Tinting side window

Jasoncmor

Jasoncmor

Jasoncmor

Associate
Joined
13 Feb 2010
Posts
631
Location
Bournemouth
Hi all

I am trying to tint my side window on my case.
I used some old tint film I had laying around, where you spray water on the surface, and then push out all the water and it sticks, but it looks terrible.

Does anyone have any other ideas on tinting a side window?

Cheers
 
Is it acrylic or glass? I imagine applying vinyl or other coatings to acrylic won't look that good. Glass, you should be able to apply something decent to and have it look nice.
 
Does it look awful because you've applied it badly or does it look awful because it hasn't adhered properly?

Just spraying water with tint film isn't enough. Really you should be using a soapy kind of solution to get it placed properly and then cutting around it and trying to leave a slight overlap at the edges for when it dries and ultimately shrinks.

If it's "old tint film" then it may be that the adhesive is ageing and usually they are stored rolled so maybe some fresh tint film would be the answer?
 
Steveocee said:
Does it look awful because you've applied it badly or does it look awful because it hasn't adhered properly?

Just spraying water with tint film isn't enough. Really you should be using a soapy kind of solution to get it placed properly and then cutting around it and trying to leave a slight overlap at the edges for when it dries and ultimately shrinks.

If it's "old tint film" then it may be that the adhesive is ageing and usually they are stored rolled so maybe some fresh tint film would be the answer?
Click to expand...

I think possibly because it's not adhering properly, it is old but looks completely fine.
There isn't an adhesive on the film, it just sticks with the water.
 
Jasoncmor said:
I think possibly because it's not adhering properly, it is old but looks completely fine.
There isn't an adhesive on the film, it just sticks with the water.
Click to expand...
.
ive used vinyl film quite a lot. and ive never come across any that isnt self adhesive to apply to glass etc. the soapy water is only for a clean finish and to remove bubbles its not an adhesive
 
Kurgen said:
.
ive used vinyl film quite a lot. and ive never come across any that isnt self adhesive to apply to glass etc. the soapy water is only for a clean finish and to remove bubbles its not an adhesive
Click to expand...

I knew the water wasn't an adhesive, but the film used that to stick to the surface. The tint film i am using, i'm 99% sure its not self adhesive, unfortunately.
 
Jasoncmor said:
I knew the water wasn't an adhesive, but the film used that to stick to the surface. The tint film i am using, i'm 99% sure its not self adhesive, unfortunately.
Click to expand...

Sure it's not a dry adhesive that is activated by the water?

I'd be inclined to try some more of the film you already have, use a soapy water solution, take your time and double check there isn't a backing you need to peel off to get it to stick properly.
 
Steveocee said:
Sure it's not a dry adhesive that is activated by the water?

I'd be inclined to try some more of the film you already have, use a soapy water solution, take your time and double check there isn't a backing you need to peel off to get it to stick properly.
Click to expand...

Pretty certain as it peels right off, very easily.
I will try more with a soapy solution and see what happens.

Cheers
 
Make sure the acrylic window is clean and scratch free, then try cutting a small square, if you have enough spare, to test. We had some of this type of film put up at work recently - 3 of the 4 windows look great, but the other was terrible. Turns out the guy rushed the last window and didn't clean it sufficiently beforehand so it didn't adhere to the surface properly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom