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Anyone who has struggled to fit a screen protector onto a mobile phone will understand how difficult it is to get a perfect, smooth result.
On a much larger scale, Raymond Rihari, co-owner of Protints, has perfected this task – he first learned how to apply a tint to a piece of glass around 13 years ago.
Protints, in Karepiro Drive, specialises in fitting high performance film onto the windows of homes, cars, caravans, boats and businesses. Raymond and his wife Gemma recently brought the business to Whangaparaoa when they moved here from South Auckland with their three young children towards the end of last year.
They say over summer, demand has been steady for their service.
This is because the benefits of tints, which have 99 percent UV protection, include reducing heat and damage to fabrics, such as leather.
The tints range in darkness from 5 percent to 35 percent. Gemma says that the lower end of the range is enough to provide additional security – for example preventing people looking inside a tradie’s van. Privacy is another reason that people want their glass tinted.
As cooler weather approaches, a tint can help with thermal insulation, acting like double-glazing.
Window decals, car wrapping, car and headlight tints (for protection from stone chips) and stickers in a wide range of sizes and designs are also among the services on offer. No job is too big or small – from covering a car or the windows of a commercial building to a humble lunchbox.
While Gemma handles the administration, business and sticker aspects of the business, mechanically-minded Raymond likes to spend as much time as possible around cars – something the window tinting allows him to do.
Before moving to the Hibiscus Coast, any spare time he had was spent on a track, racing his car. However, he says these days with beaches so close at hand, he is more likely to be out fishing.
