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Old 02-11-2019, 01:20 PM   #2021
Shazam
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I used Shadow Tinting for some big dining room windows. They did a great job.

If you’re doing a small area just get some at HD. It’s very straightforward for small jobs.
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Old 02-12-2019, 02:32 AM   #2022
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So I'm building a new house, and our front doorway is basically 3 giant sheets of see-through glass.

Anyone ever frost their glass with vinyl or something else or get someone to come in and do that? Kinda want to avoid people being able to see right into our living room from the street
Frosted window film is pretty easy to install yourself. You might wreck the first piece or two, but the price for window film is like $30-40 bucks for 3 feet x 6 feet of nice film. Pull off a failed piece and try again with a newly cut piece. It's way cheaper than what someone will charge. You'll usually figure it out by the 3rd or 4th try and then when you realize how easy it is, you might consider doing more windows later.

Gila film kits are reasonably priced on Amazon or hardware stores. A quality utility knife is also recommended to ensure you can slice the film easily at the edge of the window instead of ripping the film with a crappy blade. Olfa blades are highly recommended for such a job. Also, don't buy window applicator stuff. Just buy baby shampoo and make your own to use in a spray bottle.

The gist of what you're trying to do is:
1. Cut a piece of film slightly larger than the window by about half an inch on all sides.
2. Spray the window in the shampoo/water mix so that the window is slippery (don't be stingy, the window should essentially be soaked)
3. Expose sticky side of film and stick on soaked window covering all the glass. (you can spray the sticky side a little bit if you didn't spray the window enough)
4. Spray the film with the shampoo/water mix so you don't scratch the inside and squeegee the air bubbles to the side. Keep the film centered to cover all the glass.
5. Using razor blade/utility knife and a plastic ruler to keep pressure on the film as you go, slice the excess film to match the size of the glass



The only benefit I can tell in getting someone to install film for you is that they have a nice machine that cuts the film into nice pieces for them to install and you don't have to do it. I've had windows film professionally installed and they still end up doing things like trapping dust/cloth/thread in the film etc. due to poor job of cleaning windows before they start.


If you want to go full on ghetto though, you can do something similar with just a spray bottle and paper.

1. spray the window
2. place the paper on the glass
3. spray the paper to soak it



A variation of this can be done with super thin plastic table covering (plastic bag level stuff)
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Old 02-12-2019, 06:59 AM   #2023
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That sounds like my worst nightmare.

I pay handymen to do everything for me. It's basically saved my marriage lol
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Old 02-12-2019, 07:56 AM   #2024
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That sounds like my worst nightmare.

I pay handymen to do everything for me. It's basically saved my marriage lol
A very legitimate reason to pay someone to do it. Paying someone to do it for you to avoid the tension trap isn't a bad move.
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Old 02-12-2019, 10:11 AM   #2025
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Are the windows something you ever want to see clearly through? You could get them chemically etched possibly to create a frosted look.



There's also the liquid crystal shutters, but who knows the cost and if the windows can be done after the fact. I have only seen it on the 787 Dreamliners. They are super cool though.
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Old 02-12-2019, 10:17 AM   #2026
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Are the windows something you ever want to see clearly through? You could get them chemically etched possibly to create a frosted look.



There's also the liquid crystal shutters, but who knows the cost and if the windows can be done after the fact. I have only seen it on the 787 Dreamliners. They are super cool though.
I think we just want to let the light in. We'll have a smart doorbell so we can see who is at our front door. I have no idea why our builder did this, but my assumption is that it is to sell us costly additional blinds packages
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Old 02-12-2019, 10:21 AM   #2027
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I think we just want to let the light in. We'll have a smart doorbell so we can see who is at our front door. I have no idea why our builder did this, but my assumption is that it is to sell us costly additional blinds packages
Many new homes are built this way. I'm not sure why they don't install opaque glass (maybe to save costs?). My brother's home is like this and I keep forgetting to go to his place and install the film for him. He's blocked the windows for now with cheap table runners from Winners. Looks ok from the outside, kinda ghetto looking on the inside.
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Old 02-12-2019, 10:22 AM   #2028
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Dumb question - are all baseboards nailed to the bottom plate of a wall? Looking to install a baby gate in an awkward place (top of stairs) with no studs and baseboards on both sides and I've never drilled into a baseboard to hang something before
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Old 02-12-2019, 10:31 AM   #2029
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Dumb question - are all baseboards nailed to the bottom plate of a wall? Looking to install a baby gate in an awkward place (top of stairs) with no studs and baseboards on both sides and I've never drilled into a baseboard to hang something before

