Since having finished the bathroom, we’ve been struggling with one major thing… Privacy. I love our giant 2m un-obscured window, it lets in so much light, as well as being a fabulous feature in the room. But it does have its downsides.. mainly the fact that it also lets our neighbours and passer-bys in too! We’d been using a piece of cardboard as a DIY makeshift blind, but it was seriously cluttering up the bathroom, it looked naff (as expected), it totally blocked out the light and it also just kept falling down. It wasn’t working anymore.
When I planned our bathroom last year, I decided I wanted cafe-style shutters for the windows. I just love them, but they come at a pretty hefty cost! A £200+ price tag in fact, which is about almost as pricey as our bathtub! It’s not that I don’t want to spend that much money, it’s more that I can’t justify spending that much money right now… Not when we need a kitchen and an oven and heating and oh so much more. It just doesn’t make sense.
In desperation for something better, I began looking at Venetian blinds which were a more reasonable £50. I ordered some samples and whilst I did really like the options available, I just really really wanted shutters and had the mindset that the £50 I would spend on a Venetian blind could be £50 saved towards my shutters. So in the end, I opted for something not so ascetically pleasing, BUT mega cheap.
What am I talking about? Frosted Window Films. At just £13! Can you go wrong?!
The one I went for was from Active Window Films and for some reason I received an extra half metre for free. I’m guessing perhaps I ended up with the end of a roll?! Either way, thanks Frank! Turns out I needed that extra half metre. Here’s how my first attempt ended..
Ha! So it was a little bit more tricky than I thought. I’d watched the online video before purchasing and it looks pretty easy and once I’d got the hang of it – it was. But my first mega mistake was not using enough water and yep, that’s how it ended (pictured above) after I creased the hell out of it. Thought it best to start again.
So, I cut a new piece and gave it another shot. This stuff is super static-y, dust and hair just clung to the thing! Luckily the bit that sticks to the window has a backing that needs peeling back first, so as long as the window is clean, it didn’t really matter.
The trick to fitting window film is using plenty of water. Actually it’s water with a splash of fairy liquid combination. But don’t be stringy! My first attempt failed because I applied far too sparingly. and the film was too ‘sticky’, meaning it just wouldn’t smooth out. More water definitely makes this job easier. I used the hard card (purchased extra for £3) to smooth out the film and get rid of any bubbles. With plenty of water between the film and window it was so easy to do! I then cut off any excess.
The finished result is a much improved room of privacy. I am gonna miss the garden/roof/tree view, but this is kind of essential for showering without flashing myself to the street. We tested in the evening and unless you’re stood right in front of the window casting a shadow upon it, you can’t see a damn thing from the outside!
Another great thing about this window film is that it still lets so much light through! I hate living in dark spaces (HATE!) and I was kind-of worried this would make the room much darker. Admittedly, we no longer have rays of sunshine beaming into the room, but we do still have heaps and heaps of light! It wasn’t dark by any means, which I was super thankful about.
Turns out, photographing a window is pretty hard. Apologies for the not-so-great photos! Here’s one in the evening that shows it a little bit better…
I don’t love it, I mean it’s definitely not the beautiful shutters I’m still envisioning in this room, but I do quite like it. It most definitely beats our cardboard cut-out blind – it’s light, bright, practical, and yeah, I’m really pleased with this purchase. I spent just £16 with free delivery and now I don’t have to fear showering at any time of day. I’m pretty chuffed! I should have bought this much sooner.
On my search for some window films, I discovered some lovely brands such as brume that do the same films but with a more decorative finish, or even personalised. I really liked these, especially the idea of having one in the top window above our front door. Perhaps I’ll be using something similar again in the future….
Have you ever used window films before? What do you think to them?
Total Cost
(rounded to the nearest pound)
New Tools Purchased:
Hard Card £3
Materials Used:
Window Film £13
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