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Stained Glass Stickers

OUR 2nd HOUSE

Stickers must be a theme here lately.  hmm.  if that’s not an interesting theme, I don’t know what is. 

oh right…boobs.  (that one was for you mom!)

So the window on the side of our house has this very ornate stained glass window. 

 

You can see it from the living room corner.  It ain’t my style.  If it’s yours, well, you must be fancy nancy.

please excuse the mess…we are still moving in. 

And one day I got really close.  Almost close enough to clean it.  Almost 🙂

While I was thisclose I discovered that I’ve been jipped.  This ain’t even real.  It’s a darn sticker.  A decal that is made to look like stained glass.  And then I felt that familiar feeling…the same one I had after seeing Twilight for the first time…and I knew what I wanted to do.  And no it didn’t involve a tanning bed and Rob Pattinson.   

So I got to peeling.  It was applied in layers…so it definitely wasn’t as easy as I thought it might be. 

And about thirty minutes of peeling later, I had bits and pieces that I was scraping with a razor blade. 

But little did I know but I had just opened a whole box of crickets (which by the way is an awesome dorm prank if you are in college and wanna punk someone….they go everywhere and then sing all night)…underneath all that vinyly plastic was some kind of superhuman adhesive.  Clark freaking Kent of glues.

Two bottles of finger nail polish remover later and two weeks later, we have a clean window.  It was the only thing in my arsenol that worked.  And for those of you wondering, Will was a very funny while high on Acetone.     

It’s actually really nice because now I have a view of the sky at sunset from my spot on the couch.  And since we have been having those pink nights, it really does put a smile on my face.  Although, I thought it might be nice to do something a little less traditional in it’s place.  Maybe something like this…

Now comes the hard part…

This beast is at least three times as big.  Quick someone do the math – that’s like ten bottles of finger nail polish and six months, right?  if I’m lucky! 

Although I must say – it’ll be pretty amazing to rid the bathroom of that faux stained window.  Like I said – not my style Nancy.  I have a plan for that wide open window too.  I mean, nobody wants to see Jeremy & I in the tub at night…so we definitely want a little blockage.  And here’s a hint of one of my ideas…it involves these old windows I got for free from my mom’s neighbor…

I can’t wait. 

Anyone else in sticker shock (aka surprised my stained glass window was a big fat phony!)?  Oh just me then…great.

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Comments

  1. You may want to check out Home Depot & Lowes. They have all kind of window film kits (some are faux stained glass but they also have frosted options in patterns like rice paper, etc.) I frosted our laundry room door like John & Sherry from YHL did & was surprised at the store that they had some many other interesting options (aside from the faux stained glass.) And the kits were only around $20! Whatever you decide will surely look fab!

  3. You need Oops cleaner/solvent! It works amazingly fast with adhesives (among a myriad of other things). It’s a household must have for me! I think it’s cheaper than this at a hardware store, but I’m sending the Amazon description and link so you can see what it is.

    Works fast, dries quickly, and leaves no lingering odor. Colorfast and fabric safe. Removes dried latex paint, tar, lipstick, crayon, gum, ink, adhesive residue, oil, magic marker, grease, etc. For use on carpets, woodwork, vinyl floors, glass, metal, sealed smooth concrete, fiberglass, upholstery, and most fabrics.

    http://www.amazon.com/All-Purpose-Remover-Cleaner-ALL-PURPOS-REMOVER/dp/B001TJ5KRY

  4. The window looks awesome! I can’t believe it was faux.. Crazy
    I can’t wait to see what you have in store for the bathroom window. You are AWESOME:)

  5. Looks GREAT sans sticker. Next time try lighter fluid. Sounds scary – but really gets off the goo. Or if you want to be “safer” maybe try Goo be gone.

    Happy scraping!

  6. Try Goof Off instead of nail polish remover. I haven’t come across any kind of goo it can’t remove!

  7. that is the coolest thing to find out you had an easy cheap fix for those windows right under your nose!!! even funnier you lived with it this long and didnt know! ha.
    P.S. please paint wills room…….. soon!!!!!!

  8. Nail polish remover dries too quickly! I learned that when I was scraping off the remnants of my first failed frosting attempt. Use warm soap water – put it in a spray bottle and use a sharp razor/glass scraper. I promise it won’t take nearly as long! It’ll still take several hours, don’t get me wrong, but it’ll definitely go much quicker.

