At battle with shaky, outdated, or inefficient house windows? One of the simplest and most affordable methods to improve the energy efficiency, safety, and even curb appeal of your home without replacing the windows is to tint the windows on the inside using an aftermarket window film.
Not all window films are created equally or are worth your money, even though the majority of residential window films are thin, self-adhesive polyester covers manufactured of polyethylene terephthalate (the same material used to produce plastic water bottles). In order to determine whether this window treatment is appropriate for you and how to install it for the best results, read on to learn about the many possibilities, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of tinted house windows.
1. Different types of window film provide different benefits.
There are three primary forms of window film, and each is used on house windows for a particular purpose.
All You Need to Know About Tinted Home Windows Image courtesy of Gila at homedet.com
Solar: This choice is advised if increasing energy efficiency is your primary motivation for house auto tint Solar films, which are thinner than security film but thicker than ornamental film, may absorb or reflect up to 99 percent of the sun’s UV rays (the majority of products do both). This controls indoor temperature (keeping rooms cool in the summer and warm in the winter), lowers glare, stops inside furniture from fading, and ultimately improves indoor comfort and decreases energy use. Typically, neutral shades of the film, from silver to copper, are available.
Security:
Install security film, the thickest of all types of film, if preventing storm damage or deterring intruders are your top concerns. The majority of security films (which are often transparent or silver) don’t absorb or reflect a lot of heat. They do work to keep the glass from entirely breaking in the case of a storm or house invasion by limiting the damage to a huge crack, therefore extending the lifespan of your window.
Decorative:
Decorative: The thinnest of all window film kinds, decorative window film serves primarily as an aesthetic or privacy enhancement for a space. It can be purchased as a clear or vividly coloured film with a range of etched (like striped) or stained designs.
2. Not all types of window film are compatible with all types of window glass.
Different varieties of window film absorb heat to different degrees, as mentioned in the section above, which some windows can tolerate and others… not so much. The majority of security and aesthetic films only moderately block heat, which results in little thermal stress on the windows. All three of the most typical types of window glass—annealed (basic flat glass), heat-treated (annealed glass that has been exposed to high temperatures), and insulating—can typically be applied to them without much risk of damaging the window glass, unless your manufacturer expressly advises against it.
However, the International Window Film Association advises against using solar film in the following circumstances since it can increase
3. Installing window film could void your window warranty.
Many homeowners who report window damage to the manufacturer later learn that by putting a window film to the glass panes, they void the warranty on their windows. Because some types of window film have the potential to harm specific types of window glass, many window manufacturers won’t cover problems brought on by changing windows with aftermarket window film. Beware: Never install window film on your home’s windows before ensuring that the warranty from the window manufacturer covers doing so.
4. Windows without energy-efficient coatings benefit the most from tinting.
The energy savings offered by tinting are greatest for older windows lacking low-emissivity (low-E) coatings, a thin film of metal oxide on the glass that dissipates heat. Applying window film on newer windows with low-E coatings may not dramatically improve your interior comfort or energy savings because these windows already offer a certain level of energy efficiency.
5. Tinted home windows are economical.
If you get aftermarket window film from a home improvement store and install it on your own, it will cost you only $2 to $4 per square foot (see an example on Amazon). According to price guidelines on ImproveNet, a website for home improvement planning, professional installation generally costs $5 to $8 per square foot. That works out to as low as $27 to $54 for a single window pane that is 3’8″ x 3’8″ of do-it-yourself tinting! According to these calculations, window film is typically less expensive than other common window treatments that block the sun; solar screens (fabric shades that absorb and/or reflect heat) cost an average of $40 to $280 per window for do-it-yourself instals, and cellular shades (fabric coverings that absorb and/or reflect heat) cost an average of $40 to $180 per window.
6. It’s easy to install yourself.
Any homeowner may perform the process of installing window film themselves. A lint-free, soft cloth dampened with a mixture of one teaspoon no-tears baby shampoo and one gallon of bottled water should be used to clean windows before they are tinted. Then, using a utility knife, cut an aftermarket auto tinting so that it is 12 inches longer and wider than the window glass you wish to tint. Finally, take off the film’s adhesive backing and slowly stick it to the window pane from the top down. To eliminate any trapped air bubbles in the film as you apply it, softly spray the film’s surface with the remaining baby shampoo solution and smooth a plastic squeegee or credit card across the surface in one direction.
7. Renter-friendly options exist.
Window films for solar, safety, and decoration are offered with three levels of permanence:
types that are transient and readily and cleanly removable (great for renters)
kinds of detachable semi-permanent stickers that probably leave some sticky residue on the glass
types that are permanent and not intended to be removed
Solar and security film are more frequently marketed as semi-permanent or permanent tinting solutions, making them more acceptable for homeowners, whereas decorative film is more frequently provided as a temporary tinting solution, making it an alternative for renters or commitment-phobic homeowners.