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3M Dichroic Glass Finishes on a building

3M Architectural Glass Finishes Can Mimic the Look of Stained Glass

When you think of stained glass you might have visions of a mosaic hand-crafted by an artisan. It’s the type of project that if you must ask how much it costs, you probably can’t afford it.

After all, premade stained glass panels can start around $150 to $200 and cost as much as $5,000 to $10,000 or more depending o the size of the window and the complexity of the design, and custom made stained glass generally costs $100 to $300 per square foot, although prices of $500 to $1,000 per square foot are not unheard of according Cost Owl.

“Stained glass creates a beautiful effect, but it’s difficult and expensive to install,” said Sunset Glass Tinting President, Eddy Russell. “With 3M architectural glass finishes, however, you can mimic the look of stained glass without the headaches.”

 

Create One-of-a-Kind Architectural Masterpieces

 

You have seen 3M Fasara glass finishes in action in the commercial workspace with the decorative window film able to provide privacy while letting in light and adding architectural flourishes.

This decorative glass and window film transforms plain glass, capturing the look of cut or textured glass at a fraction of the price.

3M authorized dealers, such as Sunset Glass Tinting, can help you create custom-cut shapes and patterns to give you the look you want.

For that stained glass feel, a crowd pleaser are the 3M Dichroic glass finishes that appear to change color when viewed at various angles.

3M Dichroic Glass Finishes: Stunning Visual Experiences

When a three-story children’s museum wanted a unique design solution for its walls and windows to create spaces that would spark learning and play for the children that visit it chose the 3M Dichroic glass finish.

Theses window films were applied to the building’s towering interior windows and achieved the appearance of stained glass in addition to a shifting and transparent visual experience.

3M Dichroic glass finishes can create one-of-a-kind architectural masterpieces at a fraction of the cost of color-shifting glass.

“Depending on the mounting surface color, viewing angle and lighting choice, 3M Dichroic Glass Finishes can take on a completely different look, letting you define spaces in an altogether original way,” says 3M.

How 3M Dichroic Glass Finishes Work

3M Dichroic glass finishes can give your interior and exterior building glass surfaces a unique stained-glass look.

Influenced by the color of the substrate, this transparent product provides a dichroic color effect, meaning they appear to change color when viewed at various angles.

  • Dichroic glass finishes have a clear, pressure-sensitive adhesive that can be applied to glass. A hard coated, protective surface layer helps resist scratching during normal use.
  • Dichroic glass finishes can be used in applications on the surface of interior glass, interior perimeter glass, and vertical exterior glass. Other Applications include partition walls, artistic glass and furniture.
  • Shimmering textures are available in cool and warm tones.
  • Film can be printed, cut, patterned or bent.

Benefits of 3M Dichroic Glass Finishes

Benefits of using 3M Dichroic glass finishes in your new build or remodel:

  • Create dynamic, color-shifting appearance in cool or warm tones influenced by the environment.
  • Transparent dichroic color effect changes color when viewed from different angles.
  • Easy application - wet application method of DF-PA virtually eliminates air bubbles, simplifying and speeding up application.
  • Product is resistant to cleaners and disinfectants including Clorox Bleach and Isopropyl Alcohol.
  • Expected Performance Life of 10 years for interior applications on non-perimeter glass, 7 years for interior perimeter glass, 5 years for vertical exterior glass (see Warranty).

3M Dichroic glass finishes comes in different sizes in two distinct finishes:

  • 3M Dichroic Glass Finishes DFPA Chill: The “Chill” product shifts colors in the cool tones of blue/magenta/yellow in transmission and gold/green/blue color regions of the spectrum in reflection.

o   Visible light reflectance 78 percent

o   Visible light transmittance 17 percent

o   Solar heat reflectance 21 percent

o   Solar heat transmittance 62 percent

o   Solar heat absorbance 15 percent

o   Sizes include: 8.5 inches by 11 inches; 48 inches by 9.8 ft; 48 inches by 32.8 yds.

 

  • 3M Dichroic Glass Finishes DFPA Blaze: The “Blaze” product shifts colors in the warm tones of cyan/blue/magenta in transmission and red/gold color regions of the spectrum in reflection.

o   Visible light reflectance 22 percent

o   Visible light transmittance 77 percent

o   Solar heat reflectance 25 percent

o   Solar heat transmittance 57 percent

o   Solar heat absorbance 13 percent.

o   Sizes include: 8.5 inches by 11 inches; 48 inches by 9.8 ft; 48 inches by 32.8 yds.

Contact Sunset Glass Tinting in the greater Houston area today to find out how we can help give your commercial or residential project a one-of-a-kind stained glass look at a price you can afford.