In hot weather, go to the balcony located on the sunny side of the house, then another test, agree? And, if, on the first floors, the trees growing nearby save the situation a little, then among the residents of the upper floors the air on the balcony warms to such an extent that it becomes uncomfortable to be there. The situation can be saved only by tinted windows on the balcony, which will help protect the room from the scorching sun.
In this material we will talk about which films for window tinting are used, how to choose the appropriate option, and also how to independently mount the film on the balcony windows.
What is window tinting?
Windows are an integral part of every home. It is through them that sunlight penetrates into our homes and apartments. But sometimes there is a lot of this sunlight due to which the air warms up too much.
In addition, under the influence of direct sunlight, furniture, appliances deteriorate, wallpaper burns out, etc. In order to avoid all these troubles, they use tinted windows on balconies and loggias.
Tinted windows not only look much more attractive compared to ordinary ones, but also give the inhabitants of the apartment a long-awaited cool
Window tinting involves coating the glass with special films. At your discretion, you can choose the degree of dimming, preferring a darker / lighter option.
Such a service is quite expensive, but you can perform tinting on your own without resorting to the services of specialists. To do this, you will need to choose the appropriate material and do the pasting yourself, but more on that below. To begin with, we will deal with the types of tint films.
Types of tint films
Having finally decided on the need to tint windows, not everyone thinks about how important it is to acquire quality material. As a rule, they get the first film they get, but doing so is highly undesirable.
First you need to figure out what kind of protective films are, and then finally decide on the choice of the suitable material.
Option # 1 - Sunscreen
Sunscreen or dimming film is one of the most popular materials for tinting balconies and loggias. It is capable of retaining about 98% of ultraviolet radiation.
Having pasted the glass on the balcony with sun-protection film, you can not worry that the sun's rays will harm the equipment or interior items
In addition to its main function - to protect the room from sunlight, this film allows you to maintain a comfortable temperature on the balcony all year round.
Option # 2 - Mirror
This version of the film is used to create an overview on only one side of the glass, most often the inside.
At the same time, the effect of a mirror surface is created from the side of the street, thanks to which no one will see the decor of your loggia, clothes dryer or a mess on the balcony.
Mirror film reflects up to 95% of sunlight and 75% of heat, thereby creating a comfortable indoor atmosphere.
Mirror film is able to reduce the temperature in the room by 6-14 degrees Celsius. In addition, it becomes a reliable barrier to UV radiation.
Option # 3 - Shockproof
Shockproof or protective film is most often used to protect double-glazed windows by residents of lower floors. It protects the glass from chips and cracks, for example, if a small stone is thrown into it.
In addition, the shockproof film has fireproof properties and protects the rooms of balconies from direct sunlight.
Option # 4 - decorative
This film option is perhaps the most diverse of all those listed. On sale you can find many colors, patterns and patterns.
In addition to a variety of colors and patterns, decorative films may differ in texture - there are matte and glossy options
If desired, you can choose an option that fits perfectly into any room design and, in addition to practical use, perfectly complement the interior.
Features of the choice of film
In order not to disappoint the result, when choosing a tint film, be sure to pay attention to such an indicator as light transmission. It is expressed as a percentage and the higher this value, the higher the ability of the material to transmit light.
The next thing you need to pay attention to is film color. Of course, it is not so difficult to choose a film color suitable for the interior of the room, but do not forget that the color is directly related to the ability of the material to transmit sunlight.
Film color | Transparency level,% |
Silver | 15-50 |
Violet | 15 |
Gold | 15-35 |
Bronze | 15 |
Smoky | 20 |
Green | 15 |
Gray | 15-35 |
Blue | 15-35 |
Sun bronze | 20-35 |
Brand and price. It is also not worth saving on material by purchasing cheap and low-quality products. It will be wasted money. Such material will not provide sufficient protection from sunlight, and it is unlikely to last long.
Therefore, it is better to give preference to well-established manufacturers. Among which are: Armolan, Professional Window Film, Sun Control, Ultra Vision, Eastman Chemical.
In today's market, the choice of tint films is huge. Everyone will be able to find a suitable option, but do not save on buying. It’s better to pay a little more and get really high-quality products.
