window film – Page 9

Highlights from New 3M Fasara Patterns

May 31, 2022 by Carol S 1 Comment

Here is one highlight from the new 3M Fasara Patterns

By now you’ve probably realized that everyone at Window Works is a huge fan of 3M and Fasara window films. And if you haven’t realized that, then you’re in for a treat! Because we’re going to share some of the newest, funnest, most gorgeous window films and some of their uses. Prepare to be surprised!

Here are some of our favorite new Fasara patterns.

3M™ DI-NOC™ Architectural Finishes

3M Fasara Di-Noc architectural Finishes bring you the beauty of hundreds of natural elements with additional new designs, Premium Wood, Metallic Palette and Artisanal Design, to inspire your masterpiece. And at Window Works, we can work with you to help you discover your palette and bring your space to life!

What is 3M™ Fasara™?

Straight off their website: “3M™ Fasara™ is a family of polyester, decorative films for glass surfaces that transform an interior’s ambiance with finishes that have depth, subtly, modernity, energy, precision and more. Created in collaboration with leading designers from across the globe, the new, trend-setting collection will give you even more ways to create stunning visual effects on interior glass surfaces, as well as add privacy and control light.” By the way, we’ve written about 3M Fasara before. You might want to check out those articles here:

Matte Series offers fingerprint resistance, matte texture, and an outstanding tactile feature

The Matte Series offers realistic texture by converting incident light into diffuse reflection and suppressing specular reflection. Specular reflection is a type of surface reflectance often described as a mirror-like reflection of light from the surface. The matte finish offers a softer lighting, without blinding people coming into your space. This series also provides fingerprint resistance. Explore the new world of design possibilities with 3M Matte Series.

Abrasion Resistant Series

3M™ DI-NOC™ Architectural Finishes Abrasion Resistant AR Series are decorative surface finishes for interior applications in high-traffic areas. The abrasion resistant top layer reduces the visibility of scratches. So, if you have a surface that routinely gets scratched by people wanting to “leave their mark,” you can use the abrasion resistant series on those surfaces. Check out the table below for an example!

3M™ DI-NOC™ Architectural Glass Finishes

3M™ DI-NOC™ Glass Finishes can be used behind many glass surfaces and provide an opaque dimensional look when viewed from the front glass surface. The current Product line can be found in the 3M™ Glass Finishes Product Catalog. Ask us for more information.

Whiteboard glass finishes

Last, but not least is this new whiteboard glass finish. The 3M Whiteboard finish can be used to turn glass into a whiteboard, transforming a plain office wall into a learning opportunity! This architectural finish can convert interior surfaces into creative and collaborative environments. It’s compatible with most dry erase markers.

Check out 3M’s spec sheet for all the details.

Questions or comments?

Need help choosing? Or want to chat about your options? Give us a call! Window Works customer care is at 415.650.5200. Pick up your phone and enter our number! We really are very friendly, and we’ll answer your questions.

The Southern California Facilities Expo: Five Best Reasons to Visit!

May 10, 2022 by Carol S Leave a Comment

Just a few of the exhibitors at the Southern California Facilities Expo!

Recently, the Window Works staff attended the Southern California Facilities Expo, at the Anaheim Convention Center. From the SCFE website, “The Facilities Expo provides FREE valuable learning and networking opportunities in a unique format serving the southern California region. Bringing together the facilities engineering, MRO and green building communities, Southern California Facilities Expo attracts a diverse audience of facilities managers, maintenance managers, and energy managers from a wide variety of industries including food processing, government, healthcare, manufacturing, education, wineries, utilities and others.”

Here are some images and highlights from our time at the facilities expo! By the way, we’ve written about other facilities expo’s before. See some of the other highlights here:

Asia Bautista and Kashmir Uppal, from Atlas Copco Compressors, LLC

Seeing friends

We tend to run into some of the same people at facilities conferences, whether we’re in South California, Northern California, or Modesto (Central California). Above, our fearless leader Asia meets with friend Kashmir Uppal, from Atlas Copco Compressors, LLC. Kashmir Uppal is San Francisco Bay Area · CTS Regional Sales Manager for Atlas Copco, in case you were wondering. Meeting long-lost friends is probably our favorite part of the Expo.

