News

A new, gigantic, state of the art facility is now open in Gibsonia! Blackout Tinting North Pittsburgh is here.

Blackout Tinting started in a small home garage bay in 2011. Since then, we have moved to a larger location in Latrobe, and added an additional building in Latrobe for our emergency vehicle upgrades. Earlier this year, we have expanded to a second location!

This building is located in Gibsonia PA, about 4 minutes from the Butler exit on the PA turnpike. It was previously a Chrysler dealership, followed by a Powersports dealership – but it’s now the home of Blackout Tinting North Pittsburgh.

The building itself is about 18,000 square feet, most of which is dedicated to installing window tint, paint protection film, and ceramic coatings. For now, another portion of the building will be used for climate [...]

Paint protection film has been around for decades. It was created by 3M during the Vietnam war to protect blades on helicopters from getting damaged and causing problems with flying. Over the last 20 or so years, it has been used on cars more and more frequently. Like any product, there has been a lot of evolution in design and technology, and there are still some myths floating around that can cause people to be concerned about getting it on their vehicle. Our goal is to share with you the 5 most common misconceptions we come across daily.

Find out the 5 common misconceptions about coatings, and why they still make a lot of sense to get.

Ceramic coatings seem to be all the rage. If you are an enthusiast, or a professional in the detailing industry, it’s all you hear about. While the product awareness is great for companies that install coatings, and good for the consumer (because coatings really are awesome and you should have one) – it can bring some challenges. The biggest issue we face is correctly explaining what a coating will do, and what it will not do. We blame coating companies overstating the effects of coatings, and uneducated consumers spreading half-truths and outright lies about ceramic coatings. Ceramic coatings seem to be all the rage. If you are an enthusiast, or a professional [...]

A couple of months back we had an idea to invite all of our friends and customers to get together on a Sunday afternoon to bring the exotics out and just have a great time. We got an awesome response from everyone, and in early July we all met up. We expected about 6-8 cars, but we ended up with 13. After some good conversation and some time getting everyone introduced, we had to get some pictures before we set off.

We met at the Parking lot of the shop, and headed East on route 30 with the Jean Bonnet Tavern as our destination. The drive out was great – everyone was enjoying themselves and staying safe. The heads that turned to 13 supercars on route 30 was impressive! I followed in the back of the pack in my Gallardo, behind Jason in his Alpha R8.

When it comes to cleaning windows with tint on them, either tint from the factory or aftermarket tint, it is always a good idea to keep in mind that they should be cleaned carefully.
Why is this you may ask? If you were to use a glass cleaner such as original Windex, which has ammonia in it, the ammonia could potentially damage the film over time. When it comes to selecting a good glass cleaner, we recommend Griot’s Garage Foaming Glass Cleaner which we carry in stock, or Invisible Glass, or any glass cleaner to your preference that does not have ammonia in it. Windex also has an ammonia free glass cleaner now.

Also, when cleaning your windows, tinted or not, we recommend using high quality glass rags; we purchase ours from The Rag Company. Using [...]

When it comes to polishing different cars, you will realize that the same polishing pad might not work for every vehicle because some paints are hard while others are soft. For example, you may use an orange foam pad on a Ford, but if you try that same pad on a BMW, you might not get the results that you are looking for. Picking the right pad for the job is step one to waxing, polishing, or paint correcting a vehicle. Step two is selecting a good wax, sealant, polish or compound to go with the pad that you have chosen.

There are lots of great pads on the market available from a wide variety of manufacturers including Rupes, Griots Garage, Adam’s Polishes, Chemical Guys, Americana Global, Meguiars, just to [...]

Polishing Tight Areas

When it comes to polishing tight, and curvy areas, look no further – the Rupes iBrid Nano is the right tool for the job. A lot of these newer vehicles have various tight body curves and lines, and sometimes the bigger orbitals cannot reach or correct those areas properly. The 3 inch orbitals work well also, but can still be to big for the area you are working on. Rupes has designed a versatile orbital which allows you to reach and correct those areas with no problem.

The iBrid is one awesome tool, it has many features including, 1.25” pads, as well as 2” pads. This gives you the opportunity to change the pads out according to the specific area you are working in. The iBrid also features a [...]

In the event that you are unaware, not all window tint is permitted on your vehicle. Is your car tint legal? There are very particular rules that apply in each State. The team at Acme Window Tinting wants you to understand the State laws as they apply to window film. We can perform light transmittance test with a tint meter just like the police use, so come by for an absolutely free check with the meter if you are not sure about the legality of your vehicles tint.

Below is a complete list of each State’s laws on tinting.

This is a great article that appeared on the website Proud Green Home that mentions several ways to improve your house with home window tinting. Although the article was focused on how residential window films can make your home more energy efficient, we wanted specifically to share the seven ways they listed that your home would benefit from installing window film. The list was as follows:

• Reduces Glare – When you get your home windows tinted, then it will result in blocking significant amount of sun’s glare. This in turn avoids sun’s glare from blocking the outside view or your vision.
• Protect your House Interiors – The strong and harsh UV rays of sun can penetrate through windows of your house. However, prolonged exposure can damage your house furnishings, carpet, rugs and upholstery with passage of time. Window [...]

Did you know energy costs typically account for 30% of total operating costs?

As a building owner, manager, or engineer, you’re always looking for ways to reduce your operating expenses. Energy costs typically account for 30% of total operating costs and are usually the largest single expense. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that one-third of a building’s cooling load is from solar heat gain through windows, and nearly 75% of existing windows are not energy efficient. Energy saving window film can boost the performance of nearly any glazing system, significantly reducing energy consumption and peak demand.