Tinting a Sunroom: How Window Tint Can Make Your Space More Comfortable
Sunrooms are awesome; a staple of Florida houses that give us a solid way of connecting with the outside and nature without being fully outside. Sitting coffee in the morning in your sunroom is a classic for a lot of Floridians. But, all that glass can come with a downside: excessive heat, glare, fading furniture, and uncomfortable temperatures.
If your sunroom becomes difficult to enjoy during certain times of the day, tinting the windows is a practical solution.
Residential window tinting can help control the amount of heat and sunlight entering a sunroom without requiring you to replace the existing windows and, depending on the type of film you go with, tint can reduce solar heat and cut glare.
Why Does My Sunroom Get So Hot?
Sun rooms are designed to let in a lot of natural light. That usually means they also have a large amount of exposed glass.
When sunlight passes through untreated windows, solar energy enters the room. As that energy accumulates, temperatures can rise significantly, especially during the afternoon. A sunroom with windows facing the south or west can be particularly difficult to keep comfortable during the warmer months.
The home's air conditioning system runs overtime to compensate for the extra heat, but that does not always make the sunroom comfortable. You can end up with a room that is noticeably warmer than the rest of the house, or at the very least costs a lot to keep cool.
Window tinting can address the source of the problem by reducing the amount of solar energy that passes through the glass in the first place, and it’s also nice because it makes the entire room more comfortable and private.
What Is Residential Window Tinting?
Residential window tinting involves applying a thin window film directly to the interior surface of your home's glass.
We offer Solargard, which is widely known for the heat rejection tech that it offers a reduction of UV rays. There are different options depending on what you specifically want it to do for you that are generally matched up to a price relative to the benefits they offer.
For a sunroom, solar control film is often an appealing option because the goal is usually not simply to make the windows darker. The objective is to make the room more comfortable while maintaining the natural-light benefits that make a sun room attractive in the first place. I mean, you have the sunroom for a reason, so let’s not lose that appeal but instead just make it more comfortable and private.
We can work with you to go with a film that fits what you’re looking for specifically from your sunroom.
Benefits of Tinting a Sunroom
1. Reduce Heat
Most homeowners hire someone to tint their windows for the purpose of reducing the heat inside.
The technology we offer, thanks to Solargard, is the best on the market, known for heat rejection.
The exact amount of heat reduction depends on the film selected, the existing windows, and other characteristics of the home.
For a homeowner who avoids using their sunroom because it becomes unbearably hot, this is what we recommend.
2. Reduce Glare
Natural light is one of the main reasons people build sunrooms, but too much sunlight can create significant glare and even cause headaches/migraines.
Glare can make it difficult to watch television, use a computer, read, or simply sit comfortably in the room. Closing curtains or blinds solves the glare problem, but it also blocks the views and natural light that make the room appealing.
Tinting provides another option.
Window film can reduce harsh glare while allowing natural light to continue entering the space. This makes the room more comfortable without turning it into a dark room.
3. Help Protect Furniture and Flooring
Sunlight gradually affects UV exposure and is one factor involved in fading of your flooring and wearing of your furniture.
The window film that we use from Solargard helps reduce UV transmission through the glass. Tinting provides a protective layer for your valuables inside your home and sunroom like that beautiful leather couch you have or new desk.
This can be especially useful in a sunroom where furniture and flooring may receive direct sunlight for several hours each day keeping in mind the resale value of your house if you own.
4. Improve Privacy
Depending on the film selected, tinting also provides privacy. I once lived in a house that was right next to a golf course. It was a great atmosphere and a beautiful setting, but I always felt like I was on display when sitting in my sun room. We tinted the windows so we could use the space with peace of mind.
A sunroom with large windows can leave your family highly visible from the outside, particularly at night when interior lights are on. Certain privacy-oriented films make it more difficult for people outside the house to see into the room.
Privacy films vary considerably in how they work. Some are designed to provide daytime privacy, while others use frosted or decorative finishes.
If privacy is important to you, discuss how you use the room with your tint professional before selecting a film and be sure to check out our residential window tinting page.
5. Maintain the Look of Your Home
Many homeowners hesitate to tint their windows because they do not want their house to look overly dark or heavily tinted.
Fortunately, modern residential films are available in many different appearances. You can choose a film that provides significant solar performance without necessarily creating the extremely dark appearance associated with older automotive tint.
The right film will blend into the existing design of your home while providing functional benefits.
Does Tinting Make a Sunroom Dark?
This is one of the most common concerns homeowners have about tinting.
The answer depends largely on the film.
Window tint does not automatically mean installing extremely dark glass. There are films designed to reduce solar heat and glare while maintaining a substantial amount of visible light, for example our Panorama Hilite 70 which still allows 70% of light in but still reduces heat.
For a sun room, this distinction is particularly important. You probably do not want to eliminate the natural light that makes the room enjoyable.
Instead, the goal may be to control excessive sunlight while keeping the room bright and comfortable.
Our team can show you different film options and explain how each one will affect the appearance and performance of the windows.
Can You Tint Existing Sunroom Windows?
Yes
One of the advantages of residential window film is that it can often be installed on existing glass. This means you do not need to replace perfectly functional windows simply because the room has a heat or glare problem.
However, not every window is necessarily suitable for every type of film.
Certain types of glass, insulated glass units, coatings, and window constructions can affect which films are appropriate. That's why professional evaluation is helpful.
We can identify the type of glass in your house and select a film that is compatible with the windows.
Professional Tinting vs. DIY Window Film
Window film may look relatively simple to install, but getting a clean result across a large sunroom can be more difficult than it appears.
Large windows leave very little room for installation errors. Dust, debris, bubbles, or creases can become obvious once the installation is complete. Many people who try to do it themselves end up retrying many, many times before ending up with an ‘ok’ result.
Professional tint installers have the tools and experience necessary to properly prepare the glass, measure the film, install it, and finish the edges.
Professional installation can also help ensure that the appropriate film is being used for your particular windows. Cheap film will bubble and fade to that weird purple color you see, while high-quality film will last a lifetime.
For a homeowner investing in a large residential sunroom, installation quality is really important for a multitude of reasons.
Is Sunroom Tinting Worth It?
Absolutely.
Reduce heat, add privacy, protect your furniture, and improve the home’s resale value. It’s more than worth it.
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