Elevating Your Office with 3M Fasara Glass Finishes

  Customize your interior glass to create privacy, visual interest and promotional branding. 3M Fasara Glass Finishes transform plain glass, capturing the look of cut or textured glass at a fraction of the price. With so many options in style, opacity and translucency, you can tailor the amount of privacy your design provides — without sacrificing natural light.

Customize Your Space to Suit any Taste

You can design a space that’s private without making it feel closed off with 3M Fasara Glass Finishes. Frosted, dusted, textured — you name it, we have the finish to match your style. Create the privacy you need with a design that’s all your own.

• Define interior spaces while keeping an open feel
• Customize privacy without sacrificing natural light
• Create die-cut designs to promote your brand
• Conceal areas from the public
• Ideal for interior glass doors or inside surfaces of windows

Stand Out From the Crowd with a Custom Interior

Take your glass from ordinary to extraordinary with 3M Fasara Glass Finishes. Use them to add privacy or style to any space. Available in finishes and patterns that range from subtle to sublime, they’re exactly what you need to set your space apart.

• Get the look of etched, cut, sandblasted or textured glass
• Create upscale looks at a fraction of the cost
• Change easily thanks to fast application and removal

We hope this brief article shed some light on all the things you can do with 3M Fasara Glass Finishes. If you are interested in learning more, check out our decorative window film page by clicking HERE, or Contact ABC Sun Control by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.

Window Insulation for Home Comfort and Energy Efficiency

We wanted to share this great proof of technology regarding our 3M Thinsulate window film and how it can improve your home comfort and energy efficiency. This client has a variety of windows that they wanted to insulate from the heat leaving in the Winter and the Heat entering in the Summer. We arranged to have a thermal infrared camera to capture the effects the film was having and the results were eye opening. In the picture above, you can see the windows above the sink. The one on the left has 3M Thinsulate installed and the one of the right does not. You can see from the infrared image that the treated window is retaining the heat and is providing valuable insulation. The untreated window is allowing the heat to escape through the glass as seen by the dark reddish/purple color of the window pane. The blue areas show that the window frame and walls in some areas are not even insulating as well as the treated glass now is.

The best part, is that once 3M Thinsulate is installed, you can barely detect anything is even on the glass. The picture shown is of these same windows. The one on the left is treated and the one on the right has not been treated yet.

The owner of the of the home was the individual that wanted the proof of technology via the thermal infrared camera. After the product was installed and he saw the images, he had this to say about how the 3M Thinsulate Window Film worked.

For decades, insulation has been used in the walls and ceilings of our homes to control the flow of heat between inside and out. 3M Thinsulate Climate Control Window Film works much in the same way. It improves the insulation value of a typical single pane window to that of a double pane window and a double pane window to a triple pane window. This improves home comfort by keeping the warmth in during the winter and the heat out in the summer.

Some of the benefits of 3M Thinsulate Climate Control Window Film are:

• Helps keep you warm during cold winter months.
• Good heat rejection provides additional comfort and energy savings in the summer months.
• Film offers high visible light transmission with a neutral appearance to help maintain a home's existing appearance.
• Significantly blocks the amount of harmful UV rays that cause fading, helping to extend the life of furnishings.
• Includes a comprehensive warranty from 3M.

If you are interested in controlling the climate and increasing your home comfort and energy efficiency, and would like more information on 3M Thinsulate Home Window Film, Contact ABC Sun Control by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.

ABC Sun Control and 3M Offer School Safety Film

Unfortunately, for all of us, school safety has become a critical topic of concern in our daily lives. As a result, school systems are being stretched too quickly to establish effective safety measures that can increase protection and improve the safety of school children and educational staff. As many of you are already aware, the glass on windows and doors of a school building can be a very vulnerable entry point into a school. And most schools do not have laminated glass to prevent shattering, resulting in potentially easy access through the glassless frame. Currently, several hundred schools across the country have already contacted 3M for assistance to help protect this potential entry point. We are proud to say that 3M School Safety Film has already been incorporated into over 200 U.S. schools year to date.

This school safety film solution because of the following:

• More cost effective than replacing all of the windows and doors with laminated glass
• Quick implementation and easy application over the existing glazing
• While potential intruders will not be fully stopped from entering a school building, 3M Safety and Security Film can act as a deterrent and provide precious extra response time by slowing the intruder down.

