The Cat's Meow and Window Tint

by Elakin
(Lexington, KY, USA)

I am truly a night owl. I work third shift as much as absolutely possible and sleep during the morning into the afternoon since I get off work usually around 7am.

During college, I took every after-hours and evening class I could until I reached the point when online classes became more readily available.

I just do not like sunlight I’ve decided. Growing up, the house sat atop a hill and since my mother loved the outdoors we didn’t get to put up blinds and curtains to shield out the light.

However, as I got older, I started finding ways to darken my bedroom on my own. I have long since left the nest and have lived in several apartments and houses.

But always rentals so, again, limited to alterations I could make to the property, especially the windows. I have tried the darkest curtains I could find, hanging multiple curtains, sheets and blankets over my windows.

When cloth didn’t do so well, I looked for something else and tried contact paper and even painting the glass black knowing I could scrape it off the glass with a razor blade.

Neither of those was a great idea because a whole lot of work went into installation and eventually clean-up.

When I discovered the concept of “black-out” curtains, I got excited. But then I would end up with some of the same old problem areas such as the gaps around the top, sides and center split where light would burst through like little spotlights.

So, I started wondering if there were such a thing as home window tinting similar to what is available for automobiles.

I was astounded to find that first,

• I’m not the only dark-seeking, light-avoiding human in the world

And second,

• That there is a whole world of possibilities.

Sadly, much of it cost way more than I could ever dream of affording. On the other hand, I had been looking for the best stuff for years, so what was a little more research, right? RIGHT!

I finally found what is known as blackout home window tint from an online dealer that didn’t quite break the bank.

Fortunately, I live in a relatively small house without gigantic windows, so the cost was affordable. It’s sold by the roll and comes in a variety of lengths and widths.

It’s great for both day and night because it’s totally opaque. While I get my deepest, darkest rooms when I want them, they don’t look creepy to visitors.

It’s also great for my cats, because it’s scratch resistant! As for installation, once I got on a roll, it went up pretty easily.

My order came with complete instructions, including pictures.

But of all my experiences with the uv protection window film, I would probably recommend getting a few small pieces of glass or mirror and do a few small pieces to get the feel of the stuff and how it adheres to the surface.

I had to try more than once on a couple of windows to get it to line-up correctly and without air bubbles. I also do not recommend taking a straight pin and puncturing air bubbles to make them disappear.

I did that on one and about a month later I saw that it had started to form a rip from that pin hole and eventually had to replace that section.

All in all, though, I love my solar film! I’ve used some lighter shades in other areas of the house and when I built a sunroom.

I even put it on the glass panes in the ceiling to save on the electricity! It also blocks nasty
UV rays so my cats and I are really living the "cat's meow"!