Install Frosted Window Film

I’m sharing the first update in our basement bathroom renovation.  A while ago we swapped the door location and changed our boring slab door to a French door (ie: one with windows).  But there was a teensy issue… they were see through!  Let me tell you how to fix that.  AKA how to add privacy to glass doors and windows :)  I even have a video that shares how to install frosted window film too.  So all around, this should be a good one!

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Before I talk about installing the frosted window film, I want to chat a bit about swapping the location for the door.

Our basement bathroom is in the left corner when you first walk down into the basement.  The door to the bathroom used to be along the right wall (near the exterior door).  Perfectly fine location, except that I wanted to change the whole layout of the basement entry.

Moving an Interior Door

We didn’t end up doing that, but I still wanted to move the bathroom door…

So, over a few months, I found some secondhand doors.  One the perfect size and inswing, which would have been good.  Except that I knew that we’d have a big hole leftover from the old door – and rather than drywall it, I thought… let’s put in a window!

While I did find an actual window that was frosted, I missed out on my chance and kept searching.  Enter the narrow door that perfectly matched the door I already found!

Then, they sat in the basement for a bit until we got around to installing them :)  First, was taking out the old door (easy peasy), then cutting out the drywall and framing for the new location.

While we had installed many pre-hung doors before, this was our first time installing our own “frame” for a slab door.  The Husband doubted my ingenuity, but I essentially just looked at other door frames and copied the same thing.

The photo above shows the view from in the bathroom.  Before, boring door on the left.  After, a “window” on the left, and a new door on the right.  (I did finish the framing around the window after the photo was taken).

We lived with a glass (aka see-through) door and window in the bathroom for another month or so :)

Before people start to question our sanity, let me remind you that this is our basement where people almost never hang out.  So if you did use the bathroom, you were most likely the only person in the basement.  Although… the new door location was a straight shoot to the front door to our house.  So technically, you could have been peeing while someone was looking in from outside.

I don’t think it happened though :)

Enter: Frosted Window Film

Since I’m not completely crazy, I knew I’d eventually add frosted window film to our door.  It’s a project I’ve done before (again to a basement bathroom), I just needed the motivation to get going.  (Especially since I bought the film and it sat in a box for a bit, whoops!)

Turns out there was a big motivation… a guest!

Aka someone coming to stay with us for a few days, using this bathroom primarily.  (My parents did use it as soon as we installed the doors, but I just taped up some fabric as a makeshift curtain).

There was a protective film installed on each piece of glass (both sides!)  It’s there both to protect the glass during transport, and to cover it if you plan on painting/staining the door.  Which I realized I should have done (ie: a clear coat).

Honestly, it probably took just as long to remove the stuck-on layer than it did to add the frosted film; all in all it was a few hours of work.  (You can check out the video below to see how I did that).

The protective film did add a bit of privacy to the door – and once everything was cleared off and cleaned… it was looking really see-through.

Since I had all but run out of frosted film a few years ago, I purchased another 4×6 foot roll.  You can also get fancy patterns or other effects (like mirror or darkening), but I like the plain frost.

I still had plenty of the window film application solution (aka spray) and all the other items from the kit.  You’ll also need scissors, proper utility knife (with snap-off blades), some rags, a measuring tape and even scotch tape.

I was able to use the last leftover piece of frosted film for one window pane, then got to work cutting the new sheet for all the other squares.  It’s definitely time consuming doing multiple individual windows compared to one big one, but you get a lot of practice :)

I like the photo above because it shows a good before and after of what the window looks like with frosted film.  The French doors had a bevel on one side, so I made sure to install the film on the flat side.

Now, the light can still go through the door and window – but it’s super private!

I’m thinking that the window will look a lot nicer once the drywall is patched and it’s all framed in.  So far, it still looks like a construction area, ha.

Should I paint the wall black?

Or continue the blue bottom half?

Here’s how it looks from inside the bathroom, looking out.  Without the frosted film, you can see all the mess in our closet :)

Most importantly, it keeps the view blocked at night too.  I’m sure if I put my hand directly against the glass you could still see the outline, but the frosted film works great.

Honestly, sometimes the reviews of the frosted film aren’t that great.  People complain about it not sticking (how!?) or getting lots of air bubbles.  You can definitely adjust the film for a bit after you put it on (the instructions mention 24 hours), and adding more spray will help it stick if you have a stubborn spot.  Even so, I do have a few dust spots (ie: where something might have been stuck underneath) and some edges where it didn’t stick 100%.

But does that bother me?  Nah, not really!

How to Install Frosted Window Film: Video

Can you believe it’s been almost a year and a half since I’ve uploaded a video to YouTube?  We’ll see if I get the motivation to do videos regularly again.  If you can’t see the video above, you can watch it directly on YouTube here.

🛍️ Products Mentioned: Gila Frosted Window Film & Gila Application Kit 

Hopefully today’s post about how to install frosted window film on glass helps with your next project!  As I’ve mentioned, I’ve done this project before and the frosted film holds up great.  We’ve had the frosted film installed on the window in this bathroom for a couple of years now too.

Next up in the bathroom we need to fix the framing around the window (it doesn’t line up with the size), rework the shower plumbing for the new handle/fixture, then get started on the walls!  I guess the vanity and toilet might need to come out for that too :)

(PS: we’ve already taken out the old shower stall and installed the new fan).