Windows

Need some help with your home's windows? Are bay windows calling your name or are you just looking for some tips on how to install screens? The Hometalk community has you covered. Learn how to do it yourself by watching step by step video tutorials. Run into a problem? Ask your questions and get the answers you need. Enjoy!

17 Stunning DIY Window Treatment Ideas

Tips for Windows

Curtains or blinds?: Blinds are practical, allowing you to adjust the light that comes in, while curtains are more of a design element. What’s best for your space?
Install a non-traditional window: While most windows are square or rectangular, they can come in all shapes and sizes. Change things up with a circular or arch-shaped window.
Add a valance to your window: A window valance is a great addition to a window as it works to hide the bars or hardware that come with drapes and curtains.
Bring natural light in: Install a skylight or high window into a room to add natural light and provide ventilation.
Go green with your windows: Replace your windows to reduce utility costs by choosing energy-efficient options made from environmentally friendly materials.

Windows & Doors Ideas

Top Projects for Windows

Are you searching for the top window ideas on Hometalk? Make yourself at home.

Turn An Old Window Into Wall Art

I always loved the way the windows looked in my church, the intricate stained glass that was breathtaking when the sun shown through. I have an antique window hanging in my apartment as wall art and I was inspired to turn it into a custom stained glass piece!

Kara S.

My Long Dark Hallway Needed Some Lights.

My hallway was very plain and dark. It needed some sprucing up.

Connie Chrisman Hatch

Privacy Glass Using Contact Paper

Do you have windows or doors in your home that you want to make a little more private? In my home office, I have two glass doors that lead into our backyard - the only problem? They also lead my neighbors eyes in as well. As a renter, I can't buy new doors and don't want to invest in heavy duty window coverings, so I came up with a solution. Using budget-friendly contact paper, I created a simple stick-on frosted glass method that is tasteful and completely removable upon move-out! Be sure to check out other DIY home office projects! We want to help you DIY, so some of the materials in this post are linked to sellers. Just so you know, Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Julien K., Hometalk Team

How to Use Contact Paper to Make a Beautiful Privacy Window!

It was time to do something about these windows. We live at the top of a busy neighborhood and my bay windows offer a front row seat to everything going on inside my house. No more eye contact with the joggers, dog walkers, and school kids.

Bryan's Workshop

EDITED$5 Glass Cabinet Door Transformed Into Faux Stained Glass Window

Hello friends! Thank you so much for your feedback on this project. This is my very first post on Hometalk.com Many of you have taken the time to comment or query so I do apologize for not providing better instructions. I will endeavour to update my instructions in the next day or two. (I also didn't have photo for every step of the process, so I will be sure to address that in my next project. )In What to do with a reclaimed glass cabinet door....? Well, with $3 dollar poster paints, some white glue, shaving cream and battery powered led lights, you can make a beautiful faux stained glass window!

Shower Curtain Valance

If you've followed any of my previous posts, you may have seen where I did a mini makeover on our bathroom a few months ago. It, to me, was a pretty big change cosmetically but there was just one element of the makeover that didn't sit well with me so I finally changed it up and I'm so happy with the result! It's amazing what some shower curtains and Stitch Witchery will do to a small bathroom!We want to help you DIY, so some of the materials in this post are linked to sellers. Just so you know, Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Rob & Courtney M, Hometalk Team

The HAPPIEST Office Curtains in the World.... Made by the Girl Who CAN

I wanted custom office curtains. But I don't sew. And I wanted them like yesterday, so I figured out a way to do it myself!

Jennifer Allwood

$3 Front Door Update

We have a very old front door that needs to be replaced. But like many home owners, the desire to make upgrades and our budget doesn't always align. I also very much disliked that anyone at my door could easily peer inside.

RebD

Recycle 1 Old Chandelier & 1 Old Door to This!

Had this old chandelier for years hoping someday I would do something with it...

Eve Moore Kiser

Front Door Coppertop Cedar Awning

The rain would always drip inside my storm door and create condensation. I tried a drip edge but that didn't solve the problem. So I decided to make an 18 inch overhang .

