Window film - five uppermost questions and answers

What should you know about a window film and how to make the right choice? Glass film - how to care and what is the service life? Why are these films called self adhesive window films and how do they differ in quality? These are five uppermost questions about window films we receive from our customers. It is time to figure out what is what. 

Window films change the appearance and properties of glass. A high-quality film can make glass opaque and protects the room from hot weather or bright sun. Moreover, it makes glass safe and prevents home break-ins. All films are made of different materials and give different effects.

Why a self adhesive window film?

All window films offered by our company have a special adhesive layer. It allows anybody to quickly and easily stick the film on a glass surface. The films are multilayer and have a simple design:

• 1 - a glass film itself;
• 2 - an adhesive transparent layer on one side;
• 3 - a transparent protective liner.

The adhesive layer of the film is covered with a transparent liner. The liner protects the adhesive layer before installation, during transportation and storage. 

ATTENTION!!! Please make sure to remove the protective liner before installation!!!

Thanks to the adhesive layer, the window film is easy to install. The transparent liner protects the adhesive layer of window films from dust and dirt, as well as makes it possible to store and ship the films rolled up.

How to choose the most relevant window film?

According to certain features, all window films can be divided into six main types. Each type in its turn has its own qualities and brings specific results, i.e. solves specific problems. For example:

• to protect from prying eyes - choose privacy films or one way mirror films;
• to protect from summer heat and bright sun - choose solar films of different colours or efficient reflective window films with different blackout levels;
• to get nontransparent glass - choose frosted films, which make glass nontransparent both ways but transmit light perfectly;
• to prevent home break-ins and strengthen glass - choose protection films of different thickness made from durable but transparent material;
• to decorate glass - choose decorative window films with different patterns and effects;
• tint films are used for automobile glass - they can be heated with a hairdryer and curved.

Each type of window cover films is designed to solve a specific problem. Unfortunately, there is no one-stop solution and there are no universal films available on the market. It is very important to take the features and capabilities of each window film into consideration. Such an approach will make it possible to obtain the desired result.

Please check the detailed information about the range of window films offered by our company.

Technical characteristics of window films are essential!

Each well-worked window film has a number of technical characteristics. These characteristics provide an insight into the capabilities of a particular window film. In other words, they inform what effect the film provides. For example:

• VLT - transmission of light;
• VLR - reflection of light;
• IR rejection - infrared reflection;
• UV rejection - reflection of ultraviolet irradiation;
• TSER - total solar energy rejected;
• Thickness.

Technical characteristics allow customers to compare different types of window glass films. All professional window films have detailed technical descriptions. At the same time, their presence testifies the responsibility and serious approach of a manufacturer.

How to distinguish a high quality glass film?

A high quality glass film does not change its appearance and mechanical properties throughout the entire service life specified in technical documentation. All glass films offered to our customers:

• do not become blurred or blistered;
• do not come unglued or blow;
• do not change their colour.

Four signs of substandard glass films:

• very thin to the touch - undoubtedly, thin films are much cheaper to manufacture but they crack and have a very short service life. Such window films do not have a protective coating which results in scratches and other defects;
• weak adhesive due to which the glass film does not adhere to the surface well;
• muddy look - some manufacturers reduce the cost of the manufacturing process and raw materials, choosing recoverable resources, i.e. plastic bottles and cellulose packaging films. These recycled materials are not purified enough, therefore, the glass films are nontransparent and look muddy. Despite the fact that the price of such films is low, the windows that look unwashed are unlikely to please the owners;
• smudgy reflection - muddy mirror and sun protection films have a very low level of metallization, a weak mirror effect and a poor performance of heat reflective processes as a consequence. There is a film, but there is almost no effect.

The lifespan of glass films offered by our company

• The lifespan of glass films installed indoors is more than nine years. 
• The lifespan of exterior glass films is more than four years. If you install the film on a horizontal / vertical window (for example, roof windows or glass domes), the lifespan will be up to five years. Everything is very individual and depends on specific conditions. 

What does it depend on? All types of glass films installed outdoors are exposed to the environment: nature, weather, temperature changes and such mechanical impact as cross wind, wind-driven rain, birds, etc. Even with an allowance of technical characteristics of specific exterior films, their service life is substantially shorter than the service life of interior films. 

Of course, once the enforced service life expires, the glass film will not disappear or stop performing its function. Nevertheless, it will begin to gradually fracture and change its appearance. The natural wear and tear of a film is 10 to 20 per cent per year.

Care and maintenance

All glass films provided by our company have a unique covering layer with 2H protection level and are resistant to physical impact in domestic use. All glass covering films in our range can be easily washed using household cleaning products and soft cloths.

It is not recommended to clean window glass films with the help of steam generators and high-lift pumps. Such manipulations can weaken the adhesive layer and lead to detachment of a film. 

Please note that a specific period of time (usually eight to ten days) is required for a full and complete drying of a film and an adhesive layer.