Queen Village Window Tinting for Trinities, Rowhomes and Fabric Row

Privacy Window Film for Queen Village Trinity Houses

The trinity house, three small rooms stacked one per floor with a winding stair, is common on the little streets and courts south of South Street. With one front window per floor and a front door that opens right onto the sidewalk, the ground-floor room is in plain view of everyone walking by. Owners either keep the blinds shut all day or live with being on display.

Frosted film on the bottom half of that front window solves most of it. You keep daylight from the top of the window and the room stops feeling like a shop window. A gradient film, solid near the sill and thinning out toward the head of the window, looks softer than a hard frosted line and suit older brick fronts well.

Upstairs, the problem changes. A second-floor bedroom on a narrow street often looks directly into the bedroom across from it. A light reflective film gives daytime privacy without blocking the view out, though at night, with lights on inside, it works in reverse, so we pair it with shades or recommend a frosted pattern instead.

UV Window Film for Fabric Row Shops on South 4th Street

Fabric Row along South 4th Street has been the place to buy textiles in Philadelphia for generations, and fabric is about the most sun-sensitive merchandise a shop can put in a window. Bolts of cotton, silk and upholstery fabric near the glass lose color along the folds within a season or two of direct light.

Clear UV film is the obvious fix. It goes on the inside of the display window, does not tint the glass and stops the ultraviolet that bleaches dyes fastest. Shops that rotate stock less often or keep expensive goods near the front get the most out of it. Tailors, upholsterers and the boutiques that have opened along 4th Street have the same issue with finished goods.

Security and Anti-Graffiti Film for South Street Storefronts

South Street draws late-night crowds on weekends, and the shops and bars along it deal with broken glass, keyed doors and tagging more than most corridors in the city. Security film adds a tough laminated layer to the inside of the pane. If a window gets smashed, the glass stays stuck to the film instead of falling onto the sidewalk or into the store.

On doors and lower panes that get scratched or tagged, a clear anti-graffiti film on the outside takes the damage. Owners peel the marked section and put up a fresh piece, which is quicker and cheaper than waiting on a glass company for a new tempered door panel. It also keeps the original storefront glass looking new for longer.

• Security film on display windows and door glass
• Exterior anti-graffiti film on lower panes
• UV film for clothing, fabric and vintage stock
• Frosted film on stockroom and office windows

Heat Control Film for Queen Village Roof Decks and Top Floors

Narrow streets shade most ground floors, but the top floor of a Queen Village rowhome is a different story. Skylights, roof-deck doors and rear windows above the neighbors' rooflines get full summer sun, and that heat collects at the top of the stairwell. Heat control film on the deck door and rear windows takes a real bite out of it.

Skylights can take film too, if the glazing is glass rather than plastic. We check the material before quoting. For owners who use the top floor as a home office, cutting glare on that rear window is usually the bigger win. A pale glare film there keeps a laptop screen readable at four in the afternoon.