Installing window tint is an emerging trend that’s popular with many homeowners. And why not, window tints have immense benefits. To start with, a tint can prevent 99% of the harmful UV light rays from the sun, reducing the risk of skin cancer substantively. Installing window repair can also reduce the cooling cost at home to nearly 30%. These are massive savings.

Finally, the tint will reduce the glare on TV and computer screens, and protect your flooring and furnishing from the harmful effects of direct sunlight. The tint on the windows may also be valuable during a storm. The film can easily hold the glass shards when the glass breaks. This will significantly reduce the extent of damage caused. But in order to maximize these benefits, your tints need to be properly maintained.

Here are some tips that will help you:

The tint needs to be cleaned on a regular basis.  As a rule of thumb, the windows need to be cleaned facing east only and at night.

Don’t use glass cleaning products on your window tints. This is a very common mistake and you should avoid it. Most glass cleaning agents contain hush chemicals that can easily damage the film on the tint. Instead of going for chemicals, you can use a simple solution of mild soap or baby shampoo mixed up with water. Water and vinegar will work too.

Don’t use rough materials to scrub the windows. Kitchen paper towels, scrubbing pads, or even old newspapers should not be used to wipe off windows that have a tint. Instead, use a soft cotton cloth or a microfiber cloth.

Use a simple technique to clean the windows. First, spread enough fluid on the surface until it dampens. It’s only when this is achieved that you can now wipe off the excess fluid with a dry cloth. Don’t wipe off the tinted windows when they are still dry.

Hire a Professional Maintenance Service

In case you feel there’s not enough time in your schedule to dedicate to window cleaning, then you can easily hire a residential window cleaning maintenance service. Average window cleaning companies may also have the expertise needed to deal with tinted windows. Hiring a service has two important benefits. First, it ensures that the cleaning is done as effectively as possible. Secondly, it saves a lot of time and resources. Residential window cleaning has been estimated to extend the longevity of windows by 10-15 years. This is the kind of maintenance that your tinted windows will need. Considering you will only have to pay a small fee for the service, it should indeed be worth it.

window installation can add additional benefits on your home. There are many different types of tints but all will require pretty much the same maintenance routine. The simple options above should come handy for any homeowner. They will work well to ensure your tints last for a very long time.

Natural light from the sun is important no doubt, but there are times when the light is just too much. However, you don’t want to close off the blinds because you still need some of it. This is why you must install window shades. Cellular window shades readily available in the market at the moment will give you greater control over the amount of light entering your home.

Installing the shades is easy and even if you are not a window cleaning, the simple tips below will help you.

Mark Bracket Positions

Not all windows are the same. They come in different sizes and designs. Before you start the installation of shades, you must measure the size of your window first. This will help you buy the right shades for the specific type of windows you have at home.

Mark the Screw-Hole Locations

You will need to attach the shades somewhere and this is where the screw holes come in. It’s important to make the holes before placing the shades. Some homeowners often make the mistake of fixing the shades and trying to screw them in place. This is just too much work. Make the screw holes first, place the shades, and then screw.

Attach Mounting Brackets

Each window shade you buy will come with mounting brackets. The brackets are like the foundation that will hold the shades into place. Once the screw holes are made, mount the brackets. Just hold the brackets carefully until they are aligned with the screw holes made on the head jamb. Use two or three pan head screws to fasten the brackets and move to the next step.

Clip the Shade into the Brackets

Before you clip the window shades into the brackets, make sure that the brackets are level. You don’t need to be an experienced window installation to know whether the brackets are level or not. If the brackets are not aligned, fix them before clipping the shades. You will notice at the bottom of the bracing brackets a few small screws called brace screws. Loosen the screws a bit. Attach the shades and tighten the screws.

Test the Shades

Once the window shades are in place it’s time to test them. Move the shades back and forth to see whether there are any issues. The shades should move with ease. Don’t move the shades too vigorously though. If there’s something wrong, moving the shades with a lot of force might damage them. Sometimes the shade may also look shorter than normal. Don’t worry about this. Give it a few days for the fabric to relax and soon enough it will cover the entire window. If you have a lot of windows at home, installing the shades might take a whole day. However, three or four windows will take a few hours.

Installing window shades allows you to control the amount of natural light that enters your home. The shades can also help you increase privacy. The simple window repair DIY guide above will help you make the required installation.

Probably the one thing that we all look forward to enjoying during summer is the feeling of the sun’s warmth and radiance on our skin, which means getting outdoors to the park and the beach as much as possible. What’s even better is being able to enjoy the long summer days from the indoors as well, by incorporating a window repair into your home’s design as a space where you can enjoy a good book or an afternoon siesta while soaking up the sunlight.

Below are our top picks of stunning sunroom décor ideas to take inspiration from this summer:

Comfortable Seating

The best part about decorating a window replacement is the fact that you can incorporate a lot of comfortable furniture that you wouldn’t typically use in an outdoor space. Think upholstered seats, lavish summer throws and vibrant cushions, as well as uniquely designed nature-inspired coffee tables that take the indoor-outdoor living theme to the next level. You can even install a few electrical outlets so that you can use the sunroom as an additional living room or workspace whenever the weather is nice out.

Versatility

There are ways to diversify your sunroom so that it can be used interchangeably as a living and dining space all year round. For example, you can customize it with simple additions such as a ceiling fan to cool the space during the summer, or an indoor fireplace to warm things up in winter. If your space is big enough, you can also split the sunroom into an open plan dining and living space at once.

