TomTint

I like it... I'm in the process of moving our inventory to a new shop. We have a few sections of racking already set up.. Difficulty is getting all the different size boxes to play nice together..... 48,50,60,62,72 etc...and some in 8" boxes..some in 5"...

Post here in the help wanted section similar to this thread title .....better learn how to install that Carbon Fiber Suntek film before applying

https://zeroenergyproject.org/2019/02/18/2019-is-the-year-of-energy-codes/

What is coming down the tracks is national building standards.....trust me....they are coming to metro America as well. Weather local towns adopt them and I force them is largely in the hands of each local building dept. But given the way municipalities are risk adverse..they will adapt quickly in order to minimize potential legal exposure.

think of solar film like the yellow pages...of course there are going to be a certain segment of the population who do not have the know how or technology to google things... But that population is dying everyday. At some point..they will be all but a memory. How you operate your business and how anyone else dos has zero bearing on the sustainability of said yellow pages. In fact if anything, the small mom and pop general store may be more at risk due to their inability to switch gears in time.

Depends on your model and goals. My negatively on the market is based on how I see the future of the industry evolving...or better yet ...the lack of evolvement within the industry. How you or I operate is irrelevant to what is happening in the market... we are all virtually at the mercy of the mfrs developing new products and bringing them to market for us to sell....and they are not. ...Big picture here ... OE glass of today is already incredibly efficient..to the point where adding film will in some cases not show a ROI for 20+ years..at today's prices. Film costs will continue to rise pushing that ROI back even longer. New glass standards will be triple pane and thus virtually impossible eliminating film potential on the inside..and exterior will still take 20 years to recover costs. This is going to crush the commercial solar market..very soon. Yes..there are older buildings with old glass that may be here and there but they are disappearing fast and being remodeled with high quality glass. Is this business going to die tomorrow ? No. But in 5-10 years solar will be a fraction of what it is today. ..the guy who does not mind running around tinting a few sliders and a few double hung windows a day in homes will be just fine. But the days of film being utilized as a ECM on large scale is coming to the end. .....kind of like the yellow pages....

We are 90+% deco. That market is still strong, but as I said 3 years ago...it's beginning to get whored out just like every other film. A few years ago few had their own print capabilities..most relied on 2 of 3 sources..that's changed as well. Now there are numerous shops who also have in house printers.

I wish you the best of luck. Everyone has a different goal and different expectations and that's great. Some people in this industry are happy and can live comfortably earning 1000.00 a week. Others need to bring in 25k and more a week to keep everyone paid. And the lights on. ..that's the nature of the business. Not just this one but all businesses. And yes, the film market is declining. And declining rapidly in the solar market nationally. One of the major high end mfrs was down millions is sales last year..and this year is going to be worse. If not for auto film and secuy film... many mfrs would be downsizing and consolidating.

That's small thinking. ..would you commit to a business that has a known declining market....it's like deciding to open up a asbestos manufacturering plant because it's going to be popular for the next 5-10 years ...

Been at it since 1985... the same problems the industry has today..were the same as they were back then. The industry has not evolved with the times nearly as fast as other construction aspects OEM glass for example. Film mfrs should be looking to the future and developing products ...not waiting 5-8-10 years to come up with outdated bandaids. In the not too distant future glass. Will be a source of energy production in buildings and homes... this should have been on film mfrs front burner to develop..but it's not. Why am I negative about film ? ...because I see mfrs blowing smoke up dealers backside about sell sell sell...dealers who are not looking at the big picture don't see the train coming... IMO if you are going to invest your time into building a business for the future...winder tints ain't the best option. .02

The future of flat glass tinting is not looking bright. The days of inefficient OE glass are over. Building code a number of years ago mandated new construction meet certain energy requirements in order to even get a building permit. That code has gotten even more strict and more demanding over the years. In the next couple years the only way windows will meet the U value requirements will be to use triple pane. That is going to be a death nail for film. ...Don't believe me......ask yourself what film mfr has developed any new flat glass films in the past few years......I don't think Eastman even knows they have a flat glass line anymore... Thy have hap hazzardly cobbled together a "new" line of exterior films...basically their same solar films with AG coating and PS adhesive. ...Exterior film will be the next phase of large solar film projects..simply because interior application will never result in a ROI under 20 years. .....and I have zero interest hanging film on a swing stage.

Invest well......I have been buying property all these years. Spending money on that and not beer or clubbing. Real estate is the single largest creator of wealth in America. Rent is for suckers. ..Buy it...rent it yourself..let it appreciate..sell it.

I started in the summer of 85... I have about 3-4 more years to go before I retire from the trade. We have some real estate to sell and then I'm tail lights.

We leave the house at 4:15 am almost every morning. Stop at the shop to get the van, drive through. Dunking Donuts and on the highway by. 4:35 AM... but 8pm I'm usually looking at the back of my eye lids.

Tinting in a body shop.....going to be a mess. ..imagine someone sanding bondo next to you while you are spraying a car black......Decades ago we did work for a few body shops..always had to tint inside the spray booth, or have them bring it to us. The body shops booth is where they make real money..the last thing the owner wants to do is tie up a booth to make dimes while stepping over dollars.