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I’m selecting windows and glass for our construction. Can anyone advise as to what the difference is in terms of security between say A) 6mm temperad glass and b)6mm regular glass with a layer of 3m antivandilism laminate stuck on? We have the choice to go with either option, or upgrade to 8mm thick glass too. One vendor says temperad glass is the best, but I hear when its broken it shattered so then a theif can just walk into the house, whereas with the 3m security film stuck on it can be shattered by the laminate will still hold the glass in place therefore preventing senor or senora ladron waltzing into my house and looting it. Obviously, I realize that a big aggresive dog and an alarm system are good for security too, in addition to bars on windows and doors, but I’d like to avoid the bars if there is a better glass option. suggestions welcome.
thanks, AlexThe tempered glass will shatter into rectangular pieces instead of shards. The security laminate keeps the glass integrally intact with the lainate and is very difficult to penetrate. After several break-ins into our office building in the states, we applied a high quality security laminate to all windows accessible from the ground level. A rock thrown at the glass did not penetrate the interior.
When we lived at the beach in North Carolina, we had 3M window film applied to all our Andersen windows which had “normal” glass. There, it was referred to as “the storm shutters that are always in place”. As grb points out, even if the glass should break, the film will hold it in place. It’s very, very difficult to penetrate. We’ve had Johnson window film applied to the windows in both our houses in Costa Rica.
Advantages of the films over tempered glass include the fact that the films filter out some 97% of the ultraviolet light that will otherwise rot your window dressings and furnishings and that you can get them tinted, if you wish. So if privacy is an issue, you can address that in the same purchase. You can get films that reflect the heat of the sun too.
Tempered glass offers a safety advantage to regular glass, but no appreciable security advantage. The security laminate works well but should be at least 6 mil (.006″) for security purposes. If you have the choice a multi-ply film will outperform a single layer product. The one disadvantage of film is that it doesn’t have the deterent effect that bars do. I sold and installed this product for twenty+ years and had good reults.
Daryl E.3M has a presence here in Costa Rica. A friend, who’s building a home now, has made the contact. I’m sure a Google search would turn up a lead.
Johnson window films are available from Control Solar in Alajuela. I’m pretty sure they’ll travel just about anywhere in the country. Try info@controlsolar.com. If that doesn’t work, let me know.
Important point: The Johnson films, and most of the 3M films, come only 1.5 meters wide. Any wider than that and they must be seamed. And the seaming is hardly invisible. If you’re still in the planning stage, don’t plan on any window being greater than 1.45meters on its smaller dimension. The other dimension can be virtually any size, as the film comes on a long roll.
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