Fitting UV Solar Film

[Matty Goodwin]

Hi!

Had a lot of police station windows, external and internal with this stuff.

Horrible to say the least! One speck of dust and its buggered!

Plenty of soapy water and a hard rubber squeegee (bomb proofing squeegee we call it) are a must.

Personal advice, sub it out. Many on here specialise in this sort of job. Unless you’ve quoted to do the job 3 times and still make a profit I’d walk away. It’s nasty stuff, hard to fit unless in a controlled environment and expensive.

Don’t mean to put a downer on the job but I’m a fitter and have 25yrs experience, but I’d make it someone Else’s problem!!!

Matt

[Stuart Miller]

Hi Matthew.
If you are just fitting completely clear UV film then there is not much to worry about on the glass braekage issue, but as soon as you are talking about a tinted or reflective Solar film then there are many issues which have to be taken into account.
Type of glass, (annealed or toughened), Glass thickness, pane size, Double glazed?. Low-E coating, Any shading patterns from trees or buildings, alcoves.
What reflective / Absorption properties of the particular film you are using. Manufacturer’s warranty on glass breakage ets etc.

As a professional window film business we attended training with a film manufacturer / supplier to become an authorised installer, as there are so many considerations to take into account.
Without that it may be hard to offer any type of warranty to the customer.

That’s even before you start fitting.
As I said if it is just a clear film then there are no absorption / breakage issues but installation does take practice.
First film is very delicate and unforgiving compared to vinyl. One slight fold can destroy a piece of film, you only get one chance and when I started it took probably over a year before I was confident just handling the film without wasting a great deal.
2.8 metres sounds like quite a drop, what width is it?
We would usually fit this using a Reverse Roll technique which is hard to explain but info can be found here on it.
http://www.tintdude.com/resident.html

Clean Clean Clean the glass and the surrounding frame scrupulously any small bits of dust will show up as water filled discs under the film. We usually use a 6" very sharp scraper to first clean off any deposits on the glass. This has to be done carefully as it is easy to scratch the glass. Even when it looks clean there may be small glass bead deposits on the surface left over from the manufacturing process. They can not be seen but can be felt and heard when scraping. These tiny beads can be scraped off but only use the scraper in one direction, (pushing) as dragging the scraper back can pull the beads back across the glass and it is usually these which scratch glass not the scraper. Also only use one side of the scraper blade and change it regularly.

After scraping I would then check all the edges are clean and uniform, Any muck from the edges can be sucked back into the pane under the film during the squeegee process.
Then clean the glass again with a white scrubby pad (NOT green dish washing pads)
Then a good rinse.
This all sounds like overkill maybe but it becomes second nature with film work.
Between each clean squeegee with a good rubber squeegee.

The application / slip solution is usually 3-4 fl oz of Johnson’s baby shampoo / baby bath to 1 litre of water. Actual amount may vary for personal preference, size and type of film, type of adhesive, temperature on the day.

Start at the top of the window. Make sure the edge is dry so no contamination (The evil enemy of the window tinter) runs down onto the pane.
Make sure the film is large enough to overlap the frame by a few centimeters. reverse roll it. Soak film (to reduce static which will attract dust) then wet the window thoroughly (except the top inch), unroll the first few inches of backing liner and wet the adhesive, making sure not to ever touch the adhesive with a finger which can leave a print or contamination. Slide the film up to butt against the top of the pane and then unroll to bottom, making sure all areas of the glass and film are wet, the liner will end up on the outside of the film and can easily be removed.
Wet the film on the outside once again and then squeegee all the water out, (using the pattern shown in the link above) with a proper window tinting squeegee. Blue Max with an Unger handle is what most use.
All tools can be found here
http://www.bonwyke.co.uk/products/tools.asp#

Trim edges, (5-way trim guide can be useful here) taking care not to crease corners as they then may not stick.
Then use a hard card (Teflon Squeegee) covered by a microfibre cloth or lint free paper towel to do a final push of any remaining moisture and seal the edges.
Done.
Well actually maybe NOT done as you can go through the whole process and then find that lump of goop you missed right in the centre of the pane mocking you hard work. You then have to strip it all off and start again untill you get a clean install.

Laying film is very easy to do but doing it properly takes practice like everything else and is not to be taken lightly by learning on the job. I suggest if you are serious about getting into film work that you seek out a reputable supplier who I’m sure would arrange some training as it does make all the difference.
Despite (or possibly because of) all the potential pitfalls I really enjoy laying film as it brings together both technical knowledge and installation skills which when it all goes right can be immensely satisfying.

Or as Matty suggest sub it out as it may well be cheaper in the long run.

[Chris Windebank]

a big area to start with. As Matty says sub it. The correct tools are easy to get and a few training videos are about. Best to employ someone in the trade and assist them and learn that way.
Where are you based?

[Matty Goodwin]

WOW Stuart…Some post!

I’m never touching window film again!

Great in site into the technicalities involved!

I’ve learned alot from it…subbing all window work out from now on.

Thanks again…Matt

[Matthew.Chittenden]

Thanks Stuart for your advice, excellent explanation.
I have a spare window in my office so i think i will try this first and see how i get on, I have had experience in window tinting and am confident in fitting car windows etc. I am familiar with the reverse roll technique and i will take that on board.
The link for the products is great many thanks, there are a few bits on their i needed.
I will post a picture once i have finished to let you guys know how i got on, alternatively i would like to sub this out to someone else but budget is quite strict on this job.
I am based in Camberley Surrey if anybodys knows a good supplier that way that I can look upon next time.

Once again thanks for your help and wish me luck GULP!!

[Stuart Miller]

If you have car tinting experience and understand the reverse roll then it should go OK.
As I mentioned before just make sure your edges are clean and nothing runs onto the window from the top edge.
When spraying the window with slip leave the top couple of inches dry. Unroll 6-10 inches from your reverse roll and wet the adhesive. This should allow enough slip to position on window a couple of inches down and slide up into place.
I lock the film into place here by squeegeeing along the top edge. This should hold the whole roll in place while you unroll the rest, while keeping spraying behind it. when fully unrolled squeegee from the top down leaving a couple of inch gap around the edge. Trim the edges then squeegees the edges before a final hard card all over.

If not sure about anything else just ask.
Good luck

[Jan Storgaard]

Hi Matthew, Stuart is spot on. Its not hard to windowtint; BUT its alot of technique and the sizes you start with is to big for a first time job!

I cant add anymore to what Stuart wrote ;o) except dont use a handspray – you’ll need lotsa water. 5L can with long hose. AND i always spray my fingers just after i have released the liner a few inches.

Good luck

@Stuart, thx. for informative links.