How UV blocking film for windows

May 7, 2019 11:59 AM

So I'm looking to protect some posters, books, dvd cases from some pretty harsh sunlight and it seems UV window film the affordable way to go-- of course, the internet being the internet is full of wild 1 star reviews that don't instill any sort of faith that this is the right thing to help keep my stuff safe. So I look to anyone with hands on experience...

Is this the solution I'm looking for, what's the best/most affordable avenue to buy the stuff (as a roll? will a hardware store cut it for me?) and can I get clear UV film, protecting my stuff while still enjoying my view?

posted by dr handsome to Home & Garden (5 answers total)

Best answer: Yes, they work. This is what they use in art galleries. In museums they replace the glass or call in professional tinters. But in independent galleries they use the stuff you're talking about. The best known consumer brand is Gila. You can get it at home depot. It's prepackaged. As far as I could tell when I bought mine, they won't cut it for you. You can also get it on Amazon.

It comes in rolls of various lengths that are either 3 or 4 ft wide. Use the Gila site to find the best roll for you. There are trade-offs in level of UV/heat blocking and level of optical view obscuration. (There are also some ridiculous decorative options for bathrooms, etc.) I went with the highest UV/heat blocking (Titanium). I can certainly tell the film is there, but it's not like looking through dark glasses. It's fine for me. The main difference is not that outside looks darker. It's that the window is more reflective. So: the view is fine, but I can see my own ugly mug too.

They offer most rolls in adhesive and static cling versions. I went with adhesive. It's more sticky (which seems obvious but turns out to be a problem for the static cling stuff according to the Amazon reviews) and it's removable. The static cling version claims to be reusable, but I'm not sure what the market is like for people with several identically sized windows.

If your windows are large, you'll need a second person for installation. But I managed ours on my own. The first window took me maybe 30 minutes. Read the instructions! After that it takes at most 15 minutes per window, the vast majority of which is cutting.
posted by caek at 12:42 PM on May 7, 2019 [2 favorites]

Just as an FYI...If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, I would suggest you look through the covenants very closely. My neighborhood covenants forbid any obvious window films (seriously!) I assume this would include anything that makes the windows look “reflectiveish” or unnaturally black from the outside.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:08 PM on May 7, 2019

Glass blocks UV B on its own, and UV B does most of the damage.
If you want to block UV A as well you can get clear UV window film from Amazon.
posted by w0mbat at 4:48 PM on May 7, 2019

Response by poster: Oof-- botched the title there. But this is all super helpful and re: static cling, I live in a rented NYC apartment so removal would be nice but as you said, adhesive is also able to be removed.
posted by dr handsome at 8:55 PM on May 7, 2019

Yup. The adhesive version comes off fine.
posted by caek at 12:17 PM on May 8, 2019