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mollypup
11-06-2011, 10:08 PM
I've been looking for some security window film to do all my windows with. I can't decide. All I want is the basic stuff, none of this "iced", "etched" or lacy looking stuff. I want it to slow down intruders as much as possible. I'm not particularly trying to save on my heating/ac bills. Have any of you put film your windows? Did you like it and where did you get it?

thanks! :)

Daca102090
11-06-2011, 11:49 PM
Google "Hurricane Film". This is a polycarbonate film that goes onto both sides of the window. What I have found comes in 5 foot wide rolls and then runs about $20 or $25 per running foot. You can get this in clear and tinted.

Daca102090
11-07-2011, 12:15 AM
I am away from my home computer right now, but I will try to remember and put up a link to a place or two I have found tommorrow.

Daca102090
11-07-2011, 07:57 AM
Here you go Mollypup this place seems to have good information as well as materials.
DIY 9 Mil Security Window Film by the Linear Foot (http://www.diywindowsecurity.com/product_info.php?products_id=38&osCsid=c4debe67b5932f1e7d9d5816a2249a5a)

The Stig
11-07-2011, 10:25 AM
Couple different products in this thread (http://www.shtfready.com/shelter/3m-security-film-windows-21.html)that might help out Molly.

mollypup
11-07-2011, 12:01 PM
Thanks guys! That's some great information and really helps me out a lot! :D

Sniper-T
11-07-2011, 01:26 PM
Interesting... Hadn't heard of this stuff before. I'm liking the idea of the tinted stuff for my sunroom windows, at least for the outside, and then a clear on the inside.

Has anyone used it? or currnetly using it? Any reviews other than the company hype on their websites?

I wonder if this stuff would add any kind of R factor to the window?

Gunfixr
11-08-2011, 03:41 AM
Since I am currently looking at "up armoring"m windows, and saw this thread, I looked around at some products.
I ended up deciding to stay with my original idea. While the film has merits, I'm not certain that it will suffice.Enough research showed a couple flaws that may be enough to be a bad deal. Primarily, the film is glued to the glass, making it shatterproof, and holding it together. If it is impacted, the glass still breaks, but the film makes it stay intact, much like windshields in automobiles. The problem is in the installation and design of the windows themselves. Usually the film is applied to already assembled and installed windows. What this means is that the film goes right to the edges of the glass where it meets the frame, but with a tiny gap all the way around the edge. The only way to get around this is to remove the window from its frame, apply the film, and reglaze it in place. This leaves an unprotected weak edge all the way around where the glass can shatter and leave the whole window to fall out in one big piece. The other problem is that in most windows, the frame has a ledge that the glass sits against that is only about 1/8" or so wide. Once the glass is hit, and breaks, it becomes more like a big piece of thin plastic, which is somewhat flexible. It would then flex enough to be pushed right through the frame and fall out with a second hit. While these problems are not really a big deal in hurricane protection, where the likelihood of a second hit is small, an intruder trying to gain entry would certainly hit it again, and gain entry.
In fact, 3M acknowledges and addresses this problem with a film system specifically for break in protection. It uses the heavier film, coupled with an adhesive system to glue the filmed glass into the window frame.

My original plan was to use Lexan panels on the windows. The glass cannot effectively be directly replaced with Lexan panels, as due to its flexibility and the small bearing area to the frame, it would simply pop out if hit solidly. This is why so few windows are Lexan, unless the window system was built specifically for it. My plan is to have Lexan panels that are cut to sit against the window frame around the area outside of the glass, where it is rather wide. On a standard double hung window, a piece is screwed to the inside of the bottom, and the outside of the top. This allows the window to open and close as normal. On at least the outside piece, security screws are used to prevent a screwdriver from being used to simply remove the panel. If the top window is hit, it must be hit hard enough to flex all the way to the glass to cause breakage, and even so, the intruder is denied entry. A hit to the bottom immediately breaks the glass, but the Lexan stays intact, again denying entry. The amount of impact required to gain entry is determined by the Lexan sheets' thickness. However, 4 1/16" pieces together will stop a 9mm projectile. A single 1/8" piece securely attached to the frame would take a fullsize crowbar or sledgehammer to break. Such a tool will open most doors, so it becomes a moot point. Remember, you will not keep someone out who is determined, you are only making it hard enough for them to seek easier targets.
I did not find any pricing of window film, so I could not compare cost. To cover all of my first floor windows in 1/8" Lexan, using SS security screws, is going to run me about $800.
Considering that I just lost somewhere between $2000-$2500, it will be cheap by comparison.

