Gila 50167279 3-in-1 Heat Control Adhesive Window Film, 36 x 180, Transparent

Not as user friendly as believed to be. But does keep the heat out.

I have some pretty large windows in the bedroom of my apartment, and they face the sun during the hottest parts of the day. Before I installed these, the heat was really becoming an issue during the afternoon, even running the air conditioning throughout the apartment. I live in Texas, and anything you can do to help reflect the sun's heat is worth every penny. Trust me, you'll spend this much money extra, every month on your electricity bill cranking that A/C. I first went to Lowe's to check out this brand of window film, and it was one of the only brands they carried. They didn't have this specific 3-in-1 heat control film in stock, and it was a little bit more expensive that on Amazon. One thing I do highly recommend, is be sure to check which version of the window film you're buying is the one that suits your needs. The privacy one will darken your windows, but it's not as reflective, and doesn't keep out UV sunlight as well as the 3-in-1. Just look through their different film options, because they do offer different films for different purposes.The kit has everything you need to install the film. Our windows were pretty dirty, and I made sure to clean them THOROUGHLY before applying the film. Unless you like the look of bubbling window tint, cleaning your windows is a must. I took a straight razor blade to the window to get stuck on gunk & paint splatter off; that window cleaner couldn't do by itself. If you really wanna go the distance, you can get packing tape to remove any left over dirt, debris, or fingerprint oil/residue. The cleanliness of your windows is the biggest determining factor of how well the window film will apply, and how long that film will last. This window film from Gila will literally last years of grueling sunlight & heat if applied properly the first time.Measuring your windows & cutting the window film appropriately is one of the harder parts of the application. Having a large, hard flat surface like a kitchen table or desk is one of the best options. When you cut the film, don't use your exact window measurement. Leave a couple inches extra space when you cut the film, so that way when you apply it, you can trim the excess. For example, if my window is 24" x 60", I would measure the film & cut it to be 25-26" x 62". This will give you plenty of room for error, so you can trim away any film that overlaps your window. This little trick is what Gila recommends, and it will help save you from having to re-apply the window film if you don't get it perfect the first time.I forgot to mention, Gila sells their own branded kit for applying this window film. The window film itself is just that. The Gila kit that is sold separately comes with a spray for applying the film to your window, a cutting tool for trimming the film, and a plastic straight edge tool for smoothing out any bubbles after the film is applied. If I'm not mistaken it also comes with a lint-free cloth for wiping off the excess liquid from spray. I bought this kit for the window film I used on my windows, and I highly recommend buying it as well. I used every single item from the Gila window film adhesion kit, or whatever its called, and it made the whole process much easier.When you've measured & cut the film like a recommended before, and you're ready to apply to your immaculately clean window, make sure to use the long straight edge to line up with either the left or right side of your window. This will be the edge that you did not cut, so it should line up perfectly with the length of your window. Once you've removed the plastic sheet on the sticky side of the window film, Gila recommends using their spray liberally on BOTH sides of the film. Watch the videos Gila has on their website, or on YouTube if you're confused about what any of this means, especially if you're DYI'ing it, and this is your first time applying window tint.The static from the window film helps it apply flat & seamlessly to your window once you're ready to apply. You've already used the Gila spray on the sticky side that applies to the window. There will be a few air bubbles, but as long as there's no massive air bubbles you should be fine. The biggest thing you want to avoid is any folds or creases when applying the film. This can be a little tricky around the corners of the window, especially with the excess film on the sides. Use the cutting tool to trim the excess, and you should have a nice smooth application of the window film. Use the plastic straight edge tool like in the videos to smooth out any bubbles or liquid from the spray. Using the Gila spray bottle on the outside (the non-adhesive side) of the window film helps when you're smoothing out the remaining air bubbles.Also, a helpful tip: smoothing out any remaining air bubbles can take some time depending on the size of your window, and how thorough you are with applying the film. Even once you've got all the air bubbles out, there will still be some spots on the inside of the window film. These look like air bubbles, and people often confuse this with not applying the window tint correctly. These flat spots are because the window film has not completely cured yet. Not sure if 'curing' is the best word, but I spent a long time trying to get all the air bubbles out when I did this. Those little spots WILL go away after a day or two, once the liquid spray has completely dried, and the window film has had time to 'cure', and adhere properly to the window. Don't tear the window film off and re-apply, because of little tiny round spots. If you smoothed out all the air bubbles correctly, these little round spots will go away. I don't know if Gila recommends it, but using a hair dryer or heat gun could help the window film cure to your window & adhere quicker. I didn't need to do this personally, but I'm sure a little light heat from a hair dryer wouldn't hurt.I know that was a lot to read, and if you're as OCD as I am, then you probably read all this before starting your window film project. Even if you just hit the main points, you should get a really nice application. My windows look so great, you can't even tell there's window tint on them. It literally looks seamless, like a dark window. I can't emphasize how well these work. Even during the hottest parts of the day, my room stays relatively cool, and I can definitely say its a lot better than before the window film. Gila is a great brand, I haven't used their car tint, so I can't say much about the durability to the elements, but for your average in home use, this film holds up.TL;DR, buy the window adhesion kit from Gila that is sold separately, I think its around $20. Watch the videos from Gila on YouTube about how to apply the window film, properly. You should be able to do yourself no problem. Measure twice, cut once! Having an extra person lend a helping hand is also a huge help. Hope this works as well for you as it did for me. If you need to keep the heat out of your apartment or house, this 3-in-1 Gila window film is worth every penny.

