Window Tinting in Bucktown, Chicago

Privacy Film for Bucktown Houses Backing Onto The 606

The 606 runs on the old Bloomingdale rail embankment along Bucktown's southern edge. Before it opened as a trail, the houses on the north side of that line backed onto an unused freight track. Now a steady stream of people walk, run and ride past at roughly the height of a second-floor window, and the rear bedrooms and baths that used to look at nothing now look at a busy path.

Because those rear windows face south, they also take the strongest sun of the day. That changes the film choice. On the Bucktown side, one product can handle both jobs: a frosted or patterned film with some solar rejection, or a reflective film on rooms that are mostly used in daytime. Owners often frost only the band of glass that lines up with the trail deck and leave the upper sash clear for sky.

Kitchens and family rooms facing the trail are different. People want to see out to the yard but not be watched from above. A gradient film that fades from frosted at the top to clear at the bottom works in some of those rooms, since the trail sits higher than the yard.

Heat Control Window Film for New Construction in Bucktown

A lot of Bucktown lots were rebuilt over the past few decades with single-family homes that have far more glass than the frame cottages they replaced. Floor-to-ceiling rear windows, glass sliders to a deck, and stair towers with roof-deck doors are common. Those rooms overheat on sunny afternoons from May through September.

Heat control film on the sunniest panes cuts the solar heat coming in and keeps the upper floors closer to the temperature on the main level. Before installing on new insulated glass, we look for the window maker's label and check that the film is compatible, so the window warranty stays intact.

• Frosted or gradient film on trail-facing rear windows
• Heat control film for big south and west glass
• Clear UV film for new hardwood and furniture
• Low-e film for stair towers and roof-deck doors

Storefront Window Film for Damen Avenue Shops in Bucktown

North of the trail, Damen Avenue has boutiques, salons, fitness studios and restaurants in two- and three-story brick buildings. Damen runs north and south, so storefronts on the west side get morning sun and those on the east side take the afternoon. Shop owners on the east side often call us about faded merchandise and hot fitting rooms.

Clear UV film protects displays without dulling the window. Frosted film keeps workout floors and treatment rooms private from the sidewalk. For both, we install after hours if the shop needs to stay open. Salon owners often add a frosted band with the shop name cut out of it, which doubles as signage.

Home Window Film for Older Bucktown Cottages and Two-Flats

Not every Bucktown house is new. Plenty of frame workers cottages and brick two-flats remain on the side streets, many with original or older replacement windows. These homes sit close to the sidewalk, and their front windows are small and few. Many have shallow front yards with a small porch and a short walk to the sidewalk.

For these houses we usually suggest low-e film for winter comfort and clear UV film for floors, with frosted film on any bathroom or bedroom window close to the street or the gangway. The aim is to fix what bothers you without making a modest old house look like a new one.