ETA: While I don't know about the insulating properties of films, adding a second pane to the windows will make them better insulators, since there will now be a dead air space between the two.

Sniper-T
11-08-2011, 11:15 AM
Gunfixr... where did you get your 'stopping power' information from?

I did some experiments a couple years ago with some 1/4" lexan; shooting it with a variety of calibers from 5' to 20 yards.

I'm sure I still have the pics around somewhere, but in a nutshel these are the results:

single pc 1/4" thick - everything from .22 and up went clean through. both from handgun and from rifle. (punched a neat clean hole).

when doubled and tripled - same result!

I then took 2 pces and mounted them 1/4 apart (gap in the middle)
.22 clean through the first, stopped at the second (bulging it slightly). Repeated shots were necessary, but the back piece broke into pieces.
.30-.30 clean through the first, deformed the second in a huge way. second shot destroyed the back piece.
9mm clean through the first, moderately deformed the second. took 3 shots to shatter the second.

3 pcs, mounted with the same gap:
.22 again, clean through the first... repeated shots slowly bulging out the second until it made contact with the third. The third started to deform, but continued to hold, until the first pc was so shot up, that the rounds were going through without touching it, at which time, they went clean through the second and third.

9mm again, clean through the first, deformed the second into contact with the third, the next 4 shots were held, but the sixth shot shattered both the back 2

7.62X39 FMJ, went clean through all three pieces, no deforming, just a clean hole.

Incidentally, I had been hearing a bunch of people on different forums extolling phonebooks as body armour, so I did a pile of experiments with them too. result in a nutshell: NOT suitable for body Armour!

The Stig
11-08-2011, 12:02 PM
Incidentally, I had been hearing a bunch of people on different forums extolling phonebooks as body armour, so I did a pile of experiments with them too. result in a nutshell: NOT suitable for body Armour!

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uSt19t4qIuM/TTqXHNwYHnI/AAAAAAAAAgU/WzTTb-KuEV4/s1600/facepalm.jpg

izzyscout21
11-08-2011, 12:16 PM
Incidentally, I had been hearing a bunch of people on different forums extolling phonebooks as body armour, so I did a pile of experiments with them too. result in a nutshell: NOT suitable for body Armour!

http://i764.photobucket.com/albums/xx288/2crgrunt/Double_Facepalm_by_ScotlandForLife.jpg

Sniper-T
11-08-2011, 12:23 PM
rofl...

Hey... Gimme a break! I had a blast shooting the hell out of a pile of phonebooks and I made 2 wheel barrows full of confetti for mulch for my garden.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l164/vkmir/confetti.gif

mollypup
11-08-2011, 01:00 PM
I had been thinking about the edges of the windows and was wondering how the film would keep them from breaking. I thought maybe the film would be glued to the wood of the window frame but doubted it would hold very well. Then I thought about if using a very good quality duct tape in several layers going around each edge of the window and generously overlapping onto the frame. Then use those type nails (can't remember what they're called but they look like giant staples) and nail the duct tape directly to the window frame. It'll look like hell, but it may be just enough to make it too hard to continue trying to enter. And during a SHTF situation, I won't be caring at all about the visual esthetics, just the barrier it provides. If it gets that bad though, I think I'll be using duct tape on the windows anyway.

