Serving Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse & Western New York
Film that holds broken glass together — reducing injury risk from breakage and making smash-and-grab entry harder and slower. Explained honestly, without promises film can’t keep.
Ordinary glass breaks into sharp pieces that fall or fly. Safety and security film is a thicker, tougher polyester film bonded to the inside of the glass. When the glass breaks, the film holds the fragments together and in place instead of letting them scatter.
That matters in two situations. The first is accidents and storms: a ball through a window, a door swung into glass, a branch in high winds. Holding the glass in place reduces the risk of injury from falling or flying shards. The second is intrusion: someone can still break the glass, but film makes getting through it more difficult and time-consuming — and time is exactly what a smash-and-grab depends on.
OnSight installs Johnson’s Trident protective films, available clear or with solar control and in several thicknesses depending on the level of protection needed.
Johnson Window Films itself says safety film cannot entirely stop someone from breaking through glass. We’ll never tell you otherwise. If your project calls for a specific tested rating, ask us for the manufacturer’s specification and test data for the film we propose.
Slow down smash-and-grab entry through display windows and glass doors.
Glass near entrances, in corridors and in doors — where people are close to the glass.
Ground-floor glass, entry vestibules and street-facing windows.
Ground-floor and basement windows, glass doors and sidelights next to the lock.
Reduce injury risk where glass is most likely to be hit by accident.
Help hold glass together when wind-driven debris breaks a pane.
Safety films come in different thicknesses, measured in mils (thousandths of an inch). Thinner films are mainly about holding glass together after accidental breakage; thicker films add resistance to forced entry. Johnson rates its Trident films of 7 mil and thicker for protection against forced entry, extreme weather, seismic activity and blast hazards.
How the film is held at the edges matters too. On a standard installation the film stops at the edge of the glass; for higher-risk openings, attachment systems anchor the filmed glass to the frame so the whole pane is harder to push in. We’ll talk through which approach fits your windows, your risk and your budget.
Safety film can be completely clear — practically invisible from inside and out — or combined with solar control to cut heat and glare at the same time.
Scratched and etched glass is expensive to replace. Johnson’s Defendor is a clear anti-graffiti film applied over glass and other smooth surfaces as a sacrificial layer: when it’s tagged or etched, the damaged film is peeled off and replaced instead of the glass.
It’s optically clear, has a scratch-resistant coating, cleans with ordinary window cleaner, and comes in 4 mil and 6 mil thicknesses. The manufacturer lists storefronts, schools, malls, transit shelters, display cases, elevator doors and restroom mirrors among its typical uses.
No film can promise that. Security film makes breaking through glass harder and slower, which deters and delays many smash-and-grab attempts — but someone determined, with time, can still get through. It works best as part of a wider security plan.
No. Safety and security film retains broken glass and slows entry. It isn’t a substitute for tested impact-rated or bullet-resistant glazing systems, and we won’t describe it as one.
Yes. Clear safety films are designed to be nearly invisible. You can also choose a version with solar control.
It helps hold broken glass together and in the frame, reducing flying glass. It doesn’t make windows storm-proof.
It depends on what you’re protecting against: accidental breakage, smash-and-grab, or higher-risk intrusion. We’ll assess the openings and recommend a film and attachment approach, with the reasons.
Yes. Johnson rates its Trident films at 98% or more UV blocked, which also reduces fading.