Cheryl

Turn An Old Window Into Wall Art

Kara S.

My Long Dark Hallway Needed Some Lights.

My hallway was very plain and dark. It needed some sprucing up.

Connie Chrisman Hatch

Privacy Glass Using Contact Paper

Julien K., Hometalk Team

How to Use Contact Paper to Make a Beautiful Privacy Window!

Bryan's Workshop

EDITED$5 Glass Cabinet Door Transformed Into Faux Stained Glass Window

Shower Curtain Valance

Rob & Courtney M, Hometalk Team

The HAPPIEST Office Curtains in the World.... Made by the Girl Who CAN

I wanted custom office curtains. But I don't sew. And I wanted them like yesterday, so I figured out a way to do it myself!

Jennifer Allwood

$3 Front Door Update

RebD

Recycle 1 Old Chandelier & 1 Old Door to This!

Had this old chandelier for years hoping someday I would do something with it...

Eve Moore Kiser

Front Door Coppertop Cedar Awning

The rain would always drip inside my storm door and create condensation. I tried a drip edge but that didn't solve the problem. So I decided to make an 18 inch overhang .

Cheryl

DIY Window Videos

DIY window video tutorials for you to enjoy. Don't forget to take notes.

DIY Window Bench With Storage

Today I’m going to show you how my husband built a window bench with storage for our master bedroom.I’ve had this project burning in the back of my mind for a long time. Initially, I really wanted a window bench with drawers, but we had an incident, you can read more about it on my blog (https://avantimorocha.com) so I decided to ditch the drawers and simply make a bench with a trunk instead.

AvantiMorocha

How To Create Magazine-Style Farmhouse Windows

Do you have skinny window casings on your windows? Do you lack a window sill? Do you dream of those farmhouse window casings that you see in magazines? Your dream is about to come true.

Alicia W

Mirror, Mirror on the Window? Daylight Privacy Mirror Film Tutorial

**Update** I had some questions regarding using this on double pane windows so after a lot of research. I went to www.buydecorativefilm.com and found a quote that said it was safe for dual paned glass. There were a lot of reviews on Amazon and I couldn't find one that said it was a problem for their double pane windows but if in doubt, contact a professional window tint installer. ** When we bought this house a year ago, it was the house of many firsts. One first, was the fact that this house had windows on the garage. We had never had a garage with windows before. And you know what they say about first impressions. Every time someone walked to our front door, they would pass these windows first. When I set up the garage, I put a shelf in front of the window, because almost most of the other wall space had pegboards already on them. I put it in front of the window and I proceeded to load it with just about every paint can that I had. Every time I walked by the garage, I groaned but was too lazy to move the shelf and ALL THOSE cans of paint. So, I sent my husband to buy blinds. Either he bought the wrong size or I measured wrong and it was probably the latter. But, I hated seeing the inside of the garage so much, I attempted to put them up anyway. I don't know why we didn't take them back and get the right size. I think I just wasn't happy with how the blinds looked so it didn't matter. I am not sure how I came across this mirror window film but it looked like it might be the perfect solution for me.

Stacy Davis

Up-Cycled Window Blinds

Six months out of the year, we have the windows open in our home. We have blinds on most of the windows which are fine but I wanted to make them look prettier so here's what I did...

Alicia W

Hometalkers' Favorite DIY Window Projects

We've gathered the best DIY window projects right here for you. Go on in!

$2.00 Dollar Store No Sew Pillow Case Valence.

I went to the Dollar Store and saw pillow cases with the perfect print on them for my bathroom. Hmm I thought I bet I can make a valence out of 2 pillow cases.

Karen

Anthropologie Inspired Watershed Curtain Tieback

Even though I don’t have curtains or drapes in my home, I like tiebacks for decorating door handles, lamp shades and chair backs. The Anthropologie Watershed Tieback caught my eye and I knew that with items I already hand on hand, it would cost me less than $58.

