FAQ

Our Window Film or aka "Window Tinting" services cater to South Bay Los Angeles. This includes Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, Culver City, Westchester, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, San Pedro, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and everything in between. We venture in as far as Anaheim and service many Orange County residents as well. We'll travel even further for our referred customers!

Sorry, but we do not. Our services have always catered to the residential and commercial market only. We are aware that some web directories have incorrectly placed us in this category, we are addressing this issue.

Unless you insist on a particular brand we prefer Saint-Gobain & Madico due to many factors such as their exemplary product line, warranty and personal experiences over our existence as a company.

Generally any exterior solar film is safe. Most of our premium window films qualify too. If your glass happens to be tempered/laminated which is pretty uncommon then your choices have improved since tempered glass can withstand much more absorption.

The goal is to use use a film with the least amount of absorption. Most window film specifications do not show absorption specs so generally these types of projects are job specific and need to be pre-approved through the manufacturer prior to installation.

Yes it's true for most medium to dark metallized window films. It all depends solely on the film you choose. We offer an easy solution with films that are "dual-reflective". Dual-reflective is a manufacturing process that is designed to make a film less reflective towards the interior side of a room. This way you can have all the benefits a reflective film has to offer but with an additional bonus, less reflectivity indoors. This allows you to see much more clearly especially during nighttime. The goal for better night view is a product with low interior reflectivety VLR.

Glass breaks when stressed. There are five types of stress, which may cause glass breakage:

1. Thermal Stress--from absorption of solar radiation.
2. Tensile Stress--from the weight of the glass itself.
3. Mechanical Flexing Stress--from wind.
4. Impact Stress--from flying objects, hail, baseballs.
5. Twisting Stress--from building or window frame sagging or settling.

The first type, thermal stress, is the only one which film may affect. The use of window films will increase the thermal stress on sunlit glass. However, there are also other factors which will increase thermal stress such as: partial shading of windows from overhangs, tightly fitting drapes or blinds, signs or decals on windows, heating and cooling vents directed at glass. In addition, different types of glass (annealed versus tempered, clear versus tinted) have different solar absorption rates and will withstand different degrees of thermal stress.

Panorama for example has recommended film-to-glass tables for use by qualified dealers. If a consumer is ever in doubt, he/she should request a copy of such guidelines. Listed are some glass types or conditions where the use of a solar control (not clear safety) type of window film is not recommended without extreme caution.

• ANY SINGLE PANE GLASS LARGER THAN 100 SQUARE FEET
• DOUBLE PANE GLASS LARGER THAN 40 SQUARE FEET
• CLEAR GLASS THICKER THAN 3/8 INCH
• TRIPLE OR QUADRUPLE PANE IG UNITS
• WINDOW FRAMING SYSTEMS OF CONCRETE OR METAL THAT HAS NO GASKETS OR SEALS
• GLASS WHERE FRAMING SEALANT OR GASKETS THAT ARE NO LONGER RESILIENT
• DAMAGED, CHIPPED, CRACKED OR SCRATCHED GLASS
• ROUND, BENT, LAMINATED, TEXTURED, OR WIRED GLASS OR SKYLIGHTS

Our films come with a standard 5 to 10 year limited glass breakage warranty.

We opened our doors in August of 2001. We were the first company in Los Angeles to offer the original nano-ceramic, patented, multi-ply window film, when we say Clearview Sun Control, Inc. is a trendsetter in our industry we mean it :).

We guarantee our workmanship 100%, if for any practical reason you are not satisfied with a particular installation let us know on the spot or call us and we will fix or replace it at no additional cost. Our strict installation policy ensures professional results every time.

Do not clean the film for 30 days after installation. This will help secure proper curing of the special mounting adhesive to the glass. Your interior windows will not need to be cleaned after an installation. It is ok to clean your exterior windows immediately after installation as long as there are no leaks in your window panes.

Always use fresh clean soft materials to wash and dry your window film surfaces. A soft cloth or a clean synthetic sponge is recommended for washing the window film followed by another clean soft cloth or soft rubber squeegee for drying.

A good economical cleaning solution for window film is one ounce of liquid dish soap added to 1 quart of fresh water.

In most cases if a house plant is already receiving adequate light the use of window film will not harm it. New growth or flowering may be retarded, and, for a few days, a plant may go into a state of shock while it adjusts to the light change. If a particular plant normally wilts by the end of a sunny day, it will actually thrive better with film installed. Although there are some obvious guidelines in determining what, if any, effect window film will have on a plant (for instance, dark green plants need less light than lighter colored ones), there is one sample test which can be done prior to film installation: merely move the plant to an area with less sunlight for a few days. In addition, most nurseries or local agriculture agencies can advise you whether a particular plant needs closer to maximal or minimal light.