Gunfixr
11-09-2011, 05:20 PM
I just Googled "Lexan impact strength" and got a bunch of hits, one of which was this vid. He used 3 or 4 layers, adding up to about 1/4" or just a bit more. He was trying to point out how weak the 9mm was, as he also shot them with .40 cal and .357 Mag. I'm not looking for bullet resistance anyway, it was about general impact resistance. There was another vid of someone whaling on one of those Lexan sunlights you put in your house with a regular framing hammer. It just bounced off repeatedly. There was another vid of an impact stress test where a steel ball bearing was launched into various types of plastics.
Anyway, based on these, and what Lexan I've worked with as a machinist, I figured someone standing next to the house, whether trying with their fist, a hammer, or even a short club or crowbar, wouldn't easily get through, if at all. Granted, enough tool can be brought in to get through, but enough tool can be brought in to get through the doors and walls also.
However, I was talking to a friend this am on the phone, and he was telling me of a friend of his who had been broken into, and had then applied the window film. In the kit was a tape that went around the edge, overlapping between the glass and frame.
Two weeks later, they returned. Someone saw them and called the police. In the 30 minutes that elapsed before the arrival of the police, they worked on the window with a hammer. The police arrested them in the yard, having failed to gain entry. I relate this story as told to me, as it was told to him. I do not know if it was a true 30 minutes, or how strong these folks were, or about the hammer. He did say that they were local crackheads, having been busted before.
He did not know how much his friend spent, and this was some years ago.
I am already awaiting my cut Lexan, and have the security screws in hand, so I'm not changing midstream. However, I do believe that I will see an insulating benefit to essentially "double paning" my windows, where the film probably only has a mild insulating effect.
Because of the way I bought it, I will have some sheets in sizes similar to the window panes. I am seriously thinking of throwing together a quick frame and mounting a piece like I'm doing on the windows and seeing what it will take.

Sniper-T
11-09-2011, 05:28 PM
Nice info gunfixr... tx

izzyscout21
11-09-2011, 06:59 PM
rofl...

Hey... Gimme a break! I had a blast shooting the hell out of a pile of phonebooks and I made 2 wheel barrows full of confetti for mulch for my garden.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l164/vkmir/confetti.gif

Now I know where that fire started.

http://i764.photobucket.com/albums/xx288/2crgrunt/They-Shall-Never-Know.jpg

Sparrow
11-09-2011, 09:59 PM
Lady Gaga is ready for S-to-HTF in this dress - security film anyone?

http://hotdamncharlotteann.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/ladygaga_alexandermcqueenshoes.jpg?w=300&h=198

Sniper-T
11-10-2011, 12:31 AM
Now I know where that fire started.

http://i764.photobucket.com/albums/xx288/2crgrunt/They-Shall-Never-Know.jpg


http://i724.photobucket.com/albums/ww247/moonlight-the-wolf/doodles/mwahahaha.png

Gunfixr
11-10-2011, 02:29 PM
Uh, wow.

Still waiting on my Lexan. Did get a call yesterday, not ready. But, it was being cut by the "new guy", and he incorrectly read the order and had cut most already out of 1/4" instead of 1/8". They wanted to know if that was a problem for me.
It would be the same price.

Definately not, I said.

bacpacker
11-11-2011, 12:57 AM
Very nice fixer, very nice.