Teri.jeffrey

A Colorful Alternative To Curtains

I decided against the usual window treatment for this kitchen window. I live in an apartment, so the windows are cheap. I wanted to try to take the attention away from the ugly windows. So I came up with a fun alternative to curtains. Here is the window before:

Brenda @ Cozy Little House

Faux Stained Glass Cabinet Technique

Grab some Elmer's glue and craft paint for this one of a kind cabinet update!Check out the video for more how-to's!

Abbie M

Digital Lace Mini Blind

We just moved into a fixer-upper which we plan on being our forever home. Like many people before us, we have been overwhelmed with all the 'priority' projects. One of the first, tho, was window coverings. Since I'm not sure how the decorating process will evolve, I decided to keep the coverings simple, but pretty.....and cheap!

Christi Joyce

Making a Roman Shade With a Curtain Panel and Mini-Blinds

My husband and I spent two years renovating our tiny cottage. We started the process before farmhouse chic became popular though there are definitely elements of that throughout. From our antique apron-front sink (my husband’s great-great-grandfather’s) to the original white shiplap in the laundry room, there are touches of charm and vintage quaintness all over. Since we live pretty far out in the country, I didn’t think too much about window treatments when we moved in. We have plantation shutters on the front side that faces the road, but the back of the house overlooks a four-acre field on our property, so I left those windows bare.Over time, my husband and I felt that even those windows should have some sort of decor and at least a partial covering. I didn’t want to install shutters and block the pretty view, so I got creative with a way to solve the problem. I settled on roman shades, which would add a touch of personality to the room without obstructing any of the scenery they provide. The only problem? The roman shades I was pricing online were way above our budget, and even if I had someone make me one, the fabric and labor were going to cost me more than I was comfortable spending. We have two small children and are in the stage of life where absolutely every penny counts.So, I started researching some options on how to create a DIY roman shade as inexpensively as possible. I landed on a site that detailed a process using a cheap single curtain panel and mini-blinds from the dollar store. The technique seemed simple enough and the supplies were certainly low-budget, so my husband and I set forth! I tweaked the process here and there to meet our timeframe and dimensions, so here is what we ended up doing:

Courtney Myers

$2.00 Dollar Store No Sew Pillow Case Valence.

I went to the Dollar Store and saw pillow cases with the perfect print on them for my bathroom. Hmm I thought I bet I can make a valence out of 2 pillow cases.

Karen

Anthropologie Inspired Watershed Curtain Tieback

Teri.jeffrey

A Colorful Alternative To Curtains

Brenda @ Cozy Little House

Faux Stained Glass Cabinet Technique

Grab some Elmer's glue and craft paint for this one of a kind cabinet update!Check out the video for more how-to's!

Abbie M

Digital Lace Mini Blind

Christi Joyce

Making a Roman Shade With a Curtain Panel and Mini-Blinds

Courtney Myers

Popular Window Discussions

Check out our DIY window project discussion board. Let us know what you think.

How can I cover the window to cool the room from the hot sun?

/> Kathy Hollist

We have a window that the afternoon sun beats down on in the afternoon. Makes our room in there HOT. What is the best way to shield the window and cool down the room?

View discussion

How can I make curtains out of twin bed sheets?

/> Karen

View discussion

How to strip an old beveled ,leaded glass window?

/> Lori Niemi Laksonen

Several coats of paint, red, green and white. There is a base coat of something sticky and black. Think it could be a creosote sealer. Keeps gumming up my sander. Want to clear stain when stripped.

View discussion

How can I cover or frost a window to limit sunlight?

/> AnnMarie Taylor

Need idea ( Cheap ) on how to frost or covering clear glass to cut down on sun light that is Cat friendly

View discussion

New Window Projects

Need some new window inspiration? Check out the new projects here.

