home window tint - reduces heat

[robphelan]

anyone ever get this done? the back of our house faces directly West and the late afternoon sun bakes our living room/bedroom.

just curious on standard costs for professional installation & any other comments.

 

[cKGunslinger]

I think my neighbors just bought the screen material and put it in thier existing screens on the west side They say it helps a bunch. We might do the same soon.

 

[Cashmoney995]

can't be that expensive...it can't be more complicated than auto tint and I got my entire tC tinted for 110$

You can even buy tint from walmart, but Id think a pro would be better.

 

[theknight571]

Tint the windows? You gonna chop it and install some pneumatics too?

j/k

I have a friend that did this... and he said it does help. If I remember, I'll ask for more details when I talk to him.

 

[ys]

I've tinted my west facing windows with Gila from Lowes. It reduces quite a lot of heat. You can DIY with plenty of soapy water and a sharp razor blade.

 

[bigfil]

we have the window screens installed on the west side of our home
it has helped lower temps probably 5-10 degrees
i noticed that the ac is not running as much now
cost wise installed it wasn't cheap but worth it in the long run

 

[Anonemous]

Aluminum foil !

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: bigfil
we have the window screens installed on the west side of our home
it has helped lower temps probably 5-10 degrees
i noticed that the ac is not running as much now
cost wise installed it wasn't cheap but worth it in the long run

window screens, like the mesh that lets the air in? or do you mean window film?

 

[funboy6942]

I did it to my front windows. I used the vinal 5% limo tint from wally mart this way it can be removed easily. Can be done by yourself and there is a HUGE diff in the sunlight/heat coming into the rooms.

Not to mention my house looks as kick ass as my car. White with tinted windows. OOOOOOO I wonder what they are doing in there

 

[radioouman]

Parents did it to the windows in our old house. Seemed to help.

 

[uhohs]

what's the cheapest and easiest way to do this yourself? my room is a freakin heater.

 

[jtvang125]

Originally posted by: uhohs
what's the cheapest and easiest way to do this yourself? my room is a freakin heater.

1. Go to a stereo shop or walmart and buy the tint. Buy the one that comes in a large sheet.
2. Clean inside of window.
3. Measure and cut tint to cover window.
4. Use water and a drop or two of liquid dish cleaner in a spray bottle
5. Spray solution on inside of window
6. Peel tint to reveal the adhesive
7. Place on window adhesive side down. Move tint to align with window edges. Squeeze out solution with an old credit card or something similar. Let dry.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: funboy42

Not to mention my house looks as kick ass as my car. White with tinted windows. OOOOOOO I wonder what they are doing in there

lol

 

[wyvrn]

Originally posted by: iamme

Originally posted by: bigfil
we have the window screens installed on the west side of our home
it has helped lower temps probably 5-10 degrees
i noticed that the ac is not running as much now
cost wise installed it wasn't cheap but worth it in the long run

window screens, like the mesh that lets the air in? or do you mean window film?

There are window screens that look black from the outside, ie you cannot see in. They have a bigger threading that blocks out a lot of sunlight. I have a house that has both the window tinting, and the blackout screens, and still gets hot in the summer here in TX Next move is to upgrade the A/C to a 13-seer unit to reduce energy costs.

 

[robphelan]

Originally posted by: funboy42
I did it to my front windows. I used the vinal 5% limo tint from wally mart this way it can be removed easily. Can be done by yourself and there is a HUGE diff in the sunlight/heat coming into the rooms.

Not to mention my house looks as kick ass as my car. White with tinted windows. OOOOOOO I wonder what they are doing in there

they told me they use a 20% tint because it gets so hot here in south Texas that the windows could shatter from the absorbed heat.

yesterday, a freakin coke can burst in my truck from being out in the sun all day.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: jtvang125

Originally posted by: uhohs
what's the cheapest and easiest way to do this yourself? my room is a freakin heater.

1. Go to a stereo shop or walmart and buy the tint. Buy the one that comes in a large sheet.

They sell this stuff at Lowe's and Home Depot too.

I'm planning on tinting all the front windows in my house because the sun shines straight in causing it to get very hot. Not to mention the sun damage.

 

[Baked]

Replace windows w/ 2 way mirrors.

 

[notfred]

Um... blinds?

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: notfred
Um... blinds?

I've got an absolutely huge window in the front of my house that I can't get blinds on. We try to not go with too many curtains because they collect dust and exacerbate my son's allergies.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: robphelan

Originally posted by: funboy42
I did it to my front windows. I used the vinal 5% limo tint from wally mart this way it can be removed easily. Can be done by yourself and there is a HUGE diff in the sunlight/heat coming into the rooms.

Not to mention my house looks as kick ass as my car. White with tinted windows. OOOOOOO I wonder what they are doing in there

they told me they use a 20% tint because it gets so hot here in south Texas that the windows could shatter from the absorbed heat.

yesterday, a freakin coke can burst in my truck from being out in the sun all day.

I have a two-pane sliding glass door in facing west in my house. Last summer, the exerior pane shattered/exploded (saefty-ish glass) in the late afternoon. I think some of it might have been due to some settling and torsion on the window, but the heat was a major factor, I bet.

 

[robphelan]

Originally posted by: notfred
Um... blinds?

blinds don't cut it down here... currently, we're using heavy drapes(expensive) to help block the heat.. they do a good job, but they still trap heat between the windows and the drapes. this still increases the heat inside the house.

however, the drapes are fading, so we'd like to eliminate more of the radiation coming through the windows.

 

[funboy6942]

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger

Originally posted by: robphelan

Originally posted by: funboy42
I did it to my front windows. I used the vinal 5% limo tint from wally mart this way it can be removed easily. Can be done by yourself and there is a HUGE diff in the sunlight/heat coming into the rooms.

Not to mention my house looks as kick ass as my car. White with tinted windows. OOOOOOO I wonder what they are doing in there

they told me they use a 20% tint because it gets so hot here in south Texas that the windows could shatter from the absorbed heat.

yesterday, a freakin coke can burst in my truck from being out in the sun all day.

I have a two-pane sliding glass door in facing west in my house. Last summer, the exerior pane shattered/exploded (saefty-ish glass) in the late afternoon. I think some of it might have been due to some settling and torsion on the window, but the heat was a major factor, I bet.

HUH maybe I will go hobble into the room and feel the window. If its hot then I will replace it with the %5 mirror type to reduce the heat and reflect the rays to keep the glass cool. But I just did what my tint guy told me to do and he does homes and cars down here and said to use the 5% because thats what he uses. Maybe not good for safety glass? I know on safety glass it gets got enough it will shatter but I dont think the rest of my windows are safety just double plane glass.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: ys
I've tinted my west facing windows with Gila from Lowes. It reduces quite a lot of heat. You can DIY with plenty of soapy water and a sharp razor blade.

I did the same. That stuff works great. It's a bit of a PITA to separate the two pieces without kinking the film when working with large pieces though. It helps to have a large clean area to work with/prep the film. Keep pets out of the area and clean the room of as much hair and dust as possible before you begin. You will have to remove all window treatments and blinds.

All you'll need is a spray bottle filled with very soapy water, a squeegee and a razor blade. It's not difficult, just take your time and follow the directions.