Gunfixr
11-12-2011, 02:29 AM
Well, got a call yesterday just after lunch, my Lexan was ready.
I actually got started about 3:30 in the afternoon, having picked it up, sorted it out, and trimmed a few pieces that I had "size adjusted" a bit to make for less paid for cutting.
Got all the outside pieces up by about 6pm, well after dark. Got to use my new headlamp for the first time, a Petzl Tactikka. Very nice. Much better than the cheaper units I already have.
Got the inside pieces up just before 8pm.
The house is noticeably quieter, and today was quite windy with the wind rather cold. It was noticeably warmer inside also for a windy day. In the spring, I'll pull the sheets, clean the glass, and put them back up with sealant. I was in a hurry, so I let it go for now.
Just out of curiosity, I took a strip I had cut off a piece and "abused" it some. It's 1/4" thick, and about 1/4 to 3/8" wide, about 26" or so long. I bent it into a "U" shape, with the ends touching. No cracks or breakage, it went back straight. I held one end and smacked the picnic table about as hard as I could with it. My hand stung, no damage to the piece. My 19yr old son was amazed. I gave it to him, and he bent it about a dozen more times, and whaled on the table a dozen or so times, still no joy. I bent it again and smacked it over the top pipe of the chain link fence for the neighbors, still no joy. Showed my wife when she got home. It's a little warped in the middle, but no cracks, splits, and in one piece. I also drove my fist into the kitchen window so hard it hurt nicely, didn't hardly flex the pane.
They're gonna need a sledgehammer to get in next time.

mollypup
11-12-2011, 02:34 PM
Totally awesome gunfxr!

bacpacker
11-13-2011, 12:25 AM
Very nice! That kind of piece of mind don't come to easy, Congrats.

I love the petzel's. I have 2 of the older models for years now. Never had a problem. I do want to get a couple of the newer models with the led bulbs. Should add to the battery life considerably.

Evolver
11-13-2011, 02:01 PM
I had been thinking about the edges of the windows and was wondering how the film would keep them from breaking. I thought maybe the film would be glued to the wood of the window frame but doubted it would hold very well. Then I thought about if using a very good quality duct tape in several layers going around each edge of the window and generously overlapping onto the frame. Then use those type nails (can't remember what they're called but they look like giant staples) and nail the duct tape directly to the window frame. It'll look like hell, but it may be just enough to make it too hard to continue trying to enter. And during a SHTF situation, I won't be caring at all about the visual esthetics, just the barrier it provides. If it gets that bad though, I think I'll be using duct tape on the windows anyway.

About a year ago when I was looking into the films and I thought of the same thing about the edges. The idea I came up with is to remove the glass from the flame work, apply the film then replace the window. It might be more work but any type of window can be removed. Removing the pane of glass will also make the film application easer and might even end up faster depending on the way that the glass is affixed.

realist
11-21-2011, 03:42 AM
FYI 3M films are used to retro fit windows in foreign lands from bomb blasts. I think it was Gunfixr posted the 9 mil DIY site. I have not used the 9 mil. I have seen the 11 mil in use and you have to hack through it with a machete to get through. It is not bullet resistant but it will stop most other things. If you really do it right you put it on both sides for double protection. Generally it is installed for about $6 per sq foot.

digdug18
02-06-2012, 01:17 AM
I looked into this a couple years ago, the films are excellent quality and will help prevent intruders from breaking into your house. There are a couple different companies that make the films, i have a sample from one of them around here someplace. The security film/tint is about 5 times thicker then car window tint and must be actually glued in place on your window, the strength is dependent on the window from itself, if your window is weak then upgrade the window before buying the film. There is a video on youtube or someplace that shows someone using a bat to beat the window in, the window WITHOUT the film break right away. The window WITH the film breaks, but the film hold the window together, requiring the thief/burglar to continue to beat on the window, during the test it took 20+ minutes of beating to break into the window enough to put his hand in and unlock the window. They also make a car film, though since the film is so thick you can only use it on flat pieces of glass.

I was quoted a price of $8,000 to do my entire 1200sq ft house in the security film.

Katrina
02-11-2012, 06:04 AM
I saw on another site a company that makes screens that are near impregnable. I believe it's Tapco inc. It took a beating and the only way anyone can get to the window was with firemans circular saw. And they have latch to open from inside the house. Think site is www.tapcoinc.net They probably are expensive but the vid was impressive.