We fit window film to the cafés, restaurants, shops, galleries, offices and flats of Vecrīga (Old Riga), the city's historic centre. Here it is almost always a question of light, unobtrusive solutions - UV protection, a gentle solar film or frosted glass applied from inside. We measure every pane separately, free of charge. Prices from €25/m², film and labour together.
In Vecrīga the first question isn't which film performs best. It is which film is permissible and appropriate on this particular building at all. The glass on the street side is part of the façade, and in the historic core a strongly mirrored or dark tone generally won't do - even where technically it would be the most effective option. So we start from what suits the building and only then talk about heat, glare or privacy. Whatever is chosen has to be agreed with the owner, the managing agent or the terms of the lease; we don't do that for you and we make no claims about permissions.
The second Vecrīga factor is the window itself. The panes are small, of unequal size and not always rectangular, the glass old and thin, the frames shifted over time. So the final figure here is set by the number of panes, not by square metres: ten small panes take more work than a single shopfront of the same area. Prices start from €25/m², covering both film and labour; prices are excl. VAT, with a €75 minimum order, and measuring and quoting are free. We give the exact figure once every pane has been measured separately.
The work itself is gentle - the film goes onto the existing glass, windows aren't taken out and frames aren't touched. In the pedestrian zone we carry materials the last stretch by hand, and on commercial properties we usually work early in the morning, before trading starts. The clientele here is markedly commercial: cafés and restaurants, ground-floor shops and salons, galleries, offices on the upper floors and flats in the same buildings. Behind us are 15 years of work and more than 400 completed properties in Riga and within a 50 km radius. We have no office or store in Vecrīga - we drive out there, so we agree the time in advance. If there is already old, yellowed or bubbling film on a shopfront, removing it is a separate job: on old glass it has to be done carefully, and cleaning off the adhesive takes time.
In Vecrīga the choice is governed not only by what works, but by what is appropriate to the building.
In masonry buildings of the medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and later periods, the glass on the street side reads as an element of the façade. A strongly mirrored or dark film changes how the building looks from outside, and in the historic centre that is usually not an appropriate solution. We say so in the very first conversation, not after the material has been ordered.
It also matters that we take on no approvals process and make no assertions about permissions. Whatever is fitted to a historic building has to be agreed with the owner, the managing agent or the terms of the lease. Our part is the technical one: during the survey we assess what suits the particular glass and the particular space, and put forward options you can then take further.
In practice that means the film fitted in Vecrīga is more often one that can barely be noticed from the street than one that changes the tone of the glass.
In historic windows the panes are finely divided, often of unequal size, and the frames have moved over the years. Two visually identical windows on the same façade can differ by a couple of millimetres in each direction. So here you can't measure one pane and assume the rest are the same - we measure each one separately and cut the film on site.
The glass itself tends to be thin, slightly rippled and in places finely cracked at the glazing bead. On old timber the paint on the frames is soft and absorbent, so we use water and cleaning fluid sparingly, cover the edges and don't let water run into the frame joints. The sills are often stone or timber and as old as the window, so they get covered too.
The pace of work changes noticeably as a result. A shopfront and a finely divided historic window of the same area are not the same job, and we build that into the quote honestly at the time of measuring.
At street level the window is often shopfront, display and wall all at once. In a café, a guest at a window table sits an arm's length from a passer-by; in a shop the sun falls directly on the stock; in a gallery light is both necessary and dangerous to the work on show. Here two briefs are most often solved at once - partial opacity across the lower part of the glass and UV protection across the whole window. A frosted band or a decorative pattern applied from inside solves the privacy without altering the building's overall appearance.
Above the cafés and shops there are offices and flats, where the situation is different. Nobody looks in from the street up there, but the windows of the building opposite are close - narrow streets mean the neighbouring façade is sometimes a few metres away. In summer the roof spaces and upper floors heat up, and in attic-type rooms with sloping windows that is pronounced. Here a light solar control film works well, with a frosted option on individual panes and the rest of the windows left clear.
An almost clear film that barely changes the look of the glass from the street. Protects fabrics, timber finishes, stock and works on display from fading.
The lighter grades with high light transmission. Helps reduce heat and glare in offices and upper-floor rooms without making them gloomy.
For the lower parts of shopfronts, consulting rooms, glass partitions and stairwell windows. The light stays, the view through does not, whatever the time of day.
Patterns, bands and logos on glass for shops, cafés and offices. Often solves privacy and replaces stickers on the shopfront at the same time.
For street-level shopfronts and door glazing. Holds the shards together if the glass is broken, and being clear it doesn't alter the look of the façade.
For complete screening indoors - storage areas, kitchen windows onto the courtyard, washrooms and plant areas.
It is no accident that mirror film isn't top of this list. It is a good film, and in other Riga neighbourhoods we fit it often, but on a historic-centre façade it usually isn't an appropriate look. If it is nonetheless worth considering on your property - on the courtyard side, say, or on internal glazing - we discuss it during the survey. Prices for every type are collected on the prices page.
1. Enquiry. Fill in the form with the street, the type of property and the main problem. If the space is a café or a shop with set opening hours, or if the building is historic and the solution has to be agreed with the owner, mention it straight away.
2. A call within 5 minutes. We'll call and talk the situation through. Often that conversation alone makes clear whether we are talking about UV film, a light solar film or a frosted solution, and roughly what it will cost.
