A lot of homeowners and business owners sometimes struggle with deciding on what is their best choice for sun control for their windows. There are two basic options. You either go with a window treatment or a window film. Window Treatments Window treatments are anything that helps to control the sun without actually adhering to the windows themselves. This includes drapes, blinds, shutters, shades, curtains and any other option where you can have some sort of material cover the front of the window area in order to block the sun. Window Film Window tinting films are applied directly to the surface of the glass and help to control the sun before it enters the room. Nano-particles in the window film help to block solar light and heat, keeping the interior protected. Window films can come in different colors and shades of darkness, with some types of film not having any noticeable visual difference at all. Window Film vs Window Treatment The main difference between window film and window treatments is window film prevents the sun from entering the space in the first place, where treatments are sun blockers, and help to limit the sun once it has entered into the space. Window treatments provide an anesthetic that can be very desirable depending on the room. On the negative side, they do not prevent the suns rays from entering a room and causing it to heat up. This means higher costs on air conditioning. They also don’t completely block the damaging UV rays that can cause damage to the interior of your house or to humans in the form of skin damage and potential skin cancer. When it comes to selecting the best option for you, you should consider 2 main factors: cost and view. How much would it cost to install window film versus window treatments, and what kind of view will you be sacrificing if you choose a window treatment. The cheapest option is probably to buy some low grade blinds from a local store like Walmart. They will probably be fairly easy to install yourself, and they may get the job done for some scenarios.  But, you will definitely be sacrificing any kind of view that might be on the other side of those blinds. With window film, they are typically less expensive than most window treatments, but allow you to still enjoy your view. The window films help to control excessive light that comes from the sun, which causes the human eye to squint. A window film will actually make the view improve, somewhat similar to a high-definition view or looking at something through a light shade of sunglasses that allow you to see better, because you don't have to squint. If you have any questions about window tinting, give us a call or fill out the form on this website.