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Contravision Query
Hi Guys,
I have a customer requesting to have their windows covered in black vinyl but they still want to be able to see out of the window. Obviously contravision is the answer, but my question is…
Do I have to buy in contravision material and print black or is there any other vinyl alternatives?
Thanks in advance!
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6 Replies
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Hi Stewart
In my experience you are correct, I am not aware of any Soild colour contra available, other from white of course, the type we use has a Gray/black backing (visible from inside the glass) anyway.
hope these helps 😛
O
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look in the tip and hints area of the forum (members only I think?).
there’s an alternative there which uses black vinyl cut in this strips, makes it hard to see in while allowing the same principle as contravision.
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Could you not use a black tint?
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quote Stewart Dawson:Hi Guys,I have a customer requesting to have their windows covered in black vinyl but they still want to be able to see out of the window. Obviously contravision is the answer, but my question is…
Do I have to buy in contravision material and print black or is there any other vinyl alternatives?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Stewart
My advice is be very careful with covering any window with a large area of Black. As Black is the most absorbent of all colours you risk Thermal Shock on the glass and the glass "exploding" or cracking.
You really need to consider a risk assessment based on position i.e. South facing, North etc and how much sunlight can hit it during the day. Also to see if there any permanent shadows on part of the glass that can create two different temperatures on the glass (even greater risk of Thermal Shock)
If there is no risk (or no direct sunlight) then you could possibly use a perforated technology but dependent on lighting conditions if it is black both sides then in theory it will serve very little purpose as you will see in as much as out.
Other products to consider would be tinted solar films designed for glass (although you still need to speak to a specialist about Thermal Shock risk) There are many versions of film but most of the "privacy" solar films are silver and black solar normally used in automotive applications.
Final thing to consider is the ambient lighting both sides of the glass – when using solar films or black tinted transparent films if the lighting is stronger on the inside than outside you actually create a mirror on the inside and can see through from the outside – this will always happen on retail, office etc applications in the winter in dusk and night time situations.
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I have never heard of thermal shock risk, that is very interesting. On a much simpler note, the contravision we use always has a black backing, is there a product available which has a white back so that the outlook for people internally is not black.
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quote Craig Kerr Harkness:I have never heard of thermal shock risk, that is very interesting. On a much simpler note, the contravision we use always has a black backing, is there a product available which has a white back so that the outlook for people internally is not black.
Hi Craig
The way that Contravision (or other one way vision products) works requires a black adhesive side. The black grid or skeleton (or dots on original Contravision) allows the human eye to "see through" the holes as if it is a tinted window. If you had a White adhesive (or very light colour) the eye cannot see though the stronger base colour.
Contravision is available for specialist applications in a translucent white version where it is white both sides. This allows it to appear as a illuminated image at night time (from outside) but will not give full see through visibility from the inside.
Hope this makes sense
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