How to Frost Glass Windows

Decorator Sasha Cohen explains how to use frosted glass as a temporary or permanent window treatment.

Semi-Permanent Frosting Spray

This treatment offers partial coverage that allows some of the background to be seen.

Materials and Tools:

tracing paper
scissors and/or a craft knife
temporary adhesive
frosting spray

Steps:

1. Cut a piece of tracing paper to fit the window and attach to the glass with temporary adhesive.

2. Trace the shape of the design you want to use onto the paper. You can use any design, as simple or elaborate as you wish.

3. Remove the tracing paper and cut out the design with scissors or craft knife, if the design is complicated.

4. Reattach the paper to the window. Spray the exposed window with frosting spray and remove the template after the spray dries.

5. If the contrast between the sprayed and unsprayed areas is too high, create a cloudy effect on the unsprayed area by randomly scattering around little bursts of spray.

6. To remove the frosty design, use a razor blade or rough cloth.

Decorator Sasha Cohen explains how to use frosted glass as a permanent window treatment.

Permanent Frosting

Materials and Tools:

soap-and-water solution
clear self-adhesive shelf paper or frosted window film
scissors
wallpaper brush

Steps:

1. Clean the window thoroughly, then spray the glass with a soap and water solution. Wet liberally.

2. Apply stick-on film cut to the window size. Brush out any air bubbles with the hard edge of a wallpaper brush.

3. The soap mixture works with the adhesive backing to make the application permanent after about two minutes.

Voile Panel

This temporary window treatment can be raised and lowered as needed.

Materials and Tools:

voile panel
scissors
dowel with screw eyes

Steps:

1. Cut a voile panel the size of the window, plus a little extra for narrow side seams and channels at the top and bottom.

2. Insert a dowel with screw eyes on each end through the top and bottom channels.

3. Position hooks at the four corners of the window and attach panel by slipping the screw eyes over the hooks.