"Which fabric should I choose?" is the question we hear most often during MagnaTrack consultations. The answer depends on your patio's orientation, how much sun you get in the afternoon, whether bugs are a concern, and what you want your home to look like from the street. This guide walks through every option — the way a local installer who has done hundreds of Treasure Valley installations would explain it.
Every MagnaTrack order involves two independent choices: fabric type and color. Most homeowners conflate them, which leads to confusion. Once you separate them, the decision becomes straightforward.
Fabric type controls performance. It determines how much UV radiation is blocked, how much heat is reduced, whether insects are kept out, whether rain is stopped, and how much airflow passes through. This is the functional decision — and it should be made first, based on your patio's orientation and your primary concern.
Color controls appearance. Once you have chosen the right fabric type, you select a color within that fabric line. Color affects outward visibility (darker colors actually provide better outward visibility, which surprises most people), how the screen looks from the street, and how well it complements your home's exterior palette. We bring physical fabric samples to every consultation so you can evaluate colors in your actual outdoor light.
MagnaTrack offers four distinct fabric categories, each engineered for a different primary purpose. Understanding what each category does — and does not do — is the fastest way to narrow your choice.
Solar screen fabrics help manage sun, heat, and glare while preserving outward visibility. Boise Blinds specifies OmegaTex™ StormShield 90 as the standard fabric for new MagnaTrack exterior shade projects. The key technical concept is openness factor — the percentage of the fabric surface that is open. StormShield 90 has a published 10% openness factor. Lower openness generally means a more closed weave and less outward visibility.
Idaho context: Boise averages over 200 sunny days per year. West-facing patios in the foothills and open-terrain communities like Avimor, Dry Creek Ranch, and Floating Feather Road experience intense afternoon sun from June through September. The right openness factor makes a significant difference in patio comfort during peak summer hours.
| Fabric | Solar Control | Openness | Outward Visibility |
|---|---|---|---|
OmegaTex™ StormShield 90Boise Blinds Standard Fabric | Solar & wind abatement | 10% | Open weave |
Textilene Solar 80/90 | 80–90% UV | 10–20% | Excellent |
Textilene Solar 95 Nano | 95% UV | 5% | Good |
Textilene Solar 97 Nano | 97% UV | 3% | Moderate |
Twitchell publishes OmegaTex™ StormShield 90 for exterior solar and wind-abatement shading systems. Its documented construction uses vinyl-coated 1,000-denier polyester-core yarns in the warp and vinyl-coated 1,000-denier Kevlar®-core yarns in the fill. The manufacturer lists seven stocked colors: Mojave Desert, Tumbleweed, Expresso Texture, Granite, Tobacco, Charcoal, and Flat Black.
Twitchell publishes a 15-year limited warranty for fixed and operable storm and wind-abatement shading applications; terms and exclusions apply. Important: StormShield 90 is not a hurricane screen. Twitchell does not endorse or warrant it for that end use.
View StormShield 90 on Twitchell's manufacturer siteInsect mesh is designed to maximize airflow while keeping insects out. It provides minimal UV or heat protection — its job is bug control. The Treasure Valley mosquito and noseeum season runs from late May through September, with heavier pressure near the Boise River corridor, irrigation-adjacent properties, and communities like Heron River in Star, Williamson River Ranch in Eagle, and Barber Valley in Boise.
For patios where both insect protection and UV reduction matter, MagnaTrack offers a dual-screen configuration — a solar screen and an insect screen on the same opening. Each screen operates independently, giving you the flexibility to deploy one or both depending on conditions.
| Mesh | Weave | Blocks |
|---|---|---|
| 16/14 SS Black | Standard | Flies, mosquitoes, standard insects |
| 16/14 SS White | Standard | Flies, mosquitoes, standard insects |
| 17/20 SS Black | Fine | Noseeums, gnats, and smaller insects in addition to standard insects |
Vinyl is the fabric choice when the goal is to create an enclosed outdoor room rather than a shaded one. It blocks rain and wind-driven debris, retains heat into November and December, and transforms a covered patio into a usable space well beyond the summer season. It is the right choice for homeowners who want to extend their outdoor living into Idaho's fall and early winter months.