The team at ABC is very concerned about increasing the safety of our local Seattle and Tacoma schools. If you would like more information on 3M School Safety Film, Contact ABC Sun Control by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.

It’s Not to Late to Improve Your Home with 3M Thinsulate Window Film

It's never too late to improve your home with 3M Thinsulate Window Film. Whether it is cold outside and you are trying to keep the heat in, or it is warm outside and you are trying to keep the heat out, 3M Thinsulate Window Film is the answer. This revolutionary film acts as insulation for your windows and improves their performance in both Winter and Summer. Here is a list of the benefits this 3M Window Film can do.

• Helps keep you warm during cold winter months.
• Good heat rejection provides additional comfort and energy savings in the summer months.
• Film offers high visible light transmission with a neutral appearance to help maintain a home's existing appearance.
• Significantly blocks the amount of harmful UV rays that cause fading, helping to extend the life of furnishings.
• Includes a comprehensive warranty from 3M.

This virtually invisible insulation enhances comfort and efficiency year round. This unique window film helps retain warmth in the winter and cool air in the summer by increasing your windows’ insulation value. A single-pane performs close to a double-pane, a double-pane performs close to a triple-pane. If you would like more information on 3M Thinsulate Home Window Film, Contact ABC Sun Control by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.

Five Things That Can Be Damaged By The Sun In Your Home

The sun gives off UV rays that can be rather harmful. Most people use sunblock because of this very reason — to help protect their skin. However, are you aware that these same harmful UV rays can damage things that are inside of your home? It’s true. Just because there are windows in your house that are blocking some of the UV rays that the sun gives off, that does not mean your furnishings are 100% safe. In fact, that is far from the case.

Luckily, inventions like window film exist. Not only can window film help reduce the rate of fading, which we will cover in greater detail later, but they help to eliminate excessive heat and glare from the sun. Can you imagine a world where your TV doesn’t have any signs of glare during the middle of the day? That life is possible with window film.

You might be wondering how window film works, and how it can actually help protect furnishings in your home from sun damage. Here are the exact ways 3M Window Films help reduce rate of fading:

• Block up to 99% of harmful UV rays — the principal cause of fading
• Reject solar heat, which can continually heat fabrics and other surfaces, causing them to break down and discolor over time
• Filter visible light, which can accelerate fading

There are plenty of bonuses with window film. For instance, this great technology can help lower energy costs and eliminate hot spots. Everyone has that one room in their home that they don’t go in during the day because it is filled with heat from the sun shining in. With 3M Window Films by ABC Sun Control, these hot spots can help to be reduced.

Five things that can be damaged by the sun in your home

• Fabrics and upholstery
• Window treatments
• Wallpaper
• Natural wood floors
• Photos , paintings and other furnishing.

3M Window Films are a brilliant option to help preserve these items for a longer period of time. Don’t let the sun fade and ruin your furnishings. If they aren’t protected, they can be very expensive to replace. You may not notice your furniture fading after a week of sun exposure, but you will see a difference over time as your furnishings start to fade. Window treatments help reduce hot spots, glare and sun damage to your belongings but that comes with a cost. With window treatments, natural light and your view is also being blocked out. With 3M Window Films, you continue to maintain your view and let the light in.

There is a way to protect your furniture, art, hardwood floors and other furnishings in your home, and that starts and ends with 3M Window Films by ABC Sun Control. If you are interested in learning more, contact us by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.

Protection from Sun-Caused Faded Floors and Furnishings

Furnishing a home can be expensive. From flooring to furnishings, the costs can add up quick. With so much invested, doesn't it make sense to take steps to protect that investment? While we all love open and airy homes with lots of windows, the biggest threat to your floors and furnishings can be right outside those same windows, the Sun. The sun is one of the primary causes of faded floors and furnishings. Most people do not want to sacrifice their views and the open feeling of their home to protect their floors and furniture from the sun, so what can be done? One of the best ways to attack the primary causes of sun damage and fading is with window film. This article will examine exactly what causes the fading and damage to occur and how window film is a great solution to consider.

A common misconception is that UV rays are what cause faded floors and sun damage to furnishings. While they are certainly the largest component, as this chart illustrates, they only account for 40%. Solar heat and visible lights are also major contributors, accounting for 25% of the problem. The last factor is comprised of a variety of this we simply put under the heading "Other". These are things like interior lighting, humidity, etc.

