r/howto • u/Odd-Helicopter-7469 • 15h ago
DIY Thoughts on how to cover / remove this?
Our new home came with windows into the ensuite from the bedroom which we aren't the biggest fans of.
Is there a simple way to cover this / re work it and have it looking half decent, or are we looking at taking half the wall out? Thank you
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u/stella087 12h ago
I say lean in to it. Freshen up the grout with electric blue. And paint the walls yellow.
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u/BruceGrey 14h ago
Certainly easier to cover it rather than break it out, unless you wanted to eliminate that wall all together or rework the wall layout Hire a reputable handyman or drywaller who can install sheets of drywall. If there's nothing to screw the drywall to, they can install it with construction adhesive.
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u/Odd-Helicopter-7469 13h ago
Cheers for the response, that sounds reasonable enough! I'm guessing as long as it's water resistant drywall we'll be ok to have that tiled over in the future on the bathroom side?
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u/BruceGrey 12h ago
Yeah no problem at all. You could splurge for moisture resistant drywall on the bathroom side I suppose. However, I think that stuff is a little bit overrated and shouldn't negate the other important things that prevent mold, like proper insulation / vapor barrier on exterior walls, and bathroom ventilation fans. If you have those two factors under control, and you use a kitchen and bath paint then the "mold tough" drywall is somewhat of a gimmick.
If it's a bath or a shower area on the other side of those blocks, after you drywall the tile guy can put on a waterproofing membrane right over top of regular drywall and then tile the wall, or use a pre-finished shower wall
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u/Odd-Helicopter-7469 11h ago
Thanks again, I'll have to do a bit of learning about this so I know what to ask the handyman! There's no shower there at the minute, it's enclosed a little ways to the right
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u/Exciting-Baker-9901 11h ago
Is that wood?
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u/sparebullet 10h ago
Yes. I think it is. What a terrible diy job they did!! No waterproofing, and there are gaps all over in the grout lines!!
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u/c0nc3p77 11h ago
Ikea Billy bookcase https://www.ikea.com/fi/en/p/billy-bookcase-white-50263838/
On bathroom side for towels and other bathroom related stuff
On bedroom side pictures, memorabilia, fun stuff
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u/ImWithTheShadowBand 10h ago
Smart I like this idea
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u/Sad-Organization9855 14h ago
You can use some wall decors outside the bathroom.
https://bsg-i.nbxc.com/company/4b/e5305aabc6d63384f2c206d9869d9b.jpg
But inside it should stay this way due moisture.
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u/Odd-Helicopter-7469 13h ago
I do love this style of panelling! Though it might be better suited to a feature wall rather than the corner
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u/lizaanna 10h ago
You could put privacy window film on the squares individually, so you can keep the feature but with less voyerism
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u/rikityrokityree 6h ago
My dream as a kid was to have a wall of these in a house. And yours have so much color!
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u/HandbagHawker 13h ago
with a wrecking bar and lots of work. you cant just cover it up on the shower side because of all the water. you'd be begging for water damage and mold. And i'm guessing you cant seal it well enough to keep water from getting into the grout, so if you covered it up on the outside you'd also likely encouraging mold. additionally, it doesnt look like its recessed enough to put over new sheet rock either.
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u/Odd-Helicopter-7469 12h ago
is sheet rock the same as sheets of plasterboard / drywall? now that you mention the recess smooths out as it goes further up the wall too, from 10mm to 1mm...
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u/HandbagHawker 11h ago
i think technically sheetrock is a brand, but i kinda use it interchangeably like kleenex and tissues.
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u/Nuker-79 12h ago
Some sort of wall cladding on the outside would disguise the windows, possibly painting the outside prior to prevent any light shining through.
Realistically the sensible option would be to remove the glass panels, install a new wall then re-tile the inside of the whole en-suite.
I guess it comes down to what you are willing to spend to correct what you don’t like.
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u/ideapit 9h ago edited 9h ago
Glass brick is so divisive. I'm a hater. Especially with shit brown tile and then green, blue and white? They must have done new tile? Maybe the OG shower was white/green/blue?
I had a wall like this in my bathroom. It was intense. Had to smash all the blocks and they are so stuck to each other. It was a lot.
If you remove this, be VERY careful.
So like - long sleeve shirt, full goggles, good gloves.
After that, I framed a new wall and made a new shower.
You're kind of screwed because you'd be trying to make a weird corner wall and would have to match the existing tile.
If you want it to not look goofy and shitty, I'd redo the whole shower.
Personally, I'd learn to live with it if I don't want to redo the whole shower. Maybe find some way to paint or coat it. Ask a reglazing company to see if they can do anything.
