Do-it-yourself frosted glass at home - proven methods + Photo and Video

Making frosted glass at home. In this article, we'll show you how to make frosted glass at home. We will describe how to make stencils, and on what basis, which method is cheaper, as well as the pros and cons of each of them.

After we will tell you the main ways to help make the glass frosted.

Purpose of matting

Glass matting is rarely performed, but most often it happens when:

1. They want to get rid of transparency.

   This is usually done for door inserts, windows and shower partitions.

2. To give originality to old products This is usually done on furniture mirrors, lamps, dishes and other products.

If you are interested in how to make ordinary glass frosted with your own hands, you are unlikely to want to resort to expensive services. In our article, you will find several proven methods that will help you do this inexpensively and with your own hands.

How to make frosted glass yourself?

Working with a stencil

Before you start doing something, it is worth considering the popular methods of glass matting, as well as methods of drawing pictures and inscriptions.

In the field of professional matting, engraving is rarely used. This method requires additional tools and skills, and this will not work for everyone. At home, stencils will come to the rescue.

Choosing a stencil

There are three options here:

1. Buy a reusable and suitable stencil (for it you will need aerosol glue).
2. Buy a stencil for one-time use on a self-adhesive film.

3. Download the stencil on the Internet, transfer it to the desired scale, redraw it on film like an "oracle" and cut it out with scissors or a clerical knife.

Glue and remove the stencil

If we talk about the first case, then glue should be applied to the stencil, wait a couple of minutes, and then stick it in the desired place and with a dry, clean cloth, press the stencil to the glass with blotting movements. In the last two cases, we remove the backing from the film, glue the stencil on the glass (which had to be degreased and wiped dry), smooth it with a rubber spatula, and if bubbles form, then pierce them and release the air.

Tip: The stencil, which is made of self-adhesive film, is most conveniently transferred to the glass using a transparent mounting film: it will make it possible to stick the pattern without distortions and displacement. The film is removed before matting.

If the self-adhesive film stays on the glass for more than a day, it will be difficult to remove it. For this reason, we recommend removing the stencil from the glass as soon as possible after rinsing off the matting paste or after the paint has set. We will talk about how to make a drawing with your own hands in other ways later.

Imitating haze

How to make frosted glass at home in the simplest and safest way? We will talk about it further. I would like to note that the method will make it possible to obtain not mattness (at which the surface structure changes), but to create an opaque layer.

Pasting with film

This method will be a real salvation for those who want to make frosted glass cheap and cheerful. It is suitable only for flat products, or those that have a small rounding angle and will be used in dry rooms.

After you buy the film of the size you need in the hardware store, follow these instructions:

• Glass preparation - clean the surface with detergents, wipe dry ...

• Try on the film, after which you need to cut it out, if necessary, cut out decorative elements from it.
• Carefully remove the cover, dampen the film and the surface with soapy water (this is easiest to do with a spray bottle).
• Apply the film to the glass, "drive out" excess moisture and air bubbles with a soft cloth or tissue.

Important: As when working with several decorative elements at the same time, it is better to remove (and stick) the protective layer one by one. It is advisable to mark the outer contours on the glass with a marker (after the end of the work it can be easily washed off with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol / acetone).

If you use this method, remember that matte surfaces do not have the same properties as glass - when exposed to abrasive substances and sharp objects, captivity can easily break. Such a defect cannot be corrected.

Matting with paint

Today you can find on sale waterproof acrylic paint for matting, which is produced in aerosol cans, it is also called aerosol frost (by analogy with the obtained effect ). The method is quite convenient in that the effect of opacity can be removed at any time with the help of acetone, and a smooth surface can be obtained.

Such paint is most often used not to make glass matte, but to apply matte patterns on it.

This is where the stencils we talked about earlier come in handy. After they have been applied, we recommend using masking tape to prevent accidental staining of other areas and surfaces. After preparation, spraying is done, while the manufacturer's recommendations should be followed. When the paint is dry (usually 30 minutes), the stencil can be removed.

Chemical etching method - making glass frosted at home

It is not difficult to make glass by chemical etching, as the compositions will destroy the glossy surface.

To do this, use special pastes or make their own compositions.

Please note, that there are several recipes for matting compositions on the Internet that are based on hydrofluoric acid.They cannot be used at home due to the high level of toxicity: your skin, respiratory tract, mucous membranes and even teeth may be damaged!

Ready-made pastes

The assortment includes paints and varnishes for glass etching. It is convenient and easy to work with them:

• First, prepare the glass: degrease and dry.
• If you will be applying a pattern, stick the stencil using the above algorithm.

• Place the paste in small heaps with a rubber spatula next to the areas to be matted (do not skimp).
• Quickly and confidently rub the composition over the glass and leave for the time specified by the manufacturer (5 to 15 minutes).
• Remove the paste from the surface and put it back in the jar.
• Wash off the rest of the composition with a foam sponge, remove the stencil, then we carry out an additional rinse and wipe dry.

Tip: Although matting pastes are certified and not as dangerous as self-made compounds, they should be handled with rubber gloves and in a well-ventilated room.

How to make glass frosted using liquid glass

An indelible matting compound can be made with your own hands, for this, a simple silicate glue is enough. Such stationery in chemistry and industry is also called liquid glass. When it hits regular glass, it breaks the surface and creates a matte indelible layer.

In practice, you can make the glass matte with your own hands using silicate glue without effort:

• Slightly dilute liquid glass with water (preferably distilled).
• Add some tooth powder or sifted chalk: you should have a mixture that is like sour cream in consistency.

• If desired, you can add paints (water-soluble) to the composition: ocher, red lead, ultramarine, mix all this so as to obtain a uniform color.
• Dip a roller in the mixture and roll it on a pallet or board so that there are no smudges, then paint the glass.
• When the glue dries, repeat the action.

The second layer is the final one, after which we wait for drying, wash the glass and can be put into operation.

Important: when using this method, matte patterns cannot be applied using stencils, since during polymerization the glue will seal the edges of the stencil to the glass.

Matte glass mechanically

Although that glass is a durable material, under some conditions it can be scratched, and in this case it loses its glossy properties. This means that matt can be achieved mechanically!

Matting with sandblasting material

The essence of the method is that sand falls on the glass surface under high air pressure, which creates microscopic depressions.This technology can hardly be called "home", since it will require at least a sandblasting tool. With some skills, you can make such a device with your own hands, but you should not bother so much to matte a pair of glasses.

Please note that this method can only be used in isolated rooms and on glasses with a thickness of at least 0.

5 cm.

Matting with diamond paste

The problem of how to make frosted glass at home can be solved with a lapping abrasive paste. Since the method is laborious, it is not suitable for large surfaces, but for drawing or matting small areas, it is appropriate.

The steps are simple: on a glass surface or stencil, apply a paste with a fine grain and, using a piece of glass, rub it in a circular motion. Despite the fact that the method is not expensive in itself, there is also a drawback: it takes a long time to rub, and it is also difficult to achieve uniformity.

Start small. All the technologies that we described above make it possible to implement many ideas. But before you start doing something, evaluate your strength. Do not immediately grab large volumes: it is better to practice on small glass items.

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