"Squirrel moment-- I have noticed that Marvin's Multi-slide SGD is 9/16" thick using a SGP interlayer. I've also noticed CGI's Estate Series SGD is 1/2" thick using a PVB interlayer." Within the glass industry and lesser extent the window industry, glass is measured and referenced in mm rather than in fractions of an inch for precision, although even people within the industry will refer to fractions at times usually when not being technical. For example, common, everyday, thicknesses of glass from a float might be 1.6mm, 2.0mm, 2.2mm, 2.5mm, 2.7mm, 3.0mm, 3.1mm, 3.9mm, 4.7mm, 4.9mm, 5.7mm, 5.9mm, 6.0mm....and so on. Imagine converting those into fractions and trying to keep track. If a window company wanted 1/8" tempered glass for use in an IGU, for example, then they would likely be getting 3.1mm, but if they wanted ordinary annealed glass, then they would probably receive 3.0mm. I could write pages about why thickness differences but suffice to say it can be simple in some cases and complicated in others. And some of those glass thicknesses directly relate to use with laminated glass. "Marvin's glass is a teensy bit thicker with an SGP interlayer (allegedly bomb resistant, I've read). I'm guessing Marvin uses the SGP interlayer to make the glass stronger." Here's a little secret for you, although glass is referenced in mm, interlayers in North America are usually referenced in decimal. Don't ask me why, that's just how it's done, but referencing interlayers in mm is becoming more common. This is why you can have a lami make up that's listed as 3.0mm/.090"/3.0mm. Weird but how it's done, but there's more. PVB comes in thicknesses of .015", .030", .045", .060", .090", with .090 generally used for impact products, but not always. PVB can also be stacked, for example adding two .060" for a total of .120". SGP comes in thicknesses of .030". .035", .038", .063", .095" and .100". So the reason why two laminated glass lites one with PVB and one with SGP aren't the same thickness is because SGP is slightly thicker than PVB. I do need to mention that there is an update to SGP since I retired and I don't know what thicknesses it comes in. Per bomb resistance, much of what I know in that area is very proprietary and not something I would post in public, but yes that is an option, but far from the only one, and I know some of them would surprise you. SGP has 5 times the tear resistance and is 100 times stiffer than PVB, but that isn't the whole story about how it functions as an impact resistant interlayer. Depending in the window size, aspect ratio, frame and sash materials, so on, sometimes SGP is the better choice and sometimes PVB is the better choice. They both have their place. 1-doesn't that make Marvin's door more qualified against hurricanes? Not necessarily, but I love SGP tear resistance in high wind situations. 2-Will the less-than-stellar ability of SGP to reduce outside noise to the degree that PVB can reduce noise be noticable? Is it a game changer? That's your call, but SGP does virtually nothing for sound resistance while PVB is used in sound and recording studio glass. 3-Seeing that both CGI and Marvin use the same Cardinal glass, the Marvin frame is allegedly on par or stronger than CGI's, do these facts make Marvin a superior product? Again not necessarily. Wood, vinyl, fiberglass, aluminum, have all been certified to hurricane codes, both Miami Dade and ASTM E1886 and E1996. Some sash/frames are stifff as heck and never move, others flex like crazy but stay in place. As long as they meet code that would not be my concern. Do I like Marvin better? Yes I do, but that has to do with a lot of other reasons, not just the material they use for their sash and frames.

decorative film is an idea like someone already suggested. An even less expensive option is to use clear contact paper on windows. You can do whatever pattern you like. Sunlight comes in, but people can't see in. You can also do an interesting pattern that doesn't completely cover the window if you want to be able to strategically peak out. I've done this in bathroom windows where I don't want blinds all the time, but want the sunlight.

I paid about $1100 to do (as I recall) about 9 windows, so your quote seems high. I obsessed over which tint to use--I didn't want to block the light! In the end, I went with the one the sales guy said is what almost everyone chooses, and blocks 97% of the UV rays (or close to that). He was absolutely right, I don't even notice that it's there. And now I want it on ALL the windows in our house. Then, you can assess whether you need a motor or whether you just want to take those blinds down. We have high windows (now with film on them) and I don't notice any glare or have any need or want to put anything else on those windows. It's fine.

It sounds like it does the opposite of what I need. I need it to block the light emitting from inside to outside. Yep, that was what I was suggesting, that mirror film is not an appropriate product for what you want it to do. Are there any other tinting materials that will block interior lighting at night. Yes, but at the cost of lower light transmission values. example Homes built on certain Florida beaches have to meet what's know as Turtle Code. Turtle Code limits indoor to outdoor light transmission to a maximum light level of 45% at night visible from the shoreline. Turtle code exists because hatchling sea turtles would see the light from beach homes and they would head toward the homes rather than heading to the water resulting in many thousands of hatchling sea turtle deaths over the years. Scientists discovered that as long as visible light transmittance from inside the homes was below 45%, the turtles wouldn't be attracted to it and they would follow moonlight out to sea as nature intended. So per turtle code, windows facing the water are required to have glass with light transmission values below 45%. Somewhat like the Turtle code, you want to limit the light in your home from leaving through your windows to the outside at night, and while that's doable, and pretty simple, it does mean that your window glass will need to be darker in order to lower the visible light transmission. To get a rough idea of what you will be looking for, a single sheet of clear glass transmits about 92% of available light, while a clear glass dual pane has a visible transmittance of about 82%. Adding LowE coatings to clear glass will drop light transmission from 80% using a single silver high solar gain product, down to 40% or lower using a tinted low solar heat gain, low solar glare product. After market films are much the sameas adding a LowE coating in that films come in a variety of light transmission levels and depending on how much light you want to block there is probably a film that will work for you in that application. I would suggest that turtle code 45% is a good place to start, so you might go to your local big box store and see if you can get small samples of different light transmission samples that you can look at to see which one might work best for you. But again keeping in mind that nothing is without some cost and there ain't no free lunches, blocking the bright light means blocking low light too so using a coated or tinted film will affect how you see out at night as well.