Today I slipped some liquid hand soap into my spray bottle and had a go at another window. That didn't go any better than the previous attempts!
Feeling rather disheartened, indeed disappointed, I resigned myself to the fact my window tinting was always going to look amateurish. Then somebody on a forum I follow came up with a useful suggestion . The problems were that the film was hard to control. It was also hard to separate from the backing layer.
Tools...
Paper towels
Masking tape or any adhesive tape
Knife (supplied with tint film)
Spray bottle with water and soap mixture.
Plastic spatula (supplied with tint film)
Glass scraper
Smooth surface - I had a sheet of plexiglass.
Method...
Scrape paint and other detritus off both sides of the window.
Spray inside of the window with the soap solution.
Wipe the glass clean with the paper towels
Clean the sheet of plexiglass with soapy water and paper towels
Spray the plexiglass liberally with soapy water.
Using tape, lift one corner of the backing sheet on the film.
Place the film sticky side up on the plexiglass so the water will hold it in place.
Remove the backing fully, ensuring the film remains face up on the plexiglass.
Spray window and the glue side of the film (this is the up side of the film) liberally with the soapy water solution.
Pick the film up, hold it in position over the window and press it against the window.
Starting from the center, press the paper towel firmly against the film and smooth the film so there are no bubbles or wrinkles.
Working with the spatula, chase any water bubbles out. It helps if you use downward motion since gravity works with you that way.
Trim the edges of the film using the supplied knife.
Smooth any areas that need extra work.
Pat yourself on the back.
My worktop looked like this...
My finished window looked like this
Then I ran out of film and had to order more. My film came from Amazon and at the time of writing was $10.40 for a roll 20 inches wide by 10 feet long.
Needless to say, I ordered three more rolls though I have a suspicion that 14 panes of 12 x 24 inches with wastage might need more. If the others go on as well then I might replace the film I didn't do so well. It's definitely time consuming!
Other than that, I found several paint companies have apps that tell me what color my paint is. Sadly, the light is not uniform on my Carpenter blue paintwork but it looks like it could well be Swan Sea. I'll grab the bull by the horns and buy a pot tomorrow together with the green paint.
I still have to finish cleaning and prime my bus cockpit but things are getting done. I'm feeling quite positive about the project.
I had a go at gluing some plastic planks together using plastic glue but it wasn't a great success. I'm giving thought to gluing a plastic plank mount together to hold my shower base.
The tint film is 20% and looks OK though I suspect 5% might have been a better choice. I can see into my bathroom from certain angles. The solution will be to Velcro shower curtain to the inside of the window frames.
Feeling rather disheartened, indeed disappointed, I resigned myself to the fact my window tinting was always going to look amateurish. Then somebody on a forum I follow came up with a useful suggestion . The problems were that the film was hard to control. It was also hard to separate from the backing layer.
Tools...
Paper towels
Masking tape or any adhesive tape
Knife (supplied with tint film)
Spray bottle with water and soap mixture.
Plastic spatula (supplied with tint film)
Glass scraper
Smooth surface - I had a sheet of plexiglass.
Method...
Scrape paint and other detritus off both sides of the window.
Spray inside of the window with the soap solution.
Wipe the glass clean with the paper towels
Clean the sheet of plexiglass with soapy water and paper towels
Spray the plexiglass liberally with soapy water.
Using tape, lift one corner of the backing sheet on the film.
Place the film sticky side up on the plexiglass so the water will hold it in place.
Remove the backing fully, ensuring the film remains face up on the plexiglass.
Spray window and the glue side of the film (this is the up side of the film) liberally with the soapy water solution.
Pick the film up, hold it in position over the window and press it against the window.
Starting from the center, press the paper towel firmly against the film and smooth the film so there are no bubbles or wrinkles.
Working with the spatula, chase any water bubbles out. It helps if you use downward motion since gravity works with you that way.
Trim the edges of the film using the supplied knife.
Smooth any areas that need extra work.
Pat yourself on the back.
My worktop looked like this...
My finished window looked like this
Then I ran out of film and had to order more. My film came from Amazon and at the time of writing was $10.40 for a roll 20 inches wide by 10 feet long.
Needless to say, I ordered three more rolls though I have a suspicion that 14 panes of 12 x 24 inches with wastage might need more. If the others go on as well then I might replace the film I didn't do so well. It's definitely time consuming!
Other than that, I found several paint companies have apps that tell me what color my paint is. Sadly, the light is not uniform on my Carpenter blue paintwork but it looks like it could well be Swan Sea. I'll grab the bull by the horns and buy a pot tomorrow together with the green paint.
I still have to finish cleaning and prime my bus cockpit but things are getting done. I'm feeling quite positive about the project.
I had a go at gluing some plastic planks together using plastic glue but it wasn't a great success. I'm giving thought to gluing a plastic plank mount together to hold my shower base.
The tint film is 20% and looks OK though I suspect 5% might have been a better choice. I can see into my bathroom from certain angles. The solution will be to Velcro shower curtain to the inside of the window frames.
No comments:
Post a Comment