Seeing even more friends

We love reconnecting with friends! Don’t you? Here we are with some of our bestest buds, above. That’s Nick MacArthur, brother John MacArthur, and Bobby Slingsby from Graffiti Shield. Since Graffiti Shield is in Anaheim they didn’t have far to travel. And that beer certainly can’t hurt (more on the beer in a minute). Also pictured: Asia and Donna from Window Works!

The Giveaways and Swag!

Look at that cute little promo truck from 1-800-GOT-JUNK, above! McKendry and Affinity also did some top-notch branding with their giveaways. We love having all these reminders of our time at the Expo! They’ll have a special home in our office.

The Happy Hour

The Happy Hour, co-sponsored with Atlas Copco Compressors, LLC, was one of our favorite parts of the Expo! Yes! We had happy hour in our booth which meant we didn’t have to drive home, since we were already there! You know what we mean. But actually we were happy for more than just the Happy Hour–we’re super happy and friendly all the time.

Making new connections

Of course, making new friends is super easy when the reception is in your booth! You can see just a few of our new friends in the photo above.

Did we forget anything?

If you were there and we forgot something, or even if you just want to chat, give us a call! Window Works customer care is at 415.650.5200. Pick up your phone and enter our number! We really are very friendly, and we’ll answer your questions.

Fragment Retention Window Film: Five Reasons You Need it

April 27, 2022 by Carol S Leave a Comment

If you’re a building or facilities manager for a high rise building, you definitely need fragment retention window film. After all, safety is a top concern for most facilities managers. Here are a few reasons you need it.

Prevent glass shattering

You’ve all seen the YouTube videos where glass falls and shatters everywhere, injuring people close by and even bouncing and hurting people across streets. And those tiny shards of glass are difficult to see. So cleanup is a mess. Fragment retention window film helps to keep glass together when it breaks. Glass still breaks, but with this window film it doesn’t explode all over, as it would without the window film. 3M has an article that discusses why fragment retention window film is a good choice for schools. We think it’s an even better choice for high rise buildings!

Keep bad glass from shattering everywhere

For those unfortunate scenarios where there’s globally sourced glass (we’re talking to you, facilities manager on a budget), using the right window film keeps everything together. If you’ve acquired cheap glass, you need fragment retention window film more than ever, since cheap glass is more susceptible to spontaneous shattering. By the way if you’re a facilities manager, we’d love to connect with you at one of the expos or conferences for Facilities Managers, like this one: The Window Works Crew at the Fabulous Northern California Facilities Expo 2021 in Santa Clara.

If you have large glass windows, they will be more susceptible to stress

Tornadoes, hurricanes, and weird weather are becoming more common

We don’t have to tell you that the weather is changing. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we’ve had all sorts of heat waves, droughts, and downpours. We’ve even had the occasional tornado, if you can believe that! If you’re somewhere that has tornadoes, hurricanes, or even bomb blasts, fragment retention window film can help. When your big windows get hit by bad weather, you want your glass to stay together and not explode into a million pieces.

It’s easy to install

What is that old saw about an ounce of prevention versus a pound of cure? That applies here. The window film is your ounce of prevention. Also, since it’s easy to install (for us, that is), you don’t have to spend days, weeks, or months remodeling. Right now, you may hear from your contractor that building material is stuck on ships or impossible to get.

Size Matters

If you have large glass windows, they will be more susceptible to stress. So if you’re in a high rise, those large windowpanes are at greater risk of shattering from temperature fluctuations, especially during the spring and fall when temperatures tend to change more. For those large windows that are more at risk, use fragment retention window film, in case one of your large windows shatters. Read Bob Vila’s article about the drawbacks of thermal pane windows.

Call us for more reasons!

If you have questions, call Window Works customer care at 415.650.5200. We really are very friendly.

We work all over the greater San Francisco Bay Area, from San Jose to the East Bay to the Peninsula and Marin!

Five Reasons You Could Be Arrested for DIY (Read this!)

March 24, 2022 by Carol S Leave a Comment

Don’t get arrested for a DIY window film project!

