If you keep up with Solar Art and read our blogs and case studies, I’m sure at this point you are familiar with some common window film terms. Solar film, decorative window film, custom graphics, anti graffiti film and security window film are a few of these terms you’ve probably heard at some point because we install and talk about them all the time. What you might not know are the lesser used window films out on the market. I wanted to take this blog to discuss and educate you on those window films because they are so cool and do so many different things. Read on to learn more!
The first type of lesser known window film is dry erase film. Dry erase film is exactly what it sounds like. There are dry erase film options for both windows and walls which is really nice because it gives you a lot of options. Regardless of whether or not you choose dry erase film for windows or walls, it works exactly the same way. It's applied directly on the surface and gives you the flexibility to write on it with a dry erase marker and easily erase it when you are done with no damage to the dry erase film or surface.
Dry erase film works really great in both residential and commercial settings. If you are at work and are holding a really important conference meeting that requires writing and looking at things visually, dry erase film works great. If your kids need a study aid at home, dry erase film also works great in bedrooms, home offices and playrooms. Now that we have gone over what dry erase film is in general, we can talk more specifically about windows and walls and what different options you have for both!
When it comes to dry erase film for windows you have five different options which is really cool. The first option is a standard clear dry erase film. This option just looks like the glass itself and you won’t even be able to tell it’s there. Solar Art has this type of dry erase installed in one of our private offices. This particular private office faces outside and has a really nice views and natural lights. The employees in this office really liked the natural light and didn’t want to block it, which was the main reason they chose this dry erase film. Now, they can still enjoy the natural light and have the benefits of the dry erase film. They use it often for brainstorming ideas throughout the day.
White dry erase film is another kind of dry erase film. This one is going to look like a whiteout film. It's going to significantly increase privacy so people can’t see in or out. This would look great on an exterior facing window where you are wanting to increase privacy anyway! This works just like all other types of dry erase film. You can write directly on it and easily erase it when you are done.
Frosted dry erase film is the third option you can choose when it comes to dry erase film for windows. This option is going to look exactly like a frosted window film that we talk all about, which is really cool! It’s like an added benefit. You get the clean look of frosted window film with the dry erase benefit. This would look really good in private offices or conference rooms.
The next option you can choose is a grid dry erase film. This one is used more rarely, which is why we wanted to bring it up! This film looks exactly like a grid which would work great if you are having a meeting or presentation regarding numbers. It keeps everything clean, in order and easy to read. Not to mention, it looks really cool! How many offices have you been in where there is actually grid dry erase film you get to use?! I can tell you I haven’t been in any. Grid dry erase film and any other type of dry erase film for that matter are really easy and affordable ways to set your office apart from someone else's.
Finally, you can have a custom gradient dry erase film installed. If you don’t love any of the options I just talked about, then you can make your own! You can work with our in house graphics team and create a custom gradient that works perfectly with your office. You can choose where you want the opaque portion to start and end which is really cool. Solar Art has a custom gradient dry erase film installed on our conference room glass!
Now that we have talked in depth about dry erase film for windows, we can move onto dry erase film for walls. You only have a couple of choices when it comes to dry erase film for walls, but hey at least there are options!
Just like the dry erase film for windows, there is a white dry erase for walls. This is going to look a lot like a whiteboard you see in schools. Since it’s installed to a wall you obviously aren’t going to be able to see through it. It's installed directly on the wall which is really cool. Before we moved to our new corporate office we had a white dry erase film for walls installed in our conference room. The white dry erase film is in the middle and we printed custom graphics of brick to be installed add a border around the dry erase film. We absolutely loved this. We created a really cool wall mural with the dry erase film and used it all the time for important meetings.
The second option you have when it comes to dry erase film for walls is a blackboard option. This gives a cool, almost retro look. This is going to look like a blackboard you used to see in schools, which is definitely something different you don’t see in most offices. This option, just like any other option we have talked about would work wonderfully in both homes and offices! If you are interested in dry erase film for either your home or office, contact Solar Art today and we can get you a fast, free quote!
I hope you found dry erase film interesting and at least learned one thing! Now that we have covered that in full depth we can move onto our next lesser knows window film, which is perforated! You have probably seen perforated window film around and not even realized it. It's essentially a vinyl window sticker that allows one way visibility from both sides, but not once they are installed. This makes perforated window film perfect for window signage. You can leave it white which some customers decide to do, or our in house graphics team can print an image like you see in this photo. People outside walking by won’t be able to see in, but those inside are able to see out still.
Casper Cloaking Film is next on our list of unusual window films! This one is really cool you guys. I think it’s actually my personal favorite window film. Technically, Casper Cloaking Film is a type of decorative window film. It obscures digital screens outside view. How it works is you install the Casper Cloaking Film to the actual glass, not the technology device. People walking by outside the room aren’t able to see the screen at all. They aren’t able to see what is being presented or shown. It looks like a blacked out screen. When it comes to Casper Cloaking Film it is really important to note that it works with all LED displays 40” and larger, but it does not work on LPD displays, Microsoft Surface Hubs, OLED displays, Plasma displays, CRT monitors and displays, Smart Kapp white boards, displays mounted behind glass, PolyVision and other white boards. You can see from the photo that you cannot screen at all. This is really nice again if you want to maximize privacy and confidentiality in meetings or conferences.
Finally, we have bird strike window film. I know what you’re thinking...do birds really fly into windows that much? The answer is yes they do. We don’t get requests for this a lot and I really think it’s because a lot of people don’t know it exists. Decorative window film carries a few different bird strike window films, but we can also make a custom one as well. We recently did a custom bird strike window film installation where we printed a custom print of leaves out of clear ink. The photo here is from the installation. As you can see from the photo, the ink is clear so you really have to look to see it’s even there. The birds can see this film and it prevents them from flying into the glass.
So there you go! I wanted to make this blog different than some of our other ones in the sense that I wanted to address those lesser known window films and educate you on how they can be used. Some of these lesser known window films are seriously so cool and work great in both residential and commercial settings. If you are interested in learning more about any of these films or are interested in getting a quote, speak with one of Solar Art’s representatives today!