Sliding glass doors are structural additions offering a wide range of benefits, including aesthetic appeal, on-demand ventilation, and convenient outdoor access. The door glass also floods the inside of your home with natural light, giving a feeling of spaciousness and positivity.
However, while natural light inside your home is generally a good thing, controlling the sunshine through the door may be necessary. At Sun Tint, we recommend tinting door windows to reduce indoor heat, UV damage, and glare. Below, we discuss the various door tints available and how to choose the best option for your needs.
Types of Tinting for Door Windows
A door window tint is a film that adheres to a glass surface. This coating has various optical and physical characteristics to filter radiation and visible light entering through the glass, changing indoor conditions.
Various types of door glass tinting options are available, and you need to choose one that fits your requirements. Let’s look at the main window tinting categories and their applications.
Anti-Reflective Window Tint
An anti-reflective window tint is a standard polyester film containing no reflective metalized layers. Depending on the film brand and type, it may block the sun’s infrared rays to reduce indoor heat. Some of these films contain an ultraviolet inhibitor and a dye or carbon layer that filters visible light.
You can choose from multiple visible light transmittance (VLT) ratings, depending on how much light you want in your home.
Dual-Reflective Tint
A dual-reflective door tint contains a metalized, shiny exterior surface and a non-reflective interior surface. These tints reflect infrared and UV rays away from your home, providing optimal heat control and energy efficiency.
Because the inner surface is anti-reflective, you have unobstructed outdoor views, though someone can’t look into your home from the outside. Reflective tints are available in various opacity levels, allowing optimal indoor glare control.
Decorative Door Window Tint
Decorative window tints for sliding doors have aesthetic designs to enhance your property’s appearance. These tints are popular in commercial settings, and some film options have additional features such as heat control, UV protection, and security layers.
Popular examples of decorative glass coatings include frosted, matte, etched, dusted, and HD graphic window films.
Safety and Security Tint
Safety and security films safeguard glass surfaces from shattering due to break-ins, natural disasters, and accidents. These films come in various thickness options, and you can install one that fits your security requirements.
Considerations When Choosing Glass Door Tints
Before tinting sliding glass doors, you need to take various considerations into account. Understanding your needs will ensure you make an informed buying decision with long-lasting results.
The sections below discuss the critical buying considerations for door window tints.
Visible Light and Glare
Direct sunlight into your home can result in indoor glare. This bright visible light can make viewing computer and television screens difficult. Exposure to glare can also cause eye strain, headaches, and fatigue.
Installing a door window tint is among the best ways to reduce glare. Look at the visible light transfer rating when shopping for sliding door tinting.
A 5% VLT film has a dark tint, much like sunglasses, and allows minimal light through to your interior. On the other hand, a 70% VLT rating only filters 30% of the light coming into your home.
Most homeowners opt for a VLT rating between 10% to 60% to ensure that their interiors have sufficient natural light.
Heat Rejection
Does your interior heat up when the morning sun starts beaming into your home? This heat build-up is due to infrared radiation, and you need a sliding door tint that blocks these energy waves.
Reflective tints, such as ceramic films, are generally effective in keeping solar heat out of your home. In addition to a more comfortable interior, these films also contribute to lower energy costs. Your air conditioning system doesn’t need to work as hard to keep your home cool in summer. As a result, you will also save on cooling system repairs and maintenance over the long run.
Block Damaging Ultraviolet Rays
Like infrared, ultraviolet rays are also a form of solar radiation. However, where infrared heats up your home, UV rays can cause extensive damage to your flooring, upholstery, and curtains. Electronic devices, such as your home entertainment system, can also incur UV damage.
Signs of UV damage to your flooring and other indoor surfaces include discoloration, fading, cracking, and blistering. You can prevent this damage by installing a door window tint that absorbs ultraviolet radiation.
Sliding Door Appearance
A new tint installation can significantly impact the look of your home. Select a film that complements your property’s design features and color scheme. These films are available in various colors, densities, and finishes, and you have complete control over the installation’s appearance.
Privacy
Do you live on a busy street with heavy foot traffic? Do your neighbors have a direct view of your sliding doors? Installing the right sliding glass door tint means you have complete privacy without drawing your curtains and losing the natural light in your home.
Various decorative window films are available that double as privacy tints. For example, a frosted or sanded tint will allow visible light to enter your home while reducing glare and protecting your household from prying eyes.
Window Film Brand
Ensure that you are buying a reputable manufacturer’s sliding door window tints. High-end films offer long-lasting heat protection, indoor comfort, and security. These tints will also reduce energy costs, making these installations a sound investment.
Some of the leading window film brands include 3M, Vista, Llumar, Madico, V-KOOL, and Solar Guard, Xpel, Sunscape, ASWF.
Let Us Help You Choose the Ideal Door Window Film
If you want to install tinting for your sliding glass door, we at Sun Tint can help. Our team will help you pick the ideal glass door tint to reduce heat, UV damage, and glare in your home. Please schedule a consultation with us today and receive a free, no-obligation estimate.