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DIY Frosted Glass: How to Spray on Frost

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Little Miss’ new room is in the center of the house. The doors leading into her bedroom are see-through and I wanted to obscure them a little bit, so we decided to use frosted glass spray paint. We talked about replacing the doors, but we like the fact that light comes into the room, because otherwise the room is pretty dark.

DIY Frosted Glass 
Before and After pictures

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We bought some light blocking curtains for nap time and night time, but wanted something that would obscure the back room so the kids weren’t constantly looking back there.

We wanted something that was only going to be semi-permanent. After getting permission from the owners, we decided to do a DIY frosted glass spray. Originally, I wanted to use the sticky frosted glass that you just stick onto the window, but it was pretty expensive for my windows.

They are decently sized windows and after pricing it out it would’ve been between $40-70 to do the stick on. So I looked for other options that would be cheaper. I finally found this spray paint DIY frosted glass by Rustoleum, it was so much cheaper so I decided to go with that option.

Rust-oleum frosted glass spray paint

How to Frost Glass

The glass spray paint was pretty easy to use, but warning, do not use this inside! I made the mistake of not taking the doors off to use this.

I covered the wall and floor with paper and taped off the whole area, but the entire house ended up smelling like spray paint. And there was a powdery film across the entire back room.

It was easily vacuumed up, thankfully! Nothing was ruined, but it was a pain. I would have liked to do one more coat, but I had already cleaned up.

I was terrified that it wasn’t going to clean up easily so I cleaned before making sure the doors were really finished. They’re a little streaky, but it still does exactly what we wanted.

Yield: 1

DIY Frosted Glass

DIY Frosted Glass

How to use spray on frosted glass to DIY frosted glass windows.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Active Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost $10

Materials

  • Rust-Oleum Frosted Glass Spray
  • Windows

Tools

  • I suggest taking your door off the hinges and spraying outside. See Notes below.
  • Face Mask
  • Painter's Tape
  • Brown Paper to cover floor
  • May need: Plastic Sheeting

Instructions

  1. 1. Prep your area. Tape off the sides of your window so as not to get overspray on the sides. Put the brown paper on the floor.
  2. 2. If you decide not to take the doors off the hinges or you are spraying a window that can't be moved, prep the area well. I suggest taping off sections of your house with plastic sheeting - see notes.
  3. 3. Clean your surface first. I used a vinegar mixture, but you can use windex as well.
  4. 4. Read the instructions on the can. You are supposed to shake the can well for 5-10 minutes before applying the paint.
  5. 5. Safety First: Wear a face mask!
  6. 6. Let the paint dry in between coats. You will probably do 3-5 light coats. Go slow and allow the paint to slowly build on the window. Be sure to not stay in one spot for too long to avoid drips.

Notes

A few notes:

  • The spray paint said each bottle covered about 7 square inches. So I bought the pack of 6 bottles. That was WAY too much. I could’ve easily bought 2 bottles and cut my cost even lower, making the whole project less than $10.
  • **THIS IS SPRAY PAINT** I don’t know why this didn’t cross my mind. I taped the doors and covered a little of the floor in front of the doors and sprayed inside the house. I can’t stress enough what a mistake this was. The smell was very strong and eventually permeated the entire house. The paint also gets into the air and settles on everything. I didn’t get a picture because I was too worried about cleaning everything. But basically the whole back room had a white film on it. Thankfully, the floor back there is concrete. It vacuumed up pretty easily and then we mopped. But none of the videos/blogs I read mentioned this.

If you are wondering how to frost a window for privacy this is definitely a good way to go. Overall, I think it turned out really great!

DIY frosted window with white and gold curtains around them

It definitely has the desired effect that I was going for. It obscures the backroom and lets in the same amount of light.

What do you think? Is this something that you would try in your house? We’re thinking of stamping a design on top too, so I’ll let you know if we go through with it!

Regena Gentry

Monday 19th of June 2023

I just sprayed my bathroom windows, one can when spraying made like water spots while spraying. Do you know if they will go away when it dries? Or do I need to buy a new can and scrap and start over. Not sure if can was bad or nozzle.

Amy

Friday 28th of July 2023

It might become a little less noticeable as it dries, but most likely you'll need to buy a new can and you can either try to blend it in or take it off and start over.

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Hope Pereira

Thursday 11th of March 2021

I have a bathroom window over a garden tub. I wanted to frost it but I’m thinking it would be better to spray the paint on the outside of the window after reading all your comments about not spraying on the inside. The window is not removable. Do you have any thoughts on this?I think I am worried about the paint chipping or scratching if something hits it.

Amy

Thursday 11th of March 2021

Hello! I would probably spray it inside then. I don't think the paint will withstand rain and the elements, although I'm not sure. You could paint it inside, I would just be sure to cover the area well with paper and plastic to seal off the area you'll be painting. That's the step I skipped and it would have been fine had a prepped better. Good luck!

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