Are you tired of having to keep your curtains or blinds closed for much of the time? Do you feel like you get more artificial light than sunlight? Getting the right finish or film on your windows can end up bringing more natural light into your rooms and your life, as well as saving on energy bills and increasing your privacy.
When you are thinking about frosting your windows there are a great many criteria to consider, including whether it is possible, and if it is an affordable choice. Here we will look at frosting windows and try and help you decide if it is something that would work well for you.
What does frosting a window do?
When you think of frosted glass you will probably first think of a shower door, or perhaps an office boardroom. These are two examples of where the privacy offered through frosting is essential for their respective purposes.
When you apply frosted window film to your glass, you are effectively making it more difficult for people to see into the room. There are degrees of translucency right the way through to nearly opaque, depending on your privacy needs and personal preference. Though people will not be able to see through the glass, light can still pass through.
This means that you do not have to rely on artificial lighting, which can make your room less appealing and bright. Utilising more natural light will also save on your energy bills, while the frosting still filters out unwanted UV rays that can cause harm to both people and furnishings.
You could choose instead to swap the glass entirely for another material that is fully opaque, but then you would lose out on the natural light and openness that come with glass. Choosing to frost your windows instead gives you the best of both worlds: privacy and light.
There are many other benefits to frosting your windows, including that they become sturdier and easier to clean. The frosted glass shows streaks and marks much less than clear glass does, and can be wiped with a cloth and any good cleaner.
The aesthetics and symbolism of choosing frosted glass for offices and other rooms instead of going for walls or curtains and blinds are also big factors in the purpose of frosted glass. If your office is dark, closed off to the outside, and lacking in natural light it can feel like you are similarly closed off. Having an open space, albeit one that is correctly protected from prying eyes, makes your rooms that much more appealing and welcoming.
Some people will choose to put frosted windows in for decorative purposes or to look more unique, and they can certainly be a beautiful alternative to clear glass that must be covered up at certain times with curtains or blinds.
Frosting a window does so much more than simply changing its transparency. It combines the need for modesty or lack of visibility with openness to make your office or room both bright and private at all times.
Can you frost an existing window?
The good news is that existing windows can be frosted, so you don’t have to buy all new windows to get the right look. There are several ways in which you can frost your windows, arguably the best of which is to get it professionally done.
With something like your windows, having a poorly finished job is far worse than never attempting to do it, and with some frosting methods you can end up with bubbles of air, marks and many other things going wrong.
An experienced company that knows exactly what they are doing is your best bet, but you can also do it yourself at home. Sandblasting, where you use a machine to blow sand at your windows at a high rate of speed, is one method that may be best left to the professionals if you don’t happen to have your own blaster already at home.
Acid etching is something that very much should be left to the pros, and can leave a very different final result than some of the other methods.
Frosted window film, however, can be found and applied by anyone who wants to try it and feels confident enough to give it a go. You can apply the film to any clean window that you wish to frost and see the results for yourself. Just make sure you smooth out any bubbles or flaws right away.
How much does it cost to get windows frosted?
You can apply your own frosted window film at a relatively inexpensive cost, but there are many options to choose from and ways to get it done. Going with a highly rated and great value company like Solar Graph Glass Tinting won’t cost you much more and will result in a guaranteed beautiful finish.
Where you are thinking of applying window frosting and to what purpose can also make a difference, as well as the method you will use. Different degrees of opaqueness, decoration and the size of the windows will all play a part.
In general, it can cost anything from $6-17 a square foot to apply frosting to your windows or glass, though remember if you make an error and end up with bubbles, a mark, or an unprofessional look to your windows you may well end up paying a great deal more in the long run.
For the best aesthetics and all-around results, getting your frosting done by the experts can actually be the better value decision.
Conclusion
To Sum Up:
- Frosted glass is where a film or another method is applied to the glass giving it a degree of opaqueness depending on what you require.
- It allows you the highest levels of privacy while still letting light in so can be far superior to curtains or blinds in the right location.
- Your windows will be easier to clean and look fantastic too.
- You can apply frosting to existing windows either yourself, or by letting a professional do it for you.
- Frosting windows is a relatively inexpensive option and is cheap to do at home, though the amount you spend may be reflected in the final result.
If you want to allow in natural light and save on your energy bills while also maintaining the levels of privacy needed for your home or business, then frosted glass may well be the perfect solution for you.
