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Learn

What film does.

Straight answers about heat, glare, privacy, fading and safety, plus the limits worth knowing before you choose.

A close raking view of one glazing bay on a commercial building: the black mullion junction, the edge of the pane and the neighbouring facade reflected in the glass
01

Understanding film

What the material is, what it is applied to, and what it does to a window that was working fine until about two in the afternoon.

02

Heat, glare and comfort

The two complaints that bring most people here, and why the film that best solves one is not always the film that best solves the other.

03

Privacy

Who can see in, from where, and at what hour. The last of those is the question most people do not think to ask until afterwards.

04

UV and fading

What is actually bleaching the floor, how much of it film can take out, and what no film will do.

05

Safety and broken glass

What happens to a filmed pane when something hits it, and the difference between a film and a system.

06

Installation and care

What happens on the day, what to do with the glass afterwards, and the questions whose honest answer is that it depends on the film.

07

Choosing and quoting

How a specification is arrived at, what an estimate is worth, and what the difference is between that and a quotation.

The problem

What people are actually trying to fix.

Film is bought to solve one of a small number of things. Naming yours is most of the specification.

The room gets too hot

West and north facing rooms that are unusable through the afternoon while the rest of the building is comfortable.

There is too much glare

Screens washed out and blinds closed on a view you paid for.

Things are fading

Timber floors, rugs, artwork and upholstery losing colour where the sun lands.

People can see in

Bathrooms, ground floor rooms and meeting rooms where the sightline is the problem, not the light.

The glass is vulnerable

Full height panes, doors and street level glazing where breakage does the most harm.

The glass looks unfinished

Partitions, reception glass and frontage treated as a gap rather than a surface.

Cooling is working too hard

Solar load entering through the glazing that the cooling system then has to remove.

01

Understanding film

What the material is, what it is applied to, and what it does to a window that was working fine until about two in the afternoon.

Can film go on any window?+
Most glass suits film, and some types and situations need care. We confirm what is appropriate for your glass before quoting it.
Can film be removed later?+
Yes. Film is applied to the surface of the pane and can be taken off and replaced when the space changes.
Will my windows look mirrored from outside?+
Only if you choose a film that does. Reflectivity is a specification choice and it runs from near invisible to distinctly mirrored, so the appearance from the street is something you decide rather than something film imposes. Tell us how you want the building to read and we will specify to that.
Can film go on double glazing?+
Sometimes, and it is not a question to answer from a website. Sealed units, laminated panes, toughened glass and heavily shaded glazing each behave differently under film, and the wrong specification on the wrong pane is a real risk rather than a theoretical one. We confirm what is appropriate for your glass before we quote it, and what we are specifying is written into the quotation.
02

Heat, glare and comfort

The two complaints that bring most people here, and why the film that best solves one is not always the film that best solves the other.

Heat Glare
Will it make the room dark?+
Not necessarily. Films range from nearly clear to heavily tinted, and the right one depends on the room, the aspect and how much you want the look to change. Your quotation sets out what is being specified.
Will film fix glare on our screens?+
It will reduce it. Glare is direct light arriving at an unhelpful angle, and film reduces how much of it gets through the glass, which is usually enough to make the desks by the window usable again. It will not remove glare entirely, and where the sun sits low and straight down a room, no film alone will.
Will I still see out?+
Yes. Solar film treats heat, glare and ultraviolet light and leaves the outward view intact.
03

Privacy

Who can see in, from where, and at what hour. The last of those is the question most people do not think to ask until afterwards.

Privacy Decorative & frosted
Can people see in through privacy film at night?+
Through a reflective film, yes. Reflective privacy works on a difference in brightness, so it obscures the darker side from the brighter side. During the day that is your room. After dark with the lights on it is the street, and the effect reverses. If you need privacy after dark, the answer is an obscuring film, which frosts the glass itself and behaves the same at every hour, or a film paired with a blind. We will tell you which of those your room needs.
Can film be applied to part of a window?+
Yes. Banding at eye level, or treating the lower portion only, is a common way to keep an outlook while removing the sightline that matters.
Does frosted film work both ways?+
Obscuring films break the view in both directions, day and night. Films that rely on reflection behave differently after dark, and we will tell you which type suits the room.
04

UV and fading

What is actually bleaching the floor, how much of it film can take out, and what no film will do.

