Does this work as effectively if you put it on the inside of the glass or doesit need to go on the outside
Is it an easy thing to install or do you end up with a wrinkly mess if you aren't skilled at it?
TIA
tim,
A question I would be interested in an answer to.
Only watched a mate put tinted film on a curved car window (well, VW campervan) and it looked a right PATA.
On flat domestic windows it should be easy and I have lined the inside of an office unit door 'window' with some frosted film and that was quite easy.
The trick with most these films is getting the right quantity of the right lubricant between the film and glass (often weak detergent / water mix) and using the right hard / softness of 'squeegee to drive the water out.
Like most things it's all down to prep (getting the glass perfectly clean), getting the film in place and squeezing it out with the right effort (so as to not stretch / tear the film but to squeeze the water out).
Cheers, T i m
Since it is only for a few sunny days a year look for some of the polyester base holographic aluminised or gold coloured gift wrapping paper that is on sale in the likes of Smiths or Clintons. It makes a big difference to the heat in the room and the light level for seeing a screen. We have some bluetacked up in my wife's office (other spare bedroom).
It looks a bit weird from outside but it works well enough and is much cheaper than the fancy films sold for the job. We had some in the loft which is why it got used. I doubt it makes much difference which side of the glass the film is placed - the glass does not get warm in sunshine.
As for applying it I have only done the stuff intended to mist windows for toilets in the village hall and you need to apply it fairly accurately to clean dry glass starting from one corner and working outward so as not to generate a trapped bubble. Lining it up accurately is harder than it sounds but you just need a steady hand and patience.
We had it done on some lab windows, I *think* it was put on the inside. It was astonishingly effective.
It goes on the inside. We had it professionally installed on several of our south and west facing windows, and it makes a big difference. The pros have all the right equipment to cut each piece quickly, and know what they are doing.
What does it look like from the outside, how much light does it stop coming in and how easy is it to see out through?
Might you want to take it off in the cooler days to get some free heat in (and apply new before the next summer)?
Cheers, T i m
Marginally better on the outside, as it reflects heat and if it's on the inside it will reflect heat through the glass, which in my experience gets noticeably warmer.
I think the hardest thing is cutting a really straight edge to meet the frame.
I did mine with only very minor bubbling just using a sponge, but if you have a lot to do investing in the proper squeegee would definately help.
It does darken the room for the rest of the year though, but for something like a south facing bedroom if you are sensitive to heat (I am) I think it's worth it.
Also remember with the lights on in winter you can't see out, but people can see in.
Once customer has a raised glass corridor, linking two buildings, it used to roast in summer, much better with the film fitted, though they did have some decals fitted afterwards to stop owls flying into it.
It's not too bad to apply if you're into that sort of thing but it's much harder for bigger pieces. If you apply lots of soapy water the piece of film can be moved really easily until it's just in the correct position.
The hardest job is getting the backing sheet off the sticky side and then turning it round so the sticky side faces the glass without it sticking to itself.
I wonder how well it would work on the outside of some triple glazing? Or do you think the heat generated between the inner layers might cause a plastic (Acrylic / Perspex) layer to melt?
Cheers, T i m
Try these folks, who did ours.
You might find some answers there.
We are very happy with them and their product.
I think it would be very unlikely to get the glass that hot in the UK!
Owain
Except it's plastic?
Cheers, T i m
I'm on the first floor, (hence the reason why I prefer not to have to put it on the outside)
I am not acquainted with plastic triple glazing.
Owain
so
I found this:
I have some to fit next week.
The two major manufacturers I came across are 3M:
If you look up the spec of a specific film it tells you various things. I'm going to fit Sterling 50, which is:
%Visible Light Transmittance 49% Visible Light Reflectance (Exterior) 26% Ultraviolet Light Blocked >99% Total Solar Energy Rejected 56%
That's about £20/m on 1.5m wide rolls. The best they do is Ecolux 70, which is also a low-E film:
%Visible Light Transmittance 68% Visible Light Reflectance (Exterior) 13% Ultraviolet Light Blocked >99% Total Solar Energy Rejected 52% Heat Retention 48%
but Ecolux is £144/m!
And then there's the ebay and Amazon junk-merchants selling products with no spec - best avoided.
I'm going to give it a try and see, but guesstimate is that spring/summer/autmun solar gain is going to be more of a problem than the small amount of winter sun the east-facing windows might get.
This is the install video btw,
There are some films intended for external fitting (3M has several) - they need more careful installation but they do have better performance. However external is not an option in my situation.
Theo
Exciting!
My friends run a print house, I'll ask them if they have got involved in this sort of thing yet (they are mostly vinyl signs and vehicle sign writing but also went on a car wrapping course etc).
Ouch. You wouldn't want to muck too much up eh? ;-(
Feck!
OK.
Makes sense.
Much of that feels familiar (from watching them do bigger vehicle sides) and the office doors I did.
Makes sense (as mentioned elsewhere).
It could be here but inside would be much easier. ;-)
It would be interesting if you could log some inside / outside temperatures before and after Theo?
Cheers, T i m
Ah, well, in the 'old days' before we had double glazing we could get plastic sheets with a soft surround bead of self adhesive plastic frame that you could clip in and out as the weather dictated. Some was quite thin and used magnetic strips.
I was thinking that given we only used to see (before GW etc) these current hot temperatures every so often, something 'temporary' wasn't really an issue.
I was wondering about something similar (no one here would GAF what it 'looked like', especially if she was cooler ) and it would be easier to fit the film on loose sheets of polycarbonate etc (just trim it off at the edges once squeegee'd out)?
Cheers, T i m
If they can apply car vinyl, I think this is the same principle. For the people who sell solar film by the metre, this is mostly a sideline to their car window tinting business.
True, although I reckon it's worth it if it makes the place habitable in the hot weather we've just had. It wouldn't be a huge hurt if it didn't work out, whereas getting someone in would be a few hundred quid I reckon.
It's rather difficult because it depends on replicating the weather. However I have been waving a Flir thermal camera around and yesterday the temperature on the internal side of the blind was 55C.
Theo
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