Did some DIY house window tinting.

[sciphi]

I recently moved for job reasons, and our new place has a few large windows, including the patio door and master bedroom, that get full sun all day every day. They have blinds, but the blinds only help out so much. It's also nearby a busy street corner with several businesses with bright lights. So, some privacy and sun control was in order. Wandering through one of the box stores, some window film caught my eye. We ended up getting mirrored privacy film for the patio door and some black anti-glare film for the master bedroom.

Application got fun. Two people are definitely necessary for large runs like the patio door, and getting the bubbles out got a little difficult at times. There are a few small bubbles that should diminish as the solution under the film dries up. I did the master bedroom windows myself, and those came out decidedly inferior to the two-person effort. At least the large bubbles aren't where we'll see them every day.

The films seem to work. There's a noticeable reduction in light coming through the patio door. It also looks like a mirror from the outside, and seeing in during the daytime is very difficult. I can see out fine, though. At night, we get the mirror. The bedroom is darker, too. So, mission accomplished.

After this experience, I'll let the pros handle any car window tinting! Any schmuck can hang this stuff. Getting it to come out perfectly takes a much better hand than I have!

 

[spasm3]

I took my storm door to a tinter , got it done for $100. Worth it!

 

[Barkleymut]

I installed window film for about a year. It is not easy, I could still get a lot better.

do any of your windows get shade? If so, you better hope the glass doesn't crack. When one part of the window gets 50 degrees hotter than another section it expands so much that it cracks or shatters depending on the type of glass.

Spasm - most tinters will come to you. lol

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: Barkleymut
I installed window film for about a year. It is not easy, I could still get a lot better.

do any of your windows get shade? If so, you better hope the glass doesn't crack. When one part of the window gets 50 degrees hotter than another section it expands so much that it cracks or shatters depending on the type of glass.

Spasm - most tinters will come to you. lol


How much shade? They're in a tiny bit of shade as the sun shifts.

 

[dwcopple]

I tinted our west facing bedroom windows with Gila peel and stick films. It made a huge difference in room temps in summer when the A/C was on. I have double pane argon filled so I had to tint the outside per the instructions.

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: dwcopple
I tinted our west facing bedroom windows with Gila peel and stick films. It made a huge difference in room temps in summer when the A/C was on. I have double pane argon filled so I had to tint the outside per the instructions.


We have those style windows too. Our master bedroom windows needed to come out to get done properly. Even since this morning, it's seemed to make a difference.

The mirror film said it could be used on the inside, so that's what was done.

 

[mechtech2]

Even in a car, pros are hard to beat for stuff like this, and are well worth it.
And I am an inveterate do-it-your-selfer!

 

[LeakySeals]

Can we see what it looks like?

 

[chiks]

Just don't stand in your birthday suit in front of that new mirror

we on the outside might not appreciate it much

 

[sciphi]

Here are some pictures of the mirror film:

From about 5 feet away:

From about 3 feet away:

From the inside looking out:

The indoor-facing mirror effect can be seen a little bit in the last shot.

Surprisingly, the view out is quite good. There's no waviness where we got all the bubbles out.

No shots of the dark film since it's just another tinted window.

 

[TC]

Best thing I ever did is put a reflective window tint on a new townhome I bought years ago, professionally installed. The amount of heat it can block out is fairly impressive. Keep in mind that, even when professional installed, such film can cause window cracking to occur due to heat differentials between the inner and outer glass surfaces -- happened to ONE of my home's windows, luckily just that one.

 

[TC]

...On the flip side, I loves me some critters, and that includes the birdies. But every few months some tweeter will fly kamakazee into a reflective window and, perhaps half the time, be instantly "offed" in the process. So that's a bummer. I once heard one of those bangs and ran over to find a truly beautiful, good-sized, bright yellow-breasted bird of some sort lying dead below the window, a truly purdy birdie. That's the sucky part...

 

[Pop_Rivit]

We have a large wall of windows on the west side of the house, and while I thought about tinting them, it was more cost effective to have a system that draws the thermal curtains over the windows when the sun shines through in the summer.

This way we cut almost all the heat when we don't want it in the summer, and we still get it when we do want it in the winter. On a sunny winter day the windows will keep that entire wing of the house warm even in near zero temperatures, and once the winter sun goes down the thermal shades are drawn and the residual heat keeps it warm much of the night.

The trade off is losing a bit of the view for a a few hours each hot summer afternoon, but the savings in heating bills more than makes up for it.

 

[dwcopple]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit


The trade off is losing a bit of the view for a a few hours each hot summer afternoon, but the savings in heating bills more than makes up for it.
I believe you cool in the summer and heat in the winter. At least, that is what I do.

 

[LeakySeals]

I like it!

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: dwcopple
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit


The trade off is losing a bit of the view for a a few hours each hot summer afternoon, but the savings in heating bills more than makes up for it.
I believe you cool in the summer and heat in the winter. At least, that is what I do.

Let's sit up and take notes about what I wrote and I'll try to explain it at a level that will help you comprehend as well as read, especially since you elected to take the single sentence out of context with the rest of my post.

"The trade off is losing a bit of the view for a few hours each hot summer afternoon". This is one half of the statement. The comma separates it from an additional thought.

"but the savings in heating bills more than makes up for it". This is the second half of the sentence, and since it's separated by a comma it can be, among other things, a concept that is indirectly related to that which precedes the comma.

I assumed it would be intuitively obvious that anyone reading that would know that, since I was also discussing winter heating in the prior paragraph (which you omitted), the portion of the sentence after the comma would apply to the winter heating bills, while the part of the sentence preceding the comma applied to summer heat. I sometimes assume that everyone has at least a basic reading and comprehension skills, but on occasions like this I'm proven wrong.

 

[dwcopple]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit


Let's sit up and take notes about what I wrote and I'll try to explain it at a level that will help you comprehend as well as read, especially since you elected to take the single sentence out of context with the rest of my post.

"The trade off is losing a bit of the view for a few hours each hot summer afternoon". This is one half of the statement. The comma separates it from an additional thought.

"but the savings in heating bills more than makes up for it". This is the second half of the sentence, and since it's separated by a comma it can be, among other things, a concept that is indirectly related to that which precedes the comma.

I assumed it would be intuitively obvious that anyone reading that would know that, since I was also discussing winter heating in the prior paragraph (which you omitted), the portion of the sentence after the comma would apply to the winter heating bills, while the part of the sentence preceding the comma applied to summer heat. I sometimes assume that everyone has at least a basic reading and comprehension skills, but on occasions like this I'm proven wrong.

 

[sciphi]

To update this after a few days:

Most of the visual imperfections went away, and the view is unimpeded. There are some bubbles of excess solution, but those aren't that big a deal to me.

The two rooms we put the films up in are definitely cooler during the daytime now. The master bedroom used to be noticeably warmer than the other rooms in the house. It's now roughly the same temperature, if a hair warmer. The room behind the patio door is also cooler, since the A/C doesn't kick on as much.

For glare reduction and privacy, the films are working as advertised. During the daytime, folks have a more difficult time seeing in, and we can see out just fine.

I'd give these films a passing grade, as they do what they say they do. They're not the easiest to install, yet still doable with some patience. For a DIY job, it works fine.

Would I buy these again and recommend to other people? Yes.

 

[chiks]

Quote:
For glare reduction and privacy, the films are working as advertised. During the daytime, folks have a more difficult time seeing in, and we can see out just fine.


Good point. the corollary is also true.
During Nighttime, folks have an easier time seeing in and you have a harder time seeing out. Make sure you use the drapes/blinds/curtains at night