Have you ever gotten partway through a DIY project only to discover that you’ve bitten off more than you could chew? Or have you ever been stopped by the Window Film Police ™ because they’ve seen you trying to either install your own window film or remove someone else’s window film failure? If you’re a DIYer (or thinking about installing your own window film), read on. You’re likely to recognize yourself in some of these paragraphs. If not, well, consider it a cautionary tale. One that could easily happen to you.

Why is it a bad idea to install my own window film?

We do hear this question from time to time. There are many reasons why, actually. First of all, people hardly ever measure twice and cut once. It’s more like they sorta-kinda measure using an old magazine as a yardstick or a broken app on their phone. Or they use their arms because they saw someone do it on a YouTube Video! Then they guesstimate how much film they need. Eventually, they use their phone for its original purpose (phoning). Do you remember using your phone as a phone? It happens sometimes. Anyway, when people get around to calling us, they’re often embarrassed. Or crying. Or their friend or partner calls us in hushed tones when the guilty DIYer has left the house for a few minutes, begging us to come over. But what is that DIYer thinking? That no one will ever find out? By the way, we’ve written about how to prepare for window film installation before. You might like that article.

Removing the old film myself–what could possibly go wrong?

You already know the answer to this because you’ve probably tried removing some old film at home, despite the warnings not to. Using an old hair dryer and some rags from the Dollar Store, you’ve attempted window film removal. You start earlyish, leaving time for snack breaks and possible shopping trips. It looks pretty good until you touch the surface and realize there’s still glue all over the window! And all over you, too! Oh, no!!! Now what? If we had a flow chart, we’d go back to the part where you end up calling us. There could be crying.

Because of the last time you did a DIY

Do you remember the last time you tried something and it didn’t work out? Remember when you bought that broken-down dresser at that yard sale and decided to antique it and turn it into a combination bar/desk. It looked so easy on Pinterest, right? But then you were all covered in paint, paint remover, and again there were tears. Also, lots of cursing. And you’ll never get those jeans back. Those $300 jeans that you used to love. The Window Film Police would just love to hear about this!

Your friends know you and your past

Your friends have seen you looking at those pix of sleek remodels, and they know how your mind works. They’ve witnesses that optimistic squirrel brain thinking that you can do anything up to and maybe including flying. They know you like to take shortcuts when you DIY, and they’re embarrassed and scared. Which is why they could make a citizen’s arrest.

You don’t have the time or patience

Remember that full-time job you have? By the time you get home and change and watch 10,000 YouTube videos on how to install window film, you’ll be tired. So here you go: the Quick Residential Estimate. Simply fill it out and send it. Easy peasy. Really! You don’t have to do it yourself! And also: Window Works customer care is at 415.650.5200. Pick up your phone and enter our number! We really are very friendly, and we’ll answer your questions.

Stay out of trouble

We work all over the greater San Francisco Bay Area, from San Jose to the East Bay to the Peninsula and Marin! So stay out of trouble and give us a call!

How to Choose the Best Window Film Installer?

February 4, 2022 by Carol S Leave a Comment

If choosing window film is overwhelming, how are you ever going to choose a window film installer? Aren’t there hundreds of installers available? Do you use your Magic 8-Ball? Flip a coin? No! Here are some ideas.

Check out their website

If you’re looking at a website, can you see clients, and do you know any of them? That is, do you recognize any businesses there? If so, you might take a look at the actual-in-real-life window film installations and see how they look! Some may be easily accessible. For instance, not to toot our own horn, but we have quite a few companies that you’ve (probably) heard of who’ve had window film installed.

Ask friends and neighbors

You could ask your neighbors if you want residential window film. Or you could go to social media sites. Personally, we like Google, and our Google site is here: Window Works. What do people say on those sites? Here’s a review we really like:

“These guys are really great. We live in San Francisco with windows all round on the second floor. Great views but it can become a greenhouse, especially as the climate warms. Window Works applied Prestige 20 to all our windows and it made a huge difference in the amount of heat retained. The staff was courteous and competent, Asia is extremely knowledgeable.”
~ Amir Najmi
Google Reviewer

By the way, sometimes reviews can be fake. We’ve seen quite a few on Amazon. And there are signs of fake reviews that you might already know such as really bad grammar, no profile pictures, or one-word reviews. How a company deals with negative reviews can tell you a lot, too. Here’s an article about Amazon Fake Reviewers by Business Insider.

