Glass window made from recycled bottles add an original touch to any room, whether painted or left clear. Some people have had success using Glasstic window clings; others don't find these useful.
In the 1700s and early 1800s, window glass was produced through mouth-blowing into long cylindrical forms by using water pressure. This method gave antique glass its characteristic wave-like surface texture. Later in 1950, Sir Alastair Pilkington invented the float glass production method.
How to Make a Bottle Window
Create a truly customized upcycled glass wall by hanging bottle bottoms from metal pipes in any pattern that pleases you. As light shines through them, they change color throughout the day - this project uses cobalt blue glass but any color would look equally striking! These unique glass walls are often used to border garden beds; but you could also use it on a porch or patio.
Making stained-glass panels from old glass bottles is another creative use for old bottles, like using one large one as the frame for your panel. A Beautiful Mess has used their collection of painted bottles as window displays and party centerpieces; you could also use just a single bottle as frame!
Cob houses, or sustainable houses built from clay, sand and straw, often employ this strategy when building windows out of bottles for longer-lasting solutions. Cob homes offer energy efficiency with natural thermal regulation: their walls absorb heat during warm days while discharging it on cooler nights.
As your first step, gather bottles. For this project, a basic ceramic tile saw can be found at most hardware stores for under $100; or use an alternative such as hand-held diamond blade saws which must be cooled with water before cutting bottles.
Materials
Glass bottle windows can add character and personality to any room in your home, adding character with their creative use of repurposed bottles, mason jars, and other glass containers bound together with mortar into a stained-glass effect wall. They make great focal points in rooms as well as additions to doors or frames in existing structures.
Glass is an inorganic, non-crystalline solid with numerous practical and decorative uses. It's produced by rapidly cooling molten ingredients like silica sand in order to avoid the formation of visible crystals; when made using soda and lime as its constituent ingredients, this type of glass is known as soda-lime glass; when mixed with other additives such as iron oxide it's called float glass or crown glass (optics).
Germany revolutionized broad glass production during the Industrial Revolution when they pioneered a mouth-blown cylinder method of producing it, which allowed for the creation of much larger panes than could previously be produced with hand blown methods used centuries before.
Though the glass used for bottles and windows appears similar, their chemical composition and melting temperature vary slightly, which prevents their recycling together. Glass recycling converts old bottles and containers into new glass, using 40% less energy than producing it from sand, lime and soda ash. However, care must be taken only to recycle those that can be turned into bottles since otherwise window glass could come back with rippled or bubbled surfaces after processing.
Frame
Bottles make an economical window option because their glass can often be recycled. In contrast, window glass requires expensive raw materials (like silica sand, soda ash and limestone ) as well as being produced through multi-step processes that require meticulous polishing post production to eliminate ripples or distortions in its finish.
During the Industrial Revolution, a mechanical method was devised that made large panes of glass easier and cheaper for common and affordable windows to produce. This glass became known as "cylinder glass."
This leaded bottle glass panel combines highly-textured bottle, vase and serving plate bottoms, greenish blue plates and antique pressed glass jewels into one striking image. Framed in zinc for easy hanging with hooks and chain for hanging purposes, the panel measures 12.5 inches square. Perfect for windows that block sunlight from interior spaces. Additionally, similar panels may be ordered without hooks and chain for simple installation in standard window frames or custom sizes at additional costs - please reach out for more information or custom pricing - contact us with your request today - production usually takes 4-6 weeks for production before delivery to production sites around Oregon!
Mortar
Mortar used in bottle glass window construction is an aggregate composed of cement and fine sand, mixed together to form a thicker material than concrete that allows building materials like brick to bind without cracking under movement or shifts within their structure. Mortar can be purchased online or at local home improvement stores in powdered form for mixing or premixed form with latex or polymer additives specifically tailored for tile installation.
Sand in mortar helps hydrate cement, giving it strength and bonding properties that allow it to adhere with other materials. Water must also be added for proper mixing; otherwise it could dry out too much and collapse altogether.
Mortar for this type of project requires patience. Mixing takes some time and should be conducted in a cool location in order to prevent melting bottles. Hardening also takes some time; therefore this project should take multiple days so the mortar has enough time to set properly.
Once the mortar and frame have been completed, it's time to add in bottles. Make sure each bottle is thoroughly cleaned prior to being added into the mortar, and wipe any excess mortar off each bottle that may have accidentally come in contact with it - this will prevent any unwanted mortar residue on your completed project.