New study shows region's extreme wind risk in a monster storm

A new study has come out detailing the billions in losses that would be caused by a major hurricane sweeping over Houston. Here is the link.

This article has a flaw - it only mentions one potential solution "shutters" which is unrealistic. Can you put shutters on glass buildings? Not really. Are shutters economically sensible? Not really. But there is a better solution that can be applied to existing buildings and new ones as well.

Despite giving numerous presentations to prestigious architectural firms, I've found that builders and architects in Texas still do not know about "security window film" like my company Armor Glass sells. I call it "invisible shutters."  You could also call it "invisible burglar bars."

Hurricane-rated Security film provides essentially the same protection as shutters for 10% of the cost of shutters.  Security film also cuts solar heat and harmful UV and protects from burglars, which open shutters do not.

Our company recently finished installing our Armor Glas Security Film on a dorm at Rice (Weiss). During IKE in 2008, the students were moved from one glass building to another before the administrators realized that they were no safer. Now, the students can "shelter in place" at Weiss during a hurricane. The film is even anchored to the window frames so they can take a Large Missile impact without blowing in.

And because the dorm rooms used to be so hot from sun coming through the glass, we used a tinted version that cuts 55% of the solar heat - saving enough energy to pay for itself in a couple years!

We need to upgrade our buildings folks BEFORE the next big one. IKE blew out windows all over town - and it was only a CAT 1!

Even that small storm stripped windows out of buildings like Chase Tower downtown. Had they had our film and frame attachment installed, they would not have lost a single window, even if broken. They would have spared tenants months of construction delays and lost equipment and documents which were sucked out of windowless offices.

Being prepared means taking action before the "next big one" hits. Are you prepared?

Why Solar Film (Without Security) is a Waste of $$$

It's almost SUMMER and already it's HOT.  People looking for relief are tempted to put solar film on their windows. However, that is a WASTE of money. Here's why.

All Solar Film does is cut out the heat from the sun's rays -- and nothing else. It is about 2 mil (or less) thick. It provides zero protection from burglars, wind-borne debris tossed by hurricanes and large storms. In this day and age it is the equivalent of putting 1-ply tires on your car and expecting them to hold up.  Instead, they will fail at the most inconvenient time possible.

What does make sense for those of us who live in areas subject to break-ins, tornadoes and hurricanes is SECURITY Film - it not only cuts out the sun's heat but it is "Large Missile" rated to prevent breaches (4.5 lb Level "C"), explosion rated and Miami Dade hurricane rated (PA 201, 203).
At 8 mil, security film it is four times thicker than cheap solar film. To see how easy it is to break ordinary glass (even with solar film), check out this video demo we made:


Unlike solar film, security film will provide real security from intrusion of your building's weakest link -- its windows -- by Mother Nature or uninvited humans as well as cut down on solar heat (up to 79%) and harmful UV (99%).  It's like riding on 4 ply tires that will hold up from the punishment.

So why waste your money on cheap solar film when every day homes and businesses face threats from break-ins and hurricane-force winds during storms?

Pick Armor Glass certified Security Films to protect you from both solar heat and an unwanted breach of your windows. And the cost is still a fraction of what shutters or impact glass costs per square foot. 

How much is your family's security worth? Contact us for a FREE quote.

Hurricane Season Gets EARLY START

Mother Nature didn't get the memo - Hurricane season isn't supposed to start until June 1. Yet, we already have tropical disturbances in the Atlantic and Pacific - two weeks early!

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/story/2012-05-20/alberto-tropical-storm-watch/55087964/1

Stay tuned! And prepare!

Making Houses Storm Resistant

An interesting article from a Lubbock researcher talks about how we need to build our houses better to withstand bigger storms. They specifically recommend using "masonry" instead of wood. So far, so good.

However, what the article does NOT mention is the building's weakest link - its windows! What good is it to use masonry instead of wood and yet a storm can easily blow out its cheap windows? That's where Armor Glass security films come in - they "armor the glass" to prevent such blow-outs which lead to internal damages and structural failure from the internal wind pressure.

Bottom line: The stronger your house or building, the better protected its occupants and equipment...

Pharmacy Break ins

We did an emergency installation at a pharmacy on Monday - last week a guy broke through a glass door and spent 8 minutes inside stealing narcotics.  We had put our film on their glass - but the guy got in via a back door that wasn't "armored" with our film.

They said that our film held but that the inner frame of the door failed - so they are ordering a better door and have asked us to put our security film on that door ASAP.

Meanwhile I keep hearing that one of our competitors keeps telling people that they don't need frame bonding after applying the film to TEMPERED glass. Tempered glass is like your care windows - it breaks into small pieces and WILL detach from the frame UNLESS bonded to the frame with Dow 995 structural sealant. 

If that happens to you, then if someone hits it, this is what you will find - your glass laying on the floor because it wasn't bonded to the frame! Don't settle for unprofessional work like this! Call Armor Glass and get it done right....

Armor Glass in the NEWS -

Armor Glass was at the Baytown Hurricane event this weekend. Here is a photo of one of our windows taking a 5 lb hit with a hammer by one fierce hitter!

Try this on your windows without Armor Glass and see the result! (Then again, maybe that's NOT such a good idea! "Armor Your Glass" with Armor Glass. Ask for a FREE quote...

Armor Glass Security Film versus a BRICK - Just TRY This at Home! (Not!)

Demo of Armor Glass security film VERSUS a BRICK - just TRY this on one of your windows! (NOT!)