• Window film is a plastic product which can be applied to the inside and in some cases the outside of ordinary flat glass to dramatically alter its properties.
• There are 3 main categories of film
• Sun Control Film
• Decorative Film
• Safety & Security Film
• Check our many other articles, galleries and product pages for details about what window film can do.

History

The first window film patent was taken by 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing) in 1966. This was only a few years after Pilkington invented the float glass manufacturing process which revolutionized the glass industry making glass cheaper and faster than ever before.  3M are still one of the world’s largest manufacturing companies.

Sun Control Film

Sun control window films are made of polyester. These films are often metallised or coloured or both. Apart from the fact that window film can be added after building construction, it is the metallisation that gives film products strong performance advantages over tinted glass.

There are more details about metallisation on the Reflective Film page.

Decorative Film

Most decorative films are made of vinyl.

• Look in the Gallery » Translucent Film tabs in the top menu for pictures
• Read the Frosted Film page for a general description
• Look in the Products » Translucent Film tabs in the top menu for product details

Safety & Security Film

Safety & Security Film AKA blast film is very strong and in the event of glass breakage will try to hold the broken pieces together and in many cases the window will remain weather tight. It is used to:

• Resist forced entry
• Contain broken glass (otherwise shop cleanup time can be lengthy)
• Retain broken glass from bomb blast
• Retain broken glass from violent weather including cyclones
• Retain broken glass from acidental breakage

How is window film made?

This gets a bit technical but if you are interested click HERE for a good introductory explanation from the European Window Films Association.

How long will window film last?

The length of life of any window film is determined by the construction of the film and the level of exposure. Our policy is to use the best available products and we have had great success; most of the film we've installed since 1992 is still in service.

Cheaper window films don't last as long because the colouring may fade or the adhesive will fail by blistering or loosing clarity. Modern films have an abrasion resistant coating which protects the surface from scratching thereby protecting the metal coatings underneath.

Longer lasting films still have a finite life because most of these have metal coating which will eventually oxidize and fade in exactly the same way as happens to an old mirror.

The period covered by the manufacturer is at least 5 years and is listed on each product page. Most products we use are warranted for 10 years or more.

Are all Window Films equal?

If you check the details on our product pages you will notice that all the products we use block 99% of UV light. This is not true for all films. Some films block 97% or 98%.

While this may seem an insignificant difference it indicates that an inferior method of UV stabilising has been used, adding UV inhibitor to the adhesive layer only. Such products should be noticeably cheaper and are not expected to last as long as products used by About Windows which have UV inhibitors in the adhesive and polyester. Tests show that cheaper films lose their protection about 6 times faster than quality window films.₍₁₎

_{(1) According to European Window Film Association, accelerated testing using Xenon lamps}