Cheap window frosting, How much are you really saving?
As consumers, it’s human nature to always look for the savings or the “cheapest price” when making a buying decision. I totally get that. Sometimes we can be too caught up in price matching that we miss what is really important, “Knowing what you are really paying for”
And that’s why in this blog, I have jam-packed it with information for you so you don’t have to be burnt to learn, but …..
I’ll be direct and completely honest here and tell you, if you are only after the cheapest price, you can save time and STOP reading right now. There are plenty of people on HiPages, Gumtree and Google that can do a quick and cheap job for you.
But if you would like to work with a professional business, a director who is constantly learning and absorbing information about new products, is upfront and honest, and all while given a fair price on products and service, then keep reading.
What We Have Seen From Our Experience.
At Sydney Window Frosting, we’ve seen vast amounts of burnt and misled consumers over the years, consumers who only wanted the best for their home or business but were let down with inferior products and poor workmanship. With so many options out there it’s hard to distinguish what is really right for your situation through the noise. It’s quite alarming the amount of absolutely shocking jobs we have seen out there and had to fix.
But What Is The Problem With Cheap Window Frosting?
- Visually, cheap window frosting actually looks cheap and nasty.
- The sun will cause shrinkage, therefore leaving a perimeter of glue around the edge where dirt and dust will stick to.
- Your air-conditioning will dry out these films, therefore this will also create the same issue as above.
- Drying out of films will also create cracks which will get larger and more widespread over time.
- The edge of the film will peel away from the edge of the glass.
- They will yellow or discolour over time.
- The cheap films have been known to leave a bad toxic adhesive smell in some cases, (very different to the new car vinyl smell premium frosting can leave)
- In a short time after installation, you will have to pay to have the frosting removed and then have new frosting installed. Leaving you more out of pocket.
How To Avoid The Above happening To You.
- Always read testimonials/reviews and view previous work. (a website says a lot about a business, especially in creative industries)
- Make sure you use an established specialist, who does this every day. (not a mobile cowboy)
- Make sure they are using a high-quality product that exceeds the Australian standards. (get this in writing)
- If you are offered a “Lifetime warranty” make sure you question this and ask what it actually means, most of the time they won’t even know. (I personally find this really misleading, not just for the client, but also for the honest suppliers in the window film industry)
- Make sure they are using a high quality European / product made in the USA that exceeds the Australian standards. (get this in writing)
A SHOCKING True Case Example
The worst case we ever came across … A client of ours went down the cheap path, they purchased some rolls of frosting from an Australian hardware chain (Not mentioning any names) thinking they could save some money. They followed all instructions and most likely did an alright job of the installation. The problem was that this was installed on windows that face outside, the sun was so hot on this particular day that glue from the frosting had melted, the frosting slid down the window and all the adhesive had dripped down the glass onto the window sill and wall. Not only did the inferior frosting and glue have to be removed, the wall and window sill had to be scraped and repainted. That was a pricey lesson for him.
When Should Cheap Window Frosting Be Used?
Honestly, we have and do use cheap window frosting, but it needs to be done in the right situation. If a builder wanted some privacy on the glass on a building that is in fit out for a number of weeks, obviously it is silly to have something top of the line, this is when we can just get something cheap installed, ensuring it’s still a trusted film we know will still last at least a year. The same goes for when we are working on television sets, sometimes they just want to frost or block out the windows if they want to block something that’s outside, again, cheap frosting and window films are great in this situation. If you want cheap window frosting for your house, business or office, I’m sorry, but it is not something we can do for you.
Still don’t believe us? This is why we take photos of some of the jobs we have has to fix.
*Click here to see the full gallery of shocking poor quality window frosting examples
Achieving a great window frosting result is an artform. To say the least, it’s not hard to tell the professionals from the amateurs when you know what you’re looking for. We have compiled this article with information and pictures of “ACTUAL JOBS” that we have seen. We can not believe the lack of detail and poor workmanship some businesses have gotten away with. These are clear representations of why it is important to work with highly skilled professionals.
Shrinkage Of Cheap Window Film
This image depicts the shrinkage that can occur from cheap frosting. In this case the installation was relatively fine and would have looked great to the client at the time of completion. The problem that lies here is that 2 years down the track this frosting has shrunk on the glass by about 10mm.
The gap where it has shrunk will leave a sticky glue section which will eventually lead to dust sticking to it and leaving a rather ugly looking edge.
The gap where it has shrunk will leave a sticky glue section which will eventually lead to dust sticking to it and leaving a rather ugly looking edge.
Believe it or not, this has absolutely no direct sunlight whatsoever. Proof that air conditioning can shrink cheap frosting.
The issues with this job were:
- A cheap product was used – Looked good at the start, but fell apart soon after.
What is the result of this?
- Ugly & unprofessional appearance
- Short term life
- Spending time and money to remove and replace it.
Poor Workmanship
This photo was taken from a job site we visited, this seems to be a common trend we see. Although the frosting used on this job was of a high quality, what lacked here was the workmanship. It doesn’t matter what brand or what quality is used, if you do not care about the finish and attention to detail, you will still end up with a poor result.
The issues with this job were:
- The installer did not care about the attention to detail
- There was no trimming performed on the bottom edge
- A hole was left in the frosting, the panel should have been replaced
What is the result of this?:
- Ugly and unprofessional appearance
- Untrimmed edge will continue to lift
- Dust and moisture will get inside, therefore having to remove and replace the frosting.
DIY Hardware Chain Frosting
What you see here is a cheap DIY job, we spoke to the customer about this and they thought they could save some money by buying some film from a discount hardware chain and doing it themselves …. The problem here is that these films are notorious for having a very short term life, bubbling, peeling and yellowing.
What you see here is a cheap DIY job, we spoke to the customer about this and they thought they could save some money by buying some film from a discount hardware chain and doing it themselves …. The problem here is that these films are notorious for having a very short term life, bubbling, peeling and yellowing.
The issues with this job were:
- Cheapest frosting was purchased
- It was difficult to install
- This option is NEVER a long term solution, but always brings long term pain
What is the result of this?
- Ugly and unprofessional appearance
- Short term life
- Spending time & money on repairing your window sill and wall
- Having to pay a professional to remove it
- Having to pay a professional to do it right on top of the money already spent
Other Things That Can Happen When Choosing The Cheapest Quote
- Unorganised
- Inexperienced
- Poor Customer Service
- No Safety or PPE
- No Insurances
- Unable to match cheap products down the track if you need them replaced as suppliers have gone out of business, leaving you to have to replace the lot
I'll Leave It There For You To Make Your Informed Decision.
I didn’t write this article to make every reader scared and only want to use Sydney Window Frosting, you have the freedom of choice to use whoever you want to. In Fact being very connected in the industry I can tell you for a fact, there are a lot of amazing companies out there that do top quality work and I would much rather you use them than someone who will leave you burnt. I like to think we are the best for window frosting in Sydney, but hey … maybe I’m being biased 😉
“We would rather lose a job on price, than win by deception”
\Sydney Window Frosting – (Proform Projects Pty Ltd)
