WINDOW FILM
Other Columnists
When my sister and brother-in-law moved to Southern
California several years ago, they knew they'd just love the weather. But after
a while, they found there were disadvantages in even the best of things.
For example, sunlight. Day in and day out, the sun shines in Orange County,
where they have a lovely two-story stucco Spanish colonial. Like a nosy
neighbor, the glare hangs on windows and pushes through blinds and draperies.
Over a short time, the rays can bleach the color out of fabrics, from rugs and
carpets to upholstery.
My brother-in-law, a handy sort, decided he couldn't take this disturbing
glare, so he coated the interior glass on his windows with a do-it-yourself
film by Gila Film Products that is designed to block ultraviolet light and
reduce heat emission generated from the sun.
"That's a good choice; it's what's called a heat-control film," says Dean
Jarrett, product manager for Gila, a division of Martinsville, Va.-based
CPFilms Inc. "The benefit is that applying film will block 70 percent of heat
and 99 percent of those UV rays that come from the sun but still give you a
great view of the pool."
My brother-in-law doesn't have a pool, but I do, and my family has the same
problem year-round. The sun's glare. It comes in from the kitchen windows and
sliding door in the family room, and it plops down on the television and
computer screens.
As I embark on my own research - I'm sure I'll install a heat-control
product - I'm concerned about a few things. The least of which is if I can do
the work myself. After all, if my brother-in-law did it, I can, too. What I
really want is a film with just the right shading coefficient.
Shading coefficient is a measure of the percentage of light that will pass
through a window. A high number - with 1.0 the highest - means more light is
allowed to pass through. A lower number means the window has greater shading
properties. According to a story in Popular Mechanics magazine a few years ago,
the most popular films have a shading coefficient of between 0.35 and 0.45.
Because we live mostly in the eat-in kitchen and the family room, we want
some natural light to enter. And we want indoor temperatures to be retained.
Some films can improve the insulation properties of glass, so more heat is kept
indoors in winter and more cool air is kept indoors in summer.
Gila makes a Platinum product that has a shade coefficiency of 0.33, with a
U-value of 0.76. (The U-value measures heat transfer through glass; a lower
U-value signifies less heat transfer.)
My brother-in-law also used Gila's Platinum line. Coating virtually all of
his windows cost him less than a $1 per square foot. "What happens with film is
that in the summer the air conditioner should run a bit more efficiently
because of the heat the window is able to block," Jarrett says. "You have a
tendency to feel cooler indoors.
"In the winter, because the film has a low-e coating [low-emission], more
indoor heat is retained; the window has more insulating properties."
The film does generate energy savings, according to research by the
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the California Energy Commission and
U.S. Department of Energy. Studies have shown that residential seasonal cooling
costs can be reduced by as much as $99 with the application of window film.
One disadvantage is the appearance of the glass after the film is applied.
Some reflective films can make the glass appear darker, even smoky. Tinted
films, of course, make the glass appear colored, sometimes an extremely light
shade of blue, like the coating in a pair of sunglasses. Overall, the benefits
far outweigh a slight coloring or darkening of glass.
The Gila Web site (GilaFilms.com) has installation instructions, including
a how-to video. It's not that much more difficult than hanging wallpaper, but
you have to be careful not to scratch the film. And if you can't or don't want
to install the film yourself, many companies - like Gila's parent, CPFilms or
3M, Bekaert Specialty Films and H�per Optik - make films that only can be
professionally installed. The professional grades are slightly more expensive
than the do-it-yourself lines, and installation, depending on the number of
windows and the time needed, starts at about $200 to $300.
"The major difference between do-it-yourself films and professionally
installed films is that there is a small variety in the stuff the home centers
and hardware stores sell," says Steve Pesce, whose New York Window Film Co. in
Farmingdale had about 2,000 installations last year, including large commercial
buildings. The films at the stores are safe for all types of glass and have a
more general use, he says. A professionally installed film can meet specific
needs, and some can be used on one type of glass but not another.
"There are certain instances where professional installation is best,"
Jarrett says. Large windows and single-pane windows in older or historic homes,
are examples, he says. The average homeowner might not be able to handle the
coating of a large, commercial-size window. And single-pane windows with glass
40 years or older might not be able to withstand the thermal stress. The films
made for homeowner installation are mostly for double-pane windows, and they
increase the temperature of the glass. That's fine for the newer double-pane
models, but single-pane products can crack because of the increased heat
absorption.
A good resource is the International Window Film Association Web site
(iwfa.com), which has a links page and search engines for distributors,
manufacturers and suppliers.
3M's new Prestige line, a clear, nonmetal film that has to be
professionally installed, offers many of the same features of reflective and
tinted films without darkening or coloring the glass.
ON OUR OWN
The right tools and prepping the glass are critical to successfully applying
window film yourself.
Dean Jarrett, product manager for Gila film products, says reviewing his
company's Web site is a good way to start. The site has an installation video,
including a tools list. Also, Gila sells an installation kit, including a
premixed solution that needs to be sprayed on the window before the film is
applied.
If you don't buy the solution, Jarrett says mixing a quarter teaspoon of
baby shampoo with a quart of distilled water will do just fine.
Also needed are a razor-sharp utility knife and a rubber-edged squeegee.
Clean both the inside and outside of the window, but, remember, the film is
applied only to the interior pane.
"There is a setup time, and basically you'll have up to 24 hours to make
adjustments," Jarrett says. Jarrett says a handy person can complete an
average window, start to finish, in less than 30 minutes. "You'll get faster as
you go along," he says.
One tip: "Have an extra set of hands," Jarrett says. "That makes it easier
to handle the film and apply it to the glass."
- GARY DYMSKI
WRITE TO: Gary Dymski, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747-4250 or e-mail
Gary.Dymski@newsday.com