  10. we have a stained glass sticker in our bathroom (above the tub!) that I also didn’t realize was a sticker until we’d moved in… since that bathroom is mid-renovation (only a functioning toilet), I’ve just lfeft it for now. Maybe I’ll just leave it since you won’t be able to see it after the shower curtain goes up? your windows look great 🙂

  11. I love using wd-40 to dissolve adhesive! I seem to always have it on hand; I’ll just spray it on, wait about a minute, and it wipes off super easily.

  12. I thought the stained glass was real! I’m actually impressed that it looked that good even though it was fake. The window looks SO much better without that faux-film on it.

    I can’t wait to see what you end up doing in the bathroom! Do you think you’ll try using a film again??

  14. I can’t believe that was a stained glass sticker! How tricky! I can’t wait to see what you have in store for the window now. 🙂

  15. That’s great that it’s just a sticker! So much cheaper than buying a new window. And it looks so much better, can’t wait to see the bathroom window, it’ll look fab (because the curves in that window are lovely)

  16. Hey Katie! Congrats on discovering the phony in the house. Just wondering, did you try Goo Gone? You may want to give it a go on the big window. We use that stuff on everything… seriously everything. The longer you let it sit soaking in, the better it works. You have to be really patient with it, so I usually let my husband deal with it, but it works like a gem every time and smells awesome and citrusy too. Anyway, just thought I’d make a suggestion, helpful or not.

  17. I agree with the first commenter. The Home Depot sells lots of window films, some of them are “rice paper” or just frosted and aren’t tacky. They also sell the kits and scrapers for applying them, its all sold near the window blinds.

    I worked for HD for 5 years and have tried every adhesive remover under the sun (we have to remove all those price tags from the beams all the time) anyway the best and safest thing you can use is this orange air freshener, I kid you not:

    http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=citrus+spray&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=15672245331049156827&sa=X&ei=g2hOTu2BLu7YiALG8r2NAQ&ved=0CEwQ8wIwAQ

    Its literally pure citrus juice in an aerosol, Will could drink it if he wanted to! Plus your house will smell like oranges instead nail polish remover. Its also pretty cheap, about $3. They sell it at HD in the cleaning aisle with the Febreeze. Its definitely worth giving a shot, it also works AMAZING for removing those Goodwill price tags from things. All you do is hold it close to whatever your trying to remove and spray, its comes out as a liquid (like if you were to spray hairspray on something) then let it sit for like 20 seconds and the adhesive should just roll off with a scraper.

    Good Luck! Love your blog!

  20. I second (or is it third or fourth by now) the posters that recommend Goo Gone! Unless you already tried it, in which case I would suggest seeing if you can get Will interested in peeling things and let him entertain himself for the next 6 months with that window above your bathtub.

  21. My old office had those above the door. They were easily spotted as fake because they were colorful and it reminded me of something my Maw Maw would buy on QVC (she is a recovering “Q” addict haha). The one’s at your house werent that bad but I get eh value in having a clear window. Especially in the bathroom!

  22. I like Nancy’s comment! 🙂

    Yep. I was thinking Goo Gone also, and I’d let it soak before wiping it off. That stuff is awesome.

  24. I just bought an old window that had a stained glass vinyl. It peeled right off. Who EVER thought that was a good idea to make? And then once created, who BUYS that stuff? Not I.

  25. Nail polish remover Katie?! Oh dear. Did you try Goo Gone? It’s specifically made for stuff exactly like this, it is supposed to remove any kind of adhesive. I live in Chicago and got my bottle at the dollar store. It’s worth a try for that giant window!

  26. I agree with Lindsay. The crown molding is the deal. I need to remember this when we build our house. I had no idea they made stained glass stickers! I would imagine maybe Goo Gone would help remove it?

  27. Miss Katie you are kicking blog butt lately!!! I am loving the content! Making that place your home = awesome blogging 🙂

  29. I agree, you are kickin some bloggin butt. I can’t believe that stainless was a poser. What tipped you off in the first place to go take a closer look? What luck, though, that you could just peel it off!! Well, not “just” but still. Beats replacing glass. Awesomeawesome.