Ask a few questions

Does the window film installer know their stuff? What kind of film would they recommend for your particular windows? Ask about heat retention of the window film, and ask about the staff, too.

Read their blog posts and check their social media

Is the window film installer you’re poised to go with active with their blog posts? Do they have social media and are they active there? Those are some good signs that you’re dealing with a reputable company. If they aren’t active, that could indicate a number of things: They might be too busy or too small to deal with their website/blogging/social media. Or they might not know how and want to get to it later. You could ask them when you call!

Trust your gut

What is your gut telling you about the company you’re about to hire? Have you ever known before that you shouldn’t hire someone and hired them anyway, and then regretted it? Same here! And you shake your head and say “I shoulda known!” Right? We’ve probably all had that experience!

Give us a call!

Call us and ask a few questions, as we’ve suggested above. We really are very friendly. We work all over the greater San Francisco Bay Area, from San Jose to the East Bay to the Peninsula and Marin! Call Window Works customer care at 415.650.5200 for pricing and more information.

Why Not Use Window Film for Patio Privacy?

January 20, 2022 by Carol S Leave a Comment

Recently, walking along the beach, I noticed a lot of balconies and patios surrounded by partial glass enclosures. Maybe people don’t realize that they could use window film to block the view people have into their patios or balconies? It seems like such a simple and elegant solution. After all, do you really want a bunch of strangers peering into your home while you’re having a barbeque?

Patio privacy on second floor balconies

If your patio set up is on a second floor balcony, using some window film to block the view can give you an extraordinary amount of privacy. Imagine the glass on the balcony above with window film. Not only would the view into your home be less cluttered, more importantly, you would not be so visible from outside. Here, as in many parts of the Bay Area, people can walk right up to the house and look into the windows. In many homes, there are no curtains or anything to keep prying eyes from looking inside and seeing everything you own. We’ve talked about privacy before: What Are the Best Window FIlms for Privacy?

Heavily trafficked areas

With all parts of the San Francisco Bay Area growing, there’s more and more reasons to look for ways to secure more privacy. You can hide your valuables, protect your family by making them less accessible to the eyes of strangers, and simply be less visible. After all, don’t you want to be free to say what you want and wear what you want while you’re relaxing at home? Do you really want a messy patio visible to the entire world?

Less goldfish bowl

We’re all visible more and more via social media. Everyone has a camera built into their cell phones now. And you’re likely to appear in many places, even if you don’t want to be featured in a video. People hardly even bother to ask any more if you want your picture taken, do they? While you might not want a completely curated existence, having more privacy allows you to control who sees what.

Here’s a patio enclosure we worked on (with window film!)

Don’t be a statistic

You might have seen the Google car driving around taking pictures of everything. If you live in the Bay Area, chances are you have! Your home and everything in it is on display for all the world to see. But you can exercise a little bit of control with window film. Nobody needs to see what you ate for breakfast or what you’re watching on your laptop while you’re on your own balcony. You probably also want to protect your kids from prying eyes.

It gets even easier!

If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, we can offer suggestions. We work throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, from San Jose to the East Bay to the Peninsula and Marin! Call Window Works customer care at 415.650.5200 for pricing and more information. We’re very friendly!

Why your New Year’s Resolutions should include window film installation

January 5, 2022 by Carol S Leave a Comment

If your New Year’s resolutions don’t include window film, you’re doing it wrong!

You’ve heard about the usual New Year’s resolutions, all the ones you write down and promptly forget. But what about creating some New Year’s resolutions which are easy to keep and require very little work from you? What about those resolutions? Here are a bunch of reasons you ought to include window film installation in your list of resolutions. Not that we’re telling you what to do. But stick around and maybe we’ll convince you!