UV protection
Will film stop my furniture fading?+
It will slow it. Fading has more than one cause: ultraviolet light is the largest, and visible light and heat contribute as well. Film filters ultraviolet light at the window, which removes the biggest single contributor. Anything sitting in direct sun will still change over time, and any company telling you otherwise is overselling.
05

Safety and broken glass

What happens to a filmed pane when something hits it, and the difference between a film and a system.

Safety & security
Does safety film make glass burglar proof?+
No, and anyone who tells you otherwise is overselling it. Film delays and complicates entry through the glass. It does not make a pane impenetrable.
Can film mark full height glass so people do not walk into it?+
Yes. Banding, frosted strips and patterns at eye level make a clear pane legible to someone walking towards it, and they can carry a logo or a pattern rather than looking like a safety measure. If the building has a specific requirement to meet, tell us what it is and we will confirm what we are specifying against it.
06

Installation and care

What happens on the day, what to do with the glass afterwards, and the questions whose honest answer is that it depends on the film.

How long does installation take?+
It depends on the number of panes, the access to them and the film being fitted. Your written quotation gives the expected duration for your job.
How long does window film last?+
That depends on the film, the aspect it faces and the conditions it lives in, and the honest answer is that it is a manufacturer figure rather than ours to estimate. Once we have specified a film for your glass we will tell you what its maker states, in writing.
How do I clean filmed glass?+
As you would clean any window: a soft cloth, a non abrasive cleaner, no scrapers, blades or anything gritty. New film settles before it is cleaned, and how long depends on the film and the weather, so we give you the specific instruction for your installation.
We lease the building. Is that a problem?+
Usually not, though the owner or the managing agent may have their own requirements about what can be applied to the glazing. It is worth asking them before work is booked. Film is applied to the surface of the pane and can be removed later, which is often the point that settles the conversation.
07

Choosing and quoting

How a specification is arrived at, what an estimate is worth, and what the difference is between that and a quotation.

How do I get a price?+
Tell us about the glass and we prepare a written quotation you can read, compare and accept in your own time.
Do I have to decide on the spot?+
No. Your quotation sits in your account until you accept or decline it, and it carries a clear expiry date so you always know where you stand.
Do you service my part of Melbourne?+
We work across the Melbourne metropolitan area. If you are not sure, send a request through and we will tell you either way.
What is the difference between an estimate and a quotation?+
An estimate is indicative and produced from what you tell us. A quotation is the verified price, prepared once we have confirmed the glass, the access and the film.
Do you work on homes as well as commercial sites?+
Yes. We install film in houses, apartments, offices, retail spaces and warehouses.

Worked out what you need?

Tell us about the glass and we will confirm what suits it, then put a written quotation in front of you with the price, what it covers and how long it stands.

Get a quote
Two hands applying window film to a large glass pane with a squeegee, the wet film being smoothed flat in natural daylight
Reading

In depth.

01

How window film works

What a thin layer on the inside of a pane actually does to heat, light and ultraviolet.

02

Choosing a film

The questions that decide the specification: aspect, glass type, what you want the room to feel like.

03

Heat and glare are different problems

Why the film that fixes an unusable afternoon is not always the film that fixes a washed out screen.

04

Privacy, day and night

Reflective and obscuring films behave differently after dark. Which one suits which room.

05

What actually causes fading

Ultraviolet light, visible light and heat all play a part. Only one of them is easy to remove.

06

What happens on installation day

Access, preparation, the order panes are done in, and what the glass looks like immediately afterwards.