The majestic beauty of stained glass windows is familiar to many. Someone managed to see her personally, someone enjoyed this spectacle only in photographs, but everyone who will see a beautiful stained glass is not indifferent. The days have long passed when the windows from multi -colored glass mosaics decorated cathedrals and locks, and now you can get such a decor for your own housing. Another thing is that pleasure is not cheap. If you do not imagine the interior of your home without a stained glass, but the products do not allow you to order a glass product, there is an excellent alternative - a self -adhesive stained glass film. In this article we will tell you how to choose the right material and how to create a beautiful composition with our own hands.
Content
Characteristics of the material
The stained glass film allows you to create truly original compositions, simulating stained-glass equipment with minimal costs. It is not only a decorative, but also a protective film for a glass surface, increasing the strength of the coating and protecting it from random blows and scratches, not to mention dust and dirt. The structure of a decorative stained glass film passes sunlight and does not fade from the direct exposure of ultraviolet radiation. Light transmission directly depends on the color of the material. The film can be multi -colored, matte or completely transparent with a thin neat pattern.
It is not at all difficult to care for glass with a film stained glass than the usual one - the drawing is not erased and does not erode from cleaning products. The film holds very tightly on the glass thanks to the special component of Milar - this is a completely transparent binder, which allows the film to fit tightly to the glass and maintain its shape. Even if you accidentally break such a stained glass window, the fragments will not scatter in all directions. That is why the film is often used in the design of the interiors, decorating interior doors and glass partitions.
There are a lot of types of material, and each of them has found its own application. So, designers like to glue on interior doors, cabinets, showers with matte stained -end film. Color options look great on the windows, transparent films with a relief pattern turn ordinary mirrors into original jewelry, creating a plausible imitation of patterned material.
You can glue the stained glass film on the glass on one or both sides. In the latter case, it becomes possible not only to create two completely different compositions, but also to increase the strength of the glass insert. If you are going to ennoble only one side, it is better to choose the internal one.
The stained glass film is characterized by high water resistance, so it can and should even be used in rooms with increased humidity. Very often with a multi -colored film, the walls of the shower, mirrors and door inserts are covered with a multi -colored film. The film not only withstands high humidity, but also steadfastly tolerates temperature differences. Some species are able to maintain their original appearance even when heated to 80C.
The thickness of the film is 75 microns, and its transparency depends not only on color, but also on the transparency of the glass base. It is recommended to stick it at a plus temperature from +5C, so that the coating is most firmly applied to the surface. By the way, the film holds perfectly not only on ordinary, but also on acrylic or hardened glass. A feature of the stained glass pattern on such a film is the presence of lead veins of various width and color. Thanks to them, the drawing acquires severe decorativeness and enhanced strength.
Despite the wide variety of textures and colors, the majority prefers the stained glass film with a pattern. In fact, this is a ready -made composition that can only be glued to the purified surface. As a result, the interior acquires a real stained -glass window, which can be distinguished from the “present”, only approaching and touching your hands.
So, we found out that the stained glass film has the following advantages:
- enhances the strength of the glass, not allowing it to fly to fragments (very useful for children's rooms);
- immune to high humidity (you can glue in the bathroom, in the kitchen, in the pool, on the aquarium);
- withstands an increase in temperature to +80C;
- simple in use;
- it is easy to care for film stained glass windows;
- durability (service life with proper care and bore use of 10-15 years);
- high aesthetics (you can choose any finished drawing or create a composition yourself);
- low cost compared to this stained glass window.
The film stained glass does not overload the window frame, especially if you apply the film to the existing coating. Also in this case, the metal profiles necessary to hold classic stained glasses are not used. This makes the surface more flat and convenient to use. The composition made of glass and lead partitions is very beautiful, but to care for it is a matter of trouble. On each piece of such a mosaic, dust and dirt inevitably accumulate, so traditional stained -glass windows require constant attention, and the film is convenient and practical.
How to choose
As soon as you decided to decorate the interior with a stained glass film, a kind of obstacle arises - a huge choice. It will be quite difficult for an ignorant person to understand the abundance of varieties of the material, so we have prepared a brief manual that will protect you from unnecessary anxiety and body movements.
Firstly, decide on the pattern that you want to see on a window or door. This implies the development of the image (flowers, animals, abstraction), as well as color scheme. The color of the stained glass must be echoed with the interior of the premed room. It can maintain a common color attitude or be a bright contrasting spot, favorably emphasizing and refreshing the situation. And if with the image more and more simple, then difficulties can arise, so it will be useful to look at the finished designs of rooms with multi -colored stained -glass windows and push off from them. At the end of the article you will find a small photo selection of interesting solutions.
