re: Window tint for home windows

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$2,100?!? How long do you think it will take to make that up in savings?

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No clue. None at all. About 1/4 of the windows (bedroom, bathroom, and front door plus trim need to be darkened for privacy. Rest are for comfort.

I sold commercial/residential window film for four years. Most manufacturers do not sell there products direct to consumers. You have to go thru a film company especially for the high end ceramic films. Please do not buy Home Depot tint. I've worked with it before and it is garbage. Also it's a lot harder to install than you think. A professional should really do it and it'll make sure your warranty stays intact as most residential films are warranted for a lifetime but only thru an authorized dealer.

There are three basic types of films dyed, metallic, and ceramic. There are mixtures of each as well.

Dyed films are the cheap films. These are typically car tints and bargain film. The dye fades to the purple color we've all seen. They are not to be used in home installations.

Metallic films are the most common residential film. Depending on the strength of the film the exterior will appear shiny (more so on single pane glass than double). There are higher end metallic films that have less reflection. Metallic films have good heat rejection properties (usually 50-80% depending on strength) but typically need to be "darker" to get the same heat rejection as ceramics. Metallic films usually cost $4-7 per sqft for flat glass and $5-9 per mini pane if you have that style window.

Ceramic films are the premium films. They are the most expensive but have the best asthetics and performance. They can reject heat without being too shiny. They typically have a grayish black look to them and reject about 50-70% of the heat. They are definitely the recommended film but usually can only be bought thru an authorized dealer at a cost of $8-15 per sqft.

An important number to know if vlt percentage. Vlt is visible light transmitance. Basically it is how dark a film will appear to be. The LOWER the number the darker it is. I highly recommend a 30-40% vlt film. Anything lighter will not reject enough heat to make it worth the investment.

Brands I sold and liked are huper optic and geo shield for ceramic, solar guard and panorama for metallic. I never cared for the 3m products because they used a "PS" adhesive which could sometimes appear hazy. almost like looking thru a piece of scotch tape. They are not bad films however and their night vision line was my favorite. With that said they charge a HUGE premium for their brand name. Their films cost us as the dealer twice as much per square foot as the others I mentioned.

If you have any specific questions please let me know. I have a lot of experience in this industry. I sold it in Houston which is the window film capital of the world.

I owe you a beer. Thanks a lot for typing all that out and for the great explanation.

The installer that I got my first quote from only gave me a quote on 3M Prestige and Night Vision. From what you said, Prestige is not worth the extra cost over the Night Vision (25%). We really liked the look of the sample 25% Night Vision that he had, is this too dark? As you know, they have a 35% too.

I do not believe that we are ready to pay for ceramic prices. The 3M is quoted right at $8.4/sqft for the Night Vision. Is this a good deal? I see $8/sqft thrown around a lot.

I would love to be able to look into getting either Solar Guard and Panorama installed (at your recommendation), but I am having trouble finding ANY company that even installs window film. Do you know of any shops in BR that installs either brand? I believe that I have a burner email, if I can remember the password.

IceCreamSammich@hotmail.com yep, I figured out password

Thanks again for all the advice.

House is over 5 years old. I have no idea about any warranty at all. We do have a window with a broken seal and plan to get it replaced before tint. Then we will put tint over new window.

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I owe you a beer. Thanks a lot for typing all that out and for the great explanation

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I never thought my acute knowledge of window film would pay off.

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We really liked the look of the sample 25% Night Vision that he had, is this too dark?

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3M films were always quirky with their VLT%. Most films are 30, 40, 50 etc. The strength of the film should be determined by window exposure and room size. If you have a smaller closed off living room I wouldn't use too dark of a tint. If you have a large open concept with multiple levels of windows you may want stronger tint. Also east/west facing home typically need strong film as you mentioned. I would tell people to go as strong as possible because film strength determines heat rejection. Keep in mind that the small film sample they give you will look much more clear than the actual install as there is still quite a bit of light in the room not being filtered.

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The 3M is quoted right at $8.4/sqft for the Night Vision. Is this a good deal?

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How many square feet did you have them bid? Typically the companies that sell film will have tier base pricing. For example 100 sqft or less will be $10/sqft where 400 sqft of film installed may be $5/sqft.$8.4/sqft really isn't bad for 3M, but it also isn't good. Unfortunately Louisiana doesn't have near the market as Houston so prices are much higher. I would typically see 3M films sell for $5.5-$6/sqft for night vision installed on a 250 sqft job. Remember you can always negotiate!

