D-I-Y Faux Stained Glass Windows

The first time I saw it, one of the things I loved the most about our house was the front door. It was painted a beautiful shade of red and had these pretty leaded side lights. But after we bought the house and lived in it awhile, I realized that all of that clear glass was a little too "revealing" for me. If you walked anywhere in the foyer or front stairway, you could be seen through the glass.

I don't remember how the conversation started, but I found out that a friend of mine (Hi, Kathy!) had used a decorative film on her front door and side lights. I admit that I was skeptical. Until I saw the pictures. Simply gorgeous!! And she said it was easy to apply as well.


The company she used was Decorative Films, LLC, and their website is www.decorativefilms.com. You can order up to five different free 5X7 samples, and the samples are found on the details tab for each film. I ordered samples, and ended up choosing the exact same film as Kathy - Atlantis Mosaic. It's a beautiful "earth tone" mix of gold, rust, and green. Now I know that sounds like it wouldn't go very well with a red door, but it does! Our house is cream with some whitewashed brick, and the red door just seems like a darker version of the rust in the film.

I was really nervous about cutting it! I measured - not just the obligatory two times - but more like four or five times. I made my cuts just slightly larger than my measurements because I figured I could always trim it with a X-acto knife - but if it was too small, it was ruined.

It worked perfectly! The instructions are easy to follow - you just mix 8 drops of dish soap with 32 oz. of water, and spray a generous amount on adhesive surface. The solution keeps the film from sticking to the glass right away, and also allows some "slip" for adjustment. Once you have it in place, you just use the plastic card squeegee to remove air bubbles and excess water. Note: When I bought mine, the card was included, but it looks as if now you have to purchase a "basic kit" for $2.99 or a "complete kit" for $14.99. Honestly, if you have a spray bottle, X-acto knife, tape measure, & credit card, I don't think you really need either kit.

Before & after:

I know it's kind of hard to see the "stained glass", but you can sort of see the sparkle. It's difficult to photograph it from the outside and do it justice because there is either a flash in the glass or all you can see is the person standing in front of the glass, LOL!

This is how it looks from inside the house - this is the side I applied it on (so this is on the glass, and what you see from the outside is actually through the glass):


And this is the view from the outside:


I love how it looks! I've received a lot of compliments on it - and you would be surprised at the number of people who think it's real stained glass! I had a bit left over, so I also covered the panes in the door at the rear of our garage.

I'm currently thinking of adding it to the shower in the master bath. I like Cut Glass Bubbles, Crystal Lattice, Clear Ice, Cut Glass Atlantis, and Clear Waters. So if you're thinking of adding something like this to a window or door in your home - or if you have a window or door that could use something like this - I highly recommend the Solyx brand!

(Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with www.decorativefilms.com or Solyx. My opinions are strictly my own, and I purchased the product myself. I received no sort of compensation for my review.)