You imagine your ideal Portland area home with sparkling clean windows. However, despite how well you think you’ve cleaned your windows, you still end up with streaked with unsightly spots. These window streaks are caused by washing your windows with hard water. Hard water in Portland can cause damage to your windows, especially if they are tinted.
Many people think that water is just water. However, there are actually two basic kinds of water, hard water and soft water. The words “hard” and “soft” when applied to water have nothing to do with the way the water feels. Whether the water is hard or soft is dependent upon the mineral content of the water.
Hard Water
Hard water is the most common type of household water. As rain falls, the water seeps into the ground and makes its way into an underground aquifer. The water from the aquifer eventually emerges as part of a well or spring. On its journey through the ground, the water picks up minerals from rocks, typically calcium, lime, magnesium, and sulfur. After these minerals reach a concentration of at least one grain per gallon (gpg), the water is classified as hard. Cleaning your windows with hard water will result in window streaks.
Soft Water
Soft water has very little mineral content, less than 1 gpg. Soft water does not come from underground and therefore has not come into contact with minerals. Soft water is rather surface water found in rivers and lakes, or collected as rainwater.
Hard Water Portland?
Hard Read more [...]Continue Reading
When you think of window film, graphic installations might not be the first thing that comes to mind. In its most familiar use, tinted window film is characterized by subtle shading that protects people and interiors from glare, heat and ultraviolet light.
Film, however, isn’t just for glass. It is much more than just tinting for windows. We can install film on the walls of your offices, hallways, lobbies, or the windows and glass if you're a traditionalist, basically just about anywhere. Decorative film includes anything from a logo and text to large-scale murals.
Why not apply a cool film, eye catching design, or brand graphic to take your Portland work environment up a notch and impress your customers and clients!
Decorative Window Film Elevates Your Company's Brand
Branding is important for every company. Portland is filled with interesting businesses all looking for ways to stand out from the crowd. To stay visible in Oregon’s crowded landscape of companies, keep your brand front and center. You can do this in a variety of ways, through marketing, advertising and PR. Perhaps the easiest and most direct way to display your brand is with words and images on the walls and windows of your buildings.
Here’s how you can use decorative film to enhance visibility and brand identity.
Highlight your Portland pride by installing film carrying one of the city’s iconic images. We recently completed a piece showing one of Portland’s most recognizable sights.
No Read more [...]Continue Reading
Stained glass windows have been around since the first century. Their gorgeous designs were used to beautify buildings, manage light, and share cultural and religious stories. Churches and monasteries used stained glass windows to inspire the faithful through visual narratives. We like stained glass windows because their beauty changes as the light moves across them throughout the day. The bright colors and changing patterns of stained glass windows stand out against their backdrop and draw our attention and admiration. Stained glass window tint have become more popular for homes, as people look for ways to add charm, detail and self-expression to their residence.
Stained glass window tint – a great option for creating the look of stained glass
Although we’d all like to incorporate stained glass windows into our home décor, the cost of premade stained panels can be daunting. Pre-made stained-glass panels starting cost is $150 per panel and could go as high as $10,000 for larger windows and more detailed designs. Artisans may charge you a minimum of $1,000 for a custom panel.
While stained glass windows can cost thousands of dollars for materials and installation, stained glass window tint film offers more advantages at cost-effective rates. Stained glass window tint is a decorative, translucent film and provides an affordable, quality alternative that creates a visual effect similar to a stained-glass window.
Where to use stained glass window tint film
Your stained Read more [...]Continue Reading
Many architects are learning that tinted windows are one of the best things that could have happened to the world of architecture. In the past, architects had to make a choice between putting windows in places where they look attractive and letting in natural light, or making sure that the sun does not make the building uncomfortably hot. However, with better window tinting available for commercial and residential buildings, that is no longer an issue.
Architects can now focus on placing windows where they look best and where they will let in the most natural light rather than worrying about placing windows in locations that will not bring in too much heat.
A World Before Tinted Windows
Carefully Placed Windows
In the past, an architect needed to consider where to put windows based on where the sun would be less likely to overheat the house. For instance, on the West coast, such as in Oregon, Washington, and California, windows on certain sides of the house will receive sun at different times of the day. Windows on the east side of the house will receive sunlight at a low angle in the morning. On the west side of the house, windows can cause cooling problems as the sun will hit those windows as it is setting.
Large windows on the south side of the house can also cause cooling issues as they will receive the blazing mid-day sun. Those windows placed on the north side of the house will not often receive a lot of direct sunlight. That is three sides of the house were Read more [...]Continue Reading
Windows are often what customers first see when they look at your establishment. Big, bright windows create an open and welcoming image.
But those same windows can create problems. Glare, heat, UV damage and vulnerability to thieves and vandals are some of the downsides of large windows. Commercial window tinting can help. Window film helps you save money by reducing hot spots and glare. It can also slow burglars and thwart vandals.