Also important scratch protective layer. Most of the cheap materials simply do not have it, so leaving a mark on such a coating will not be difficult, which cannot be said for branded films that have reliable protection against mechanical damage.
If you live on the first floor it would be nice to get a protective film of class A1 - A3. With such a coating, double-glazed windows will be almost impossible to break.
Manual tinting
To save a little on tinting glasses, you can carry out the work yourself. There is nothing complicated in it, and the tools that will be required for work will surely be found in every home.
So, to work, you need to cook:
- tint film;
- window cleaner;
- atomizer;
- microfiber cloth;
- stationery knife;
- plastic or rubber spatula (the second option will be preferable).
Having prepared everything you need, you can proceed to pasting the glasses on the balcony.
On some resources you can find information that tinting can be done both outside and inside the room. This is not entirely true. The film that is glued on the inside will last much longer, since it is not exposed to snow, rain, it is easier to care for it
Before gluing windows, it is very important to thoroughly clean the glass. To clean the canvas from dirt and dust, you can use a robot vacuum cleaner for windows. Then use a window cleaner, alcohol or a special tool to degrease the surface.
Make sure that there is not the slightest trace of dirt left on the glass. After all, even the smallest lint or speck, being under the film can cause the appearance of bubbles or delamination.
At the next stage, you need to measure the visible part of the glass and cut out a piece of the necessary glass size from the film. This can be done in advance, even before cleaning the glasses to prepare blanks of the required size. So you save a little time.
Next, you need to sprinkle the glass surface with water from the spray gun, release part of the film from the protective layer and carefully attach it to one of the upper corners of the glass.
Gently, with a spatula or towel, glue the film to the glass. During work, bubbles may appear, they will need to be smoothed immediately with a spatula. Try to smooth every millimeter of the film carefully - the life of the film will depend on this.
In the course of work, it is important to monitor the air temperature in the room. So, you should not carry out work in rooms where the air temperature exceeds +35 ° C, or less than +10 ºС
When the entire film is adhered, check for protruding edges beyond the edge of the glass. If any, they can be carefully trimmed with a clerical knife.
During gluing the glass, you need to monitor the humidity level in the room where the work is carried out. Too dry / wet air can cause poor connection of the film with the glass, which, accordingly, will adversely affect its service life.
Advantages and disadvantages of tinted windows
The main advantage of window tinting is the dimming of sunlight. This is especially true when a balcony or loggia is located on the south side and bright sunlight does not allow you to be comfortably indoors.
Tinted windows allow you not to pull the curtains even on a clear sunny day. They significantly muffle sunlight. In addition, if the choice is stopped on a mirror film, then from the side of the street passers-by will not be able to consider what is in the room
Unlike curtains, incredible amounts of dust do not accumulate on the films, so they do not require such careful care. To maintain cleanliness in the room it will be enough only occasionally to wipe the windows from dust.
Another indisputable advantage of films is their durability. By toning the windows on the balcony, you will get rid of the bright sun rays penetrating the room for a long time.
In addition to protection from bright light, the material also protects a person from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation, which is also important.
With the help of a decorative film, you can decorate any room, give it a kind of "zest".
It is also worth mentioning the fact that the tint film does not heat up from sunlight, but reflects them. This will help to reduce the temperature in the room by several degrees, which is especially true on hot sunny days.
The dignity of tinting called last can be considered at the same time its drawback, because in the winter season the air in the room will warm up much more slowly than in rooms with non-tinted windows.
Also, do not tint the windows, which are located on the north side, since sunlight hardly penetrates into such rooms.
The expert tells how to tint windows with his own hands:
How to tint windows with the dismantling of double-glazed windows will be discussed in the following video:
As you can see, there is nothing difficult in tinting the windows on the balcony. The main thing is to have a little free time, patience, a minimal set of tools and strictly adhere to the instructions. And choosing the right material is not difficult, since the assortment on the market is quite extensive.
Have you had to paste windows with tint film yourself? Please tell our readers if there were difficulties during the work and how you dealt with them. Or are you just going to tint and you still have questions? You can ask them to our experts - the feedback block is located under the article.