yup. its a pita, but as the video shows.... cleanliness is godliness. definitely not fun until you get into a groove on your 3rd out of 20+ window project, but super satisfying turning it on/off a million times after install while patting yourself on the back.
I'm still slightly disappointed with the finished product... the prismatic haze that comes with any glare that hits the film is a bit of a turnoff. its clear, but the haze makes it feel more like 90% with a hint of rainbow.
anywho, aaaand the rant goes like:
DO NOT wet apply, its the silicone-based glass adhere stuff and moisture will never migrate out and the adhesive won't stick.
lint-free EVERYTHING, clothing, microfiber rags, etc. I even brought my dyson vacuum from home so I could suck every bit of dust out of the room as possible, as to not kick it up during install. if there's drop ceiling nearby, it could be worth dusting as well right off the bat with some flicks of a microfiber. then vacuum&clean some more.
you won't be able to handle large sheets rolled-up like a wall/car wrap, don't even bother trying.
Tack the whole sheet up square & flat against the glass and apply that line gently. (i pre-cut 2" of the backer off the top line and pinch-folded 1" down from that to easily grab&peel from behind the sheet) It should hold well enough to be your "hinge" for the rest of the sheet. You'll have bubbles, no sweat, just peel it back a few inches to properly apply after you've dealt with the rest.
only peel as you're ready to go, and work top-down...only peeling the liner just enough to stay 6-18" ahead of your line, and squeegee gently but with intent. much like your smartphone protective glass, it wants to stick and self-level as it leans-onto the glass so you should be constantly slicing with your squeegee to keep that line moving downward consistantly. panels wider than 3', highly recommend a 2nd set of hands, both peeling and overlapping each other's strokes from center-out as you both work top-down.
if you see a spec of debris, FULL STOP, grab some painter's tape and peel the sheet up juuuust enough to get a hand in there with the tape and dab it off. sometimes its hard to see it once you've lifted the sheet back up, so i'll mark it with a torn piece of painter's tape before I pull the sheet up and trust that a couple solid dabs with the tape will grab whatever was there. rinse&repeat as needed. not squeegee'ng super hard during application saves you a TON of $$$ if you dent/embed the material with the debris. its not normal vinyl adhesive and won't heal with heat/love if you marr it.
oh yeah, and DO NOT introduce moisture anywhere near the copper/silverpaste strips. seal it up asap and especially before any final cleanups. I used a wet rag to cleanup my caulking lines and a drop of water must have gotten into the sealed area.... a week later the entire length of the sheet was fried because the copper/silver rusted and jumped in the middle, shorting it out beyond repair.
and if you have to trim it, DO NOT use a knife. the material requires a compression cut like a shear or, in a pinch, a sharp pair of scissors. drag knives separate the layers, ever so slightly, marring the liquid crystal layer, and then puffs out/shorts out when powering on.