New Year’s resolutions should be easy

Seriously, when was the last time you had an easy resolution? Are you really going to lose weight in January, a time when every cell in your body is screaming at you to eat all the cupcakes and binge-watch Netflix? NO! And are you going to battle the gym right now, what with the new Covid restrictions? Are you going to triple-mask so you’ll feel safe? NO! But guess what? (If you were here, you’d say “What?!”) Window film installation is super easy!

New Year’s resolutions should improve your health

You might already know that window film reduces UV rays coming through your windows. And that those same UV rays are what cause skin cancer. If not, you’re hearing it here first. Window film can improve your health! It’s like having sunglasses on your house or office! But don’t take our word for it–check out the Skin Cancer Foundation’s excellent article Not All UV Rays Stay Outside: How Window Film Can Help Protect You.

Use window film with dots, patterns or stripes to make your office look snazzier

New Year’s resolutions should lower your heating and A/C bill

With Thinsulate window film, your temperatures will even out. That is, your place will be cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. So your heating and cooling bills will be lower. And doesn’t everyone want lower power bills? By the way, we’ve written about Thinsulate before because we love it so much! Why Use 3M Thinsulate Window Film: Five Good Reasons You Need to Know.

New Year’s Resolutions should make your home or office look better

Did you know that window films have improved a lot over the past years? There are many decorative window films that can add to the easy glamor of your place, with gorgeous designs that will make you the envy of your neighborhood. Take a look at some of our decorative window films here: Decorating with Window Film. 3M Fasara window film comes in a variety of designs. There are patterns, dots, and stripes.

So easy a kid could do it!

If your kid can pick up the phone and find us, and you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, you could be done with your New Year’s resolutions! That’s not to say you should make your kid call us! All we’re saying is it’s that easy. We work throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, from San Jose to the East Bay to the Peninsula and Marin! Call Window Works customer care at 415.650.5200 for pricing and more information. We’re very friendly!

What Happens When the Window Works Crew Gets Together for Christmas?

December 14, 2021 by Carol S 1 Comment

We knew there would be ornaments. We knew there would be a tree. What we didn’t know was how the tree would turn out! It was so much better than anyone imagined!

Oh, Christmas tree! Oh, Christmas tree!

You’ve got to imagine some really bad karaoke Christmas music here because it’s obligatory, right? Not all Christmas music can be like the Charlie Brown Christmas Special music. Anyway, you can see Donna next to the tree, in this version. Yes, we had RAWR elements under the tree, in the ribbons, and with the decorations, too (RAWR meaning tiger striped)!

Last year, they said the trees were “too girly”

Some of the guys like to complain. Their complaint was about the Christmas trees being pink, if you can believe that! We loved the tone-on-tone Christmas look–it was so fun and festive! And so unlike anyone else’s tree, too! But they complained–and we listened. So this year the tree was a little different!

So we fixed the tree!

This year, because the guys helped decorate the tree, it was black (like their cold, cold hearts lol)! And we decorated it with plenty of RAWR. And also, if you look closely, you might see something else! Yes, that’s right–beer! We also had plenty of volunteers to help “decorate the tree” AKA drink the beer so we had enough “decorations.” Phew. That’s a lot of quotation marks!

The goodies

There were lots and lots of goodies. Here are just a few of them, above. And of course, we had RAWR plates, napkins, and a tablecloth! The chicken wings were fab, but somehow we didn’t get a picture of those because they were gobbled up! And also the salads–delish!!!

Happy Holidays to all and to all a Good RAWR night!!!

Maybe one of the only traditional things was our cake. That, and our best wishes for everyone for this holiday season!!! Have a beautiful, festive, and fun holiday, everyone!

What Happens When You Support Women in Construction?

September 16, 2021 by Carol S Leave a Comment

There are so many reasons to support Women in Construction

There are loads of reasons we choose to support women in construction, but let’s start with the top reasons. Underrepresentation, sexism, our own involvement as women in construction, and helping all women. Those are just for starters! And, as you know, the entire economy took a hit because of Covid-19, so it’s doubly critical that we help women in construction.

Women in Construction are underrepresented

With women in the construction field comprising only about 10% of the total population, it’s clear that more women need to be in this sector. The number of women on the front lines (that is, in the trenches) is even smaller, with only 1% of women. Whatever we can do, no matter how small the effort, can help boost the number of women in construction.

