NeliDesign

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Projects
    • Cricut Help
    • Home Decor
    • Crafts
    • Organization
  • Materials
    • Adhesive Vinyl
    • Heat transfer vinyl
    • Foil
    • Infusible Ink
    • Paper and Cardstock
    • Pens and Markers
    • Other
  • Free cut files
    • See the free cut files
    • Get the free cut files
      • Get a password
      • Access the Library
  • Shop
  • Français
search icon
Homepage link
  • Projects
    • Cricut Help
    • Home Decor
    • Crafts
    • Organization
  • Materials
    • Adhesive Vinyl
    • Heat transfer vinyl
    • Foil
    • Infusible Ink
    • Paper and Cardstock
    • Pens and Markers
    • Other
  • Free cut files
    • See the free cut files
    • Get the free cut files
      • Get a password
      • Access the Library
  • Shop
  • Français
×
Home » Blog » Home Decor

How to add privacy to French doors for only $13

Learn how to find an original and economical way to add privacy to French doors. It will save you lots of money for a beautiful look!

Last September, I participated in the $100 Room Challenge. If you weren't there, it's a challenge where you need to makeover one room, in one month for $100 or less. For this challenge, I decided to makeover my master bedroom. If you're curious, you can see the different steps of the challenge by following these links:

Week 1 | Week 2 - stencil | Week 3 - paint blinds | Week 4 - reveal

An original way to add privacy to French doors

The master bedroom is located in the basement. When we bought the house, French doors with clear glass were already there. Seriously, who would want to install these kinds of doors for their bedroom? Not parents with children, that's for sure!

View from outside the bedroom, through the French door clear glass. The French doors absolutely need to have more privacy.

So I wanted to find an original way to add privacy to clear glass. Also, since I was in the middle of the $100 Room Challenge, I had to find something economical! How about $13? That's budget-friendly enough!

This is probably the most economical way to modify clear glass! This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience and at no extra cost to you. Click here to see my privacy policy.

Required materials

  • At least 30 white 8-½" x 14" cardstocks of around 90lb or 110lb
  • A cutting machine like a Cricut (I have the Cricut Maker) or a pair of scissors and patience!
  • An empty cardboard box
  • Spray adhesive
  • Thin plastic shower curtain lining (mine was dark blue)
  • Cutting mat
  • Metal ruler
  • Rotary cutter
  • and the Cut file (or printable) that you can get for free in my resource library by subscribing to my newsletter right here. 👇

    How to add privacy to French doors

    Just a little note before explaining everything: since it was the $100 Room Challenge, I tried to use what I already had at home. Therefore, you'll see that my pattern is made of 2 pieces. This is because I only had 8-½ x 11 cardstock (letter size). To simplify your life, use a larger size, like the 8-½ x 14 (legal size) so you can have a pattern in one piece!

    Step 1:

    First of all, be sure to clean the glass thoroughly. By immediately doing this step, you'll be sure they will be dry when it's time to glue the pattern.

    Step 2:

    Measure the glass on your doors and make sure that the cut-out pattern (the file you'll find in my library at the very bottom of this post) is the right size. If it's not the case, adjust it in the Cricut design space. The file is a PNG image so you can also use any image program to make the adjustments.

    Cut all the patterns with your Cricut or another cutting machine (or scissors!). If you have the same doors, you'll need 30 cut-out patterns.

    Removing the pattern cut with the Cricut or Silhouette.

    Step 3:

    Place one piece at the time at the bottom of the cardboard box and spray the adhesive.

    Place the patterns at the bottom of the cardboard box.

    Apply the pattern on the glass from top to bottom. If you don't have a good eye the find the middle of the glass, just make a little mark with a pencil.

    Apply the pattern on the glass from top to bottom.
    Apply the pattern on the glass from top to bottom.

    When you spray, make sure you're not too close. If you are, you'll end up with small drops on the cardstock as you can see in the image below.

    Showing the little drops on the pattern.

    Step 4:

    Now you need to cut the shower curtain. Since the plastic was a bit elastic, I had trouble cutting it to the right size. I had to do it piece by piece. Well, 2 pieces by 2 pieces!

