Hi Kids,

I did a search at Home Depot and got the info I was looking for. I can get a film by Gila that will block 98% of UV rays.

Now, do any of you have any experience with this?

sooey

sooey, We have UV film on all our windows,love it! We had intense afternoon sun and it works great. Actually noone knows the film is there except us. We had the windows done by 3M and felt the cost not extremely high,especially with the way the film must be handled. We attempted one window and that was enough...the film is very hard to handle especially if you are doing several windows.It is very sticky and you must use a lot of water with it.We tried with the Gila. You may be more DIY than we are so you might try it just to see. It really does help with sun protection and also heat. Good Luck

sooey, recently there was a post about this, do a search to find it. I would not recommend doing it yourself. My meticulous father in law did it and he did not recommend anyone doing it as a DIY. He did a bunch of little pane windows and it was very tedious. We had 3M do our previous house as well as additional windows in this home (previous homeowners had part of the house already tinted). The pros make it look so easy! It does work great for protecting your floors and furniture, but depending on the film it doesnt block glare.

Thanks knitbug & gk5040 for you input.

I am a DIY person and feel this is a project I could at least try to accomplish. I would be applying the film to three windows. These same three windows will be replaced with new tinted glass units within the next 3 - 5 years. I need the protection from the sun now but I don't want to spend a lot of money on them. I will also be hanging sheers at these windows...good for distorting 'flaws' which may develope during installation.

knitbug...The rolls of Gila I found on line at Home Depot and Lowes are under $30. Well worth at least making a attempt. One roll will do it. I don't really need to block the heat, it's much more of the sun damage issue. We get Beautiful sun in these windows from morning until mid afternoon. I like your name...I assume you knit. My latest project has been making socks. Lots and lots of socks.

gk5040...I did several searches before my original post above but came up with nothing re: UV window film. I tried several combinations but came up with very little. I appreciate the search option here at THS but I find that you really need to hit the nail just about exactly on the head in order to get what you are looking for. Not a complaint, just an observation based on my own experience.

I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again for your input.

sooey

Hi Kids,

Well, I just, this afternoon, finished this project. I ended up doing lots of research on the DIY products available. I found a few that looked good and a few places that would even cut the film to size for you. In the end, I went to Home Depot and got what they had to offer which, was Gila. I'm sure that most window films you find at the big box stores are just about the same. I first checked out the Gila web site and watched the video on installing the film...several times.

As said in one of the above posts/responses, I had only three windows. I was working with sheets of film that, after cutting, were 34" x 23". Not too large or difficult to handle. The trick was starting with a clean window, using enough of the water/solution, taking my time and having another pair of hands to help in peeling the film away from the backing. I had all my tools at the ready, a good staging area set up and as much time as I needed to accomplish the task. As a DIY project I would say it was as easy or, as hard as putting up wall paper. I admit that I can be a bit anal about the projects I take on so I need to admit that I can see a very few, very tiny bubbles in one of the films. I allowed them to stay because I will have also sheers at all three windows. My reason for wanting the film was UV protection. I'm sure that between the film and the sheers I should be OK on that issue.

I figure I have only spent about $42. on this project. It looks good but if for any reason I am not happy with it, I know I can always call in the pros. Or, move up the window replacement project. But, for now, I am happy with what I have accomplished.

gk5040...I just found the other post/question about window film that you told me about. I just read through it and learned some new stuff. Thanks for letting me know it was out there.

Thanks Kids.

sooey