Tint Tools
Considering its potential benefits in terms of aesthetics and comfort, window tinting offers some of the biggest bang-for-the buck returns of any automotive upgrade. Fairly cheap and easy to apply using basic tools, window tint can not only enhance your ca'rs appearance, it can help to keep the air in your car cool and the sun's harmful UV rays outside. With a little patience and the right tools, almost anyone can quickly learn how to tint their car windows.
Other People Are Reading
-
Razors
-
Standard hardware store utility knives won't cut it here; head to your local grocery or department store and acquire some single-sided razor blades. Razor blades are critical not only for achieving a clean cut on the window tint itself, but for cleaning the window prior to tint installation.
Heat Gun or Blow Drier
-
Heating the tint will make it far easier to apply than trying to stick it cold. Heat makes the tint far more malleable, allowing it to stretch and conform to the window's surface. Applying tint cold may not cause any problems right away, but it can manifest as wrinkles and bubbles later on. Beginners might want to stick with a blow drier, since a heat gun can easily melt the thin plastic or cause it to shrink.
-
Cleaning Products
-
Dish detergent, water, a spray applicator and clean, lint-free rags are your primary cleaning tools. Spray the window down with soapy water, then gently run a razor blade back and forth across it to remove anything stuck to the surface. Meticulously clean the surface with a rag and soap. Then keep the window moist with soapy water while applying the tint. Never use commercial glass cleaners for this step; many contain waxes that will cover the window and inhibit adhesion.
Plastic Wrap
-
Not strictly necessary, but it will keep all that soapy water off of the insides of your door panels and seats. Remember: every bit of soapy water that you spray on the windows is going to come out while you squeegee the tint, and it has to go somewhere.
Tint Squeegee
-
You could improvise any number of different rubber squeegee products to stick your tint, but you'd probably be best off using one designed for the task. Anywhere that sells window tint should carry them.
Three Quarter and Some Tape
-
A smooth parting line is the mark of a professional tint job, and smooth lines come from using a blade guard to trim the tint once it's on your windows. Pro tint shops use specialized tools accomplish this task, but you can make your own out of a few quarters. Stack two quarters on top of each other, then put a third on top but slide it over so that it protrudes about 1/4-inch past the bottom two. Hold the quarters together using some electrical tape.
When you trim your tint, place the protruding quarter on top of the window's edge and place the razor right up against the bottom quarter. Run your improvised blade guide and blade around the top of the window and admire your perfect 1/8-inch separation line. Flip the quarters over to trim inside windows.
-
