Before I got Elliot the Cat, I used to put up those plastic shrink wrap sheets over my windows (the kind that came with double sided tape). They worked well but I had to redo them every winter and I couldn’t open the windows without ruining the plastic film. I stopped putting up the plastic window insulations after I got Elliot because he tore them to shreds. This year I came up with a cat proof way to seal in the heat … take a look! (This is not a super detailed tutorial … I’m going to assume that you have general DIY/crafting skills and know how to caulk and paint)
1. Caulk your windows and prepare surface for painting.
2. Main Supplies: Magnetic Paint (I used a magnetic paint additive), Self-adhesive magnetic tape (I got them from Ebay), and Vinyl (I got mine from a Joann’s store with a 50% off coupon). Other supplies: tools for painting, scissors, ruler, and marker.
3. Paint window trims according to the magnetic paint instructions. Make sure you put on enough coats to ensure a good magnetic bond. Instead of painting the entire trim, I just painted the areas where I wanted the magnetic tape to adhere to (the outer most edges of the window trim).
4. Measure to the edge of the window trims and cut vinyl to size.
5. Apply the magnetic tape to the outer edges of the vinyl you just cut. Peel off a few inches of the magnetic tape and start sticking the tape to the vinyl. Hold down the magnetic strip and peel the backing strip (the white paper strip) a few inches at a time so the vinyl doesn’t get wrinkled.
6. After you’ve applied the magnetic tape to all 4 sides, you can hang the magnetic window seal from the top of your window trim and work your way down to the windowsill. The magnetic tape should stick to the trims like this:
7. You’ll probably have little gaps between the sill and the trim but you can fill them in with peelable caulk. Note how well the magnetic strips cling to the window trim (excuse my sloppy paint job)!
8. Here’s the finished product.
Now repeat with all the windows in your home.
These magnetic window seals are reusable and you can put them up and take them down quickly. They will take some time to make but all you have to do is make them once and you should be set for years to come. These can be rolled up and stored away and the best part is that they’re CAT PROOF!
The air between the window and the vinyl is definitely a lot colder than the air an inch away from the vinyl. I’ll get a thermometer to see what the temperature difference is but I can definitely feel the difference that these windows seals make.
Whew, so there’s the magnetic window seal tutorial … it’s my very first tutorial so please feel free to leave a comment if I’m not clear in any part.
Stay warm and pay less for heat!
good grief, woman! how in the world did you come up with this project? i didn’t know such a thing as magnetic paint even existed. i’ll have to give this one a whirl cause i have metal framed windows – hopefully the kind that magnets like.
You have a wonderful blog! I found you through decor8, and I am just loving all your projects! Thanks for sharing!
Love this idea and I’m set to get it started. One thing. Why not use the magnet strips without the magnet paint? one strip on the window (with adheasive) one on the vinyl. I believe they could then be painted to match the window. Anyway this is what I plan to do. Love your website. More ideas please.
That is an awesome idea! I am bookmarking this to show hubby so we can do this before winter is over. :)
I love the idea, but I have several questions, if you do not mind answering them:
I was able to find the magnetic paint on the site you mentioned, but I could not find any self-adhesive magnetic tape on Ebay, except for some British addresses that seemed too expensive even without the shipping. I did find it at something called the Advertising Store, which charged $26 (plus shipping) for a 100 ft roll of 1 inch by 60 mm. Is that similiar to what you paid? Looking at your photos afterwards, I think you may have been using 1/2″. Does that work better?
Joanne’s is out of the 20 gauge clear vinyl, probably because too many people read your blog, and they are not listing the price while they are out of stock. How much did they charge you? Where does one acquire a 50 percent coupoun, and could one use a heavier or lighter gauge?
Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions, and thanks for a great idea.
George Stergios
I have recently moved into an older midcentury modern home built in the late 50’s wth a wall of 4 sliders across the back of my house. we are losing lots of heat through all that single pane glass. we discussed the shrink wrap stuff hate it hate it!! makes the windows look like package of meat. when i saw ur clever clever idea u are a genius!!!!!! makes me feel stupid/
your a god among insects.
love it love it
We had to have the rubber gasket on our refrigerator replaced, so I saved the long magnetic strip contained inside the gasket. (At the time, I was thinking of crafts projects.) If you are disposing of a refrigerator, you have to remove the door anyway, so save the magnetic strip and reuse it!
Right now, I am freezing in our poorly insulated home, AND I have a cat, so THANK YOU for this tip. Will try it.
I have a problem window in my basement bathroom that is difficult to insulate in the winter. I am going to try this! Great idea!
This is just a great idea! I have recently acquired 2 kittens and they are Main Coons I think and act like little wild things and we have only single paned windows so this project will be for next weekend. Thank you! You have a website?
Hi, I have very high windows, 54″ high. And can’t find any truly clear vinyl that won’t make the outdoors look milky. It seems you use a fairly thick vinyl too, much thicker than the one used by the 3M type insulating kits. So my question is, what is the vinyl like and how large is it? I looked in Joanna and couldn’t find any clear vinyl.
The next question is, can’t cats rip vinyl too? Thanks so much for your help!!
I have one more comment: if you can store the vinyl for nest year, won’t it wrinkle? And again, about the height of my windows, if any of you know where I could get vinyl that is wider than 54″ I’d be so thankful!
You know, ever since Sears came to my home to try to get me to buy window insulation created via a similar method, i’ve had it in the back of my mind that this should be rather easily doable. Having bought my grandmothers house and seeing the heating bills this big old house creates, this idea resurfaced. I’d found the tape but wanted to see if anyone else had this idea othe than me. Your sight is just the thing. You’ve just encouraged me. Thanks much!!!!
K
Magvitum,
I’ve just been researching this for a brief time, but consider taking multiple pieces of vinyl and sticking them together. depending on how thick the vinyl is, you could conceivably tape (double sided tape), sew (needle and thread), two vinyl sheets together.
My 2 cents.
kadams@apk.net
Thank you so much for posting a link to this project on Apartment Therapy! This is a perfect solution for my tiny cottage in Southern California. My old windows have been driving me crazy because the draft is awful but not being able to open windows for months at a time would have been worse!
Hi, your idea is fantastic! Before I go through the trouble of doing this, can you tell me if your cat has claws? Mine does, so it makes it impossible to keep any plastic up on windows. How thick is the vinyl? By the look of the finished product, it’s still thin enough to see through the window, but will it be thick enough to withstand my cat’s claws?
Thanks.
Great idea! I have Pella window screens (Alum. frames) FULL size, one piece that are installed outside the windows. I’m going to get vinyl on a roll or use clear table cloth coverings, attach to the screens some how maybe using the magnetic paint and magnetic tape that you suggested. OR find Magnetic tape that uses two pieces.
These are the plastic frames that are reusable. They have kits and just the frames. The Plastic can be the outdoor version which comes in large sizes. Here is the website. I will be using both ideas to meet my needs. I still love your idea with the magnetic paint!
http://www.amconservationgroup.com/store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=206
here is a website with match pole magnetic tapes for those who choose not to paint:
http://www.magnetsupplier.com/Magnetic_Tape.htm?gclid=CJnU-vfz_JcCFQEoGgodBjXbDg
Genius. Absolute genius. Thank you!
This is an awesome idea. Thank you!
I had this same idea. I plan on using heavier rigid plastic but was trying to figure out how to get the magnets to work. I like the idea of the double sided magnetic strips (found a link on a previous post), one strip on the window and another opposite strip on the plastic.