As South Bay's premium warranty dealer, every customer inherits the finest warranty program available to date. Highlights on our recommended window films are:

1. Lifetime residential, 16 yr's commercial
2. 10 yr glass breakage 
3. Up to $1,750 per unit coverage 
4. Match existing window manufacturer's 'seal failure' warranty

For additional information about our integrated premium warranty program please click here.

No, window films do not cause seal failure. All of our Huper Optik and Panorama films are IG unit safe. When recommended films are applied to the inside pane of an (IG) unit, there will be some absorption (except with clear safety films) of the sun's energy, which will increase the temperature of the glass pane. Some of this heat will transmit to the airspace, slightly raising the airspace temperature. Even a 20° F increase (unusual for most films) will result in a less than 3% change in air pressure, whereas properly made units are designed and tested to withstand 22% changes in air pressure.

Risk of seal failure is greatly determined by the quality of workmanship and the quality of materials that go into building the (IG) units. The best guard against seal failure is to purchase well-made units from reputable window manufacturers that have solid experience and histories with insulated units. Most films come with a standard 3 year (IG) unit seal failure warranty. As a premium warranty dealer our Huper Optik and Panorama/Saint-Gobain customers automatically receive additional coverage at no cost.

Because our window films can reject up to 82 percent or more of the sun’s total solar energy and block out nearly 100 percent of harmful and damaging ultraviolet, you can experience these benefits after installation:

• Increased fade protection
• Reduced interior heat
• Reduced utility costs
• Reduced glare
• Improved occupant comfort
• Increased privacy
• Extended air conditioning equipment life
• Added protection from accidents, storms, earthquakes and burglaries

Window film products are the result of a very sophisticated manufacturing process using only the finest raw materials and state-of-the-art manufacturing technology. Transparent layers of high quality polyester are laminated and coated using special adhesives, ultraviolet inhibitors and protective scratch resistant coatings. Select concentrations of metal particles (or ceramic particles) are sputter coated onto sheets of polyester, allowing for varying degrees of color and solar energy rejection performance capability. The result is the finest quality window film products in the world.

1. We prep your windows for installation by scraping and cleaning the glass thoroughly.
2. The film is then cut to the size of the window pane it’s being applied to, actually we will cut the film bigger than the actual measurement, this way we can custom fit the film to your glass.
3. Think of window film as a big postage stamp or like putting up wallpaper on glass. The film has an adhesive on one side but unlike wallpaper or postage stamps it's protected with a clear plastic sheeting. The plastic is removed therefore exposing the adhesives. The adhesive is activated with a safe cleaning solution, which is usually baby shampoo and water and then applied to your window. We squeegee out most of the water that is in between the film and glass with a special tool towards the edges of the frame. We then do some magic and it’s all over, you will then be amazed how unobtrusive the film looks on your windows.

All films except for extremely rare circumstances are applied on the interior surface of the glass. Exterior films are applied for three reasons.

1. If for any reason a window is not accessible from the inside, an exterior window film would then be your only option unless the glass is pulled out from the frame.
2. You are applying graffiti film. Graffiti films are thick clear films applied on the exterior surface of glass, mirrors and even elevator doors designed to protect the surface from accidental and (or) malicious behavior. This saves you from having to replace the damaged surface.
3. If your glass is laminated. Most films can not be applied to the interior side of laminated glass although exterior films can be used.

In short, yes, but there is no such window film that can completely block the view from the exterior during nighttime while allowing you to see through it from the interior at the same time. Privacy films can be considered many things, medium to very dark, reflective (two-way), frosted (allows light in), opaque/blackout or whiteout films (blocks 100% light). The important thing to remember is as soon as you turn your interior lights on at nighttime, no matter how dark or reflective the solar film is, others can still see through it from the outside. The only way to get complete nighttime privacy with a window film application is by choosing a frosted or opaque type of film which is part of our decorative window film line, these films will accomplish nighttime privacy but in most circumstances you will not see through the glass either direction day or night. Solar films are designed to see through, decorative films in most cases are not! You can slightly see through some 'patterned' decorative films. Window coverings are still the best option for nighttime privacy when you require transparency through glass.

Great thing about living in Los Angeles is we have sun! Lots of it! Most of us understand the consequences of too much sun on our skin, but what about your hardware floors? Paintings? Rugs? etc... For a good explanation concerning what really causes fade damage please refer to "About Fading".

Our Window Tinting Costs varies depending on many factors such as the square footage of product use, difficulty and access of the glass panels to be treated, the condition of the frames and other variables also matter. We have a handy window film price section where you can compare prices visually or if you want a more detailed estimate we have a form you can fill out. The more data you enter into this form the more accurate we can reply to you via email with an estimate. You can start at our Window-Tint-Price section, click Use Our Cost Estimator if you have actual measurements (in inches) of each individual pane of glass you would like a quote for. We'll promplty reply to you via email with an estimate.