  30. What also works wonders for sticky adhesive is the little blue bottles that comes in boxes of eyebrow wax strips. You need very little of it and it makes sticker glue, etc come right off. I think it’s called azulene finishing oil. You could try other oils to see if it has the same effect? It wouldn’t be so toxic smelling!

  31. Hey Katie,

    My brother used to install residential window film . They use ammonia and water mixture to remove old film. Just mix about 2-1., spray it on, and if you can cover with a trashbag or plastic wrap to let it sweat. Then just scrape with the razor. GOOD LUCK! It looks great!

  32. Yup we tried the off-brand Goo Gone…it didn’t do a thing. I let that stuff sit for about an hour…and no gone…just gooed up my window sill 🙂
    xo – kb

  35. We tried that…tried a hair dryer and paint thinner and every cleaning solution in our arsenal. Even razor blades got gummed up. In the end, I’m glad it was just a cheap solution.
    xo – kb

  40. I have really enjoyed your posts lately!
    I would try ammonia and water, that is what worked wonders for us for taking off wallpaper paste.

  42. My husband’s a mechanic. He uses General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner from NAPA (or similar auto parts store…). Maybe you could try it….? We most recently used it to remove my “Purdue” sticker from the back window of my car (it had been stuck there, baking in the hot sun for 10+ years). No sign it was ever there now.

  44. Could you contact an auto detailer? I feel like they would have super gunk off.

    One of my friends is fancy and loved those stickers. I prefer the stickers on your cute art instead!

  45. By the way, I LOVE your blog! Found it through YHL. My son Levi is just 4 months younger and I have so much fun reading about all your adventures with a like minded active little guy!

  46. I just recently tried using goo gone and much to my dismay it didn’t work either:-( BUT if you use goo gone or something similar and then get the finest size steel wool that they sell then it might work…. I don’t know if it will scratch the glass or not but you could test it out on a cheapo picture frame first. Just a thought…

  48. I love your wall color. I’m looking for a light color like that but having hard time. What color did you use? Good luck with the bathroom window 🙂

  51. That fake stain glass was a SURPRISE!

    The window looks so much better after your weeks of scrapping and inhaling fumes! 🙂

    Way to go for getting the job done!

    Total improvement!

    ~ Ali

  52. What a lovely surprise that it was just a sticker. It looks so much better…i can’t wait to see what you do with your bathroom window 🙂

  53. I love the look of it more open. I’m a big fan of stained glass if 1) it’s real, 2) it’s more art deco than yours and 3) if it’s colorful and fun (goes with the art deco kinda). My parents have a window (we too collect windows) that was made to look like stained glass with textured glass and thin washes of paint. I want it. As in I may steal it some time when I actually remember it’s in my dad’s storage area. They have a real one in their house and I want it too but I can’t exactly remove a window. Their friend made it for them years and years ago and they took it from house to house, city to city and now it finally found a home. I’d love to have two stained glass windows to block my neighbors and to add color to my newly neutral living room.

    Like others, I can’t wait to see the bathroom window reno. 🙂

  54. Brake cleaner is the best at getting sticky stuff off.. My dad is a mechanic so we have pretty easy access to a really good brand (Wurth). Maybe you could find some at an auto parts store.

  55. You mean our toothpaste walls? I have no idea – they are previous owner’s color choice…but they are very soothing, huh? And leave you with a minty fresh mouth 🙂
    xo – kb

  56. I am a freak about privacy in my house. We have a sidelight window next to our front door and a transom window above it (which would allow someone across the street to see into our loft area where my son runs nekkid down the hall from his room to the shower). Groomie and I applied this stuff, and it was surprisingly easy. It might not look too great in this link, but it’s awesome in person and I always get compliments and questions from my friends.

    http://www.amazon.com/Etched-Leaf-Window-Film-24-by-36-Inch/dp/B001L7Y1MY/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1313783987&sr=1-1

    xo

  57. Have you tried Goo Gone? It works pretty darn well on most stuff. Get the sprayer on top — makes it much easier.

    Also, the crickets. UGH! Someone did that on the floor of my dorm in college. It was several boxes. They got into the walls and everything. The cleaning crew thought vaccuuming them was a good idea, but then it just smelled like burnt crickets for some reason.

  58. Nail polish remover is one of my favorite tools! I tried the frosted spray that you can put on windows for privacy in our bathroom then cried b/c it wasn’t even and I hated it then put on my big girl panties, grabbed the nail polish remover and voila! 🙂 Happy camper.

