Blog – Page 17

3M Fasara Decorative Window Film: Dotty for Dots

December 6, 2017 by Carol S 1 Comment

You may already be a big fan of dots for adding energy to your designs, but did you know that you could use decorative window film and there are hundreds of patterns available?

Series on 3M™ Fasara™ Decorative Window Film

By now you’ve probably committed to memory our previous post, 3M Fasara Decorative Window Film: Stripes Forever. Just kidding. If you haven’t read it yet, it’s a good one! This is Part Two of our series on 3M’s Fasara decorative window film. Keep your eyes on this space for the next in the series.

Why Dots?

Dots have the ability to create fun and to make us feel happy. They evoke images of poodle skirts, pop art, and large fanciful wall patterns. Using polka dots can make an interior peppy and smart. If you don’t believe us, take a look at this article, Decorating Your House Interiors with Polka Dots. And here is a fascinating look at the history of polka dots.

Dotty Window Film for Interiors

Dots can take an ordinary-looking interior from “meh” to marvelous, and boost the energy of your interior faster than you can say “Dot’s what I’m talking about!” You can change the colors and sizes of the dots, add throw pillows, or curtains with dots as well as adding window film with dots.

Exterior Window Film

But dotted window film is not just for interiors–window film can also modernize an exterior window, too. For ideas about glass designs, you might want to check out 3M Building Window Solutions.

window film photo — Photo by Sigma.DP2.Kiss.X3

Commercial and Residential

If you want a modern-looking office or commercial building, dots have a timeless feel. If you want more energy in your home, dots work there, too. Add dots to a rug, paint them on a wall, and then finish the look with dots on your windows.

Where to Use 3M Fasara Decorative Glass Finishes

You can use the film anywhere you’d like to add some playful energy, such as:

Conference Rooms
Bathrooms
Living Rooms
Elevators
Retail environments
For more ideas, see 3M Fasara Decorative Glass Finishes

Where Do You Use Dots?

Do you want to use dots in your designs? Let us know how we can help you!

3M Fasara Decorative Window Film: Stripes Forever

November 28, 2017 by Carol S 2 Comments

You might be wondering about the many types of window film there are. Window film is available to block out UV light, but did you know that you could use decorative window film and that there are hundreds of patterns available? This is Part One of our series on 3M™ Fasara™ decorative window film, which is a family of polyester, decorative films for glass surfaces. You can quickly transform your interior with modern and energetic designs.

And in case you missed it, here’s our last post: Window Film: A Quick and Easy Way to Save Money?

Series on 3M Fasara Decorative Window Film

For those of you who are fans of decorative window film, this is part one in our series. We’ll be following up with two others:

3M Fasara Decorative Window Film: Dotty for Dots
3M Fasara Decorative Window Film: Patterns

Before we go any further, there are a few reasons to use 3M’s Fasara decorative window film.

Control Light and Privacy

Who decides how much light you have in your home or office? If you leave it up to chance, you’ll be taking your chances! You may need a lot of lighting in one area, and very little in another. If you have a conference room or a bath, you might like to control the privacy. In both instances, 3M™ Fasara™ is a good option.

We suggest you use 3M™ Fasara™ any place you want to control light and privacy, such as:

Conference rooms
Bathrooms
Reception areas
Kitchens
Break rooms
Private offices

Use a Combination of Wide and Narrow Stripes

Use Wide or Narrow Stripes

If you’re one of those people who has difficulty choosing, the good news is that you don’t have to! You can get a combination of wide and narrow stripes and your glass will look perfectly chic! Of course, you could also just use either narrow or wide stripes. You might want to mirror what’s outside your window by choosing something similar for your interior.

Cost Savings Will Be Yours

Avoid the expense of custom curtains or window shades when you opt for 3M™ Fasara™ window film.

For more inspiration, see new designs here: 3M™ Fasara™ Glass Finishes.

Give Us a Call!

We’d love to discuss any kind of window film with you. We’re all over the San Francisco Bay Area, from the South Bay to San Francisco to Marin to the East Bay.

