Can Window Film Be Installed While a Building Is Occupied?

Yes. Most commercial window film is installed while the building stays open. The work is quiet, it needs only a clear work zone immediately around the windows being filmed, and the rest of the room keeps working. Occupants clear the sills and raise the blinds beforehand, expect some haze while the film dries, and wait 30 days before cleaning the new film. Security film with a silicone attachment needs extra care while the sealant cures.

Key points

• Installation is low noise and low disruption. Expect water and installation solution at the glass, and on security jobs a minor sealant odor.
• Before we arrive, clear window sills and anything against the glass, raise blinds and shades, and move furniture back far enough for the crew to work safely.
• Some haze or moisture in new film is normal. How long it takes to dry depends on the glass, the sun, the weather and the film, and in a Northern Illinois winter it can take considerably longer than in warm, sunny weather.
• Solar Gard and 3M both say not to clean new film for 30 days. Keep blinds and furniture from rubbing on fresh film.
• On security film jobs, Dow rates DOWSIL 995 structural silicone at 7 to 14 days to cure and 14 to 21 days to full adhesion, at 77 degrees Fahrenheit and 50 percent relative humidity.
• Work can be scheduled after hours or on weekends, at additional cost.

Can window film be installed while the building is open?

In most cases, yes. Window film goes on the existing glass, so there is no demolition, no glass removal and no open wall. We need the windows being worked on and a safe space around them; the people a few desks away can usually keep working. In occupied buildings we plan the sequence of rooms with the facility so it can keep operating, and we move through the building area by area.

When a space cannot be disturbed at all, such as a busy public area, a classroom during the school day or a room in constant use, the work can be scheduled after hours or on weekends at additional cost. For a library in Northern Illinois, we installed gradient privacy film on 250 pieces of glass after hours so no one was disturbed; see the library gradient privacy film case study.

What happens on installation day?

1. Check in. The crew meets the site contact and confirms the work areas and the order of rooms.
2. Protect the area. The surrounding area is protected from water and installation solution.
3. Prepare the glass. Each pane is cleaned and prepared so nothing is trapped under the film.
4. Install. The film specified for that glass goes on, and on security jobs the attachment system as well.
5. Clean up and review. The work area is cleaned and the finished work is reviewed with the site contact.

Before we recommend a film, we check it against the manufacturer’s film to glass guidance for the glass it will go on. We explain why in Will Window Film Crack Your Glass?

What do occupants need to do before we arrive?

• Clear window sills and anything sitting directly against the glass.
• Raise blinds and shades.
• Move furniture and equipment far enough from the windows for the installers to work safely.
• If something cannot be moved, such as built-in casework, a large display or lab equipment, tell us before the installation so we can plan around it.

In winter, keep the heat on in the rooms being filmed. Manufacturers set temperature limits for installation; 3M, for example, lists an application range of 54 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the air and the glass for its Fasara decorative films.

Is it noisy, messy or smelly?

Not much. Window film installation is generally low noise and low disruption. What occupants will notice is water and installation solution around the glass while the crew works, which is why the area right at the windows needs to be clear.

Security film installations that use DOWSIL 995 structural silicone for the attachment can have some minor sealant odor. If a space is sensitive to odor, tell us during the assessment so it can be scheduled accordingly.

What will the film look like right after installation?

Some haze, cloudiness or small moisture pockets are normal right after installation. Solar Gard explains that this is a small amount of installation moisture left under the film, and it gradually evaporates as the film dries.

How quickly the film dries depends on several things: whether the glass is single pane or insulated, how much direct sunlight the windows get, the weather on the day of installation and in the weeks that follow, whether the glass already has a Low-E coating, and the type of film installed. During a Northern Illinois winter, drying can take considerably longer than in warm, sunny weather. We look at these conditions when we tell you what to expect for your building. Leave the film undisturbed while it dries; do not press on it or try to push the moisture out.

When can we clean the glass and lower the blinds?

Wait 30 days before cleaning the new film. Solar Gard recommends 30 days, and 3M’s warranty bulletin and Fasara data sheet say the same. After that, clean the film with a soft cloth or sponge and a mild soap solution. Solar Gard advises avoiding ammonia based or other strong cleaners, and wiping with soft cloths rather than paper towels.

Blinds and shades can be lowered, but they should not rub against fresh film or a new attachment system. The same goes for furniture, displays or anything else pushed back against the glass.

What is different about a security film installation?

The attachment. On most security film jobs we anchor the film to the frame with a continuous bead of DOWSIL 995 structural silicone on all four sides. Dow’s technical data sheet lists it as tack free in about 65 minutes, curing in 7 to 14 days and reaching full adhesion in 14 to 21 days, measured at 77 degrees Fahrenheit and 50 percent relative humidity, and notes that temperature and humidity affect the rate of cure.

In practice that means:

• Do not touch, pick at, tape over or paint the bead while it cures, or afterward.
• Keep blinds, door stops and furniture off the bead.
• Do not count on a newly installed attachment being at full strength the day the room is handed back. On one school district project we worked only during summer breaks, which kept crews away from students and gave the silicone time to cure before school started.

We cover what facility staff should know long term in Security Film Attachment Systems Explained.

What about hospitals and other sensitive spaces?

Healthcare, laboratory and food service spaces have their own rules, and the facility decides what precautions apply. In a hospital, for example, the infection prevention and facilities teams decide what is needed before work begins. We follow the facility’s requirements and PPE rules, and schedule around patient care. Details are in Window Film for Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities.

Who does the installation?

AAA Glass Tint employees. We do not subcontract installation; our own crews do the work.

What is the next step?

Tell us how the building is used: which rooms are busy when, what cannot be moved, and whether any area needs after-hours work. On a free assessment we look at the glass, confirm the film for each window and plan the order of work with you, so the installation fits around your operations. Request a free assessment.