Commercial window film

Flat glass is a different job from a car

The same shop that does automotive window tint also films buildings, but the work is different. Car glass is curved and comes to the shop; building glass is flat, large and stays where it is. Offshore measures on site, cuts the film to each pane and installs it from the inside, so the film is out of the weather and the salt air. Nothing about your windows changes except what passes through them.

Which film solves which problem

Heat and glare are the usual complaint. An office or shop with west-facing glass gets the full afternoon sun, and the desks on that side are the ones nobody wants after two o’clock. Solar control film cuts the solar heat coming through that glass and blocks most of the UV, so the room is more comfortable, the air conditioning has less heat to remove and the glare comes off the monitors. Light shades keep the view, which matters for a storefront that sells with its window.

UV is also why displayed merchandise, artwork and furnishings fade near the glass. Film slows that fading by cutting the UV; visible light and heat play a part too, so it slows fading rather than stopping it.

Privacy is the second request. Daytime privacy film is reflective from the brighter side, so people on the sidewalk see a reflection while the staff inside see the street. It suits ground-floor offices, clinics and anywhere with a desk against the window, though it reverses at night when the inside is lit. For interior glass, such as a conference room or a partition, frosted and etched-look films give privacy without blocking light; the decorative and privacy film page covers the options.

Security is the third. Safety and security film bonds to the glass so that when a pane breaks, the pieces stay in a sheet instead of falling into the room or onto the sidewalk. That slows forced entry and helps keep wind-blown debris out. It can be combined with a solar layer so one film does both jobs. The security window film page explains the grades.

How it is priced

Commercial film is priced after a measure, never online. The film type, the glass size and the number of panes set the number, and so does access: a storefront with a handful of large panes at street level and an office floor with forty small ones up a ladder are quoted differently because the labor is different. You get a measured, written total, including Hawaii GET (4.712%), before any film is ordered.

Managed properties and multi-site jobs

Property managers and businesses with more than one location can keep one film across every building so the glass looks the same from outside. Larger and multi-unit jobs are phased to keep the business running, and each phase can be scheduled separately. Condo buildings and vacation rentals have their own page: condo and vacation rental window film.

Business vehicles too

Businesses that film their building often tint and brand their vehicles next. Send the list of vehicles and they are quoted together; see commercial fleet wraps if you also want branding on them.

Scheduling the install

Most small office and storefront installs finish in one to two days, and the shop works around your opening hours. Send the address, a rough pane count and which problem you are solving through the quote form, and the shop will set up the site visit.