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In the summer it is often hot in apartments, especially on the upper floors with south-facing windows. There are proven solutions – air conditioners, outdoor blinds or glass with light reflection. These methods are expensive and not suitable in all cases. The easiest way to solve the problem is to stick a reflective film. In the article, we will consider how to close the windows from the sun and how to do it correctly.
How to close windows
If the room needs not only to be protected from heating by the sun, but also to be shaded, then there are several ways. The most famous is curtains, blinds are also suitable, but reflective films will give the best results. It is cheap, quite aesthetically pleasing and achieves the desired effect. Let’s look at the pros and cons of alternative means.
Curtains
If the sun is not too active, then it is enough to close the windows during the day. Ordinary fabric or roller blinds will cope with this task. Of course, sunlight will heat them up, raising the temperature, but not much.
Fabric curtains will reduce the degree of illumination and will not allow heat from the window to penetrate into the room in full. The best results are given by curtains made of dense, loose fabric that does not conduct heat well. For example, Blackout fabrics, they can cover up to 80-90% of the light.
Roller blinds will be more effective in reflecting heat. If they also have side guides, they will make the system more closed. It is better to take a reflective fabric.
Clean windows heat up less. Dirt on the glass heats up, and it, in turn, heats the room. To reduce heat, they should be washed more often.
Jalousie
Blinds will help to darken windows from the sun and reduce heat. You need to choose with a metallic coating, it reflects light and heat well. Pure white horizontal lines also work well.
Price categories are different with a choice for every taste. Heat dissipation is not complete, but noticeable.
What to stick on the windows from the sun
The easiest way to close the windows from the sun is to stick a reflective film. The term “reflective film” refers to a polymer base with a reflective layer applied to it.
The film is thin and flexible, with varying degrees of translucency or transparent in only one direction.
Types of sun protection films
Reflective films have a different base, the degree of transparency will be different, but they all do the job. Here’s what you can stick on windows to protect from solar heat:
- In most chain supermarkets or construction sites, there are inexpensive products with foil layer. They cost a little, and the effect depends on transparency. For fastening, it is enough to moisten the glass with water and spread the film on it.
- Toner. From the inside, it looks like a mirror, from the street it can be colored or look like tinted. It has an adhesive layer and a protective one. It costs more, but you can find it in specialized stores or salons that install windows.
There are colored or colorless - Athermal. It is sold in special stores, car dealerships, it is more expensive than others, but also more effective. Often happens with the put adhesive layer.
These are the most common, not too expensive and commonly available options. Any of these types will protect wall coverings and furniture from direct sunlight.
Methods for attaching foil to a window
Most often, a metallized film is used to protect against sunlight, the factory name is “Sun Shades”. The choice is obvious – this is the cheapest option and it is easy to fix it. Here are a few examples of how to hang solar foil on windows.
Sticky tape on foil
The manufacturer provides for fastening the film. To do this, an adhesive tape with a protective layer is applied in the upper part of the edge. This allows you to fix it without resorting to additional means. It is so convenient to attach protective foil to plastic windows.
It is necessary to cut a piece from the roll along the width of the glass, hook the protective strip and remove it. Stretching a piece of foil across the width of the glass, glue it. The bottom and sides remain free and will allow sunlight to pass through, although slightly. Secure them if you wish.
Button fastening
The method is suitable for wooden frames. However, it should be noted that punctures from the buttons will spoil the appearance of the window after removing the shading.
Scotch
You can fix the foil with adhesive tape on a PVC or wood frame. In this case, the protective agent is selected slightly wider than the glass or cut from a roll of the required width. With pieces of narrow adhesive tape, the film is attached around the perimeter of the frame.
This method is the most beneficial, because after removing the blackout, no traces remain on the frame. In addition, the adhesive tape holds the foil firmly enough and can be used outside the window.
Double sided tape
Allows you to attach a protective film over glass or a frame. To do this, stick pieces of adhesive tape around the perimeter of the glass or frame. Remove the protection and stretch the darkening to glue. As in the first case, with the correct selection of adhesive tape, no traces remain.