Useful advice: to give the room lightness and coolness, use a cold color scheme: blue, blue, purple, emerald green. To add coziness to the room, operate with warm shades: red, brown tones, a little yellow, burgundy, security, etc.
An important role is played by the size of the elements from which the composition is composed. A drawing, composed of small details, visually makes the room more spacious, and vice versa. Therefore, for a compact bathroom, you should not choose a composition from large parts. The texture of the film is also able to influence visual perception. The glossy surface, as you know, has a weak reflective ability, and therefore will visually expand the space. Matte stained glass, on the contrary, will reduce the coated surface.
DIY film stained -glass windows
It is not so simple to distinguish a film stained -glass window from the present, especially if the work is done in conscience. In this chapter, we will talk about the technology of applying the film on the glass. The technique can be any. For example, the Tiffany technique is especially popular, and one look at such a composition is enough to understand why:
Installation of a film stained glass can be proceeded by several scenarios:
- The third glass - the film is glued to the glass, and then installed in a two -chamber double -glazed window.
- Stick directly on the glass of the installed window. The minus is that it is very inconvenient to stick the film on the vertical surface. Not every master will cope with such work without errors, not to mention newcomers.
- Stick the film on the glass, and then insert it in return for installed in the window or door (the most common option).
- Stick a stained glass window on the glass and apply it on top of the installed glass in a window or door (method of “entry”). To fix glass with stained glass, acrylic or silicone sealant is used.
Below the video shows in detail how you can create beautiful interior items with your own hands from a stained glass film and decorate the windows:
A self -adhesive stained glass film on the glass holds well not only on windows and interior doors. Often it is decorated with countertops, protective screens and furniture made of hardened glass. The basis for the picture can be acrylic and even a triplex, from which durable stairs and partitions are made. If there is no need for increased strength of the future product, you can use ordinary glass 3-6 mm thick.
As we have already said, it is easy to care for stained glass film on the windows. Minor pollution is easy to remove with a damp sponge or with a liquid to wash windows. In this case, it is better not to spray it to the stained glass, but moisten the sponge and locally remove the stain. Dry abrasive cleaning products, of course, is better not to use, so as not to scratch the film.
On sale you can find monochrome products, polychrome-assembly matrices to create applications manually or finished canvases of various sizes with an already applied pattern. The latter just need to stick to the surface and enjoy the result. But if your tastes are very peculiar, and even such a wide range could not satisfy them, you will have to create a stained glass window on your own. The lesson is fascinating and quite simple, but requiring accuracy and time.
Useful advice: if you do not have artistic skills, you can download the developed stencils for stained glass from the Internet and compose them into a single composition.
The finished stencils already take into account the width of the lead tape, which will separate fragments. If you develop a sketch yourself, do not forget to leave a distance equal to the width of the dividing tape between the details.
You can buy consumables with online stores or large construction shopping centers. In Leroy Merlin, the stained glass film is represented in more than satisfactory diversity. The cost depends on the quality of the product, its texture and the manufacturer. The cheapest is a transparent and plain film.
How to stick a film on the glass:
- Cover the film by the required number of segments.
- Sprinkle the glass with an alcohol for cleaning windows and wash thoroughly, wiping dry with a microfiber so that there are no villi.
- Slightly moisten the surface with a soap solution (you can dissolve shampoo or shower gel in water) from a spray gun.
- Reject the protective coating of the film and carefully attach it to the wet glass with an adhesive part. In this case, the soap solution will not allow the film immediately to stick.
- Take the roller and carefully defeat the film from the center to the edges to drive out air bubbles and excess moisture from under it.
Thorough smoothing is needed by large pieces of film, with small elements such problems usually do not arise.
Stained glass film in the interior
The stained glass film can transform any interior. If the soul requires changes, and the apartment is repaired, try to decorate at least one interior door or wall of the shower cabin with a film pattern. And so that everything works out beautifully and harmoniously, we have prepared several practical recommendations.
How to successfully use a stained glass film in the interior design:
- A film with a pattern can be decorated with a glass front door (office, store) so that a person who got inside can immediately evaluate the originality of the design.
- You can combine all interior doors in the apartment using the same film stained glass windows. If you still want a variety, you can stick different drawings, but made in one color scheme.
- If an excess of illumination is felt in the apartment, stained -glass windows from a color film will help to correct this situation. Red tones will be relevant in the living room, in the bedroom - purple, in the bathroom - blue shades.
- If there is little natural light in the apartment, but I really want to decorate the windows with a pattern, use a transparent stained -glass film with a slightly muddy surface of the composition fragments. Such a decoration resembles frosty patterns and looks very unusual.
Stained -glass film: photo
