Window Film Confidential: How to Create Privacy Where There is None

August 11, 2018 by Carol S Leave a Comment

Window Film Confidential: How to Create Privacy Where There is None

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, then you know how expensive it is to live here. Nearly every day, there’s an article about how crowded and pricey housing is here. Even if you do find a place to live, there’s probably no privacy. Roommates or neighbors are too close, and you need a little privacy!

What to Do?

You might like to read our previous article about privacy: Ten Day Challenge: More Privacy in San Francisco, for starters.

Block Sound

To block sound, some people prefer to use sound-blocking curtains in their home. Here’s one that we found: Moon Dream Curtains. These would be great if you have a noisy neighbor, and/or you work nights and need to sleep during the day. Their Frequently Asked Questions have additional ideas for blocking sound that you could try, such as rugs, and double-back tape to prevent the sound from entering your home.

Create Room Dividers

Do you use screens or room dividers to create smaller rooms out of larger ones? You’re not alone. You might want to refer to our article: Is Privacy Actually a Big Concern for You? with more tips on privacy. And right now we’re interested in these room divider kits that seem like a simple way to solve the problem of dividing up space.

Use Window Film

Of course, we recommend window film as the best and easiest way to find privacy. Why? It lasts, it’s installed by professionals, it blocks UV light which has been known to cause skin cancer, and it doesn’t take up any space.

Call Us

Confused about which kind of window film would work best for you and your privacy? Give us a call! We’d love to talk to you. Our number is 415.623.8700. We work all over the San Francisco Bay Area, from San Jose, Silicon Valley, to Marin County, Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara and of course San Francisco counties.

Solar Heat Gain: Why Should it Matter to You?

February 9, 2017 by Carol S 2 Comments

living room photo

According to wikipedia, Solar gain (also known as solar heat gain or passive solar gain) refers to the increase in temperature in a space, object or structure that results from solar radiation. Designers, architects, and building managers need to know about solar heat gain during the hottest times of the year. But did you know that during the cold times of the year heat gain is an issue as well?

Glass Amplifies Heat Gain

Some materials, such as glass, can amplify the effects of the sun, causing a space to heat up. We’ve all been in a too-warm space during the winter, feeling like hot house flowers well, in a hot house. With no water. The glass can cause the air inside your home to heat up, making you feel like you’re under a magnifying glass.

greenhouse photo — Photo by Drew’s Photo Shoots

Lack of Air Circulation

A fan can help to redistribute the hot air and replace some of it with cold air, but wouldn’t it be better to stop that air from heating up at the source? That is, by keeping the heat outside and a more moderate temperature inside your home.

Can Window Film Help?

Window film can block the UV radiation, and the heat, from entering your home or business. You might have seen our post about window film around the San Francisco Bay Area. Seeing a few real-world examples often helps people to decide that they, too, would like to be able to use all of their home, and not just the coolest parts!

Above is a snazzy video showing how window film works, in just a couple of minutes. The technology has been around for many years–in fact, 3M window film just celebrated their 50th anniversary!

mansion inside photo — Photo by PhotoAtelier

Enjoy Your Home

Don’t wait until you are about to sell your house to make it more comfortable for yourself. Life is short, and you never know whether window film would be the tipping point to make you want to stay! Having window film might make your home so comfortable that you might decide not to sell it. Many of our clients have told us as much. And if you’re thinking about installing window film yourself, read about why that might not be such a good idea.

Is Window Film Right for You?

We’d love to talk to you about window film! Give us a call to brainstorm, or just to have us answer a question. We’re friendly!

Window Film or Window Treatments: Which is Actually Better/More Attractive?

December 15, 2016 by Carol S Leave a Comment

Reducing Energy Bills

Both window treatments and window film can help to reduce energy bills. Here’s a fine article from Houzz about window treatments and how they can reduce your energy bills which includes highly-reflective film. Of course, there are other types of window films, too, such as the 3M’s new Thinsulate window film,

Keep Yourself and Your Tenants Happy

Nobody likes an unhappy tenant, and nobody likes uneven heat inside a building. Window film helps keep the heat at a constant temperature, as this article by 3M explains: Keep your tenants comfortable and you’ll keep them long-term. Window coverings do help somewhat to help moderate heat loss, but not as dramatically as window film.

christmas fireplace photo — Photo by regan76

Reduce Heat Loss

People think of window film in the summer, but window film can also help you stay warm in the winter. 3M’s Thinsulate film helps reduce heat loss, which might be what you’re considering in the middle of winter.

office window photo — Photo by tashmahal

Window Film is More Modern

If your building is constructed with modern material, including lots of steel and glass, then window film is probably the better option for you. Window coverings don’t have to be old-fashioned, but a lot of window coverings have a more vintage look. The words our customers use to describe it are clean, sleek, and stylish.

Window Film Is Less Maintenance

Usually a quick swipe with a cloth is all you need to keep your window film clean. Whereas window coverings may need to be removed and laundered in the case of draperies, or dusted. In the case of an industrial or commercial building, multiply the cost of that cleaning by however many windows you have.

Thank you!

Once again we’re indebted to the fine folks over at JorgMaterialHandling for the blog post idea. Thank you so much!

A1. Infographics with main benefits, cost comparison/longevity versus blinds, curtains or other window treatments. #constchat

— JorgMaterialHandling (@MaterialHndling) October 13, 2016

We’re Expanding!

In case you didn’t know, business is exploding! Our latest big job is in Baltimore at the Hyatt there, and we’re working all over the San Francisco Bay Area, from the South Bay up to Marin County, and beyond! So give us a call! We’d love to talk to you about window film. Window coverings? Not so much.