Consumer Needs Your Help!

August 9, 2011

Hi,

My name is Ashley and I am super excited that I found this website and forum. After several unreturned phone calls to tint companies and dead end searches on the web I'm hoping you all can help!

My husband and I recently purchased a home in Raleigh, North Carolina. The home was built in 2005. The rear of the home faces west and has an open ceiling in the family room which has virtually ceiling to floor windows. The entire back side of the home gets afternoon sun making the living spaces extremely hot with unbearable glare. Here are my questions:

1- Recommendations for Reputable Window Film Brand - Have heard great things regarding Madico, but can't get anyone to call me back so I'm at a loss for who locally can install this product. Other brands I've seen locally are Vista, Llumar and 3M. Have read about Huper on this site, but haven't seen it marketed here locally. Could do some additional digging if you all thinks its the film to get.

2- If anyone on this site is in my area, I'd be willing to set up meeting to discuss.

3- I'm a little concerned about how the films will impact the view from inside the house. I've read horror stories about distorted views, films that are way too dark, etc. Also, we are not planning to tint the windows on the front of the house and have an open floor plan so front and back windows are able to been seen from one location. Will there be an extreme difference in appearance?

I know I've thrown alot out here so thank you in advance for any advice and direction. I value your professional input and welcome any pertinent information that I can use as knowledge when meeting with local salesmen...just a little leery of what the 'salesmen' will try to sell us!

Thanks again!

Ashley

August 9, 2011

:hmmm

a lil more info about your windows will help . are they dual /single pane , is there any shading across any of them and is heat your biggest factor ? All the brands you mention make very good films , my advice is find a local shop you are comfortable with and take their recommendations ...

August 9, 2011

There are many reputable film brands out there to choose from. I distribute Hanita films so I am a bit partial to our films however the films you have mentioned are also good films. Huper is a good looking film and performs well although for west facing windows I would not recommend thier ceramic line as it absorbs alot of heat and for dual pane windows (which im sure you have) absorbtion is not a great thing. Also with these windows being west facing they are going to get hammered by the sun. I would recommend a dual reflective film in the 30-20% range. You should see any where from 60-70% total solar energy reduction in these shades of film. (VLT Visible Light Transmission) is what we call it in the industry and it is the amount of light that comes through the film.

Solar films will not impact your view at all, infact they will most likely improve it because im sure right now your shades or blinds are closed due to the amount of heat and glare coming through the windows. With film on the glass you can open your window treatments and enjoy your view of the backyard while letting in natural light. It will not impact the other windows and will not be noticeable that those windows are tinted and the others are not because the windows are not next to each other to compare them to.

Fiveofeen · August 9, 2011

As much as I'd love to push one brand or another towards you I think its best to help you find a reputable dealer in your neck of the woods.

I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be much out there for such a large city... Maybe someone needs to setup shop there!

I did a search on Yelp and Google and www.formulaonetinting.com has the best reviews although they are all automotive related. Have you spoken to this company yet?

nctinter · August 9, 2011

Hi Ashley,

Like others said first thing would be to find someone very reputable near you to come out and take a look and sit down with you for options. We can point you in the right direction though. You can narrow things down a bit by telling us what you are trying to accomplish with the film. Mainly heat rejection? Glare reduction? A little of both I'm sure with west facing large windows. Aesthetics can be very important to a home owner, especially what the windows will look like from the outside. Not to mention HOA's may have certain guidelines on what films you can use. So ask yourself these things...If you want to reduce a lot of glare you will have to go with a darker film. Dual reflective is an excellent choice for both glare and heat rejection. Some people like their windows to reject a lot of heat but still let in a lot of light, that is where your ceramics come in to play. Also like filmslayer pointed out, the type of windows have may also determine the type of films you can use safely. Most likely they are double paned glass. Hope this helps. The brands you mentioned are all good. I am partial to Llumar myself and have their DR film on my home and love it. After you find someone and meet with them come back and let us know what they offered. good luck

August 9, 2011

a lil more info about your windows will help . are they dual /single pane , is there any shading across any of them and is heat your biggest factor ? All the brands you mention make very good films , my advice is find a local shop you are comfortable with and take their recommendations ...