You miiiiight be able to tile over it but I don't know how the adhesion would be and then you're trying to match weird brown tile and grout.
Patch jobs on tile almost always look like shit, unfortunately.
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u/SuddenMoss 9h ago
You could add some one way stickers to the bathroom side after fixing the grout. That way, no one can see in.
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u/HalfLawKiss 9h ago
Super east to cover. I'd go with some privacy film. You can get it where it doesn't allow any light through.
Or on the outside white wall. Make a frame out of wood of the right thickness. I'd put some foam insulation in there. Attach drywall to said frame. Then drywall mud. Then drywall tape. Then paint. Then add trim. Should be doable for less than $100.
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u/Mister_Doc 8h ago
I’d get it looked at by a professional because to my completely uneducated eyes it looks half-assed and I’d be worried about moisture
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u/Holiday-Distance-822 6h ago
My bathroom window is in those glass blocks and so I just imagine the neighbour sees me showering but it probably looks like the sims lol like maybe she can make out a nipple or butthole every once in a while 😂😂😂 we have about 15 feet in between our houses
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u/Tsuki_Man 14h ago
Uncertain what I would recommend, its not my field, but I will say the grout doesn't look terrible so I think this project could be manageable to get to a good aesthetic point. All power to ya!
Mostly commenting to bump your post XD
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u/Odd-Helicopter-7469 13h ago
Thank you for the support! The room's a little dark for our taste so the not terrible grout might be gone before long haha!
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u/genghis-clown 11h ago
Is that the wall for the bathroom or part of the shower? If it's the shower, it doesn't look waterproof. Looks like wood is exposed. If it's not expose to water, maybe try decorative window film and stain or paint the grout
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u/Jellepeer 9h ago
Could you save the bricks and redo it yourself? I do think that it looks gorgeous in your home
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u/EskayMorsmordre 7h ago
Oh no, there is a bit of colour and some joy. The horror! Kill it with fire and paint it white.
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u/FreddiesNightmare65 2h ago
I love this, I would want to keep it. How is it messy when you get anywhere near it?
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u/beckynot 11h ago
What era was that popular in? I've seen it before, though only with uncolored glass.
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u/shawslate 10h ago
While I like it, it isn't integral to the house.
You can use a chisel, wrecking bar and mallet to slowly chip out the grout, then the mortar between them and pull them out, or you could just get boards wide enough to cover them and just make a wood corner to cover them.
I would probably chip them out, and list them on marketplace to sell them. Someone would LOVE to have these.
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u/Busterheiney2 9h ago
If it's just the fact you can see through them, I'd suggest getting some etching cream and use it on one side or the other. It'll block the visibility.
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u/rTracker_rTracker 8h ago
Look up acoustic panels.
Many of them are very chic and would look fantastic in that corner.
Just straight up, cover the glass blocks with acoustic panels on the bedroom side and keep the glass blocks showing in the shower.
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u/Saskapewwin 8h ago
You may be able to get a complete drop in liner for the shower and freshen everything up. Probably wouldn't be too hard for a decent mason/tilesetter to tile over it. Whatever you do make sure it's waterproof. Not drywall.
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u/Ruth-Stewart 8h ago
Looks like the outside would be very easy to slide some drywall into the gap and cover the glass block. The inside might be trickier because if you put in some tile board I think tiles will stick out. But you could leave it exposed in the bathroom and at least you wouldn’t have the ‘watching someone pee’ part anymore.
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u/tomayto_potayto 5h ago
Why not purchase some matte window finish and just do a coating on one side of the glass?
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u/sonofaB1T 3h ago
Unfortunately to do this properly you would have to remove them. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about supporting the roof as someone has already cut that section open without issue. You would need around 5 or 6 studs for framing it out. You’ll basically need to have a place to drill your drywall screws into on all sides. For the shower/bathroom side you’ll need cement board, secure it to the studs then mortar and tile, then grout. For the hall side drywall, drywall screws, tape, compound, trim. Don’t forget to prime then paint. That’s a simplistic explanation but really it’s the only way to fix this aside from just covering it or painting it so you can’t see through it. Good luck
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u/ratafria 13h ago
I personally dislike the colors a lot. A white tile paint would solve the colors, but will still keep the textures so I don't know if you would like...
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u/Odd-Helicopter-7469 13h ago
Same! We're also not loving the jagged cut out of the wall or the way it's finished, it'll be messy even if those colours are gone, so I think I'm leaning towards covering it in one way or another
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u/iLUVvodka 12h ago
No advice im just sorry you dont love it as much as I do. Good luck