I saw a demo of this product recently and really like just about everything about it. I’m hoping a certain company gives me one for free so I can try it out myself. Hint. Hint. Hint.
Ok, enough grovelling for goods – on with the highlights. Light Effects Window Film produces thin semi-opaque / semi-transparent vinyl sheets that can be easily mounted onto glass doors and windows for a frosted or designer look. Along with giving you something purdy to stare at (designs vary from simply frosted to etched lace to a stained glass look), these sheets add privacy, can reduce glare and heat from the sun while still ensuring a nice soft light enters the room.
Outward facing windows and French doors are well-suited for this product, but on the demo I saw, it was used on an interior sliding glass door – the type that is very popular in condos. It went from embarrassing-patio-door-in-the-middle-of-your-home to stylish panel in just a few minutes.
As if I wasn’t wooed enough, the installation is crazy easy – you trim the sheets to fit the space, spray the glass with a water bottle and use a squeegee to apply the window film and just smooth it out. The sheets are also very easy to remove when the time comes to change things up, will not leave anything behind on your glass and can be reused. LOVE! It’s an affordable and simple home reno pick-me-up that’s ideal for both home owners and renters.
Light Effects Window Film is available in 24” x 36” sheets in a variety of designs through a variety of retailers. Sheets cost between $24 and $33 depending on where you go.
The film on page 87 of This Old House magazine, April 2013. Is it available anywhere?
Anyone know where to find the Vienna effect on 36×72 size ?
Here are a couple of links to their sites:
http://www.artscape-inc.com/
http://www.energy-film.com/
http://www.lighteffects.com/
I noticed that Artscape has a couple of commercials on YouTube.
One is for their decorative film and one is for their Energy Saving film:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhhqE0XhkIs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQsg7uGoVSo&NR=1
Check out the new Vienna, it’s really cool! There are links above to Light Effects on “a certain company” and “a variety of retailers.”
Any word on durability? we’ve got some film applied to two or three windows on the house and they are only 3 years old, but branches have scraped them and they aren’t looking great. It would be fun to replace with a pattern, but only if it is going to last.
Thanks for the question Steve. Typically, this type of film is applied to the interior window. So unless the trees actually break through the glass, the interior window film should stay in good shape in terms of any potential branch scraping. : )
In a perfect world, the film should last a long time. If you think about properly applied automotive window tint, it generally lasts many years in a pretty extreme environment (with cars being exposed to a lot of sun, cold and heat). With that said, if durability is THE consideration, then consider having your glass actually etched (done with stencils/etching cream or in some cases sand-blasting), or replace the window in question with glass manufactured frosted or etched. If you do any windows, let us know how it goes!
All that the author wrote here is true, these films are very decorative and give a designer look and they are also very easy to install. Here’s a frosted window film installation video