Interior window tinting

I did it in my sunroom. It is a pain getting the tint cut properly, but it definitely worked. Make sure to use copious amounts of liquid putting it on, and don't let any particles get behind the tint when you're installing it

I used static cling window tint on two of my west windows in my living room. Did it about 10 years ago and no problems so far.

I worked with commercial/residential window film for years in Houston. It’s a great product for problem areas where you have direct sunlight but still want to enjoy the view.

The films available over the counter at big box store are really low quality compared to what’s available commercially. They’re also an absolute pain to install due to cheaply made adhesives.

Tinting flat glass (normal home windows) isn’t very hard but it’s an art form. Any small imperfection in your cleaning or trimming will be magnified once the films installed. A good window tinter will be able to install the film in a way that you’ll never know it had been tinted.

If you have double paned glass you must use a specificly labled film for that glass. The sealed unit can be easily damaged if the film absorbs too much heat as opposed to reflecting the heat. The film will void your manufactures warrant on the glass if you still have one. A proper window film company will typically warrant the film for life against fading and peeling and your dual pane glass for 3-5 years if you have an existing warranty.

The brands of film I had good experiences with are solar guard, vista, and madico. I tell people to stay away from 3M films. They aren’t bad, but have identical performance to the others and cost 2-4 times the price per square foot. They also use a glue based adhesive which will fail over a long enough time frame.

I’d highly recommend using a tint company versus doing it yourself. The materials you need to properly install the film just aren’t available in stores. It would cost much more to buy them then to just pay someone to do it. It’s certainly not impossible to install on your own but there’s a good chance it either won’t come out right or you’ll wast hundreds of dolllars worth of film to try.

A reasonable price to pay from a contractor is anywhere between $4-$7 per square foot of glass. Maybe a little more if the job is small or the windows are old and hard to get to.

If you have any specific questions I can answer them. I worked in the industry a while.

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I’d highly recommend using a tint company versus doing it yourself

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I will 100% do this next time. Learned my lesson

Several of our monthly installs were re-do’s of Home Depot film jobs. It’s an odd skill to tint glass. Most of our trainees would spend 6 months cleaning windows before they were allowed to touch a piece of film. Then at least one year of tinting before they were allowed to install on their own.

Word of advice if you try to diy and decide to have a professional come and re-do the tint, remove the tint immediately. Once it sets it’s a nightmare to remove, also inform the new company that you removed tint yourself so they can check for residual adhesive. Most companies charge an extra $1-$2 per sqft to remove old film. Also it dramatically increases the chance of breaking a window while removing the tint. A reputable company will pay to replace damage during the install but if you have old or low quality windows they may waive liability damage for tint remove as damage at that point is pretty much garunteed.

I've done my entire house. Its really not difficult to do flat house windows, just takes some time to get used to the process. Use a buttload of soapy water, much more than you think you need.

I bought a couple hundred feet of tint from ebay. 5% and 20%

Solar Shield Louisiana. Your Welcone. We added Solar Screens to our east and west windows 2 years ago and it has made a tremedous difference cutting heat and adds a lot of privacy. Best money I have spent. Call Mr. Danny Campo.

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Used the residential film (mirrored) from lowes. Was NOT hard. Used plenty of the spray and had a few beers. Is it perfect? No. But you'd have to really eyeball it to see any imperfections. Made a big difference especially on east west rooms. Don't pay someone to do this.