Safety film on glass


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Old 05-01-19, 06:51 AM
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Safety film on glass

Easter Sunday one of my 8 yr. old grandsons smashed an arm and a knee through two panes of a single glazed, non-safety glass french door. Fortunately the cuts were shallow and only required two hours at the ER and 7 stitches.

They visit often, "so better late than never," I have installed 4 mil clear safety film on the inside of all the panes. It is an exterior vestibule door that opens in. However since the direction of impact was from the outside, I am wondering if I should put film there as well.

The product description and instructions do not specify whether the film can be used on the exterior. I have read that films on exterior can deteriorate from weather and UV exposure.

The door is protected by a covered porch--set back 8 feet from exterior. It does get some direct afternoon sun in the winter months. In any case safety will be the primary factor and appearance can suffer if necessary.

Two questions:

Can film be mounted on both sides of glass?

Would second film on exterior provide more protection from glass cuts than inside film alone?
 
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Old 05-01-19, 07:49 AM
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Plain glass doesn't block much UV so inside or outside probably doesn't matter much in regards to UV. You can put film on both sides. Normally it's installed on the inside where it is cleaner since cleaning the window improperly could put fine scratches into the film making it appear hazy.

I believe film on both sides would be safer. Film on one side should be enough to retain most of the shards but there is still sharp exposed edges on the other side. Covering both sides would at least put a layer of plastic between the sharp glass and any young knees and elbows.

Another consideration is to replace the glass with tempered. It will likely have to be ordered to size but then you wouldn't need to bother with films.
 
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Old 05-01-19, 08:33 AM
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I believe film on both sides would be safer.
Thanks what I thought. Thanks.

replace the glass with tempered
I agree, but I already had replacement glass on hand so I went with the film instead at a much lower cost.
 
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Old 05-01-19, 09:27 AM
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Non tempered glass in doors violates code. That's why the code exists... for safety.
 
 

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