Diversity and Inclusion

As a minority-run business, we know what it’s like to feel excluded. Even in the San Francisco Bay Area, where there’s a lot of diversity, there are many pockets where minorities–including women–may feel like outsiders. So having friends in the business is critical.

Sexism is Rampant

Women can be treated like second-class citizens on and off construction sites, so it’s doubly important that we all support each other. The boardroom of construction companies are frequently male-centric, and we’d like to support women there, too.

We are Women in Construction ourselves

Window Works USA is comprised of many women, including our CEO and founder. So we know what we’re talking about when we talk about women in construction. We’ve seen the sexual harassment, the lack of bathrooms and safety gear, and the way women are treated in general. We love organizations like the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), and share their philosophy. We also share and follow their posts on our social media, whenever possible.

When we support other women, we help all women

You’ve probably heard that old saw A Rising Tide Floats All Boats. That’s how we feel about supporting other women. When we support other women, those same women support us, too. Not to get too cornball, but it takes a village. A village of women wielding power tools, that is! So to answer the question of what happens when you support Women in Construction–all kinds of magic happens!

Women in Construction Week

We’ve been celebrating Women in Construction Week since 2018 with our Women in Construction Week festivities. The above photo is from our 2019 networking event. The first celebrations were in real life, but because of Covid, 2021’s event was virtual. For next year, we really hope that we can once again meet up in person.

Job shadowing and mentoring

Window Works also supports job shadowing, where young women can see what other women in construction actually do at their actual jobs. We try to mentor young women whenever possible so they can learn the ropes from someone in the field and have a better chance at success.

Check out our social channels!

Check out our Twitter and Facebook pages. We retweet and reshare posts from all over the world. And we promise never to hit you with spam!

How to Use Security Window Film That Will Make You Feel Safer

August 31, 2021 by Carol S Leave a Comment

Feeling safe is one of the top reasons people choose window film

For each month of 2021, we’re offering special discounts on different window films. For September, our discount is on 3M security window film. Please mention that you saw this article so you can get the discount! Here’s our post about Window Works’ Ten Year Anniversary!

Onto 3M security window film

We receive a lot of calls from people about security window film. Often those calls start out something like this: “What will keep our glass together in case there’s a storm?” Or “Our neighbor’s tree fell through their glass window–can window film help protect us in case our tree falls over?” And to both questions, the answer is yes–security window film can help protect you and your family. We’ve written about security window film before: How to Choose the Best Security Window Film. You can see some examples of different types of security window film–for instance, 3M Ultra S800 Security Film with 3M IPA helps protect against flying glass shards when a window is broken.

Keep your windows safe with 3M security window film

Reasons to choose 3M security window film

Live near a golf course or driving range? Stray golf balls may threaten you. If you live next door to a school, baseballs could fly your way. Or you may be a small business with a window that is vulnerable to break-ins, such as in certain downtown areas. If you have a restaurant you may want to protect diners from the threat of broken glass. These are just a few of the reasons you might choose 3M security window film. There are a few other reasons right on 3M’s website.

Huge Storms, Fires, and Breakins

More of our friends have installed security systems in their homes and small businesses recently. If you’re being evacuated due to a storm, a security system is a good way to ensure your home is safe while you’re away. Same with fires–people want to know what’s happening with their home or business. But did you know that anything that slows down a burglar for even a few seconds can make that burglar try a different door or window? Best case scenario is if the burglar goes away altogether! Window film can give you those extra few seconds and make your home that much more secure.

Shhh! It’s our secret!

No one needs to know if you have installed security window film. Since it’s invisible, no one will know it’s there. And unless they have a trained eye, they won’t notice it at all. It’s our little secret. Like other window films, it’s invisible. But you’ll feel more secure knowing it’s there.

Can’t Decide? Give Us a Call!

We’d love to discuss any kind of window film with you, whether it’s 3M security window film or not. We’re all over the San Francisco Bay Area, from the South Bay to San Francisco to Marin to the East Bay. Here’s our customer care number for your convenience: 415.650.5200.

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