Maxwell Park Home Window Tinting

Window Film for Maxwell Park Bungalows and Cottages

The houses in Maxwell Park are mostly small bungalows and stucco cottages, many with a large front window facing the street and a handful of smaller windows on the sides and back. Lots are narrow, so side windows often sit a few feet from the neighbor's wall, and the front window looks directly onto the sidewalk.

That layout makes privacy the most common reason people here call. A frosted or gradient film on the front window's lower half keeps passersby from looking straight into the living room, and frosted film on bathroom and side windows replaces curtains that never quite close. The film lets in daylight, so the house does not feel shut up.

Heat Control Window Film for Sunny Maxwell Park Rooms

East Oakland's flatlands and lower hills tend to be warmer and sunnier than the western parts of the city, and Maxwell Park gets its share of hot days in late summer and fall. Few of the houses have central air. The rooms that suffer are the ones with south- or west-facing windows and no tree cover.

Heat control film on those windows rejects a good part of the incoming solar heat, so the room stays more comfortable through the afternoon. Light films barely change the look of the glass, while medium films take more heat and glare at the cost of some daylight. Most owners treat only the two or three hottest rooms, which is where film delivers the most for the money.

Security Window Film for Maxwell Park Homes

Many Maxwell Park houses have windows low to the ground, glass-paneled back doors and basement or garage windows facing the side yard. Those are the panes most likely to be broken in a break-in attempt, and they are often out of view of the street.

Security film is applied to the inside of the glass. If the pane is struck, the film holds the pieces together, so it takes repeated blows and a lot of noise to get through. It works best with good locks and lighting. The film is clear, so from outside the windows look the same.

• Glass-paneled back and side doors
• Low windows facing side yards
• Basement and garage windows
• Front door sidelights

DIY Kits vs. Professional Window Film in Maxwell Park

Hardware store window film kits are cheap, and for a small bathroom window with a static-cling frosted film, doing it yourself is reasonable. The results get harder to achieve as the glass gets bigger. Large front windows show every speck of dust, bubble and crease, and solar films are thinner and less forgiving than decorative cling films.

Security film is a different matter. It is thick, it has to be applied with the right pressure and edge finishing to hold glass in a break, and a badly installed security film gives a false sense of protection. For that and for any large heat control job, a professional install is worth it. We are happy to tell you which windows you could reasonably do yourself.