The first thing this chart demonstrates is that you cannot "stop" fading completely unless the item you want to protect in a dark, climate controlled room. In real life, the most you can do is attack the major contributors of fading in a significant enough way to slow down the process. By slowing the process, you extend the life of your floors or furnishings.

Why Is Window Film a Good Solution?

As mentioned above, most people do not want to "close-up" their home in an effort to stop the damage from occurring. So, assuming the windows will not be covered, you need to attack the factors before they enter the home. Window film is a great option because it attacks all three major contributors of fading. Most professionally installed window films will block 99%+ of the UV rays. In addition, many window films can significantly reduce the heat coming through the window. Finally, it is possible to block up to 60% of the visible light coming through a window without noticeably darkening the window. When you combine these three factors, you can take a large slice out of the pie shown above. This protection can be accomplished while retaining the open feel of your home by using window film.

We hope this brief article shed some light on what the factors of faded floors, rugs and furniture are and how utilizing window film is one of your best options to address this issue. If you are interested in learning more, contact ABC Sun Control by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.

Six Crystal Clear Window Film Facts

This is an excerpt from an interesting article from The Denver Post that discusses how window films can be used to save you money. We wanted to share with you the six window film facts that they spelled out in the article.

Six Crystal-Clear Window Film Facts

1. Color-Neutral Options – “If you don’t want to change the color of your home’s natural light or see any metallic shine, ask for a color-neutral day-lighting film,” said the International Window Film Association's Darell Smith. Your windows will save energy, but give up next to nothing in light quality.

2. Lower bills – In hot weather, solar-control films can block up to 80 percent of the solar energy coming through windows, which cuts down on air conditioning. “It usually translates into a year-round savings of about 5 to 10 percent of the home’s total energy bill,” said Smith, and much more during hot months.

3. Damage Shield – Visible light lies on the spectrum between ultraviolet, which damages furniture, and infrared, which beams heat. Treated windows will block 99 percent of UVA and UVB rays, thus greatly slowing the deterioration and fading of drapes, carpet and furniture.

4. Decorative Looks – Today’s window films can also inexpensively make clear glass look etched or frosted for privacy or a decorative effect.

5. It’s Not a Fix – If your window is in bad shape, leaking or poorly insulated, adding film won’t fix that. Deteriorating windows should be replaced. However, if your windows are in good shape, don’t replace them just for energy efficiency, said Smith. Try film first.

6. Get a Warranty on the Work – And read it before you sign a contract. You should be protected against bad installations. Signs of a bad job include film that peels or lifts at the edges, or little bubbles growing under the film. Speaking of warranties, many window manufacturers will invalidate their warranty if you do anything to their windows, including adding window film. If your windows are still under warranty, find out how adding film will affect that protection. Get it in writing.

To read the complete article, click HERE

We hope this article shed some light on all the ways Window Film can be used to improve and enhance your home. If you would like any additional information about Home Window Film, contact ABC Sun Control by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.

ABC Sun Control Helps Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, WA with a Graffiti Vandalism Problem

The team at ABC Sun Control helped the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma Washington protect valuable glass panels throughout the facility from being damaged by graffiti vandalism. These panels of glass are extremely expensive and not easy to replace. A clear 3M Anti-Graffiti Film was used to prevent the underlying glass from being damaged. This not only saves the Zoo a tremendous amount of money, it also reduces the disruption of the attractions that would occur if the glass needed to be replaced.

Vandalism has a way of spreading. The best way to mitigate more vandalism from occurring is to quickly remedy any that happens. The great thing about 3M Anti-Graffiti Film is that it allows you to quickly remove the damaged piece and replace it with a new piece. This saves not only time, money and disruption, it likely also prevents further damage from occurring.

In this cool video, "Dozer" the walrus was checking out our team installing the film on one of his tank windows.

[embed]https://youtu.be/1qRjNG0Vfok[/embed]

We hope that you enjoyed the post and the video. If you would like any additional information about 3M Anti-Graffiti Films and how they can protect you from graffiti vandalism, contact ABC Sun Control by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.

Insulate Your Windows with 3M Thinsulate Home Window Film

Home in Gig Harbor, Washington Controls the Climate with 3M Thinsulate Home Window Films

We recently had the pleasure to help the homeowner of the beautiful house in pictures above insulate their windows with 3M Thinsulate home window film. Many homes, like this one in Gig Harbor, Washington, have a great deal of glass. These exposes of glass are great for views, but not so good for home comfort. Often a home will have hot or cold spots depending on where windows and vents are located. You have insulation for the walls and the roof, why not your windows? Well, finally there is an answer, 3M Thinsulate Home Window Film. Best of all, it can be barely noticeable on your glass.

