Pasting mirror film on windows. Covering windows with film: what it does and how it’s done

To protect windows from sunlight are used different variants: from primitive curtains to blinds. It is quite difficult to make a combination harmonious and aesthetically attractive when selecting curtains and blinds, which cannot be said about mirror film. Any textile will look great with tinted glass.

What is self-adhesive mirror film?

Mirror film- this is a canvas made on the basis polymer materials, which has the ability to filter sun rays (up to 99% ultraviolet and 40% infrared radiation). Thanks to this quality, any room becomes protected from heating through the window glass. When developing the product, this was precisely this goal. However this advantage is not the only one, because the film increases the strength of the glass. When choosing a protective coating, you should pay attention to the degree of burglary resistance; the most impact-resistant products prevent damage to the window even if it is hit by a bullet fired from an air pistol.

The base of the film has an adhesive layer, which helps to quickly and efficiently install it. There is no need to worry about the reliability of the fastening.

Advantages and disadvantages

To evaluate all the benefits of purchasing mirror film, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the product’s advantageous characteristics and disadvantages.

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Advantages:

Protection of glass from the formation of cracks as a result of mechanical stress;

Qualitative barrier in summer time from sunlight, which allows you to save money on the operation of fans and air conditioners;

Creating a comfortable environment, privacy from the views of strangers (relevant for residents of high-rise buildings on the first floors and private households);

Safety when glass breaks (all chips will remain recorded on the film);

Improving the appearance of the facade, mirrored window openings give presentability;

Preventing condensation;

Additional protection of the premises in winter period from heat losses;

Affordable price.

Among other things, the film is not a flammable material, which increases the level fire safety. It has the property of shielding electromagnetic radiation and an anti-glare effect, which makes staying in the room comfortable.

Flaws:

After installing the film, the need for thick curtains does not disappear, which is due to the transparency of the material when the light is on;

During the cold season, it is not possible to obtain additional heating of the room through tinted windows;

If the windows face the north side or the building has a garden with high, dense crowns of trees, then the interior of the room will look gloomy.

Types of mirror film for windows

Mirror film is available painted or in standard form. The structure of the standard canvas includes polymer and metallized layers, and the painted options are complemented by a colored layer, which allows you to create interesting effects on the window glass.

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When choosing a mirror film, you should carefully study the information on the label, which indicates the parameters of strength and light transmittance. Depending on these characteristics, the price also changes.

Among the assortment protective coatings Special types of film are available with a mirror effect:

Architectural;

Shockproof;

Burglar-resistant;

Heat-saving.

Technology for installing tinted mirror film

To ensure high-quality installation, glass with window frame for fixing films needs to be removed. Otherwise, the edges of the protective layer will begin to bend over time.

To tint the windows you will need following materials and tools:

Self-adhesive film with a mirror effect;

2 scrapers (with a rubber edge and a pointed metal one);

Spray;

Stationery knife;

Spatula with a wide grip (rubber, plastic);

Lint-free cloth;

Liquid soap (can be replaced with baby shampoo).

Working conditions: street temperature indicators must correspond to the range from 5 to 35 ° C, humidity within 20-80%. If the recommendations are not followed, the adhesive layer will dry out quickly, which will lead to peeling of the fabric.

Installation steps:

Carry out wet cleaning of the room to prevent dust or dirt particles from getting on the glass;

Wash those removed from the frame window glass a solution prepared based on water and liquid soap;

Cut the canvas according to the measurements taken from the glass (add an allowance of 2-3 mm to the measurements);

Date of publication: 09/11/2016

Have you decided to buy a mirror film for tinting a door or window? Before purchasing and applying mirror film, read our tips. We will tell you how to stick a mirror film on the glass of a window to protect the room from overheating and at the same time make it invisible from the street.

With mirror films on window glass, buildings look more solid and modern, temperature regime the room becomes more comfortable. Such films are chosen for apartments, private country cottages and modern business centers.

Which FUSION mirror films to buy for glass tinting?

When choosing a mirror film for gluing to a window, pay attention to the following parameters:

COLOR

The FUSION brand offers films:

  • classic mirror (dark and light) - suitable for decorating strict and stylish buildings;
  • colored mirrors (blue, gold, green, bronze, gray) - emphasize the individuality of the architectural structure.

