Please
explain why such a difference in price between
your films and the film that I can get at hardware
stores?
Home Improvement Stores and
Do-It-Yourself sites are selling consumer films, we
have commercial films. The differences are many but
mainly consumer films are not coated with scratch
resistant coatings so that wiping them with paper towels will
create swirls. Our commercial films are made to last using only
top quality materials. Our films are all guaranteed against
cracking, peeling, discoloration and delamination. Consumer films
are not like commercial films. New imported products may
have scratch protective coatings but they are generally
not high quality products that we would consider
commercial grade by our standards. Our films are all the highest
quality top grade professional window tinting films
available.
Some competitors sell their film for less than we pay wholesale!
How do you think they do that? We're approached at least every
month by the new Asian window film manufacturers from Korea,
Singapore and Taiwan to name a few. We have found that there are
enough problems in life and that we don't need to create any more
by taking chances with quality, so we sell only the best quality
that we can find. We are not interested in using our customers as
quinea pigs for new manufacturers. We sell the same high quality
films to you that we ourselves use for professional
installations. We're tired of the novelty of inexpensive foreign
products that last only three months and then fail and need to be
replaced.
Is there
a product available that will work as a privacy film at night if
the room is lit but it is dark outside. I have a considerable
amount of glass on one end of my house and I am looking for an
alternative to having to cover with blinds and still maintain
evening privacy.
The way to do it is with
landscape lighting to create a reflection on the windows at
night. A bright light outside could give you enough light to also
use as the interior room lighting from the window. The interior
lighting must remain low for good privacy. Bright spotlights
outside around some landscaping features so outsiders see a nice
landscaping reflection on the window. Two layers of film will
also enhance the effect with a second layer of grey film on the
interior glass acting as a backing to the outside mirror and also
reducing interior reflection. Daytime will be darker but with
plenty of glass there will still be plenty of light. The whole
process will involve some experimentation.
What about window tint and UV ray protection?
All our films have the UV inhibitors in the adhesive, so all of
our films have the same UV reduction properties. As the adhesive
layering may vary slightly from master batch to batch, there
might be variations in UV filter amount, but only unnoticeable
gradations. We can safely claim that all of our films keep out
95%+ of the UV rays. Most films actually keep out approx. 98% of
the UV when combined with the properties of the glass, as regular
glass keeps out a small percentage by itself. We are talking
about UVA and UVB radiation, there is a third kind, UVC, but the
Earths atmosphere blocks that out so it never reaches us.
We had one customer whose mother is allergic to UV. They applied
a clear 2mil safety film to her windows and she was quite happy
with that.
If someone wants to achieve total UV reduction, then we suggest
that they apply 2 layers of any combination of 2 films and that
will block approx 99.9975% of the UV.
What is the width size of film rolls?
The standard roll widths are 20", 24", 30",
36", 40", 48", 60" and 72". The
manufactured width is 60" but not all films are available in
all widths. Silver and Nichrome films are available in
72".
I have 2
windows that are 7'x 9' and I don't want visible seams. Do you
have any recommendations?
Make a butt seam with two factory edges of the film, either above
eye-level or across the bottom of the window, or horizontally
behind the side where the blinds stack up. The idea is not
to seam at eye level, because it would only be noticable at eye
level, and only from a distance of only one or two feet away.
Only the installer and the window washer would know the seam is
there, most viewers are looking through the film, only we
look at the film.
What
about tinting dual pane windows?
There is a way to tint dual panes and it's in the instructions
that we give you free click here.
Bottom line, if the windows are made right and were installed
correctly then you can do it, but if the windows are low quality
or if they were installed too tight in the frame or if there is a
defect on the edge of the glass, then extra heat may trigger a
crack. It's like a stress test of the glass if that happens
although it's only revealing an existing problem.
When we go to estimate a job these are the things that we look
for but for an unexperienced person to decide this all that you
can do is evaluate the condition of the house. Have you ever
noticed anything that may indicate that the framers were hasty
and do you know the quality of your window units. National
name-brands are usually a good bet. Have other homeowners in your
development had any window problems? The difficulty that arises
is that if you ask your developer or contractor these questions
they will usually respond biased and in many cases they will not
be approving of your plans to tint. If you tint and a crack
occurs it would expose an existing flaw that would otherwise have
gone unnoticed. Builders and contractors will sometimes try to
say that it was the film's fault, which may be partly true, but
in reality if it was the film's fault wouldn't it have cracked
ALL the windows?
