How to Remove the Tint From Sliding Door Glass
Tinting the glass in a sliding door serves two purposes. It filters harmful sunlight from penetrating through the glass into the room beyond, and it provides added privacy protection. The film used for the tinting, however, tends to last a shorter length of time than the glass on which it's placed. Over time, normal wear and tear affect the tint, marring the surface of the film and making it a less than attractive add-on for your door. Removing the tint film is possible, and though it's a time consuming process, once it's gone you can reapply a new film or choose to go another way entirely in decorating your sliding glass door. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Undiluted ammonia
- Spray bottle
- Dark trash bag
- Utility knife
- Masking tape
- Hair dryer
- Extension cord (if necessary)
- Sharp razor blade
- Glass cleaner
- Cloth
Instructions
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1
Examine the edge of the glass to find the thin edge of the tint to determine on which side the tint is located.
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2
Fill a spray bottle with undiluted ammonia. Spray the tint film with the ammonia. Saturate the tint well with the ammonia, but not to the point at which it begins to drip down the surface of the film.
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3
Cover the glass with a layer of dark trash bags. Cut the bags with a utility knife to spread them out sufficiently to tape onto the frame of the glass, not the glass itself.
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4
Heat the glass with a hair dryer, holding the dryer about 4 inches from the surface of the trash bag. Keep the hair dryer moving across the surface to prevent the heat from building up in one spot and melting the bag onto the glass. Heat the glass until it is hot to the touch, but does not burn. The heat combined with the ammonia softens the adhesive holding the tint in place.
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5
Peel back a section of the plastic bag and scrape at the edge of the tint film using the razor blade until you create a small cut in the film's surface. Pull at the cut area, pulling the heat-loosened tint film from the glass surface in long strips. Keep as much of the remaining tint covered with the bag as possible to prevent the ammonia from drying out as you're removing the tint. Continue cutting and pulling the tint away until you've removed it all.
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6
Clean the sliding door glass with glass cleaner in order to remove any residue left from the ammonia.
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Tips & Warnings
Apply the ammonia in a well-ventilated area, as the fumes can be toxic when inhaled in quantity.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit The beautiful young woman opens a glass door. image by Yuri Bizgaimer from Fotolia.com