    As a matter of fact, I made a cardstock template the size of one glass (as you can see in the image below). Then, I folded the shower curtain in half so I could cut 2 pieces at a time.

    Cut the shower curtain

    Step 5:

    To install the pieces of shower curtain in the glass, use the same cardboard box and spray one piece at a time.

    To install it, start by the top corners. Then, press down on the plastic to get rid of all the air bubbles.

    • Install the pieces of shower curtain from top to bottom.
    • Install the pieces of shower curtain from top to bottom while pulling down.

    It is best that the plastic rectangle be slightly bigger than the glass. If it's the case and you end up with corners like in the left image below, simply cut the corners to 45 degrees with scissors.

    • If there's too much plastic in the corner.
    • cut the shower curtain at 45 degrees.
    • It's better if the rectangle is slightly bigger than the glass.

    The final result

    And here you have it! The view from inside the bedroom.

    Final result for an original way to add privacy to French doors. View from the inside.

    What I like the most, it's that the view from outside the bedroom is totally different!

    This is the view from outside of the room where you can see the result of adding privacy to the french doors.

    Budget summary

    I must confess, I first used repositionable adhesive to save money as part of the $100 Room Challenge (the same spray I used for the stencil). But a few weeks later, I had to face the facts: several rectangles were peeling off and bubbles had appeared in some places. So I bought a permanent spray adhesive and now everything is staying in place!

    DescriptionPrice
    Spray adhesive13,00 $
    Shower curtain5,00 $
    Cardstock (already had it)0 $
    Total18,00 $

    And like I always say in the $100 Room Challenge, it's 18$ CAD, so about $13 USD 😜. The final budget for the $100 Room Challenge was $87 USD including the shower curtain. So, to be honest, if I add the spray adhesive (around $10 USD), I'm still under budget! Yesss!!

    Picture of the bedroom with the french doors you can see the result of adding privacy to the French doors.

    So, how about you, are you willing to try something similar?

    I'm waaay too busy to make this DIY!

    If you're scared of tackling this project because of a lack of time, try making it in blocks like this:

    1. Make steps 1 and 2 / Time: around 1 hour, 30 minutes
    2. Continue with step 3 / Time: around 1 hour
    3. Go to steps 4 and 5 / Time: around 2 hours, 30 minutes

    Note that this is just an example. You can always separate a project to your convenience and according to the time you have! If you make this project and find that the time is not realistic, please don't hesitate to tell me!

    How to get the cut file?

    Just subscribe here and get a free Cricut Design Space Cheat Sheet at the same time!

    Don't forget to Pin the image to save this idea!

    This is an image to save on Pinterest where it says "How to transform clear French doors for only $13"

    More Home Decor

    • How to cut felt with the Cricut Joy and Joy Xtra
    • Make a 3D Christmas ornaments in cardstock
    • Create felt Scandinavian Christmas ornaments with your Cricut
    • The different types of felt and how to cut them with your Cricut

    Hi! I'm Natalie

    I help crafters create with confidence, useful DIY and craft projects with their Cricut.

    More about me

    Popular

    • Cricut Maker 4 and Cricut Explore 4: Everything you need to know about these new cutting machines!
    • Cricut's Value materials
    • How to engrave on a curved surface with the xTool S1 laser cutter
    • Difference between xTool M1 and xTool S1 laser cutters

    Seasonal

    • Cricut printable Iron-on for light and dark fabrics - everything you need to know
    • Using Infusible Ink on cotton
    • Buying a Cricut: where to find the best price
    • Make interchangeable candle wraps with your Cricut

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Informations

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
    • CCPA
    • Do not sell my personnal information

    Newsletter

    • Sign up for emails and updates

    Resources

    • Access the library
    • Discount codes
    • About NeliDesign
    • Contact
    • Français

    .

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © NeliDesign

    Manage Cookie Consent
    We use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. We do this to improve browsing experience and to show (non-) personalized ads. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}
    Manage Cookie Consent
    To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}