I have a window that I would like to have some light come through but I want some privacy as well. It is a garage window. It gets full sun so any curtains I hang up look bleached and awful after about a month. I'm thinking some kind of stained glass look or etched look. Any ideas to give privacy but lots of light? I love this website. So helpful!
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If you go to your paint supplier and ask about a matte finish by Krylon, I think you would be happy with it. You could spray it on and leave it or....
I use it to coat the top of plexiglass before I paint so that the paint will adhere to it. Now, you could coat it with the matte finish, place a stained glass pattern on the opposite side, so you can see your pattern and then paint away. There are lots of free stained glass patterns on the web that you could use.
I let the matte finish sit for 24 hours. Then I paint/trace the black lines on the matte side of the stained glass picture, making them perfectly neat and the same size. Then I fill in with the colors I am going to use. If the painting is going outside then I use Patio Paints but if inside any acrylic paint would be fine. Since this window is in full sun, Patio Paints would be best since they do not fade in the sun like normal acrylic paints do. Once the colors are filled in then I touch up the black lines once again.
Voila, you are done and most people who look at your painting will think that you have spent a lot of money and bought a stained glass picture. (Little do they know). This project is very easy to do...I am the Jr. Gardener leader for our area and we did this with all the kids as the craft at June '05's meeting.
Good luck, let us know what you are going to do.
How about white curtains? If anything, they'll look better after sunbleaching.
There is a"frosted" look contact paper that I put on windows that I want light through but don't need to be able to see through. It sticks really well to glass and then is easy to remove if you want a change.
Try going to your local home decorating/hardware store and look for window products (like ones called Light Effects) that are rolls of material that you stick to your windows, giving them a stained glass effect. They usually have many options, including a frosted look, which will give you the most light coming through, or you can opt for a stained glass pattern if you wnat soemthing more decorative.
I saw this on DIY TV. Get the clearish plastic that is used with florescent lights (or something similar). Put a simple wood lath frame around it and hang it by eye hooks to the window frame.
Contact puts out an adhesive roll that is opaque. Being white/clear, it lets light in but nothing else! I used to use it for my bathroom window that had no curtain. Easily replaced when necessary. (Be sure the window is clean before trying to attach the Contact.)
This worked out great for my computer room (clear contact paper) as the road is very close to this end of my house. Been on at least a year and a half.
If you go to Home Depot they have a product, I am not sure what it is called, but it looked like you have a stained glass window. It is like a huge sticker that you put up in the window. We put it up on our back door, and on our front door so people can't see in. We took the molding off from around the windows and put the "sticker" on and then put the molding back on. It works great and looks wondersul.
I used the stained glass contact product several years ago for a bathroom window. It works great!
I just went to a local discount store and purchased a mini blind to hang in my garage window. I love it.
I have used a paint that gives the look of etching. You can use a stencil to create different designs on your window filling in as much space as needed for privacy.
I had a clear window in a bathroom one time, with no covering. I got a frosted plastic piece from Home Depot that was intended as a panel for a ceiling light. I attached it to the frame with push pins and, from a distance, it looked like a frosted window.
Currently, my garage door has a window set in the top half, with 9 panes. We installed frosted window film from a white roll with a rice paper pattern. You just use water and a squeegee to adhere. I installed this over 5 years ago and it still looks pretty good. I just rewet the corners and smooth it out whenever I clean the door.
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