Wow...thanks to all for the quick and helpful replies...and for not being too harsh since I'm a newbie!

Yes, windows are dual pane. When you say shading are you refering to something actually on the existing window or shading as in adjacent trees, etc. If the latter, yes, we have some tall adjacent trees which provide some dappled shading.

Will do a little more research to see if I can find a good shop. Most here seem to be either be heavy into auto tinting and lite on home tinting (which I've read from this site are very difference creatures) or give the appearance of 'big box'...slap up some tint and go kinda thing. Will do more digging.

Thanks again!

August 9, 2011

There are many reputable film brands out there to choose from. I distribute Hanita films so I am a bit partial to our films however the films you have mentioned are also good films. Huper is a good looking film and performs well although for west facing windows I would not recommend thier ceramic line as it absorbs alot of heat and for dual pane windows (which im sure you have) absorbtion is not a great thing. Also with these windows being west facing they are going to get hammered by the sun. I would recommend a dual reflective film in the 30-20% range. You should see any where from 60-70% total solar energy reduction in these shades of film. (VLT Visible Light Transmission) is what we call it in the industry and it is the amount of light that comes through the film.
Solar films will not impact your view at all, infact they will most likely improve it because im sure right now your shades or blinds are closed due to the amount of heat and glare coming through the windows. With film on the glass you can open your window treatments and enjoy your view of the backyard while letting in natural light. It will not impact the other windows and will not be noticeable that those windows are tinted and the others are not because the windows are not next to each other to compare them to.

Thank you for the helpful information Tim. Yes, our windows are dual pane with west facing sun. When you say dual reflective...is this going to result in a 'mirrored look' at night when viewed from inside? I've heard some speak of a heavy mirrored effect.

I guess we want our cake and eat it too. I would say our goals are equally split between heat reduction, glare reduction, and fade reduction while still looking as 'natural' as possible. Sounds like your suggestions above provide just that.

Thanks again!

August 9, 2011

As much as I'd love to push one brand or another towards you I think its best to help you find a reputable dealer in your neck of the woods.
I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be much out there for such a large city... Maybe someone needs to setup shop there!

I did a search on Yelp and Google and www.formulaonetinting.com has the best reviews although they are all automotive related. Have you spoken to this company yet?

Thanks Larry. These folks are on my list to call, but yes, they seem more auto related. Just can't believe how limited the residential film business is here! I'll give them a call and after I meet with them may jump back online to get help sorting through the info madness!

Thanks again!

August 9, 2011

DR films have a reflective ext. appearance and a smoked int. to help cut down on the interior reflection . that being said , all films will have some interior reflectiveness to them at night ...

August 9, 2011

Hi Ashley,
Like others said first thing would be to find someone very reputable near you to come out and take a look and sit down with you for options. We can point you in the right direction though. You can narrow things down a bit by telling us what you are trying to accomplish with the film. Mainly heat rejection? Glare reduction? A little of both I'm sure with west facing large windows. Aesthetics can be very important to a home owner, especially what the windows will look like from the outside. Not to mention HOA's may have certain guidelines on what films you can use. So ask yourself these things...If you want to reduce a lot of glare you will have to go with a darker film. Dual reflective is an excellent choice for both glare and heat rejection. Some people like their windows to reject a lot of heat but still let in a lot of light, that is where your ceramics come in to play. Also like filmslayer pointed out, the type of windows have may also determine the type of films you can use safely. Most likely they are double paned glass. Hope this helps. The brands you mentioned are all good. I am partial to Llumar myself and have their DR film on my home and love it. After you find someone and meet with them come back and let us know what they offered. good luck

As I mentioned in a previous reply it's likely that we want our cake and eat it too. I would say our goals are equally split between heat reduction, glare reduction, and fade reduction while still looking as 'natural' as possible. Guess since the glare reduction will result in the use of a darker tint that we should put glare reduction second to overall aesthetics. Someone else mentioned dual reflective....how mirrored is that going to look? These windows are at the back of the house so you'd have to go way out in the back yard to ever seem them all together, but when up close I don't want to be able to put makeup on in the reflection of the tint :money Yes, our windows are dual panel. Will check further into the DR series of Llumar. Thanks!