Privacy

Sunrooms are designed with wall to ceiling glass windows for the purpose of fully allowing you to feel as though you’re outdoors while protecting you from the harsh effects of the elements. However, the full visibility created by this design can also limit your privacy, which is where curtains and blinds come in. Apart from shielding you from complete visibility, shades and blinds can also protect you from direct sun exposure, especially on hot days.

Location

The direction in which you choose to place your window installation depends on a variety of factors including how you’ll be using the space and the area you live in. Generally speaking, north-facing sunrooms typically enjoy partial sun exposure which prevents overheating; south-facing sunrooms get ample sunlight throughout the day; eastern sunrooms get plenty of sunlight in the morning and shade for the rest of the day and evening; whereas western sunrooms start out with shady mornings and end with brilliant sunsets.

Window Wisdom

It’s important to pick the right kind of material for the windows that you install in your sunroom. Experts often recommend Low-E glass which has a coating of metallic oxide that acts as a sunscreen for the room. Tempered glass and double glazed glass are also widely used for sunrooms.

Upgrade to a Solarium

Accentuate the indoor-outdoor living theme of a window cleaning by incorporating plenty of green plants and trees.

There are many aspects of your home that are central to its beauty and livability. However, windows are absolutely essential. They play many roles, with the first one being ventilation. Windows provide the required opening for air to flow in and out of each room and keep everything cool. Windows are also an essential part of the exterior design. How the home looks from the outside will largely depend on how well you install your window installation and their unique designs. But buying quality windows for your home is never easy.

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Ventilation

As you know by now each window plays a role in ventilation. But sometimes you may not need this. There are other more advanced methods to ventilate your home. In light of this, some homeowners may prefer aesthetics over ventilation capability when they chose a window. There are many window repair designs that are simply in the market for aesthetics. They are beautiful, elegant, and extremely stylish. If you don’t mind finding other ways to ventilate your home, you can consider them.

Environment

The window you are planning to buy will be an external feature of your home. This means that it will be exposed to all the weather elements in your town or city. Before you buy, you must consider the weather conditions in your area. For example, there are some windows you can’t install in areas that have high levels of humidity and temperature. In areas that experience storms and tornadoes on a regular basis, there are specific window brands that you can install. Ultimately, your decision must be based on existing weather patterns in your town.

Energy Efficiency

Considering energy efficiency is a new trend but it’s very important. Increasing awareness on environmental sustainability is pushing people to consider sustainable ways to use energy at home. One of the most important considerations for homeowners is to adopt building trends or technologies that help them save energy. The windows you buy will have a massive effect on the efficiency of your home. An energy efficient window should provide proper insulation in winter and allow for natural ventilation during warm summer months. The great thing is that you can easily find highly energy efficient window brands on the market today.

Installation

Finally, you also need to consider the installation process of each window cleaning you are about to buy. Ideally, you should get windows that are easy to install. Installation can cost a lot of money. Complex window designs that require special expertise for installation will cost more money. If your budget is tight you may consider other simpler designs. Either way, pick a window that can be installed easily.

Buying the right windows is easy as long as you understand what to look out for. The simple considerations above are all important for any homeowner. However, try to learn more about available window brands and how they can complement your home’s architecture or design.

One of the most common ways in which heat and cold can enter or escape from your house is through window cleaning. That’s why it’s so important that you insulate your window frames in order to keep your energy costs down.

1 – Window Film Insulation

This is not the same as reflective window film.  The window film has a double-sided tape. Use a blow dryer to blow over the film after you have attached it to the window. This ensures that it sticks on tightly.

Pros

It lowers the u-value of the window, meaning greater energy efficiency.

Cons

The film might strip the paint off your window frame when you remove it.

2 – Caulking

Use caulk to fill in window spaces that are smaller than ¼ inch. Use paintable water-based latex caulk in such a case. Otherwise, use silicone-based caulk on glass and metal-based surfaces.

Pros

It’s cheap

Cons

Doesn’t look good if you don’t pain it and you cannot paint silicone caulk. You will need to keep reapplying the caulk from time to time, especially if the window expands and contracts a lot.

3 – Weatherstripping

The fixed parts of the window can be filled with EPDM, foam or felt weatherstripping while the movable parts can be filled in with weatherstripping from time to time.

Pros

Easy to use and doesn’t leave any marks or residue when it’s finally taken off.

Cons

In case you apply it on window parts that are movable, you will not be able to open or close the window installation.  To open or close the window, remove the weatherstripping, close or open the window and then apply the weatherstripping again.

4 – Spray Foam

Spray foam is best used if you have large gaps or cracks on the window. This is because it might be more disastrous to get rid of the plaster and drywall to try and fix the problem. Polyurethane is spray foam that expands.

Pros

It makes it easy for you to access areas that you would otherwise not have been able to access by hand. This is because you will use a long nozzle to spray.

Cons

It can be hard to just let it stay in the area that you have sprayed alone. This is because the foam expands and it might overflow to other areas, such as the wall and floor.

5 – Thermal Curtains

These window treatments provide extra insulation. They are available in two forms: side drawn curtains that are thick and vertically drawn pleated drapes. These curtains are much thicker than what’s normally used on regular window repair. They have tie backs that hold them against the wall to prevent air from getting into the house.

Pros

The US Department of Energy has certified such window treatments as being quite effective at providing insulation. To keep the house cool during hot months, use curtains which have white plastic backings.

Cons

The curtains only work when they are drawn. The heavier the drapery, the better. Vertical blinds might not be so effective.

Hello women and lads, it is time to get a simple discussion that is small. On the planet of architecture, do y’all know exactly what a transom is? There are in fact two definitions: the very back of a nautical boat where a motor gets mounted (so what? who cares? we wanna speak about properties, not battleships) as well as a little, aspect window above a door or, occasionally, atop another window. (more…)