Bought this to apply to the windows on the southwest of our house after removing a tree turned three rooms into a greenhouse. It's done wonders so far. We've got privacy again, and those rooms are considerably cooler in the afternoons now. They're also darker, of course, so we only used this on the one side of the house. Otherwise it would've felt like a cloudy day all the time. From the outside, the windows just look dark. There's no reflecting, even when the sun hits them directly, which I'm sure passing traffic appreciates.Application was pretty easy. It's a two-person job for sure. One person can do it, but it's extremely frustrating. Having that extra pair of hands to hold everything in place makes everything a lot easier, and it helps keep the cuss jar empty. With the right tools, the hardest part is finding an edge to start peeling off the backing layer.All I did for prep was scrape the windows with a scraping knife (some paint overspray around the edges of the windows), clean the windows using Invisible Glass, and trim back the window putty on the windows that had it. Installation consisted of measuring the windows, cutting the film to an inch or so longer in both directions, spraying the just the window (not the back of the film too like the instructions said) with the solution in the Gila Window Film Installation Kit, which I used instead of soapy water because I've got minerals in my tap water, peeling off the backing and applying the film to the window, then spraying the outside of the film to make squeegeeing easier. From there it's a matter of getting the air bubbles out and trimming to fit. I started out with new box cutter blades but found the knife in the Gila kit gave better results. Each window took about twenty minutes start to finish.

My husband was able to easily put this film on the windows. It’s only been up for a few days and he’s already had to fix some edges peeling up. We used the heat control film. It does darken the room a bit.

I put up 5 rolls up this on 7' tall windows starting with their instructions but throwing away most of their advice as I learned what worked and didn't and I mastered doing it by myself. The material itself is good and this 3-in-1 is the same as sold at Lowes as "Heat Control". It's the only of theirs that doesn't look like a mirror and I needed it for a condo.Here are the challenges with this material:- it will stick to itself all too well, that's why they want you to spray the backside (non adhesive)- the top & bottom will peel off the window and stick to itself for about 10 minutes after application. You have to keep applying some type of pressure.- carrying around long lengths of this is extremely problematic without hitting anything and will cause a divorce if you try to get your wife to help- cutting the edges after you apply it will result in rips, uneven lines, unsightly gaps, and is just plain hard to do. This is much harder if you have a commercial type window where it's inset by as much as an inch.- the material will crease extremely easily - always remove the liner holding two points and keeping it taut.- even the slightest bit of paint or dust will cause an unsightly bubble. Clean thoroughly although I found the razor blade was overkill unless there was paint or caulk involved. Keep your working table and both sides of the film clean as dust will transfer.My first advice is to cut it to your exact needed size before you apply to the window. This is actually much easier to do than cutting it on the window. For a 7' window I couldn't lay it all out so I rolled up either end and worked on one piece at a time. Follow their instructions on using tape to secure the top & separate the liner. But every piece of tape you apply, fold back both ends because when doing it by yourself you don't have enough hands to use 2 to remove the tape so you want an easy grip from whatever end is easiest. Also, make your tape pieces long - longer is better like 2" because having it come off prematurely can be very tricky by yourself.If you have a large window that's too large to easily carry, don't remove the entire film. Just remove the top 2' and use scotch tape to hold the roll. Use at least 2 pieces on each end because having it unroll on you can be a disaster. Be careful to keep both sides of the entire length clean - don't let it touch the floor during cutting. Even though the dirt gets on the film that is thrown away, the dirt will transfer to the window especially if you're doing it yourself.I followed their DIY instructions of 1/4 tsp johnson's baby shampoo to a quart of water and it worked great.Get a BRAND NEW smaller size squeegee and do the center first, then work to the sides. Longer squeegees are difficult to apply even pressure required for a perfect job. Do only the top 2 feet first and make absolutely sure it's aligned properly so that when you unroll the rest it will be lined up. After you get the water out you can't squeegee it dry so you switch to a microfiber and a stiff edge. I found a painting tool at the dollar store that was about 12" x 6" and perfect. You wrap the tool with a fine microfiber towel and can use this to "squeegee" once the window is dry.In my situation I was applying to commercial windows and "Nanawall" doors. I realized late into the game that the black weatherstripping around the edges is actually easy to remove. This was crucial to making it easy. With the weatherstripping removed I could extend the film past the weatherstripping to make it invisible, but still allow for expansion/contraction. I realized this when I examined windows in our common areas that were professionally done.After you've got the top 2' sticking and dry, apply a few pieces of scotch tape to keep them from peeling. In my situation I could also put the top weatherstripping back to secure it.Now spray the rest of the window with as much water as it will hold. You have to do it more because normally you'd spray both the window & backside but you won't be able to get at the backside. Remove the tape holding the roll and carefully peel off the liner using the tips of your fingers while bunching up the liner in your palms. Do it evenly because the slightest crease on the film will show and can't be removed. You can easily pull up and release to remove any large bubbles. Doing it this way is much easier to remove all the bubbles before you begin than to just slap it all up there. Once it's all on there use the squeegee and dry microfiber cloth again doing the center first and then outward. For some reason the left & right edges never peel away. But the bottom edge will again want to peel away so use tape and keep using the microfiber every few minutes until it's completely dry.Don't do this in full sunlight - the window will dry too quickly. Do it in the morning / evening / wait for a cloudy day.