apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Ooh! Ooh! I totally need these for my apartment. Too bad they're so costly and I'm renting...Can you remove and re-use the film?

$75? What?

They certainly are pretty but for $75 you could buy a really nice curtain! A curtain that you can take with you when you move!

Sooo...anyone have a source for something cheaper?

These are gorgeous, Im so glad Im in decorating phase! I'd be willing to pay the extra pretty penny for these.

Does anyone know if these would work on clear acrylic?

The website says it works on any glass surface - no info on other surfaces.

Ugh. I ordered these with high hopes about a year ago (the design shown here at the top but in a turquoise blue) for the inside of an exterior glass door. Disaster. Hard to apply (definitely a two-person job); air bubbles were a major problem even with proper application. They're also impossible to remove...I'm still scraping bits off. Skip the hassle and expense and get a pretty curtain that you can change when the mood strikes.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30079228
I'd love to know if anyone has tried this window film from Ikea. Is it easy to remove? Is it easy to apply? The price is certainly right...

kittyj,

Home Depot carries an less expensive, albeit much less designy version. I assume you could find it at Lowe's, too. Look in the window coverings section. At the PO, it's usually at the end of an aisle. Comes in tubes.

Go to homedepot.com and search window film or privacy film. Not much online -- better choices in the store. But be warned. There's a reason why Emma Jeffs' is more $$. It just looks better.

I got some from the 'Po for my backdoor. The view is right into my neighbor's kitchen... and the view from their kitchen is into my bedroom. I considered sending them an invoice for all the free nudie viewing they got, but then I decided it wouldn't be worth the hassle arguing over how many total hours they actually got. I mean, from their point of view, just because I was on show doesn't mean they were watching. You can see how that could get sticky.

Clearly I digress...

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Navigation?N=10000003 90401 529070&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

P.S. This is what I have.

Photo of it in use: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/2418146554_01924740a1_b.jpg

Product link: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100051503&N=10000003 90401 529070

My storm door has wrought iron over the glass. All in all, not bad for what it is. I think I chose well from what was available. I can keep my backdoor open in the spring/fall and let some light in, and not have to worry about billing the neighbors. Maybe now that there are some less hideous versions on the market, I'll upgrade.

Those are very nice. However, money is hardly ever not an issue. For me, anyway. Here's a link to a source I've utilized:
http://www.decorativefilm.com/index.html
I much prefer films where installation involves wetting the glass because it allows for minor or major corrections. My peel & stick installations have all ended in cussing & stomping.

I've used films from http://www.decorativefilm.com (Solyx) and from http://www.wallpaperforwindows.com

Both are great.

The best look I found was with a laser-cut film from On Site Systems (They do all the glass for Cirque du Soleil among others). http://www.on-sitesystems.com/

They can make custom films (and regular etched glass, which they've also done for me in the past).

I wanted a very specific look for some glass closet doors in the room I use as my den/office, and this is the result. I started with a photo-ilustration and had it converted to vector format before sending the file to On-Site.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7878321@N03/2404961282/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7878321@N03/2404134803/

Articles and content in this section of the website are really amazing. From http://www.goindiamedicaltourism.com

Hmmm, @Vbansal, I don't want to sound like a doubting Thomas, but I find it hard to believe that "Go India Medical Tourism dot com" is home to indepth discussions of designer adhesive film...

if you're applying vinyl there are some tricks to laying it down right. I displayed in a gallery and we put vinyl words all over the top of the gallery. Luckily one of my friends worked at the sign shop and did the vinyl, but he taught us some tricks of the trade.

- Make sure it's exactly where you want it, re positioning over and over, tape into place along the top, so it's hanging in the exact spot. Only along the top, like a hinge. If it's curling because it was rolled let it in curl naturally for a few days.

- when it's positioned flip it up, using the tape as a hinge, peel the backing off, just a bit, then flip it back down. Use a credit card or a stiff plastic putty knife, starting at the top, squeegee it down. Little spots at a time until you meet the backing. Pull the back off a little more, squeegee down, over and over.

-When you get done, if you have any air bubbles (even pro vinyl installers will get them), unless they're huge, here's what you do. Take a very tiny pin, prick them, use the plastic thing you used to apply it to smooth it out. they were be pretty discreet.

I would definitely not recommend the Ikea window "film." It's actually more opaque than translucent, and I couldn't get it to stick at all. But if you're in love with the idea, let me know and I can probably send you three untouched rolls (I bought four, gave up after the first, and didn't have time to return to Ikea).

I ended up using the "cracked ice" version from Home Depot. It was fairly cheap, easy to install, and does the job, while still allowing in a lot of light. I'm not sure that the effect was "cracked ice," though--I fear it might just be "really filthy windows."

If you're spending the big bucks, I would definitely go with the Decorative Films over the Emma Jeffs--they have much better variety and some of their films are strikingly beautiful.

kimg924 - your story is so amusing.
My slang vocab is not all that it should be - are you saying that the police gave you window film, or is "the 'Po" some sort of cool store I'm unfamiliar with? ;-)

The cut glass look is nice, but I'm not willing to spend $75 a roll. I've been using decorative rice paper and spray adhesive. You spray the paper and wait several minutes: the tack becomes temporary and repositioning/removing is easy. A little more work, but it looks just as nice.

http://www.brume.co.uk/

Is also a great source. They have many simple designs and custom cut them to your window. Depending on the size of your window, it can be pretty reasonable for the product. Their films also go on using the wet method, which was really easy for me, doing sliding glass doors by myself. I am thrilled with the outcome and am so glad I didn't have to use curtains.

rhiana--

"Po" is short for Home Depot.