Energy-Saving Benefits
Businesses often consider installing window tinting to help save energy. Window film reduces the heat that enters through windows keeping your interior cooler, reducing the need for air conditioning. You'll save on energy costs while reducing wear on your HVAC system. Employees will feel better when hot spots from southern-facing windows are eliminated. Savings can be substantial and we can help you calculate the potential financial gains.
Learn more by requesting an energy assessment.
How Much UV Protection Do You Need?
Even in cloudy Portland, the sun's rays can fade your furnishings. Sunlight damages floors, furniture, merchandise and equipment. Window film helps preserve the value of your property. More importantly, film can help protects people's’ health. You don't need to be sunbathing to experience the damaging effects of too much sun. Window film is available in various strengths of UV protection.
Learn more about window film's power to protect against the sun.
Does Your Business Require Privacy?
If Read more [...]Continue Reading
Pacific Window Tinting is a female-owned business built on great products and exceptional service. Since 1998, we have been Oregon's most trusted and respected provider of premium window tinting for commercial and residential properties.
Our window tinting services meet the highest standards in the industry. We ensure this is achieved in each and every project with our in-house crew of installation experts. None of the work is outsourced. Therefore, our staff from top to bottom has complete control over the quality of the work we do.
Click here to learn more about us or call us today at 503.736.9000.
You imagine your ideal Portland area home with sparkling clean windows. However, despite how well you think you’ve cleaned your windows, you still end up with streaked with unsightly spots. These window streaks are caused by washing your windows with hard water. Hard water in Portland can cause damage to your windows, especially if they are tinted.
Many people think that water is just water. However, there are actually two basic kinds of water, hard water and soft water. The words “hard” and “soft” when applied to water have nothing to do with the way the water feels. Whether the water is hard or soft is dependent upon the mineral content of the water.
Hard Water
Hard water is the most common type of household water. As rain falls, the water seeps into the ground and makes its way into an underground aquifer. The water from the aquifer eventually emerges as part of a well or spring. On its journey through the ground, the water picks up minerals from rocks, typically calcium, lime, magnesium, and sulfur. After these minerals reach a concentration of at least one grain per gallon (gpg), the water is classified as hard. Cleaning your windows with hard water will result in window streaks.
Soft Water
Soft water has very little mineral content, less than 1 gpg. Soft water does not come from underground and therefore has not come into contact with minerals. Soft water is rather surface water found in rivers and lakes, or collected as rainwater.
Hard Water Portland?
Hard Read more [...]
Continue Reading
When you think of window film, graphic installations might not be the first thing that comes to mind. In its most familiar use, tinted window film is characterized by subtle shading that protects people and interiors from glare, heat and ultraviolet light.
Film, however, isn’t just for glass. It is much more than just tinting for windows. We can install film on the walls of your offices, hallways, lobbies, or the windows and glass if you're a traditionalist, basically just about anywhere. Decorative film includes anything from a logo and text to large-scale murals.
Why not apply a cool film, eye catching design, or brand graphic to take your Portland work environment up a notch and impress your customers and clients!
Decorative Window Film Elevates Your Company's Brand
Branding is important for every company. Portland is filled with interesting businesses all looking for ways to stand out from the crowd. To stay visible in Oregon’s crowded landscape of companies, keep your brand front and center. You can do this in a variety of ways, through marketing, advertising and PR. Perhaps the easiest and most direct way to display your brand is with words and images on the walls and windows of your buildings.
Here’s how you can use decorative film to enhance visibility and brand identity.
Highlight your Portland pride by installing film carrying one of the city’s iconic images. We recently completed a piece showing one of Portland’s most recognizable sights.
No 
Windows are often what customers first see when they look at your establishment. Big, bright windows create an open and welcoming image.
But those same windows can create problems. Glare, heat, UV damage and vulnerability to thieves and vandals are some of the downsides of large windows. Commercial window tinting can help. Window film helps you save money by reducing hot spots and glare. It can also slow burglars and thwart vandals.
Energy-Saving Benefits
Businesses often consider installing window tinting to help save energy. Window film reduces the heat that enters through windows keeping your interior cooler, reducing the need for air conditioning. You'll save on energy costs while reducing wear on your HVAC system. Employees will feel better when hot spots from southern-facing windows are eliminated. Savings can be substantial and we can help you calculate the potential financial gains.
Learn more by requesting an energy assessment.
How Much UV Protection Do You Need?
Even in cloudy Portland, the sun's rays can fade your furnishings. Sunlight damages floors, furniture, merchandise and equipment. Window film helps preserve the value of your property. More importantly, film can help protects people's’ health. You don't need to be sunbathing to experience the damaging effects of too much sun. Window film is available in various strengths of UV protection.
Learn more about window film's power to protect against the sun.
Does Your Business Require Privacy?
If