If you love to work inside of your garage or use it as a separate lounging area, you might need a little extra privacy to help you cover your windows from outside viewers. Fortunately, there are many types of coverings you can use to place over your windows, no matter what size or materials they are made of.
Some of the best ways to cover your garage windows for privacy include covering them using film. You can also cover your windows with wax paper for a cheaper option. For a more permanent window covering, use frosted windows to still let in light. Even better are window coverings made by installing blinds or shades over the windows.
Why Do I Need to Cover My Windows?
While it isn't necessary to cover your windows, there are many benefits to covering your windows you can experience in as little as a day. Below are some of the best reasons to invest in window coverings.
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Added Privacy
Around 9% of burglars use the garage door to enter a home, while another 23% use a first-floor window to enter home. Sadly, larger garage windows are a perfect combination of these two entrance points, providing a way for burglars to enter the home undetected if no other option is available.
Covering your windows can help prevent burglars from entering (since they're unsure of what could be on the other side), as well as help you gain privacy for burglars casing your home. Many burglars choose to case the home before entering it, searching for valuables to rob. If you store your toys like cars and recreational vehicles in your garage, a burglar might use your windows to get a better understanding of the layout of your home.
In addition, if you do work inside of your garage or simply enjoy being in solitude, covering your home can help add a layer of security and privacy to your home.
Better Energy Efficiency
In addition to covering your valuables and adding privacy, certain window tints can also help promote better energy efficiency. In fact, according to Consumer Reports, The Department of Energy says you can reduce heat gain by 77% by using smart management of your window coverings. This includes using coverings like window blinds and even tinted glass.
In addition, the addition of low-e glass, which is designed to tackle against outside heat and UV rays and keep your home cool, can also be used as an added layer of insulation and to better cool your garage.
Low-e glass and different types of garage window coverings can therefore be useful when needing to keep your garage cool.
Complete the Look of Your Garage
If your goal is to create a finished garage and make another living space, then putting other types of window coverings, such as rollers and insulated cellular shades like these shades on Amazon, can help your garage look more like a living space rather than a traditional storage area. These types of window blinds are easy to install, and according to the Department of Energy, can also help increase heat savings by 10% during the winter months and reduce solar gain by another 20%.
How Do I Choose the Best Window Coverings?
You can choose the best window coverings based on a couple factors and preferences, including:
Level of privacy: Some window tints and curtains can completely black out your windows permanently, while using frosted glass or low-level tinting can provide you with only slight coverage.
Light: If you want to let in light into your garage, frosted windows and window films that let in light, such as this window film on Amazon, are a good option. They still give you a good level of privacy, and unlike rollers and blinds, don't have to continue to be rolled up in order to utilize the most lighting.
Style: Depending on the look of your garage, simple films and wax paper can be a fast and affordable, albeit less stylish choice. However, if you have a finished garage, rollers and blinds might be a better option.
Window Coverings to Choose From (and how to install them)
There are various choices to choose from, including:
Wax Paper
Wax paper is perhaps the easiest window covering to choose from and the most budget-friendly. All you have to do is simply tape the wax paper over your garage window after cutting it to size. If you don't want to add the wax paper to your window using tape, you can also use a layer of corn starch paste spread evenly on the window. Afterward, you would place your wax paper on the window and let it sit and harden.
Rice Paper
Rice paper has a unique texture and patterns that make it perfect to use on larger windows, since wax paper might be difficult to find in larger homes. Best of all, using rice paper gives your home a unique, oriental look that can create a serene environment and resemble traditional Asian room dividers and doors.
There are rice paper window covers available on Amazon that don't even require tape. All you need to do is measure your window, cut the rice paper to size, and then spray your window down after cleaning it with water. Once it is clean and sprayed, place the rice paper over your window for a beautifully glazed and frosted look.
Frosted Windows
Using wax paper and rice paper is the easiest method to achieve frosted windows at home. However, there are other ways to achieve a semi-permanent frosted look to your windows. These include using frosted glass paint and frosted glass spray. Both of these can be easily applied to your window to add a layer of privacy, and they are readily available online. Check out this frosted spray paint on Amazon, which allows you to get an even coating on your window to protect your privacy, while also helping protect you against harmful UV rays.
However, if you don't feel comfortable frosting your windows on your own, or you have a garage that has particularly huge glass windows, then getting a professional company to frost your windows is also a good choice.
Window Coverings
Finally, installing blinds, shades, and window coverings is another easy way to add privacy. This is one of the best ways to cover your windows to let in light when you need to and cover them when needed.
There are many varieties of window blinds, shades, and rollers available. To help you choose the right one, consider these factors:
1. Design - There are many types of popular designs, including cellular window shades like the one shown above, rollers that use shades uniform in color and design, such as these roller shades on Amazon, and even window shades made of bamboo for a more relaxed and traditional look.
All of these will impact the overall look of your window, as well as your garage. Some designs to choose from include:
- Vertical blinds for bigger garage windows that are floor to ceiling or lead to a patio
- Woven wood shades
- Horizontal sheer shades to let light in throughout the day
- Faux wood blinds, good for places with high humidity like garages
- Wood blinds
2. Size - Because window shades and blinds are usually made for traditionally sized windows and not smaller garage windows, you'll need to find shades that are the right size. If you cannot find the right sized shades, consider using one shade to cover two windows, or contacting a company that can create custom-sized shades for your garage windows.
3. Added features - Do you want to use your shades to protect your home from UV rays? Do you need them to help blackout your garage completely if you use it as an extra room? Consider all of these features when purchasing the shades.
Installation for all of these is simple. Simply mount the roller shade bar centered above your window using brackets that come packaged with the window blinds. These brackets will placed inside the window frame itself, known as interior mounts, or on the surface of the wall just above the window, known as exterior mounts.
There is no one-size fits all when it comes to installing window shades, so make sure to follow the recommendations of the specific shade you have purchased.