3M Thinsulate Home Window Films Improve Your House in These Three Ways

• Control the Climate - 3M Thinsulate Climate Control Window Film helps keep the warmth in during the winter and the cool conditioned air in during the summer -- keeping the weather out where it belongs – all season, every season. This window film helps reduce cold/hot spots in your home, improving overall comfort for you and your family.
• Increase Efficiency - 30% of all energy used to heat and cool homes in the U.S. escapes through the windows. 3M Thinsulate Climate Control Window Film is a low emissivity or “low-e” window film which improves the insulation value of a typical single pane window close to that of a double pane window and the insulation value of a typical double pane window close to a triple pane window. This film will make your windows more efficient and save you money on energy costs at a fraction of the cost of replacing your windows.
• Maintain Appearance - 3M Thinsulate Climate Control Window film is a virtually invisible film that provides comfort and fade protection without dramatically changing the look of your windows. This film blocks up to 99% of the sun’s UV rays, thereby helping to reduce fading of furniture, upholstery, hardwood floors, and window treatments.

We hope this post shed some light on all the ways 3M Thinsulate Home Window Films can be used to improve and enhance your home. If you would like any additional information about 3M Thinsulate Home Window Film, Contact ABC Sun Control by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.

Improve Commercial Windows with 3M Window Film

When tenants complain about rooms that are too hot or you notice that your energy costs are trending skyward, 3M Window Films can help improve commercial windows by helping increase tenant comfort, conserve energy and even increase safety and security. 3M commercial window films offer enhanced protection from accidents, natural disasters, break and entry, bomb blasts and flying glass fragments. They could also simply help upgrade your glass to code. 3M was issued the first sun control window film patent in 1966, and our innovative window film products have helped provide protection from the sun’s harmful rays for 50 years. Today, millions of square feet of 3M Window Film have been installed all around the world. Upgrade your building with 3M Window Film, and you’ll be reaping the rewards for years to come.

We’re ready to help you find the right solution to improve commercial windows in your facility.

Save Energy

Are your energy costs going through the roof? 3M Window Films can significantly reduce the amount of heat coming through your windows to help lower utility costs. Your tenants get a more comfortable environment, and you get increased energy savings.

• Fast payback — as little as 3 years
• Reduce carbon emissions
• Save more money, no matter which climate zone you are in
• Use toward potential LEED credits

Improve Comfort

Help keep your tenants comfortable, and you’ll keep them for the long run. 3M Window Films can significantly increase the comfort level of your building by virtually eliminating hot spots and cold spots, reducing glare and increasing safety without changing its aesthetics.

• Reject heat and reduce hot spots
• Reduce annoying glare
• Increase insulation and reduce cold spots

Increase Safety

Accidents and natural disasters can wreak havoc on your building operations, but you can be better prepared to cope with the aftermath. 3M Window Film can help hold broken glass together, preventing flying glass shards, the leading cause of injuries and fatalities.

• Engineered to protect people and property
• Reduce damage and loss of data
• Lessen business disruptions

Strengthen Security

Your tenants want to know they’re in a secure building, and you want to protect your data and merchandise. 3M Window Films can help protect people and property from outside threats like forced entry, vandalism and even bomb blasts.

• Makes forced entry more difficult — can help to deter intruders for up to 2 minutes
• Helps mitigate loss of assets
• Reduces business disruptions

Enhance Décor/ Privacy

Give your tenants custom and elegant interiors that provide enhanced privacy without sacrificing natural light. 3M Glass Finishes let you define spaces without confining them.

• Get expensive looks at a fraction of the cost
• Create the look of etched, cut or sandblasted glass
• Enhance the appearance of your space and add branding

Redirect Light

Brighten your building’s interior and brighten your chances of landing a long-term tenant. 3M™ Daylight Redirecting Film uses micro-replication technology to cast light as far as 40 feet (12 meters) from the window.

• Redirect light up onto the ceiling
• Flood deep rooms with natural light
• Reduce the need for electric lighting

We hope this article shed some light on all the ways 3M Home Window Film can be used to improve commercial windows. If you would like any additional information about 3M Commercial Window Film, contact ABC Sun Control by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.