Classic and color mirror films have a light transmission percentage from 10 to 50%.

An important point - colored mirror films have an adhesive composition on the colored surface and are glued from the inside of the room with the colored side to the glass. The pronounced color in the daytime will be from the street side, from the room - slightly darkened glass with a light color accent.

PURPOSE

Mirror films are divided into: interior (for gluing indoors) and exterior (for installation on a window from the street).

To install the film on the inner glass of a double-glazed window, we recommend purchasing a not too dark mirror tint film, i.e. with light transmission of 30%, 35% or 50%. This will prevent excessive heating of the structure. Darker films can be glued inside a double-glazed window (at the window manufacturing stage) or on single glass.

To stick the film on the outside of the glass, you can buy an exterior mirror film:

Mirror exterior films have the letters “XT” in the code (i.e., they are intended for installation from the street). Equipped with an additional protective layer, which makes the product resistant to atmospheric influences. In rooms where the windows are covered with such films, you do not need to use air conditioning, since the exterior “classic mirror” can reflect up to 81% solar energy. The advantage of exterior mirror film is its effectiveness, the disadvantages are its limited service life (several years) and the complexity of installation associated with the need complete dismantling glass unit when gluing.

VISIBILITY

In order to correctly stick the mirror film on the window, and it looks “like a mirror” only on one side, you should take into account its feature - mirror in the direction where the lighting is brighter. That is, during the day the film mirrors from the side of the street (where the sun shines), but hides interior spaces, and in the evening it changes the direction of specularity (rooms will be visible from the street if the lights are on). In this case, it does not matter at all on which side of the glass the film is glued.

With the help of mirror film, one-way visibility can only be achieved by adjusting the illumination. In the rooms under surveillance, the lighting should be better and brighter than in the security room. Then the observer will be hidden from people on the viewed object.

You can enhance the effect by installing an additional tint, non-reflective film on top of the mirror film indoors. This will eliminate excessive internal specularity on the interior glass in the evening.

The FUSION product range includes, thanks to which it is easier to achieve the effect of one-way visibility. Since the percentage of internal reflection in it is 24% less than external reflection. This “police mirror” almost always reflects onto the street. Another one important feature- due to the use of oxidized aluminum in the manufacture of the product, it is not subject to demetallization and color change.

Mirror film on window glass: instructions on how to glue

Brief diagram of the stages of film gluing:

After watching the video on how to glue mirror film on windows, it seems that everything is simple. In fact, even the slightest mistake will hopelessly ruin appearance and the properties of the film, swelling and debris may remain under the film. The slightest defects are visible under the mirror film much more than when gluing a regular tint film. Therefore, the ideal solution is

The specialists of the Global Fusion Ukraine company know everything about how to properly stick mirror film on glass, offer to buy products at a reasonable price and give at least 2 years of installation warranty.

Still have questions about gluing mirror film to windows? Call us and we will answer all your questions.

The use of special protective film from the sun on windows is deliberate and rational decision for many apartment and private buildings, the windows of which overlook sunny side. It is usually chosen for protection from sunlight and prying eyes.

Important! Tinting using such a film is a current and even trendy solution that has become widespread in Europe and the CIS countries.

If a person lives on the first floor, then hide inner space You can protect your apartment from prying eyes using thick dark curtains and blinds, but often certain difficulties arise with the use of all these means, because it is not always possible to hang heavy thick curtains or order the installation of blinds on the windows.

Therefore, as an alternative to curtains and blinds, you can consider film, which can be glued to windows of any type. You can glue it yourself without any problems - without resorting to the help of specialists.

Therefore, glue the sun protection film on plastic windows you can do it yourself; savings arise already at the stage of purchasing and installing the product. Purchasing curtains or installing blinds is not a cheap undertaking, while film sun protection material it won't cost much. Mirror film can be applied to any type of window: wood, plastic, aluminum.

Companies that manufacture such protective film products claim that their products are gradually displacing bulky and inconvenient blinds from the market.

The film has the following advantages:

  • Possibility of adjusting the level of illumination in the room.
  • Ensuring that indoor plants are protected from direct sunlight.
  • Providing protection for curtains from ultraviolet exposure and fading (which is important if the curtains are colored).
  • Ensuring protection of furniture upholstery from fading.
  • High level of security, home protection from burglary and unauthorized entry.

