Over the past couple of months we’ve had issues with residential glass companies putting inaccurate information into potential customers ears. I’m sure most of these folks have the best of intentions and believe they’re helping their customers, however when an expensive couch, or new hard wood floors fade over the next 10 months, the advice has probably caused their customer more harm than good!
Window/Glass is made to be durable and handle all sorts of elements. This is why your windows work year round. The glass they’re made of expands and contrast dependent on the weather and other variables. So why does window film get such a bad rap? In my opinion it’s because it voids your glass warranty, and many glass manufacturers want you to avoid doing that, fair enough! Also as a Residential Glazier, most of their experience with window film is due to replacing broken windows.
So let’s speak about the a glass warranty first. Most Home Owners do not have a glass warranty. Unless you’ve just purchased new windows, or have just purchased a new home build, the odds of having a warranty on your windows is highly unlikely. This is because window warranties generally follow the original purchaser, and aren’t transferable. By purchasing window film, you may have just added a thermal stress fracture warranty to your windows that wasn’t there to begin with. When you purchase an interior 3M Window Film, you’ll receive a 5 year glass breakage warranty. And if you do have a warranty on your windows, companies like 3M will include a seal failure warranty to match your current glass warranty. This will ensure you have a warranty in place for breakage, and seal failure to replace the manufacturers warranty should it be voided from the application of window film.
Now what about actual glass breaking? Is this an issue? Should you be concerned? The short answer is no. If window film broke even 10% of the glass it was applied to, we wouldn’t be in business, and 3M would stick to Post-its as window film wouldn’t be a very cost productive business. The truth is that window film absorbs heat which adds to the thermal stress of your glass. Once in a while, window film is applied to a pane of glass that for whatever reason, possibly a manufacturing, or installation defect, cannot take on any more stress, and will cause a thermal stress fracture. There are also window films that absorb too much heat, like interior Prestige 40, and have a high risk of cracking annealed residential windows.
While this can happen, it’s an exception, and if you installed 3M Window Film, you’ll be protected by a warranty to replace that window should it crack. Plus a reputable window film company will not install a window film that has a high risk of breaking your glass. Prior to installing window film to your homes windows, ensure your window film company is running a glass checklist to ensure there is little to no risk of glass breakage. A glass checklist will take into account interior and exterior shading, along with glass type, frame, and exposure to determine which window film will work best for your glass, and not cause breakage.
If you’re still concerned with breakage, Exterior Window Films are a great choice. Exterior Window Films work extremely well, and since they are installed on the outside of your glass, it is the film absorbing all the heat, putting little to no additional stress on your glass, and pretty much eliminating any issues with breakage.
We’ve been running our window film company since 2004, and while we’ve had a few windows break here and there, it’s been an extremely small amount compared to 99% of our projects that went off without a hitch, or a broken window.
Here’s the truth, without window film your furniture, and flooring WILL fade, without window film, you will have excess solar heat gain penetrating your home, without window film that pesky glare you can’t control will always be there! With window film, your windows have little to no risk of breakage, and for interior applications, you’ll have a glass warranty, which you probably didn’t have before hand. The benefits far outweigh the risk!