Christmas fake leaded glass window

November 17, 2015 12:16 PM

Yeas ago at Christmas I used to paint black lines on a window to create a Dickensian diamond pane leaded glass look. I remember the clean up~being very messy. Is there a black tape that would do the job while not leaving a lot of residue behind on the window?
posted by mcbeitz to Home & Garden (17 answers total)

I would try chart tape, intended for like blocking out a grid on a wall or white board. I've used it temporarily and had it come off nicely, with possibly a quick swipe of goo gone over everything after.
posted by brainmouse at 12:22 PM on November 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

I've either used this exact tape or one very similar to it before to mark off lines on white boards. It came off (of a whiteboard) perfectly. Any adhesive you leave in sunlight for a prolonged time is going to get problematic, though, so keep that in mind for a window.

I've also painted a few windows before (none professionally, just for privacy on weird apartment windows) mixing equal parts dish soap and acrylic paint. The paint keeps enough opacity that you can't really tell it's been diluted, and it comes clean off even years later with no problem. (I scrape most of it off dry with the edge of a credit card then wipe the rest off with a damp paper towel.) If you decide to paint again rather than use tape.
posted by phunniemee at 12:25 PM on November 17, 2015

You could also use black Bristol board (light card stock) from the dollar store cut into thin strips so you only need to tape the ends. However - this will only work with windows that do not get steamed up. Black Bristol board does not deal with moisture well.

If you decide to go with this route use a trimmer to cut the Bristol board rather than scissors to go faster and get straight lines.
posted by Jane the Brown at 12:29 PM on November 17, 2015

Vinyl electrical tape might work for this. I use it all the time to mark things temporarily (for sides of computers, cables, to mark drinking glasses, etc. - write on it with a sharpie for labeling), and it comes off easily from most surfaces with not much residue. I wouldn't leave it on the glass during summer, as sunlight does weird things to adhesives, but for a month in the winter should be fine. This is one of those things that works better if you use a brand tape (3M is tops in my book) rather than a non-brand one, in my experience.
posted by gemmy at 12:41 PM on November 17, 2015

The kids in my neighborhood used some sort of easily removed paint to paint Halloween scenes on local merchant windows. Does it have to be tape or will removable paint work?
posted by AugustWest at 12:42 PM on November 17, 2015

Apologies, Upon reread, I see you used paint, but knowing the 13 yo that cleaned the windows the week after painting them, effort was not an issue.
posted by AugustWest at 12:43 PM on November 17, 2015

I would definitely avoid electrical tape, just because even the chance of there being some of that evil adhesive left behind is too much.

You can use fabric puffy paint (remember that stuff?) and it will dry on the window and you can really easily peel it off and even re-stick it. Cheap, and comes in a million colors. Might even look very like leading.
posted by fiercecupcake at 12:54 PM on November 17, 2015

I'd use Gallery Glass Instant Lead Lines.
posted by sarajane at 1:11 PM on November 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

Seconding sarajane. I have used that product with great success and it's meant for your exact purpose.
posted by amro at 1:15 PM on November 17, 2015

Dry erase markers write pretty well on glass and are easy to erase (but them night not be as dark as you want)
posted by leahwrenn at 1:26 PM on November 17, 2015

Window Crayons
posted by fimbulvetr at 1:32 PM on November 17, 2015

Chart or graphic design tape will work nicely for this. You can get it in the drafting supplies section of a craft store like Michael's. It leaves little if any residue; I use it for taping finger positions on my students' violin fingerboard a and it peels right off no harm no foul.

Electrical tape will leave goop if there are temperature or moisture changes and is not a good option.
posted by charmedimsure at 2:11 PM on November 17, 2015

Wouldn't this work?
posted by blackjack514 at 2:37 PM on November 17, 2015

You want gaffer's tape.
posted by JMOZ at 4:30 PM on November 17, 2015

Why don't you use those window cling things? I would think any sort of tape will leave some stickiness behind. You could just buy black sheets and cut it. A two-second google search tells me something like this? They also just sell designs you can put on your windows, sort of like this.
posted by AppleTurnover at 9:45 PM on November 17, 2015

For what it's worth, my family owns a stained glass studio, and for people that want the look of leaded glass but cannot afford it, or need windows that have the look of stained glass but will not work in their installation area, we use a product called Decra-Led and have for 20+ years. It holds up and stays put if installed correctly. The product linked by sarajane seems similar, although Decra-Led comes on a continuous roll, rather than lengths. It's also available in different finishes and thicknesses.

It appears to be buyable on Amazon, but only in one type.
posted by rachaelfaith at 4:56 AM on November 18, 2015

Response by poster: Thank-you all for a selection of good ideas.
posted by mcbeitz at 7:38 AM on November 18, 2015