Mini Panes

[TintJunkie]

Ill be the first to admit that Im not very good at mini panes. If I did them one at a time, they turn out perfect, but I typically do 1-2 rows at a time. I do spend a lot of time cleaning...over and over it seems, but I still get some trash in them. Not a lot of trash, but still, its there. In your experience, what is the best way to clean and install on mini panes?

The reason I ask is because I sold a mini pane job over the weekend. 132 panes on the front of the house. When I worked for another company (this will sound bad) I didn't worry too much about them not being absolutely perfect. Now I have a reputation to grow. I did only one mini pane job last year (120 approx) and it took me about 7 hours to do.

[Guest joesinla]

I like to clean them as usual, except don't re-wet the glass, leave it dry. Then wet your small piece only. Just the right amount of soap is important as you don't want and fingers to come up and bring with it contaminants. I also cut at an angle at each corner allowing for an easier/cleaner cut. If you do cars good you can do french panes well.

[Ryker]

I price them high enough that I don't have to worry about it. I know that the least amount of liquid you can get on the window the better it will be.

[TintJunkie]

Its funny...I dont have problems with french panes. They turn out very good. Maybe b/c I do one at a time.

[Tint Artist]

I price them high enough that I don't have to worry about it. I know that the least amount of liquid you can get on the window the better it will be.

Exactly! If you do multiple panes at a time, it's better to use the least amount of water as you can!

[Ryker]

I would rather be doing a larger window and making the money than screwing with those little PAINS..... I expect to be getting paid for my time and it is hard to justify the money that one needs for the time on those little buggers.

Are you making the money or are you doing it for less than you should?

[texdave]

I do mini-panes all the time and believe I have figured out the best way to keep them clean (at least for me).Spray the window, and first start by removing the caulking or silicone away from the edges with the olfa knife (it comes off easier when wet)re-wet the window, then scrape the panes with the triumph, making sure to hit the edges good where I scraped the caulking. Afterwards, do not re-wet the window, use a paper towel and wipe down all the edges to remove all excess silicone/caulking. Then flush all the edges down, but dont go crazy on the top edges in case the frame holds water. Then re-wipe down the edges and squeege them off. I have found that doing one row at a time works best for keeping the most dirt out. This may seem like alot to go through but once you get the hang of it it really gets easy. Just take your time and worry about quality and you will see that quantity will get faster as you do it.

[TintJunkie]

I would rather be doing a larger window and making the money than screwing with those little PAINS..... I expect to be getting paid for my time and it is hard to justify the money that one needs for the time on those little buggers.

Are you making the money or are you doing it for less than you should?

Im making money on them. It just takes forever it seems to make the money. I can do the same amount in fg in way less time, so the money always seems so much better. We can talk about prices if you pm me.

On a 34x28 window, top and bottom, I like to do 2 rows at a time. I clean the crap out of them and lay the striaght edge on the top row, tack them all in place, then cut, the finish the squeegee. Lately I have been using a yellow turbo instead of a blue max on mini's. Is it better to do one at a time, or one row at a time? I know this shouldnt be about speed, I just want to be able to maximize productivity, since I am very slow at mini's. Someone told me one time not to scrape the sides of the mini's, just the middle b/c I would just get more trash in them. But there is always some gray colored silicone surrounding the mini, and I feel it would be wrong to just leave it and cut around it.

I know there are a lot of you that have been around long enough in fg where all you did on houses were mini panes. I got in the game right when it was the law to have dual pane windows on all houses in Texas, so I dont have the experience that you do. Help a brother out with some tips.

[Guest absolutetinting]

Trim and clean window dry. Then vacuum the edges. Continue with normal install w/ minimal water (film only).

[Guest filmslayer]

I'm slow on those as well and silicone sucks ,I charge a $1 more per sqft and do them one row at a time (top to bottom). I've found that when I'd try 2 rows the lower row will always have trash no matter how well I'd clean ...