The important trade-off to understand: vinyl significantly reduces outward visibility and airflow when deployed. On a warm summer evening, you will want the screens retracted or replaced with a solar or insect option. Vinyl is most commonly specified for covered patios where rain protection is a primary concern, and for commercial applications such as restaurant and brewery outdoor seating that needs to operate year-round.
Boise Blinds specifies StormShield 90 as the standard fabric for new MagnaTrack exterior shade projects. Twitchell positions this material for exterior solar and wind-abatement shading systems. For Treasure Valley homeowners, that makes it a practical standard when the goal is a durable exterior screen that also manages sun and wind exposure.
StormShield 90 has a published 10% openness factor and seven stocked fabric colors. Your consultation is where we confirm the right fabric, color, screen configuration, and opening-specific suitability. It is not a hurricane screen, and it should not be represented as one.
Learn more about StormShield 90 from TwitchellThe extrusion color is the aluminum frame that houses the MagnaTrack system on your home's exterior. It is visible from the street and should complement your trim color, siding material, and architectural style. Below are the standard frame colors with guidance on which Idaho home types they suit best.
White
Traditional and transitional homes with white trim, painted stucco, or lighter siding.
Ivory
Cream, beige, or warm stucco exteriors. Common in older Boise neighborhoods and traditional Eagle homes.
Beige
Tan or sandstone stucco. Versatile and neutral — a popular choice in Meridian and Star new construction.
Silver Pearl
Contemporary metallic finish for modern and transitional homes. Popular in Eagle luxury developments and Avimor.
Bronze
Brown, copper, and earth-toned exteriors. Common in Boise's North End craftsman homes and foothills properties.
Dark Gray
Bridges Silver Pearl and Night Sky. Versatile for contemporary homes with gray or mixed-tone exteriors.
Night Sky
Deep charcoal for dark trim, black window frames, and modern homes. Popular in Eagle and Star new construction.
Custom color note: RAL color matching is available for homeowners who need an exact match to an existing architectural element. Custom colors extend lead time and carry an additional charge.
The following pairings come from hundreds of Treasure Valley installations. They are specific to local home types, orientations, and communities — the kind of guidance that only comes from a local installer who knows how the afternoon sun hits a west-facing foothills patio in August.
Eagle, Avimor, Dry Creek Ranch
Typical exterior: Dark trim, black window frames, natural stone or stucco, contemporary architecture
Recommended fabric: OmegaTex™ StormShield 90 — Boise Blinds’ standard fabric; we can review Nano options when a more closed solar weave is preferred
Frame color: Night Sky or Dark Gray
Fabric color: Charcoal or Granite — dark fabrics provide better outward visibility and complement the modern exterior palette
Eagle Banbury, Corrente Bello, Spurwing
Typical exterior: Light stucco, white or cream trim, traditional architecture
Recommended fabric: OmegaTex™ StormShield 90 — Boise Blinds’ standard fabric for exterior solar and wind abatement
Frame color: White or Ivory
Fabric color: Mojave Desert, Tumbleweed, or Tobacco — stocked warm neutrals that complement traditional home palettes
Meridian, Star, Kuna
Typical exterior: Mixed materials, often gray or greige tones, contemporary-traditional hybrid
Recommended fabric: OmegaTex™ StormShield 90 — Boise Blinds’ standard fabric, paired to the selected color and opening configuration
Frame color: Beige or Silver Pearl
Fabric color: Granite, Charcoal, or Tumbleweed — stocked neutral choices for many new-construction exteriors
Heron River Star, Williamson River Ranch Eagle, Barber Valley Boise
Typical exterior: Natural, wooded, or waterfront settings
Recommended fabric: Dual-screen setup — OmegaTex™ StormShield 90 for solar and wind abatement, with 17/20 SS Black insect mesh for evening use
Frame color: Bronze or Night Sky
Fabric color: Complements the natural, wooded settings common in river corridor properties
The most common questions we hear during consultations, answered directly.
The only way to truly choose a fabric is to see it in your actual patio, in your actual light. Boise Blinds brings the full MagnaTrack fabric sample kit to every free in-home consultation — every fabric line, every color, in the space where the screen will actually live.