Yes the baseboard will probably be nailed to the bottom plate of the wall framing. Even if it is not, your baby gate could be. You'd just need long enough screws to cover the gate itself, the baseboard, drywall and get into the wood an inch or two. Fastening the top is more difficult though. Maybe toggles? But no studs is a problem. Might be worth making a small hole to install a 2x4 across the wall between studs so that you have something solid to anchor to.
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Old 02-12-2019, 10:40 AM   #2030
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Yes the baseboard will probably be nailed to the bottom plate of the wall framing. Even if it is not, your baby gate could be. You'd just need long enough screws to cover the gate itself, the baseboard, drywall and get into the wood an inch or two. Fastening the top is more difficult though. Maybe toggles? But no studs is a problem. Might be worth making a small hole to install a 2x4 across the wall between studs so that you have something solid to anchor to.
If you're trying to screw through the baseboard and into the wall plate, don't forget only 3/4" of it its height is above your finished floor.
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Old 02-12-2019, 10:42 AM   #2031
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Dumb question - are all baseboards nailed to the bottom plate of a wall? Looking to install a baby gate in an awkward place (top of stairs) with no studs and baseboards on both sides and I've never drilled into a baseboard to hang something before
If the child is old enough to hang off of the gate, then maybe screwing wood across existing studs in the walls to create a vertical post to screw the baby gate into could work? It'll be a little ugly for a bit, but after you remove it, it'll only be a few small holes in the wall where the screws go through?

I wouldn't recommend dry wall anchors (mentioning in case someone suggests it) as it's not really meant to take the weight of a kid.
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Old 02-12-2019, 10:56 AM   #2032
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If the child is old enough to hang off of the gate, then maybe screwing wood across existing studs in the walls to create a vertical post to screw the baby gate into could work? It'll be a little ugly for a bit, but after you remove it, it'll only be a few small holes in the wall where the screws go through?

I wouldn't recommend dry wall anchors (mentioning in case someone suggests it) as it's not really meant to take the weight of a kid.
Thanks, and I think that's what I will do. I was trying to avoid that because of how it will look but I suppose I could fancy it up a bit (ie. paint it to match trim). And yeah, big warning on the instructions to not just hang it on drywall which makes sense as it has to be sturdy enough for a child's weight. if I did go the baseboard route it sounds like it would have to be ~1" above the bottom of the baseboard in order to hit the bottom plate?
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Old 02-12-2019, 11:11 AM   #2033
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if I did go the baseboard route it sounds like it would have to be ~1" above the bottom of the baseboard in order to hit the bottom plate?

The bottom plate is a 2x4 laid flat on the subfloor. So it is an inch and a half plate. But the baseboard is sitting on top of your flooring. So there is probably only 3/4 of an inch available to screw into above the floor. You will likely want to screw at an angle down so if you miss the 3/4 inch top of the base plate you can still go down into it. Long screws.
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Old 02-12-2019, 11:13 AM   #2034
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Can you mount the gate forward of the stairs a bit so you hit a stud? It doesn't have to be right at the threshold, does it?
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Old 02-12-2019, 12:06 PM   #2035
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Can you mount the gate forward of the stairs a bit so you hit a stud? It doesn't have to be right at the threshold, does it?
I could, and I might do that assuming I could find a stud ~6-8 inches away. The edge of the railing is limiting the space to work with
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Old 02-15-2019, 09:50 PM   #2036
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Bought a nest-e. Put it on the wall and followed steps: no dice. Very disappointed.
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Old 02-16-2019, 11:48 AM   #2037
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Bought a nest-e. Put it on the wall and followed steps: no dice. Very disappointed.
Why?
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Old 02-16-2019, 11:52 AM   #2038
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Cuz it's cheaper.

I took it back and got a couple 3rd gen nests and used them for humidity control and used the spare wire as a c wire. both are up and running. they're very sleek and beautiful looking devices for sure.
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Old 02-16-2019, 12:03 PM   #2039
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Cuz it's cheaper.

I took it back and got a couple 3rd gen nests and used them for humidity control and used the spare wire as a c wire. both are up and running. they're very sleek and beautiful looking devices for sure.
So the Gen 3 are working great for you, but the nest e didnt' work? Would you be willing to share what was wrong with the Nest e?
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Old 02-16-2019, 12:48 PM   #2040
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I think it just was a defective unit actually
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