Window Film: a Quick and Easy Way to Save Money?

November 14, 2017 by Carol S Leave a Comment

Energy costs have been skyrocketing. Every year, they go up, and especially during the winter. In fact, according to ABC news, winter heating costs could rise an average 10.5%, with heating oil expected to rise even more dramatically. So what’s a poor home owner or business owner to do?

ELECTRICAL INSPECTOR photo — Photo by Seattle Municipal Archives

Home Energy Audit

A home energy audit can tell you where your house is drafty, and give you ideas on what to improve. Insulation can help most homes be more energy efficient. A home energy auditor can help prioritize all those projects, especially if your building is older and there are quite a few projects! The Energy Saver Guide from Energy.gov, has been updated recently, and is chock full of information.

Insulation

Many professionals will have you begin with insulating your home before doing anything else. For instance, before applying solar panels, you’ll need to know roughly how much energy your home uses. Once you’ve insulated your building, you’ll have a much better idea of your energy usage. Plus, you’ll save money overall after insulation your property.

Window Film

Of course, we recommend window film, particularly 3M Thinsulate window film. Not just for its aesthetic appeal, but because it saves you energy. You don’t have to hide your beautiful view with curtains once you have window film. And not only do you save energy, but you also gain or regain your view! With window film, single pane windows act like double-pane windows, and double-pane windows? They’re like triple pane windows once window film is installed!

Isn’t Window Film Best Only for the Summer?

You might have heard about how well window film works to lower the temperature, but can you also save money in the colder months? Yes! 3M’s Thinsulate window film acts as insulation for your windows, keeping you cool in the summer as well as warm in the winter! Here are a few articles about Thinsulate that you might like:

Questions About Saving Money with Window Film?

Give us a call! We work all over the San Francisco Bay Area, from Santa Clara, to San Francisco, to Marin County to the East Bay!

What You Need to Know About 3M™’s Daylight Redirecting Film

October 24, 2017 by Carol S Leave a Comment

We’re very excited to show you some images of 3M Daylight Redirecting Film that we installed recently, and to explain how the redirecting film works. Here are the images of the installation first, with the explanation below of how the film works below the images.

San Francisco Redirecting Film Installation

In the image above, you can see our technician putting the finishing touches on an installation in San Francisco. Great job to our technicians Soe and Coco! We couldn’t do it without them!

Daylight Redirecting film After Installation

In the next image, above, you can see how the Daylight Redirecting film moves the light further into the office. Obviously, we’re very excited by this new material, and we’d love to come and install some for you!

Avoid Depression

Say you have a dark office, with only a small amount of light coming in through the window. Now that could lead to a lot of your coworkers being depressed during the darker months of the year (or even the lighter months if you’re in a foggy place like San Francisco). And you wouldn’t want that, would you? By the way, you might like this recent article: The Best Window Film Installations You Might Want to See ( a compilation of recent installs!).

Sunlight Increases Productivity

Sunlight increases productivity, enhances mood, and gives us a sense of well being. In fact, an article from Harvard Medical School outlines the ways that sunlight affects your mood: Let the sun shine: Mind your mental health this winter. Not only that, but more light has been shown to decrease absenteeism. Not to mention, with more light inside, you can avoid those fights for the window seats!

Be a Magician and Bend the Light!

So 3M™ Daylight Redirecting Film actually changes the way light enters a room and can let the light penetrate into the inside of a room. Daylight Redirecting Film uses many micro-prisms to redirect the light. We think that’s pretty cool!

Redistribute the Light

Instead of putting shades on the windows, thus blocking the light for everyone in an office, you can use Daylight Redirecting Film to redistribute the light. That’s right: light sharing has entered the sharing economy! And if you don’t think you need window film in San Francisco, you might want to read this: Window Film in San Francisco!

