during storms are available locally. Some are light enough to be installed and removed by one person. Some are translucent or clear and allow sunlight to filter through. Some are made of fabric and can be folded and stored in a closet or under a bed during the "off-season." And some are stiffer and would have to be stored in a garage or storage building.

Homeowners can choose to have panels made to size and have the hardware to hold them in place installed by a professional, says Roland Gahafer of All About Windows on Clements Ferry Road. In some cases, do-it-yourselfers can choose a standard-size panel or cut one to fit, as well as install the hardware.

Among the hurricane-protection panels available locally are Fabric Shield, Storm Stoppers, Lexan Clear Storm Panel and Armor Screen. The panels' ratings meet or exceed the International Building Code requirements subscribed to by South Carolina. They can withstand winds of 130 mph or more.

Fabric Shield panels weigh 4 ounces per square foot, says Michael George of Wayne-Dalton, the company that makes them. They are made of woven polyester fabric and coated with polyvinyl chloride, he says.

The lightweight panels are attached to a house using hurricane anchors that are drilled into the wood frame or concrete wall, and they are held in place by a wing nut, says George, storm products sales and marketing manager for the company.

"If you have average or better home-improvement skills, you can install this yourself," says George. Those who don't want to spend a weekend installing the hardware and getting the panels ready can have a dealer do that for them.

Another hurricane shield, Storm Stoppers, is specifically intended as a plywood alternative and can be cut to size with a box cutter. Unlike plywood, no nails or screws are used to install the panels, which attach to window frames using 3M Dual Lock fasteners that work like Velcro.

The panels are made of translucent corrugated plastic and are available in two thicknesses. The original panel is three-eighths of an inch thick and weighs less than 20 pounds; the half-inch-thick panel weighs less than 25 pounds. They are available in 65-by-108-inch and 74-by-80-inch sheets.

While the fasteners hold the panels in tightly, you can push them out from inside the house if there is an emergency, says dealer Bill Clarke, who started selling the product in Myrtle Beach last year and has a sales representative in Charleston.

In addition, there's the Clear Storm Panel, a corrugated sheet made with General Electric's Lexan. GE says they are four times stronger than half-inch plywood sheets. The panels are held in place by a track, are clear and are resistant to ultraviolet rays. Additionally, they can be left in place throughout the hurricane season because they don't block light.

There also is Armor Screen, a flexible membrane that allows light to pass through it. The panels, which weigh less than 1 ounce per square foot, are suitable for protecting larger areas such as balconies, carports and walkways from the damage that can be wrought by storms. They are available in removable, rollup or track system styles.

The cost of a panel for a 36-by-72-inch window ranges from about $250 to $350 if professionally installed and about $150 to $250 if you install it yourself.

For more information on these and other types of storm protection panels or shutters, call All About Window at 216-5677; New Horizon at 797-7762; or Ace Hardware at 843-497-9600.

Editor's note: Earlier versions of this story gave the wrong phone number for Ace Hardware. The Post and Courier regrets the error.

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