So it would not be entirely the films fault but the film probably
triggered the failure. This can get difficult when arguing with
experts but it's a situation that must be discussed. This natural
conflict by developers and contractors may be the number one
reason why the tinting of dual pane windows has not gained its
deserved acceptance. If tinting dual-pane windows didn't work we
would have gone out of business a long time ago. The fact is that
our company gets busier each year. We are pioneering this modern
concept and we are here to help you and answer your individually
unique questions.
Having tinted hundreds of new homes, we have found that less than
1/2 of 1 percent of all the dual-pane windows we tinted had
failed and of those over half were in a housing development that
eventually sued the glass contractor for installing sub-standard
windows.
Many homeowners have taken this risk with the attitude that even
if one does happen to crack, replacing it is still worth the
money, because of the remarkable difference in living comfort and
energy savings!
What if
we still want the daytime heat?
Q: I am looking at UV film for our windows because we just
bought new furniture and want to protect it against the sun. We
live in San Francisco and we do like the sunlight warming up our
livingroom. What flim lets in all/most visible light and
heat.
A: That's probably our most asked question. It seems like
everyone now wants to get the maximum light from their windows
and NC35 seems to do the trick. Even though the NC35 blocks 65%
of the visible light it really doesn't seem to darken the room
but it does make the sky look bluer, which suggests that 2/3 of
the outside daylight is just glare. Regarding allowing the
daytime heat in, these films also help retain interior heat, so
you will not need as much indoor heating and the 24/7 year-round
energy savings usually outweighs the approx 40% loss of daytime
heat gain. Get our color samples and hold one up to your eye and
look through it while closing the other eye and you will see how
bright your room will look in that type of film. The NC50 allows
some glare and it is 20% less insulation but we recommend that
for situations like display windows, where the high visibility of
merchandise is a more important factor.
Apply
film to the storm window or the interior window?
The storm windows would be much easier to tint, but some people
don't want the tint in the wintertime because they think they
will get better solar heat gain without it ( see story above ).
Tinting the interior windows will give your home year round
insulation advantages.
Some of our customers in Minnesota were studying the wintertime
usefulness of the metalized tint. They discovered that the
savings of 35%-50% of indoor radiant heat loss, around the clock,
more than offset their 35%-50% loss of occasional daytime solar
heat gain.
Is there a temporary window film?
Our experience has shown us that the removable vinyl films
available at some discount stores are a waste of money. We have
roll down shades made of high quality pigmented mylar. They are
custom made for us by a factory that supplies airport control
towers. They are beautifully made and are popular in homes and
commercial establishments. They can be made with a bead and chain
control like vertical blinds. If you would like an estimate and
samples we will be glad to help you, just send us an email or
call us toll-free at 1-888-692-7549.
Is there a chemical solution to quickly remove these films?
When we encounter old tint it can be hard and brittle and
difficult to deal with. There are solutions available for sale at
some auto parts stores, but the old fashioned remedy is household
ammonia. Be aware of observing all the safety precautions when
handling ammonia. Protect your skin and eyes and protect any
furnishings near the work area. Use full strength household
ammonia in a durable sprayer bottle and be sure to spray the
window aggressively with the ammonia. Then you will need to apply
full length strips of saran wrap or any brand of clear sandwich
wrap over the ammonia and glass to seal the ammonia on the glass
and let it soak. It will soften the film up eventually, you may
however need to lift the strips and respray the glass/tint once
or twice. You will see when it's working as the tint will begin
to wrinkle, it may take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Then you will
remove one strip of saran wrap at a time and scrape the softened
tint with a single edge razor blade in a good scraper handle,
available from paint or hardware stores. Its a messy, tricky job
and requires some concentration and timing. Change the blades
often, let the blades do the work! After removing the tint
re-scrape the entire window and wash the windows as you would
normally wash them.
What's the difference between heat reflected and heat
rejected?