3. Free on-site measuring. We come out, measure every pane separately, look at the condition of the glass and frames, the access, and how the window reads from the street. We show you samples by holding them against the actual glass.
4. A fixed price. The quote covers film and labour together, excl. VAT. If the space needs the owner's or the managing agent's approval, this is the point at which the quote can be passed on. The price doesn't change afterwards as long as the scope of work doesn't.
5. Installation. Most properties are finished in a day. On commercial premises we usually start early in the morning, before trading begins. We wash the glass, cut the film on site, cover the sills and floors, and clear everything away behind us. Full drying takes a few days - during that time you may see slight haziness on the glass, and that is normal.
Tell us the street, the type of property and the main problem - heat, glare, fading or privacy. We'll call you and talk you through the quote.
Vecrīga is predominantly a pedestrian environment, and vehicle access and deliveries are regulated. In practical terms that means we carry the materials the last stretch by hand - rolls of film, water, ladders and tools. It isn't difficult, but it takes time, and that is why we ask before the visit where we can briefly stop to unload, how far the entrance is from there, and whether there is a courtyard.
The second thing is the stairwells. In old buildings the stairs tend to be narrow and winding, there is often no lift, and the doorways are low. That is all normal to us - we just need to know in advance so we can allow the right amount of time and bring shorter rolls. Note the floor in the enquiry, and whether the entrance is from the street or the courtyard.
Driving times across the city depend on the hour, on roadworks and on events, so we don't promise an exact arrival minute - but we always agree the time in advance and let you know if anything changes.
Most Vecrīga properties are cafés, restaurants, shops, galleries and offices operating in a flow of visitors. In practice the best time to work is early morning, before opening, while the street is still empty and there are no guests in the room. Typically we finish the shopfront or dining-room windows by the time the doors are unlocked.
If the property is larger, we split the work into parts - one shopfront, one room or one floor a day, so that business doesn't stop. In offices we often plan it for the weekend. In flats on the upper floors there is no such constraint, and the client picks the time.
See also the full Riga page, the list of areas we cover and our window film services.
The most typical jobs in historic-centre commercial premises and flats, with starting prices.
The price includes both the film and the labour. Prices are excl. VAT, with a €75 minimum order. Measuring and quoting are free. In Vecrīga the final figure is driven above all by the number and size of the panes, so we give an exact price after measuring. The full price list is on the prices page.
Vecrīga borders the rest of central Riga, and in the neighbouring areas the briefs change quite sharply. The Centre has Art Nouveau and inter-war buildings with large, tall windows; across the bridge in Klīversala and Ķīpsala the new buildings begin, with floor-to-ceiling glazing where film delivers its most striking result; in the Moscow Suburb the stock is more varied, with timber and masonry buildings side by side.
If you have several properties - a café in Vecrīga and an office in another neighbourhood, say - they can be submitted in one form and we'll schedule them as a single job with two visits. The full list of areas we cover is on the service area page. We have no branch or office in Vecrīga - we drive out there.
That is a question to be settled with the building's owner or managing agent, and we say so openly. In Vecrīga the appearance of the glass from the street is part of the building's façade, so strongly mirrored or dark films are usually unsuitable on historic buildings. We don't take on the approvals process on your behalf and we promise nothing about permissions. During the survey we look at the windows and tell you which solutions would be appropriate technically and visually, so that you can put them to the owner or the managing agent.
In practice there are three. An almost clear UV film, which doesn't change the look of the glass from the street but protects fabrics, timber finishes, books and stock from fading. A light solar control film with high light transmission, where the room is too hot or the brightness is a nuisance. And frosted or decorative films applied from inside - for partitions, consulting rooms, stairwell windows and the lower parts of shopfronts. A dark or mirrored option is chosen here only rarely, and only where it genuinely suits the building.
Slowly, and one pane at a time. In Vecrīga windows the panes tend to be small, of unequal size and not always rectangular, and two windows on the same façade can differ by a couple of millimetres. So we assume nothing from a sample - we measure every pane separately and cut the film on site. Old glass tends to be thin and rippled and the paint on the frames soft, so we use water sparingly and cover the frame edges. If a pane is cracked or loose in the glazing bead, we tell you before the work.
We can, but it works far better before opening. The most common arrangement in Vecrīga is an early morning - we arrive while the street is still empty and finish the shopfront or dining-room windows before the first guests. If the job is larger, we split it into parts: one shopfront or one room a day, so trading doesn't stop. The alternative is to work after closing. Just give us your opening hours in the enquiry and we'll fit in around them.
By hand. Vehicle access in Vecrīga is restricted, and in many places you simply can't stand at the entrance for long, so we carry the rolls of film, the water and the tools the last stretch ourselves. It isn't difficult, but it affects the planning, so we ask in advance about the street, the entrance, the courtyard, the stairwell and the floor. If the building has no lift, or the stairs are narrow and winding, that is no obstacle - we just need to know beforehand so we can allow the right amount of time.
Prices start from €25/m², and that includes both the film and the labour. Prices are excl. VAT, with a €75 minimum order. Measuring and quoting are free. In Vecrīga the final figure is driven not by the total area but by the number and size of the panes: ten small panes take more work than a single shopfront of the same area. That is exactly why we measure first and only then give a fixed price.
Describe the situation in the form - we'll look at the windows, recommend the most appropriate option and give you a quote.
We have received your enquiry and will prepare a quote. We will call you on the phone number you provided.
