5 Things To Keep In Mind While Hiring Window Tinting Services

When hiring a company for window tinting, it is essential to consider several things to ensure you get the desired results.  We will discuss five things to consider when choosing someone for home window tinting.  We ordered our list by the items we feel are most important first.  Many people start with the cost and schedule availability of their residential window tinting, and while that is important, we have listed that as the last item to consider.

What goal are you looking to achieve with window tinting, and can it be reached?

First, it is crucial to figure out what you hope to achieve with home window tinting and ensure that the film can do what you want.  Are you trying to reduce heat and energy bills, reduce glare, gain security, or add privacy?  House window tinting can provide all of these benefits, but other thoughts must be considered.  For example, sometimes customers want a window film to provide privacy while allowing them to see out.  Window film can give you this privacy during the daylight hours while allowing you to keep your view, but at night it will provide no privacy.  If nighttime privacy is your number one goal, you either need to use a window film that doesn’t allow you to see out, or window film is not your best choice.

Also, it would be best if you considered whether the window tinting company you are working with understands your goals.  Sometimes, window film companies have films that they may recommend, but they may not be the best option for you.  A customer may want to block heat and reduce energy bills while keeping their beautiful views.  A very light, Spectrally Selective residential window tint can help with these goals, but these films often cost much more while blocking less heat.  Spectrally Selective films reduce heat while targeting a specific part of the solar spectrum, the infrared rays, where about half of the sun’s heat is carried.  Most of the other heat from the sun is carried in the visible light band.  A Spectrally Selective home window tint can be very light and block a good amount of heat.  However, a darker, non-spectrally selective window tint doesn’t take away from your daytime views, blocks more heat, and is less expensive.

 Is the window tinting company your best option to solve your problem?

It is also important to ensure that you are working with a good, reputable window tint company that is honest about the results they can provide.  One way to ensure the house window tinting company is respectable is by getting a referral from another happy customer.  Find someone happy about their home window tinting and find out whom they used.  You can also look online for “window tinting near me” and see their reviews.

Also, make sure that you understand what window tinting will do for you.  Window film has many benefits and is well worth the cost, but we will often find customers have been misled as to what they can expect from their window tint.  We will see customers with a security window tint who believe it is almost impossible for someone to break through it or that they are protected even from bullets.  Neither of these is true; most window films will provide no ballistic protection and only slows an intruder down, allowing time for security response.

We also find customers who believe that a house window tint will stop their valuables from fading completely, which is not valid.  Window film dramatically reduces fading caused by the sun, but nothing can completely stop fading.

If a window tint company overpromises the effect of its window film, it may not be as reputable as you deserve.

What type of glass do you have, and what films does the window tinting company use?

Once you have determined if window tint is a good solution for your problem and have found a reliable window tint provider, you can ensure the specific window film is suitable for your glass.  Some window tints are not safe to put on certain types of glass.  There are three common types of glass that most windows are composed of.  There are also windows made from one, two, or even three panes of glass.

First, there is tempered and heat-strengthened glass.  This type of glass is often in your car’s side and back window, any windows in a bathroom or near water, and windows low to the ground or near stairs or doors.  Tempered glass is safer because when it breaks, it breaks into many small pieces of glass that are less likely to injure someone seriously.  This type of glass allows almost any kind of window film, no matter how many panes there are in the window.

Annealed glass is the second type of glass and is common in most other windows in your home that don’t require tempered glass.  When this type of glass breaks, it usually does so in long lines.  If the glass were to fall out of the window, often it does so in larger sections that can cut or injure people.  With window film, you need to be careful not to use a film that absorbs too much heat, such as a dark, non-reflective film.  If too much heat is absorbed in annealed glass because of the window film, it can cause the glass to break.  In windows with two or three panes of glass, it becomes more likely that heat absorption could cause a break.  Manufacturers approve specific window films for this type of glass and usually have some reflectivity to reflect rather than absorb some of the heat.  For home window tinting, the reflectivity doesn’t have to be as extreme as you will often see with commercial buildings.

The third type of glass is laminated glass, which is in the windshield of your car and some other windows, usually some commercial doors or some skylights.   This glass has a clear laminate inside to help hold it together if it breaks.  The internal laminate already absorbs extra heat in the glass, so very few window tints are safe for this type of glass.

Is there a warranty to cover any issues that you might have?

Our last point with glass types highlights the importance of checking into the warranty.  Most home window tinting manufacturers offer glass breakage warranties for approved films.  They will pay to replace the broken glass due to window tint for a specified time period and dollar amount.  

A window film warranty should also cover discoloring, peeling, cracking, fading, and bubbling.  Usually, these warranties are longer for house window tinting than commercial window tinting but only cover the film for the original purchaser.

Location, Cost, Schedule:

Finally, when choosing a window tinting services provider, it is good to find one near you.  Again, you can easily find a company in your area by searching online for “window tinting near me,” making sure that you are not paying extra for travel costs, and the company will likely be quicker to respond.  Price is also significant, but only once you determine a reputable company that is honest about what their film will do for you and has a product to achieve your desired goal.  Of course, we all want our window film as soon as possible, but sometimes it is best to wait a little longer to work with a great company.

Conclusion

After reading this, you can see that there are often more things to consider when choosing your window tinting services, but once you do, you can get excellent results from residential window tinting.
Get in touch with Columbine Window Tint.