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Do you know of any shops in BR that installs either brand?

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I never did business in LA so I really can't vouch for any shops. Due to the construction style in LA being an exclusive residential/commercial window film company is pretty tough. Most home tinting is done by people who own car tint shops and decal or wrap shops. You may check with a few of them.

Just for reference the panorama film I like the best was the slate series. Solar guard is a sub-brand of the same company that owns panorama. Solar guard is a common car film so if you get a solar guard companies quote ask for panorama slate series. If they cannot sell panorama, solar guard stainless steel series is the next best thing.

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Rockford, another question. How much savings can one expect with good tint on windows? I know this obviously varies from home to home and location to location. However, like Ive said, 250 sqft, few windows on east side, LOTS on west side.

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I hate to give the "it depends" answer, but it really does. I've seen homes not save a dollar and then I've personally seen homes with $400/mo utilities bills go down to $200-$225. Average savings was often between 10-20% Typically in a home you have two huge inefficient areas when it comes to cooling: attic and window/doors. Radiant barriers are a huge money saver and often work in tandem with window film. I'd always recommend them to people buying film even thought I didn't sell them. Also note that if you have leaky windows, bad door seals, and bad a/c habbits film will not fix that. You'll feel a huge difference when your homes tinted. I would always tell customers to stand behind an untinted window in the sun and then stand in front of one I just tined to feel the difference. It really is night and day. Film does a great job, but if there are other inefficiencies in the home it may not make a huge difference on your utility bill but it will make the room more comfortable. The best description is its like standing in the shade on a hot day.

Just did a dealer search for Panorama. The same dealer that carries 3M (only one in BR) also carries Panorama. Just to be sure, the Slate Series by Panorama is what you would recommend over anything? Well, over any 3M?

Knowing that they charge $8.4/sqft for the Night Vision, what would be fair for the Slate Series? Finally, they have a 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 series. What corresponds with the Night Vision 25% best?

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Just did a dealer search for Panorama. The same dealer that carries 3M (only one in BR) also carries Panorama. Just to be sure, the Slate Series by Panorama is what you would recommend over anything? Well, over any 3M?

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Awesome. Slate 30 is my recommendation for living areas. If you like the dark feel you can use slate 20 in the bedrooms. I would tell the salesman to come back and install a sample on the glass (not just a swatch in a handout) of NV 25 and slate 30 side by side. It sounds like you may have an older style dual pane glass unit and the one disadvantage of slate 30 was it looks a little more shiny on the exterior than NV 25 on older units. That way you could make sure the aesthetics are to your liking.

I do prefer the slate series over all the other metallic films I've used. Like I said earlier 3M is not a bad product its just more money for the same results. If the were the exact same price after negotiating I may be tempted to use 3M just based off of aesthesis. If I remember correctly NV is a dual reflective where as slate is single. That just means the NV will have less interior reflection at night. When I got out of the business I believe Panorama was switching to dual reflective so that may be the case now.

When I would sell panorama I would sell it for $3.5/sqft for whole house installations and $4.5-$5/sqft for partial jobs. I would not pay anymore than $6/sqft installed here in Louisiana.

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Slate 30 is my recommendation for living areas. If you like the dark feel you can use slate 20 in the bedrooms.

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After comparing Slate to NV, I think this is exactly what I am going to do.

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I would tell the salesman to come back and install a sample on the glass (not just a swatch in a handout) of NV 25 and slate 30 side by side.

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Depending on pricing, I fully plan on doing this due to what you said later in your post.

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When I would sell panorama I would sell it for $3.5/sqft for whole house installations and $4.5-$5/sqft for partial jobs. I would not pay anymore than $6/sqft installed here in Louisiana.

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No idea, until tomorrow, what they charge for the Slate. Ill bump this once I get a new quote. Wont get a chance to negotiate any (Mrs. ICS will call, Ill be at work), but we will know their starting point.

TL:DR the guys post on page 2. Looks like he knows what he's talking about and if you want to pay to get it done, do it.
I've done the front rooms of my house ( faces WNW) with tint from lowes and can feel a huge difference in the afternoons.
I will say I've been tinting windows for about 15years (vehicles as a high schooler, tractors at my dads farm in college, and houses for friends and fam nowadays when they ask) and windows in the house are by far the easiest.

Main thing is making sure the window is clean. It can be done by adequetly by a nonseasoned rookie and be effective, but if you are willing to pay, go professional.