Stick to glass
A common way to get an aesthetic look when using a cheap film. The bottom line is the uniform smoothing of the metallized film on the glass. Water or soapy water acts as a “glue”. For this you need:
- Clean the glass from dust and dirt.
- Cut foil to glass size.
- Moisten the glass with water or soapy water. To prepare a soap solution, dissolve 5 drops of liquid soap or detergent in 1 liter of water.
Rest the film and smooth it on the wet glass with a roller or rubber spatula. You can also use your hand, but then there will be bubbles that spoil the appearance. Small air bubbles need to be pierced with a needle and expel any remaining air.
Appearance will improve, but there will be a problem with removal. Under the influence of high temperature, the metallized layer “sticks” to the glass and it is very difficult to remove it.
To reduce problems with removal, glue only the corners or a strip at the top and bottom of the glass.
Advantages and disadvantages
The positive aspects of using a cheap mirror film include the fact that it is easy to stick with your own hands and it is quite inexpensive. Protects wall coverings, floors and furniture from fading due to direct sunlight.
The downside is its unaesthetic appearance. It is too thin and it is difficult to smooth or stretch it well, the folds remain.
Another disadvantage is that it does not indicate what percentage of transparency it has.
Tinted and athermal films
Due to the greater thickness of the base layer, these films do not wrinkle and look beautiful on the window. Due to their differences and prices, they are suitable for long-term operation (with cheap foil, you can seal the window for 1-2 months or the summer period, and then dispose of it).
For mounting on glass, they may have an adhesive layer already applied, and in its absence, they are attached using the same methods as a cheap film. How they differ, we will consider below.
tinted
The main layer of the tinted film is made of polyester coated with various metals, which give sun protection properties. The most commonly used metals are aluminum and nickel, as well as bronze or silver. Spraying paints the film differently and makes it possible to obtain products with different transparency. The table shows some data:
| Color | Transparency % |
| Silver | 15 – 20 Feet |
| Gold | 15 – 35 Feet |
| Bronze | 15 |
| Purple | 15 |
| Gray | 15 – 35 Feet |
| Green | 15 |
| Blue | 15 – 35 Feet |
Technologies make it possible to obtain films with different functionality. The most popular of them are mirror and sunscreen, the rarer ones are matte and decorative.
To achieve the necessary qualities from a tinted film, it is made multi-layered, which increases the service life.
Matte or decorative films are used if desired to decorate the apartment. It is easier to paste glass than to replace it. To achieve the maximum effect in the reflection of rays, it is recommended to glue the film with a “metal” layer to the glass.
Athermal
Athermal – translated from English heat-shielding. They are based on modern polymers, with a coating that reflects thermal energy and ultraviolet rays well.
This type is more expensive, but also more effective. It allows you to protect interior items in the house from fading, without resorting to darkening the room.
Thanks to the manufacturing technology, the high transparency of the film is maintained, which is important, for example, for office premises, where the emphasis is on natural light. This allows you to save on lighting and less often resort to the use of split systems.
Such types of “athermals” are almost invisible on the window, and a pleasant darkening is created inside the room. A big plus of the athermal film is that it reflects UV and IR radiation in summer, it retains heat inside the apartment in winter. Such protection on skylights, a glazed balcony or loggia will be especially in place.
According to the manufacturing technology, athermal films are divided into three types:
- Metallized. The working layer is made of a metallic polymer, which is applied to the outer layer or the inner one. Has a mirror effect.
- spatternaya. The name comes from spattering technology, which creates a layer of sputtering of different metals. The sprayed layer is thinner than the base and is practically invisible, therefore it does not darken the room.
- Spatter-metallized. A combination of the above two methods to increase efficiency.
Depending on the manufacturing technology, the films have different transparency. And with the application of an additional protective layer against atmospheric influences, external use is allowed.
Сonclusion
Protecting the room with a reflective film is quite a profitable option. Products have a low price, installation is simple, and you can do it yourself. Properly selected film will give the room a cozy look, reduce the heating of the room and protect the interior from fading.