Important! You can glue the film to the windows yourself - it sticks on its own, so no additional adhesive compositions no need to use.

Before gluing protective film on windows, you need to figure out exactly what type of film material you should purchase, because... Several types of such products are sold in stores.

Taking into account the requirements for the functions of the film material, the following types of products can be distinguished:

  • Automotive.
  • Architectural.
  • Decorative.
  • Protective.
  • Sun protection.

Self-adhesive film can be applied to windows made of wood or plastic. Products of this type are made from polyester. This polymer substance ensures complete transparency of the film material, high level its elasticity, as well as decent strength.

If you decide to glue the film to a window, then when choosing a model, you should take into account that the products may have a different number of layers (single-layer, double-layer, multi-layer materials), different composition of each layer (for example, polyester and other types of polymer materials), coloring pigments ( to give the product certain color characteristics).

The process of gluing film to windows is not complicated, but it requires experience and compliance with the procedure for gluing film to windows. You can actually apply the film yourself. To do this, we publish instructions for sticking (installing) film on windows yourself. This instruction Allows you to apply all types of window film.


Instructions for self-installation (sticker) of film on windows

  1. We glue (install) the film only from inside the room. It should not be exposed to rain or snow.
  2. Take accurate measurements of the glass to be covered and draw up a cutting map (i.e. plan how you will cut the film).
  3. Using scissors or a utility knife, cut pieces of film based on the cutting card. The size of a piece of film should be 2 cm in width and length larger than the glass on which this piece is glued. You will trim off this excess at the very end of the film sticker.
  4. Prepare an alkaline solution that you will use to wash the glass before installation. Recipe for a solution for preparing windows for tinting: 50 ml detergent(for example, fairy or baby shampoo) per 1.5 liters of water.
  5. Wet the glass with an alkaline solution and rubber spatula walk across the surface of the glass. Drive away water and dirt. Move the scraper along the glass surface from left to right and from top to bottom.
  6. Re-wet the glass and use a rubber-and-metal squeegee, such as the kind sold for cleaning car windows, to push all the water down from the glass.
  7. Wet the glass heavily with an alkaline solution and spray water in front of the glass so that all the dust near the glass cannot settle on the wet glass.
  8. Remove the protective layer from the prepared piece of tinted film. Tip: stick tape on both sides of the corner and pull the tape in different directions.
  9. Immediately as you remove the protective layer, spray the adhesive layer with an alkaline solution. This will neutralize the glue and allow the film to move across the glass while it is being applied.
  10. Place the top corners of the film on the glass. Fix them and smooth them. Lower bottom corners film and allow the film to stick to the glass.
  11. Distribute the film over the glass, avoiding folds and creases. And starting from the center, use a rubber spatula to remove the water from under the film. Movements should be short, no more than 20 cm. Start each movement from the place where the film is stuck and move towards the edge of the film.
  12. Use a utility knife to trim off the excess film around the edges.
  13. If dust particles or hairs are visible under the film, remove them as quickly as possible. To do this, lift the edge closest to the speck, remove the speck and wet the film. If the speck is barely noticeable, we advise you not to remove it, as the film becomes electrified from smoothing and begins to attract specks from the air. And there is a chance that by removing one speck you will get several new ones.
  14. This completes the installation of the film on the windows. Do not wash the film within 5 days after its installation. In the future, windows can be washed with detergents without abrasive particles (for example, window cleaning liquid can be washed, but cleaning powder cannot).
Download instructions for window tinting

ANSWERS ON QUESTIONS

Do you provide car tinting?

No. We do not tint cars.

Is it possible to install protective film on glass outside?

This makes no sense. The reinforcing coating should always be located on the side opposite to the possible impact. In addition, the film should not be exposed to atmospheric influences. Ideal place for film - in the inter-glass space (inside the double-glazed window).

Is there a film through which I will see but not me?

In principle, films with one-sided transparency do not exist, but the use of mirror metallized films allows one to achieve a similar effect. Moreover, this becomes possible if you are on the less illuminated side. That is, if you are indoors and there is bright sun outside, from the street the surface of the glass will look mirror-like. If you turn on the light in the room at night, silhouettes will be visible from the street.

What problems may arise when applying film to glass yourself?