Decorative Window Shutters

Outside my back door i have an alley-way that leads out to my back yard. Its dark and dingy and i wanted to brighten it up. I gave the whole thing including the ceiling a coat (or six!) of white outdoor masonry paint. It looked much better but needed some decoration.The surrounding doors and window frames are all painted blue (courtesy of our local Council) and my son had commented that the colour scheme reminded him of those lovely little Greek houses with the brightly coloured shutters at the windows. This gave me an idea..There is a window in the alley connected to a small shed used for storage, it's been painted over by a previous Tenant and i decided to see if i could find some shutters to fit. Always on a budget my mind started racing with ideas on how i could make the shutters from junk i already had and a few days later i came across an old set of wooden Venetian blinds, they didn't fit any of my windows (i had picked them up in a second-hand shop some months earlier not realising they were too short for my original intended purpose (doh!)I set about stripping the blinds so i was just left with the slats. I needed to half every measurement so i had enough to make a pair of shutters, then i began measuring and cutting, once everything was cut to size i gave them a quick sanding and painted them with some a matt gloss blue paint (the area they are for is not exposed to the elements so it didn't matter if it was outdoor paint).Once the paint was dry i laid two of the longer lengths (the height of the window) on a flat surface and then slowly glued smaller lengths across these from top to bottom, (the wood is very thin and lightweight ) so gluing was all that was needed but i did put a screw in each corner to secure them to the walls and this strengthened the whole thing. once the shutters were in place i hung two hanging baskets next to them to finish the look. I will also be putting a small table and chairs underneath and I am thinking about painting a picture on the window for a future project (any ideas welcome) but for now i'm just so glad the dark dingy alley is brighter and i'm quite proud of my junk shutters! Hope you like it, below is a before and after with a few pics to show how i achieved the look. Thanks for reading

Zena walker

Window molding and rustic indoor shutters.

Window molding and rustic shutter.

Nutmeg Place

Easy No-Hardware Valance for Blinds

Wooden blinds are a great window treatment option, but finishing them off can be tricky, especially if you don't want to hang curtains too. Today I'm sharing my easy, no hardware-needed solution for dressing up the blinds.

Sarah | Birch Landing Home

Repairing Wood Damage With Bondo

Sometimes wood repairs call for something faster and harder than wood filler. Like, when my shutters ended up getting Dry Rot Damage. The damaged area was so large and thick, that Bondo made the most sense for this repair.Bondo makes an All Purpose Putty, that works on wood and a wood filler. I went with the putty this time because it dries super fast and a little harder than wood filler. And, because I am painting these shutters. If I needed to stain a large wood patch job. I would have used all wood filler or at least a good 1/4" surface of wood filler with Bondo underneath.I have read online some people saying that Bondo cracks and shrinks. Maybe that's true of a different Bondo product or in areas with extreme cold. Our house painter used Bondo to patch a porch column of ours a few years ago and it has held up perfectly. But, I'm in Houston. So, we generally only have a handful of days around the freezing mark a year. So, with that said. Let me tell you what I did and recommend. More details about this tutorial can be found on my site.

Stephanie Abbott

Stained Glass (faux) Barn Doors

I had built a linen closet in the MBR during our home remodel and wanted to use french doors we removed from another room as the closet barn doors. I love cherry blossoms and found a design to blow up and trace to paint the flowers. Then I added a 3 dimensional tree trunk up the middle with limbs going out to the flowers. Turned out amazing. I worked full time while working on this project, so I did a little on weekends and nights while we were working other projects as well like putting new boards down on the dock.

Sandy O'Konek

Faux Stained Glass Window With Unicorn SPiT

You can easily create a beautiful stain glass window with Unicorn SPiT and not break the bank in the process. Plus you will have leftover Unicorn SPiT to do many more projects (check out my blog to see more projects). I have had bare sidelight window for years...and yes everyone could see right in! I wanted something that I could still see out of but to see in was a bit distorted. So for me I didn't want curtains. Years ago I did a similar thing but used the paint that was being sold for doing stained glass...boy was it expensive! So since I already had my stash of Unicorn SPiT I gave this a try last fall. So far it has held up beautifully!