Reflected refers to how much heat is reflected Rejected refers to how much total heat is
blocked
Some heat is absorbed into the glass (absorbed +
reflected = rejected)
Solarfilmco Mailbag
Dear Solarfilmco,
At last I have completed my project and it turned out well! It took
me a while to understand that the best way for trimming is to
hold a straight edge. I used a small triangle at right angles to
the glass and tight against the frame, sliding it and the cutter
together. Whenever possible I used a factory-cut edge.
Thanks!
David D.
Boon Dock, IA
Dear Solarfilmco,
Thanks for your time and information about the window film
industry. I've spoken to nine tint dealers representing the 4
major manufacturers. Few spent more than 5 minutes with me. You
spent time on several occasions educating me about your products
and film technology in general. I did my own comparison and I
thought that you might be interested in my findings and why I
decided on your film.
GOAL: To purchase a do-it-yourself high quality home film with
good energy saving properties at an affordable price.
STUDY: Obtained samples of films from 9 dealers, peeled the
backing and adhered them to window for comparisons (see photo) Not all of the other dealers were
willing to mail us a selection of samples.
FINDINGS: The film takes on a new look once it's applied.
1) COLOR: We requested samples from each of the vendors. Each
film brand seemed to have a slightly different color shade. Some
looked blue, but the Solarfilmco NC35 was a clean neutral
color.
2) CLARITY: We squeegeed the soapy water solution from
application then waited a couple days for the adhesive to dry and
for the clarity to return. Your films were clear, but others
retained a hazy, filmy look.
3) SOLAR ENERGY REDUCTION: We were looking for medium heat
reduction film that would still admit lots of light. When I put
my hand behind the samples I felt the difference.
4) COST: Installed film prices ranged from $5.50-$10.00 per sq
ft. Some dealers claimed they weren't allowed to sell to
do-it-yourselfers. Most were pushing me to buy the complete
installation package, claiming two main reasons, 1) the
difficulty of installation, ( which is not a factor with the new
style adhesives ) and 2) the 1-5 year warranties against damaged
seals which may occur because of additional heat stresses on the
glass ( also not a factor with new semi-reflective films, which
were designed for dual-pane glass ) Besides, for the $1000-$3000
dollars saved on installation I was willing to replace some
window panes if I ever actually had to.
5) EASE OF APPLICATION: Some brands were difficult to squeegee
without distorting the film, but your film handled well.
CONCLUSION: We chose the Solarfilmco NC35 product based on
quality, neutral color, minimal glare, ease of application and
the excellent clarity. We are very happy with your product and
the personal service. Thanks so much for all your help. As for
installation, I got the hang of it very quickly. As you
suggested, I started with the smaller and more obscure windows
first, then worked out to the more prominent ones. The job went
real smooth!
Please post this on your website for others to read. We really
believe that tint is a lifelong home investment and we are very
satisfied with our choice. Thanks again!
Sincerely,
Dave K.
Dallas, Texas
2004 Florida Hurricane
Update
Email
received from a 4mil Security Film customer
Hello from SW Florida!
I can now tell you a little about how safety film works in a
hurricane. I live in Bokeelia, on Pine Island, and the eye of
Charley went over my house, so I got two doses of hurricane
winds!
First there was no breakage simply from the wind, even though my
windows are not hurricane code windows. One window opening onto
my screened porch was broken when the wind flung the blades of
the ceiling fan into it, since it was under roof I had not
put film on it. The glass was flung over 20' into the house.
Another breakage was due to my satellite dish taking flight, I
think it stayed attached to the wires for a little bit and swung
around because the broken window was just around the corner. This
window does have the film on it and did not go into
pieces. It is cracked all the way across but is still in place. I
was pretty impressed, at the very least it was not a dangerous
mess to clean up.
I plan to get some more and do the rest of my windows! This year
has been an education, Charley, Frances, and now today we are in
the remnants of Ivan!
Just thought you'd like to know, your safety film tested
well!
Kathi E.
Bokeelia, FL
INTERESTING LINKS
CLICK HERE A real-time telescopic view of the Sun!
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of
the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit and the seat of
mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his
law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by
streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf
does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the
wicked will not stand in judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of
the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the
righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Why such a difference in price?
