Get out of the Fishbowl by Adding Privacy Window Film

Are there specific windows that make your home or business feel like a fishbowl? Maybe it’s a set of sliders, a kitchen window near a street, or maybe you just want to sing and dance to Old Time Rock & Roll without worrying about privacy.

One of the most common requests from clients is for window privacy – people want to see out, but not let anyone see in. The good news is that we have a suite of products available for this purpose.

Let’s walk through how these solutions work, what you can expect, and see if privacy window film is a good fit for you.

Background – Rejecting Light and Heat

Solar window film works by reflecting various bands of the sun’s energy away from a building. All Layr 3M films reject 99.9% of dangerous ultra violet light, and then depending on the need, some proportion of visible and infrared light. To block visible light, we use a darker solution, the same way sunglasses do.

To manage overall heat and fade, while not changing a window’s aesthetics, we may use a spectrally selective film to block out infrared light. We have five core products but have installed 30 different types of window films. Depending on your need, there is a specific, tailored solution that works.

Privacy usually requires a dark, reflective film that will deal with visible light. This is a common request, and we have solutions that provide daytime privacy, rejecting ~70% of the solar heat gain, reducing fade and glare by ~75%. These films are designed with high exterior reflectivity (like a mirror), and with minimal interior reflectivity – so that you can see out clearly.

The important caveat is that these films work by reflecting light towards the stronger light source; so you’ll have complete privacy during the day, but will want to pull curtains or shades at night. Beware anyone who tells you anything different!

Privacy Window Film in the Real World

Here is a great example of the above-referenced film during the day:

Here is another example of how this product looks from the inside of a house – you can see out with amazing clarity!  The difference between treated glass (left hand side) and untreated glass (right hand side) is very subtle from the interior:

Sometimes commercial clients use combination products to deliver multiple benefits, for instance, security and privacy.  This specific client’s building was only occupied during the day, and so they wanted a mirror film that also provided security benefits.  The job came out perfectly and also refinishes the exterior, with a more uniform look:

Sometimes clients want privacy from within a building; for instance, an office meeting room.  You want privacy and anonymity for attendees, and also to focus peoples’ attention.  Here we use a frosted Fasara film:

Finally, there are exciting new products that turn glass from frosted one moment to transparent the next.  Privacy when you want it, sunlight the next moment.  We have experience installing products like Invisishade and SmartTint.  These products require a larger investment, but for some clients, it’s absolutely worth it to turn the frost on and off.

In closing, we can provide the privacy that you want.  All of the above solutions come with our standard 3M warranty and are installed quickly and easily.  Drop us a line to learn more!