  • If you do not properly prepare the window for pasting, the film will stick with defects (there will be specks and bubbles under the film).
  • If you make mistakes in cutting, you may not have enough film for all the windows, or you will have to add strips of film to the windows, which will greatly spoil the appearance.

Is it possible to book and tint glass at the same time?

Can. There are explosion-proof and at the same time tinting films. Thickness 125 microns and 54% solar energy reflection - Solarblock Safety IR-cut 5050 .

Do glasses with film installed on them require special care?

Special care No tint film required. The film has a scratch-resistant layer, so it can be washed with any cleaning agent that does not contain abrasives.

Can protective film replace grilles?

Yes, if the purpose of installing bars is to prevent unauthorized entry into the premises. A blow with a hard object to glass with an impact-resistant film punches a hole in it approximately the same size as the impact weapon. It will take considerable time to widen the gap necessary to gain access to the interior of the room. This means that security staff have the opportunity to respond to an alarm and prevent a crime. In addition, any object thrown into glass with an armor film, be it a stone, a grenade or a Molotov cocktail, bounces off and remains outside. If there is a need to leave the room through a window (for example, in case of fire), then such glass can be easily squeezed out from the inside.

July! – The sun, the heat, the long-awaited summer is in full swing, and as luck would have it, the windows in your house face the sunny side?! It doesn’t matter, because you can stick a special sun-protective mirror film on the windows, and the temperature in the room will noticeably drop. Or, for example, you live on the first floor, and curious neighbors constantly like to look into your windows. In any of these cases, a mirror window whip will help you.

Mirror sun protection film.

Used as universal protection against ultraviolet rays or the glances of random passers-by. When choosing a mirror film, you must remember that during the day the mirror effect of the tint film is much higher than in the evening. During the day, it is almost impossible to see anything outside the house, but in the evening, when it gets dark, and the lights are on in your house, you can be seen. When choosing a sun protection film, you can also kill two birds with one stone if you choose a thicker film. It will give your glass more strength and even after strong blow The glass will most likely remain intact. This property can be used to protect a child's room. By placing a durable film in a child’s room, you can be sure that while playing, children will not break the glass, and it will not crumble into pieces, which means the children will not be harmed.


It's comfortable!

Also, those who like to grow flowers on windows will not need to rearrange the plants to protect them from direct sunlight.

How to properly apply sun protection tape

All the necessary tools
First, let's collect all the tools that we may need:
– the sun protection film itself for tinting;
– a spray bottle with soapy water (soap solution);
- stationery knife;
- scissors;
– scraper;
– a clean microfiber cloth;
– window cleaner;


Soap solution.

It's easy to prepare a soap solution. Just dilute 3-4 drops of any detergent in half a liter of water!

Preparing the surface

The first step is to clean the window of all excess and wash the glass. It is best to glue windows on a sunny summer day, when the glass is warm. Please note that the room temperature should not be lower than 4 and not higher than forty degrees. It is also desirable that the humidity in the room be 20 percent or higher.

Then, using a plastic scraper, you need to clean the glass from heavy dirt. Walk carefully around the edges of the window, as a rag will not remove stubborn dirt.


Note!

Make sure that there are no lint, hairs or other debris left on the surface of the window!

To save material, measure the width and height of your window. Cut out required size film with scissors or a stationery knife.


Helpful advice!

When cutting out the tint film, do not forget to leave an allowance of half a centimeter on each side (or maybe a little more); after gluing, the excess can be trimmed off.

Now let's begin the process of window covering.


It is important!

The film is pasted with inside premises.

To begin, thoroughly wet the surface of the window with soapy water from a spray bottle.

We remove the protective layer from the film and also moisten it with water to temporarily neutralize the adhesive layer. This is done so that if the film is glued by mistake, it can be aligned if necessary.

Carefully apply the film to the top edge of the window and smooth it smoothly with a scraper. We recommend that you first press the top of the film and then run the scraper down the middle of the window. And then from the middle, with smooth movements towards the edge of the window, squeeze out the water from under the film. Pay special attention to the edges, as this is where air bubbles most often accumulate.


If the film accidentally sticks incorrectly, you can carefully lift it and re-stick it again. Now that everything is glued, when all the water has been carefully removed from under the film, you can trim off the excess pieces of film around the edges.

We enjoy the result!

So it became:

And so it was: