In my house I renovated last summer, most of the windows were the jalousie slatted glass type. They function like Venetian blinds, but they’re made of glass and don’t really offer much in the way of insulation or security. So, I decided to replace almost all of them.
(Unfortunately, the bulk of the replacement windows were crappy aluminum sliders—it was one of the first, and most expensive decisions I had to make, so I opted for the cheapest route. I wish I had done salvaged wood windows instead — which I did end up doing for several windows which turned out great).
Not wanting to throw anything away (I also had my contractor make a headboard out of the scrap wood from the ceiling) I kept the glass thinking, “One day I’ll make an art project out of these.”
I ruminated for months on what to do with the glass. My brother suggested making “sandwiches” of the glass using paint between each sheet and stacking them, letting the paint ooze out in between (a technique he’d done before with wood). But the glass was so heavy once you started stacking them, that this seemed unworkable.
Another idea was to paint the glass and then lean each slat against the wall using 2 nails to hold the slat. I was telling my friend John about the idea and he had the brilliant suggestion of buying a glass drill bit, drilling 2 holes in the glass, and then mounting them on the wall. So that’s precisely what I did.
- I used aluminum spacers and rubber washers to make the glass look like it was floating off the wall (also one of John’s suggestions).
Very nice! I’m thinking of making a kitchen backsplash like this. Thanks for the inspiration!
me too. and a countertop. Have you started yet?
Laura
me too. Have you started yet?
Laura
I ‘ve seen these slats used like glass tile. My husband is going to try it above my stove
Very nice! But we have like 500 pieces here in school. How can I recycle the rest?
Take them to a building recycle center. People who break one or two need replacements.