Tinting Windows At Home

[The Performer]

I'm gonna give a shot at doing my own side windows tomorrow hopefully. Alot of people will say that buying all of the materials and tools to do your own tint will cost just as much to get it done are lying their ass off. Unfortunately around here it's around 150 at the cheapest place (where I wouldn't trust their work) and that's way more than I can afford personally.

Main question is, I've looked at the cheap common tint at walmart and automotive stores and it doesn't seem THAT bad considering the price of it and the fact that if you screw up and have to buy more it's STILL not even 30 bucks wasted, so I'm just gonna take my chances. Where would one find quality tint other than walmart and automotive stores? I would assume that I could buy the stuff from the tinting shops, but I'm afraid that the bastards would over charge me for the tint as well. I'll make some calls in the morning.

If at all I cant go the route of buying from the tinting shops, I have the walmart/automotive shop option still. From what I've seen walmart carries the "auto-expressions" brand where as the automotive shops carry the "Gila" brand. If I have to resort to those two options which one would probably be best?

There are some decent videos around that give you a general idea of what I'll have to do, but I don't like alot of the advice they give in some. Obviously in this first one they suggest other than automotive store tint (I might regret this later on) but the guy also suggests paper towels... I would assume that paper towels would leave fuzz behind... I read microfiber is better so I'll go with that.

Anyway here's the videos, is this all decent information? I know a video wont even come close to the real experience it will take to get a perfect job, but for a general idea?

This next one was a little easier to follow video for me.

http://www.watchdoit.com/watch.aspx?video=jbanderson27@1

Anyway, so incase I cant get the quality tint from the shops, out of the two brands I can get from walmart or the automotive shops, which would you guys feel safest with?

Thanks guys, I know I'm asking for opinions on something that the best answer is "get it professionally done" but I just cant afford it. I know my limitations and I know that I am not one to take short cuts and I will be careful so at least I have some positive thinking towards it.

[Derrick824]

Call up the local tinting shops and find out he price. I know a local shop owner and thats where I get my tint from. If its a "don't give a damn" type of job then I'll use the cheap stuff from the parts stores.

[kingsuv]

I've tinted a few times. In fact I have a nics roll of 20% mylar in my garage. However the best way to get tint to come out is to do it often.

Unless you like hairs, dirt and bubbles in your tint, pay the extra and have it done right. Doing it in the driveway suck because everything will blow into it, even without wind. You will need a super clean space to do it.

[jack]

especialy out here.

[SoloKicker]

You can usually buy tint from your local tint shop, but good luck, its harder than you think.

[The Performer]

K, so I did my windows today (twice).

I knew it would be difficult but hell if anyone didn't tell me that 5 mins was too much time to get the film completely trimmed and set in place. :censored:

Anyway, point being the key to tinting is knowing that whatever can go wrong for the beginner WILL go wrong. I'll put up some pictures of what went down.

So I got the door panels off cause I really didn't care to get them too messy and taped off the spots where I didn't want water to get to.

Put a baggie over the window controller, it worked pretty good to keep it dry.

Turns out this side speaker has a bit of a tear in the surround... Damn I need to hurry up and get some more money...

Unfortunately my drivers side wasn't in such good shape. It looks like the plastic had been removed before, plus I found bits of glass inside the door. Must have had the window broken before I got it.

Either way, got it all set up.

Damn if these clouds came out of no where...

Then, to top everything off, my neighbor decides today is better a day to mow... Great, just the kind of dust I need blowing around... :censored: Damn bitch...

Anyway, I let everything settle down for a while and got to the tinting. I don't have any pictures of the process since I was trying to do it quick (still wasn't quick enough) and the outcome was alright, up until the part where the edges decide to start un sticking from the window. After hours of work I decided to say to hell with that and went to get another roll and start over, they looked terrible.

All in all, got home pulled out some flood lights and got to work. This time, I decided to hell with trying to get everything into the damn gaskets and pulled the windows the F*ck out. Laid out some towels on the kitchen table and tinted the windows there. Now they're sitting beautifully in my living room until tomorrow and I can put them back in (I hope...) I'm just afraid the tint might try to peel as I'm putting them back in so I have to be careful.

Anyone know if coaxing the curing time with a heat gun would do some good?

[audiofanaticz]

Id be very careful with the heat gun, if you heat the tint up too much it will shrink and burn the tint.

I would try a hair drier before a heat gun, unless your really cautious and carefull with the heat gun.

They say usally a day (24hours) before you go to open/close your windows. but that is with the windows in the car.

That just gives any soapy water to dry out from under the tint.

If you got the windows out in your house, they will not get the needed sunlight, so Id put a flood light shinning a on them from a few feet away (like used on curing resin/fiberglass).

and to the origional poster, I would stay away from tint sold at walmart, or your local autoparts store.

Most of that gila tint carried and other brands are vinyl tint which fades that ugly purple color after a few years.

Im sure you local tint shop will sell you the tint outright for a lil more then cost. Most of the cost in tinting is the labor the tint is pretty cheap and i heard some shops even have special machines that will cut the tint out for the vehicle.

Just make sure you keep the tint nice and wet on both sides until its in its final position.

edit: too late not, but looking at the windows, there seems to be no gap, you should of left at least a 1/8inch gap around the window. with the tint all the way to the sides it may wear out or crinkle within time.

[The Performer]

edit: too late not, but looking at the windows, there seems to be no gap, you should of left at least a 1/8inch gap around the window. with the tint all the way to the sides it may wear out or crinkle within time.

Damnit... I knew they looked too good to be true...

Should I try and trim a gap after they cure up?

By the way, its' nighttime here already, but I am going to do the light on them like you suggested, that's a good suggestion.

[audiofanaticz]

yea, I would. hopefully you have a steady safe hand tho so it dont get too uneven.

otherwise over time the weather stripping that the window goes up into is going to take a beating.

Just make sure the light is a few feet away so the windows get so hot that the tint melts or shrinks.

[The Performer]

yea, I would. hopefully you have a steady safe hand tho so it dont get too uneven.

otherwise over time the weather stripping that the window goes up into is going to take a beating.

Just make sure the light is a few feet away so the windows get so hot that the tint melts or shrinks.

Sweet, I've got a light on them right now.

I sure hope it wont be a pain in the ass to trim that gap while they are cured, do you think it will be a problem?

Thanks tons man.