Other Reasons to Use 3M Daylight Redirecting Film

Here are a few reasons:

Requires no special hardware
Requires no special infrastructure
Does not need additional maintenance or cleaning
Works at all times of the day, even when the sun is low in the sky

We’d Love to Talk to You

No matter what kind of window film you’re curious about, we’d love to talk to you! So give us a call. We work all over the greater San Francisco Bay Area (and even outside the area at times).

The Best Window Film Installations You Might Want to See

October 14, 2017 by Carol S 1 Comment

We see a lot of window film installations since we’re in the window film business. Some of those installations are inspiring. And others? Not so much. So for this post, here are some of our own installations that we hope you’ll like! Because everyone on the staff loves these!

Window Film Installation in Marin County

Above is an example of an artistic and unusual use of window film–on an outdoor divider in a residence in Marin County, California. You can see Mt. Tamalpais in the distance!

South Bay Area

The above installation is one we did for a large fruit company in the South Bay Area. We didn’t want the employees to need to wear sunglasses indoors, so we helped them cut the glare and lower their cooling costs. By the way, if you want to learn more about glare, you might like this article: How to Dramatically Cut Back Sun Glare: 10 Ways.

Santa Clara Installation

The above installation in Santa Clara is one we did for a gym’s waiting room. We really like the clean, uncluttered look of this installation.

San Francisco Highrise Installation

We do a lot of installations in San Francisco, so forgive us if we can’t choose just one. The above installation was done for a search engine, but we can’t name any names! And guess what?! Because of the window film, you won’t be able to see into their offices!

Downtown San Francisco ~ 3M™ Fasara™ Mat Glass Finish

Here’s a conference room that lets the light through without sacrificing privacy. It’s another installation in San Francisco.

Instagram

By the way, some of these images also appear on our Instagram account, and we’d love to connect with you there if you’d like to follow us as well.

Have a Request?

Please give us a call! We’d love to install some window film for you!

How to Dramatically Cut Back Sun Glare: 10 Ways

September 12, 2017 by Carol S 1 Comment

The weather has been frightful lately. With temperatures upwards of 100 degrees in San Francisco, the heat has been terrible. The glare for most people has been awful, too. And our eyes can be harmed by the UV rays and glare from the sun! So what can you do?

Window Film

Our go-to for glare reduction is window film. Your eyes will thank you by not squinting all day. Not only that, but you won’t have to wear sun glasses indoors any more! If you don’t believe us, you might want to read this terrific article on Houzz: A Surefire Way to Prevent Sun Damage Indoors.

Thick Curtains

Curtains are a good choice, but they can be a little unwieldy. Still, they do work to cut back on the glare. If you have a smaller house, or want a clean, uncluttered look, thick curtains might not be your best bet.

Awnings

Awnings can be a good option, depending upon the angle of the sun. Awnings probably are not going to block all the glare for you, though. We do really like the idea of an awning that could also generate electricity, as you can see in this article from the Department of Energy: Energy Efficient Window Treatments.

Plantation Shutters

These are popular in certain types of homes. If your home is more rustic, like a cabin, then you might enjoy plantation shutters. They also remind us of some homes in the tropics or Hawaii.

Drapes

Drapes can be beautiful and dramatic, although cleaning them is never fun. They seem to attract dust! And also, the slatted types often let in a piercing line of bright sunshine. Not exactly the way to prevent glare.

Trees and Shrubs

Shrubs can help cool the house as well as prevent glare and clean the air. We’re big fans of trees and shrubs. This low-tech way of preventing glare can also dramatically lower your energy bills. A little study of where the light hits your house and when can really help!

Blackout Shades

You could use blackout shades, but then why have windows? But if glare is giving you a big headache, this option will certainly work.

Aluminum Foil

You probably have some foil left over from that hat you made, right? Just kidding! There are some other nifty ideas on this Wiki How to Make Your Room Pitch Black During the Day.

Insulated Panels

Panels can be made of foam core or styrofoam and inserted into the interior of a window. And, like blackout shades, you might have to ask yourself why even have windows if you’re going to such desperate measures to block them.

