Stain glass window film – judge for yourself whether it passes the acid test
Stain glass window film – is it any good?! There are three photos of one of my Striking Glass windows on this page – try ranking them in order of preference and make a mental list of what you like about the one that tops your list. Is it depth of colour? More contrast? The subtlety and detail? If you chose the bottom image (and I hope you did!), you’ve gone for the real stained glass. The top two are stain glass window film – the first one with strong sunlight behind, the second with muted light.
I’ve just secured a fantastic commission to design a 120m2 atrium for a new school dining room, and the architects have requested that I use adhesive stained glass film rather than permanent screen printed glass painting. In a brave attempt to embrace new technology, I’ve done lots of research. There are some advantages to using film – it’s quick, it’s relatively cheap and versatile, and can be incorporated easily into large architectural scale projects requiring complex safety solutions.
The downside looks pretty grim, however. The film is guaranteed for only 5-7 years – slightly less than the 800+ years we find with medieval glass! And I found out that the colour will fade – although not entirely I’ve been promised! This presents a serious problem for my south-facing atrium project. The glue is another er, sticky area, as it will eventually start to break down and peel off from the edges.
Technological advances are constantly improving the quality and longevity of adhesive film, but for the moment I still feel that the opportunity of doing something really exciting in this atrium has been lost by the choice of stain glass window film. It won’t have the depth of colour – even before it fades! – or the transparency to throw any coloured light into the dining room below. The weaker colours won’t have the impact of painted glass, and the lack of shelf-life is a problem.
For less than half the amount of money again, a permanent and aesthetically better solution could have been enjoyed. Long live real stained glass windows.
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