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House window tinting

NorthernRedneck

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
We have patio doors facing east on our house. This is our main entrance so it's not exactly practical to hang full length curtains to cut down on the morning sun. We have them anyways and it helps. With the morning summer sun shining hard against the doors, it sure heats up the upstairs.

What I'm wondering is if any of you have done window tinting on a patio door like this? Does it help to cut down on the amount of sunlight? Summertime at my house is a constant battle to keep the upstairs cool during the day. I keep all the blinds closed and have fans going. We did look into central air but can't justify the cost right now.
 
I suspect by patio doors you mean sliding glass -- so yes, reflective film would be a great idea. They even make a version these days that's got a low heat transfer property, so it helps limit heat loss and condensation in the winter as well. (I found it at Home Despot here, not sure where it would be available for you)
good luck!
 
We have the same thing with 8 of them facing East.

Mrs. Zoom put some tinting on the panes in one of the rooms. The film she applied was pretty thick (probably the thickness of a CD). I can't say that it helped with the heat but they were terrible to look through. We tore them down.

I guess my point is if you're going to do it, get the good stuff (whatever it may be).
 
You might also consider an awning or canopy. Even a retractable one that you roll up at night or during high winds. This too will cut down on the amount of direct sun that makes it's way into the house.
 
We have 28 windows on the west wall of our house. We have added a high tech window film to the windows, but I can't recall the brand. It is a commercial product used on office buildings. IT WORKS AMAZINGLY WELL.

The stuff we have reduces UV transmissions by something like 98% so there are no issues at all with furniture fading. Ours is supposed to reduce heat gain by up to 70% and heat loss by something like 30% (if I recall correctly).

I don't know if it meets those claims but BEFORE we had the film installed in our living room and dining room you could, on a sunny afternoon, watch the thermostat climb despite the fact that the air conditioner was running full blast. The AC simply could not keep up with the solar gain. (our windows are supposed to be energy efficient, low-e, blah blah blah).

AFTER installing the film our house was NOTICEABLY cooler in the summer. I ended up installing a film on the remaining windows on the west wall of the house over the course of the next year. I believe the brand film I installed in the bedrooms was GILA FILM or something like that. They offered (at the time I did it several years ago) a few different films. I purchased the best grade they had, it was nearly clear and very thin. It also works.

The film is nearly clear, perhaps allowing 95% of the light to come through. It does have a somewhat mirror like appearance from the outside. Our film is also very thin.

My advice would be to do some internet research on the various brands, look for testimonials, etc. There are some good films out there and the good films work very well.
 
Thanks for responses. Looks like I've got a bit of homework to do. We actually did think of putting up a retractable awning. I still might. I'm in the process of ordering a new one for the camper. I might reuse the old one on the house. That's if I can get the roll straight again. It didn't survive a thunderstorm at the end of last year.
 
Years ago I installed a new dining room that had 4 full length window pane doors facing the west down here in Florida. Around 3:30pm the whole dining room would heat up like a furnace. I went the cheapest route for my client and installed 100% reflective mirror tint designed for your car. It installed in less than 1 hour and you no longer feel the heat in that room in the late afternoon at all. Kind of amazing the difference a tint will make.

Of course, I also have tinted every vehicle I own. I hate the burning sensation the sun causes on my arm when driving in a non-tinted car.
 
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RecycleLover said:
Years ago I installed a new dining room that had 4 full length window pane doors facing the west down here in Florida. Around 3:30pm the whole dining room would heat up like a furnace. I went the cheapest route for my client and installed 100% reflective mirror tint designed for your car. It installed in less than 1 hour and you no longer feel the heat in that room in the late afternoon at all. Kind of amazing the difference a tint will make.
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Just curious, but do you have any experience with the SECURITY films that hold the glass together to prevent Smash & Grab type entry through windows? Apparently it works well on sliding glass doors, picture windows, etc. I've seen video where bricks and bats will shatter the windows but the film hold all the chards in place and prevents people from crawling through the windows. I'd like some evidence other the the manufacturer's claims!
 
B_Skurka said:
Just curious, but do you have any experience with the SECURITY films that hold the glass together to prevent Smash & Grab type entry through windows? Apparently it works well on sliding glass doors, picture windows, etc. I've seen video where bricks and bats will shatter the windows but the film hold all the chards in place and prevents people from crawling through the windows. I'd like some evidence other the the manufacturer's claims!
Click to expand...

actually, about 9 years back I had a report on that from a vendor who was suggesting we look into it (he didn't sell it, just thought it was a good idea for an office that got death & bomb threats quarterly) - there was at that time a film that went on the inside of the windows and was supposed to be able to stop a .44 mag. The downside was cost - it was roughly $35 per square foot.
 
No experience with security tint. In fact, the window tint I bought from Walmart years ago is no longer appearing on their walmart.com website. I wonder if they even still sell it?
 
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