Storm Panels

While not popular around the San Francisco Bay Area, storm panels can indeed help with glare. Many people simply use plywood as protection against storms. But there are also lightweight panels available.

How Do You Protect Yourself Against Glare?

Have you thought of a solution that we haven’t thought of? We’d love to hear from you!

How to Protect Your Family’s Health with this Quick and Easy Solution

August 23, 2017 by Carol S Leave a Comment

Life can be so complex sometimes. Just ordering a coffee requires that you make 33 different decisions from the kind of creamer to whether you want toppings. So when you come across one decision that helps everyone in your family to be healthier, why not jump on it?

Healthy Choice

When you look at a possible purchase as a healthy choice, rather than a luxury item, doesn’t it make sense that it comes out of a different financial bucket? That is, choosing window film is an investment that will protect your family’s health for years to come. And we can install it easily once you make the decision. It’s like flipping a switch!

Insurance for All

Health insurance has become such a political minefield. Yet one thing we all have in common is the desire to be healthy. And sometimes knowing what to do isn’t that easy. But, like insurance, once you have window film, you’ll feel that you made the right choice. You’ll feel protected, and that in turn will make you sleep better at night. By the way, here’s an article you might like: Why the Hell Do I Need Window Film in San Francisco?

Skin Cancer and You

Some types of cancer can be prevented to a large extent. Skin cancer is one of those that you can prevent. And skin cancer rates are rising. Take a look at these numbers from the Skin Cancer Foundation! So what can you do, aside from slathering yourself with SPF 50 and wearing a big hat? Plenty, that’s what! Well, in addition to wearing big hats and using sunscreen, that is. There are after all, at least 10 Quick and Easy Ways to Prevent Skin Cancer.

Once You’ve Decided You Want Window Film

What now? You’d probably like someone with experience who’s worked with people just like you. We’ve worked with homeowners as well as large corporations in the San Francisco Bay Area. And here’s why you should choose to work with us: Need Commercial Window Film? How to Choose the Best Company! We also install residential window film, by the way!

We’re a Phone Call Away

Give us a call! We’d love to help you decide what kind of window film is right for you!

Window Film’s Superior Technology Boosts Bottom Line, Makes You More Secure

August 9, 2017 by Carol S Leave a Comment

If you own a home or business in the San Francisco Bay Area, or any metropolitan area, chances are you worry about your home or business when you’re not there. Even when you’re in the building, you might worry about people breaking and entering. You could hire armed guards, but what’s a simple thing you can do to increase your security and make you worry less? And by the way, did you know that window film can make you happier?

silver office glass photo — Photo by mkosut

Security Window Film

Did you know that there’s a security window film that will help hold the glass together in case someone tries to break a window and enter your building? Yes, there is!

From Break-ins …

Some neighborhoods have lots of break ins, while some might have lots of accidents. If your commercial building is unattended on evenings and weekends, you might feel nervous about having a glass storefront. But with security window film, there’s an extra layer of security to help give you peace of mind. We’ve written about the theft deterrent properties of window film before (you might like to read about it).

… to Accidents

People who live near parks where kids play might get a lot of baseballs coming through their windows. The same holds true for those who live on the edges of golf courses. Of course, no one is trying to break your windows, but accidents happen sometimes. And 3M security window film can hold the glass together in case it does break, and prevent flying shards that can hurt your coworkers or family.

Kitchens

From restaurant kitchens to corporate kitchens, security window film can keep your clients and coworkers safe. Because security film holds glass together, if by chance the glass above your chefs or diners should break, it will hold together and prevent splinters or shards.

What Kind of Security Window Film is Best?

There are three types that we can recommend:

For more information, give us a call! We’re happy to answer any questions.

Is Privacy Actually a Big Concern for You?

