Floors
Many shop owners prefer a slightly rough concrete surface that has been painted; sand is normally added to the paint during application. This type of flooring is easy to sweep, the sand greatly decreases the risk of a slip and fall accident.
Tile shop floors are not preferred as they become slippery when wet and lead to possible hazards. They might look nice initially but when the product you are working with requires a liberal application of water they are actually quite dangerous.
Dirty, cracked or stained floors bring the possibility of contamination every time they are walked on. Stirring up dirt in to the shop area when you are installing an optically clear product is a problem. Wet adhesive during installation is a contamination magnet, why add possible contaminates to the area if you don't need to.
Electrical Systems
Automotive installation shops require adequate wall space. Empty unobstructed wall space in a tint bay provides for certain necessary functions.
Glass Trimming Boards - These boards make installations easier by reducing trimming on car windows. The most common method is to mount the glass on a wall. Another method is to mount the board on a wheeled frame to allow movement around the car. You need one board per vehicle; however some installers prefer one on either side of the vehicle.
Film Dispensers - They allow you to keep your most popular films readily available. Your market will have "favorite" films, if you do any Car Dealership business, many cars will be done in the same film.
Tool Box or Bench - Count on using some wall space for tool storage. Work benches often have shelves underneath which also serve as film storage. Tool boxes and benches allow you to have a consistent location for all your tools at the end of the day keeping your installation areas clean and organized.
Contamination Control
Every installer goes to great lengths to perfect installation techniques, always striving to reduce contamination between the film and the glass. Consider this ongoing battle as you look for a shop to rent.
Potential causes of external contaminations:
We recommend viewing the location during working hours; this will allow you to know what happens during peak business hours. You might find that a nearby body shop blows dust in the air when doing bodywork. Perhaps a tire repair service blows out the interior of the bays at various times of the day or a nearby vacant lot might bring unacceptable levels of blowing dust.
All of these conditions are beyond your control; pre-existing businesses are not going to change business practices to accommodate your new location. Make sure you identify these known risks prior to making a final decision on your location.
Potential causes of internal contamination:
Skylights in the shop bay may let in natural light but those with vents with allow dust from outside to enter the shop. Bad window gaskets or seals allow dirt to enter around the windows; does the air conditioning system have space for a filter?
One cause that usually goes unnoticed is a building that might suffer from a "wind tunnel" effect when you open the door. If the front door slams or opens uncontrollably it is a sign of unusual airflow within the building envelope. These unusual and uncontrollable conditions make the location unusable for an automotive installation locations.
Inventory Storage
Inventory is expensive, film is your major "cost of goods sold" and as such this asset requires appropriate protection. Storage and inventory protection is yet another item to be addressed when looking for the best possible location.
Window Film has some very basic storage requirements.
1) Excess moisture is harmful and can cause the release liner to bond to the adhesive in some circumstances. Moisture is also the cause of demetallization (rusting of the metallized layers within the film). You need a dry and secure location.
2) Keep away from excessive heat, do not store in ocean containers or out buildings where temperatures are unmonitored for any period of time.
3) Film is best stored flat within its original box and with the end caps attached to support the film while in the box.
Does the location have an appropriate sized closet or can shelves be installed on the walls to hold the unused materials? Inventory storage area should be able to hold at minimum 6 rolls of 60 inch material or 10 rolls of 40 inch, this allows for installations on various window sizes and a variety of shades.
If there is no existing closet or shelves, can one be built to meet your needs? While it is not necessary many seasoned shop owners prefer to be able to see the inventory from within the office area in order to quickly determine inventory levels.
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