    Have a great weekend!

    Emily

  59. Hi Katie! You might can try using acetone on the sticker first before you peel it. Acetone kinda “melts” plastic away, so it might make it easier to get the sticker off (it its a plastic based material). I’d try it on a small corner first because it might not work, but I hope it helps anyway!

  62. I use orange oil for the really bad goo jobs and eucalyptus oil for little ones. It works so fast, it’s cheap and my home smells yummy.

  63. I vote for the frosted film in the bathroom too. We all sound like we are yelling in a canyon!! Say’n the same things over and over!!

  64. The window looks so much better. Good job, even though it was painstaking. Btw, I just now read your blog from yesterday & I’m glad you are moving forward. I was just wondering why you moved from there? You may have blogged about it previously but just curious.

  65. I am thinking that you should list everything you tried to use to take the sticky stuff off! A friend got super glue on his hands and I told his wife to use nail polish remover and she said I don’t think that will work we tried gu-gone – I told her it was worth a try and she called later to say it worked amazingly! Best of luck with the window in the bathroom!

  66. Two thoughts:

    1. Your house (as done by the previous owner) is a perfect example that money doesn’t buy taste. What a mess! Fortunately you guys are fixing it.

    2. I definitely didn’t need the mental image of you and your “boyfriend” in the tub together. I’m about to go asleep for crying out loud!

  67. The window looks so much better without the faux stained glass!

    I just wanted to say I’ve been loving your blog lately, even the random photos of Will (what a cutie). Can’t wait to see what you’ve got planned for his room, the rest of the house, and the wedding!

  69. The main reason is that we felt lead. Ever have that feeling that you should do something and you can’t necessarily justify it but you just know. That was reason #1. And in hindsight we realized that the other house is meant for a different family…we loved it but the new house is a great investment and a better fit for our needs long term so it’s bittersweet 🙂
    xo – kb

  70. Katie have you tried a heat gun or even a hairdryer for removing stickers – I was told to try it on a super-sticky window sticker in my car, and it worked a treat! Maybe give it a go – far less effort than all the scrubbing and scraping!

    Love the blog btw; your new house is amazing, can’t wait to see how all your decorating comes along! x

  71. Make sure you’re using pure acetone, it’s the main dissolving ingredient in nail polish remover. You can get it cheap a the hardware store. Also, you can put aluminum foil on the back of whatever you’re using to apply the acetone (felt works great & is kind of scrubby) to keep it from evaporating as fast. Good luck with your second window! The first one looks great!

  74. Yup tried a hairdryer…and it didn’t help. I imagine Will thought I was crazy up on the chair drying the window 🙂
    xo – kb

  77. Also goo-gone! It works miracles. I always kept a bottle of it in my office when I was a youth minister. I can usually find it on a top shelfin target (sometimes it’s in the auto section, but usually regular cleaning stuff).

  78. I use orange degreaser to get rid of sticky stuff. I stole it from my husband, he uses it for bike cleaning. It’s made by Pedro’s (bike company) and is non-toxic. Maybe Jeremy has some? It definitely needs to be sprayed on and sit for a bit but it’s worked on all of my sticky problems!

    I can’t believe they make faux stained glass stickers!

  80. Katie, you’ve inspired me! My husband and I have lived in our home for almost 5 months now. It’s a modular house so everything came with stickers on them. I finally went around today with my razor blade and nail polish remover and took all the stickers off of everything; the mirrors, sinks, toilets, inside of the shower…Thanks Girl!!

  81. Try a little Zippo lighter fluid. In high school I worked at an engraving shop and that is what we kept to remove adhesives from products. It came right off!

  83. Goo Gone!!!! Silly girl… 🙂 I do love that little window. Actually, I love your whole house and would like to move in! Kthx. 🙂

  84. Didn’t read through your comments, but you might try Goo Gone. I would spray it on a papertowel and stick it to the window to let it soak a little. I’ve been amazed at some of the things it’s helped me get off.

  85. They sell cans of acetone at Home Depot/Lowes/Aco/Ace/Harbor Freight. That and a rag might REALLY help!

    Also, taking a top section off then rubbing/dripping the acetone into the cracks, then letting it sit there for a while should work pretty well.

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