July 22, 2017 by Carol S Leave a Comment

No Privacy in the City

In big cities with crowded spaces, you might be sharing space with your neighbors without wanting to! And although you’d hate to move, you sometimes consider it since that next-door neighbor always seems to be looking into your kitchen. Here are a few tips to increase your privacy.

warmth station photo — Photo by Momentchensammler

Window Film

Of course we love window film because you can preserve your view and your skin, while also gaining privacy! In fact, there are so many reasons to love window film that we could write about it all day. For instance, here’s a post that you might have missed: Why the hell do I need window film in San Francisco. It addresses some of the issues of city dwellers.

Privacy Hedge

If you’re outside on your deck, a privacy hedge might be just the ticket to keeping those prying eyes away from your deck. Here’s How to Plant a Privacy Hedge. You could also use potted plants, positioned appropriately, as a green hedge. Evergreen plants would probably work the best.

Screens

Screens are wonderful because you can move them around. When you don’t want them, fold them up and slide them under the bed or put them in the closet. They’re simple and inexpensive, too. And, when you have guests over, you can create a room of sorts using folding screens.

Happiness

Do you believe that more privacy leads to greater happiness? If you’re an introvert, you probably do! By the way, here’s an article about how window film makes you happier!

Curtains

Curtains can help you avoid prying eyes, especially black-out curtains. And if you sleep during the day, or even nap during the day, curtains can help with privacy as well as noise reduction. Of course, you could use curtains as well as window film to double your privacy!

Fences

Outdoors, fences have a smaller footprint than other types of privacy screens. They can be built quickly and painted to match your decor. Here’s a great article from This Old House: 10 Ways to Add Privacy to Your Yard.

Dual Purpose: Privacy and Heat Reduction

These days, anything that goes into our homes needs to have at least one purpose, and hopefully two. So what about having something that will not only give you privacy, but also will help protect your skin as well as lower your power bill? To us, that’s a win-win-win! (If you guess that win-win-win is window film, then you’re right!)

Got Privacy?

If not, give us a call! We can help!

How to Help Fed Up Employees Stay Cool in the Summer

July 7, 2017 by Carol S Leave a Comment

We know what you’re thinking: what do you mean fed up employees? How are they so fed up? If you’ve ever seen people wearing sunglasses indoors, then you know how hot an office can get in the summer. And with many employees working longer hours, offices can get awfully hot and stuffy!

Recent Window Film Installation at Some South Bay Fruit Company

Here are some pictures from a recent job in the San Francisco South Bay. We can’t reveal the name of this fruit company, but we will say that their fruit is highly regarded.

South Bay Fruit Company Window Film Installation

With that said, here are some hints to keep employees (and you!) happy in the summer time heat.

Ice, Ice, Ice

Keep plenty of cold beverages on hand, and an ice machine or three around so everyone can have a cold beverage.

Go Old School

If you don’t have an air conditioner–and we hope that you do–you can use strategically placed fans. This surprisingly simple solution can really help to keep you cool. For more tips, here’s a good Wiki: 3 Ways to Cool Yourself Without Air Conditioning.

Microclimates in the Bay Area

If you’ve lived here in the San Francisco Bay Area for awhile, you know how much temperatures can vary from one neighborhood to the next. Downtown and South of Market could be 15 degrees hotter than out by the beach.

The East Bay, Marin, and Peninsula

If you go the East Bay or to Marin County, the temperatures can be much hotter than downtown. San Francisco is generally cooler in the summer.

San Francisco MicroClimates

While tooling around the interwebs, we found this neat app for discovering microclimate temperatures within San Francisco: Mr. Chilly.

Back to Keeping Employees Cool

In buildings, there are also microclimates. One side of the building can be quite cool, while the people on the other side of the building can be complaining about the heat. And in case you think you don’t need window film in San Francisco, you might want to read our recent post: Why the Hell Do I Need Window Film in San Francisco?

Fans, Hydration, and Window Film

Our last suggestion to you is window film. Window film helps even out the temperatures and keep everyone happy. Window film also protects your employees’ health. In fact, window film is one of the ten best ways to protect against skin cancer.

Got Microclimates?

We’d love to talk to you about your building’s microclimates! Give us a call!