Plexiglass cover for inside of windows?

[Peter Kelly]

I am thinking about ways to better insulate my shop, which is a 3-car garage. I have 5 windows, each double-pane, but no storms. I can feel a significant amount of cold air near the windows and am thinking about cutting some plexiglass to cover the windows, probably with some weather stripping around the edges to create a seal on the molding. My concern is that there might be a condensation buildup in there and I might get mold or otherwise damage the windows with moisture. I would probably attach the plexiglass with bolts that screw into t-nuts embedded in the molding so that I could take the plexiglass off in the warmer / moister months.


Thoughts on doing this?


Thanks.

What size windows? Ikea has some decent cellular cordless shades that aren't terribly expensive.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50381484/
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10290631/

The TRIPPEVALS blackout ones keep things a bit cooler in the summer as well.

[Brian W Evans]

What size windows? Ikea has some decent cellular cordless shades that aren't terribly expensive.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50381484/
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10290631/

The TRIPPEVALS blackout ones keep things a bit cooler in the summer as well.

I actually have those on some windows inside the house and they do help a surprising amount. My concern for inside the shop is that they will gather dust and also that they are quite fragile. Part of my thinking about the lexan is that it will offer some protection for the windows from me maneuvering large pieces of lumber around.

Thanks for the idea.

[William Sonnier]

I just built 36 frames out of 1x2 select pine and installed .030 marine grade vinyl in them for our screened porch. They made a big difference!!! Wouldn't be difficult to make some to cover your windows. We ordered the vinyl on line and paid about 9.50 a yard.

[Brian W Evans]

William, thanks for the idea - I had never heard of that stuff before but it is definitely a possibility. How did you stretch it tight over your frames?

[William Sonnier]

I ran a 3/4" rabbet on all my stock and mitered the corners, then glued and nailed them. Primed and painted then stapled the vinyl in the rabbeted area. We would start on one side with three staples in the center of the frame, then start stapling the other side with a few staples while my wife pulled the vinyl. We then moved to the middle of say the left side side and stapled towards one corner while pulling the vinyl tight. We worked from the middle to the corners and managed to get the vinyl pretty tight. We used .030 vinyl, but the .020 might be easier to work with. We ordered it from Marine Vinyl Fabric.com and they will send you small samples to get a feel for how thick the different sizes are. I will rip some strips to cover the rabbeted area and staples. I also used a pneumatic stapler from Harbor Freight that shoots T50 staples. Used a coupon and paid about 20 dollars and worked great. I was also able to use the nose on the stapler to put some pressure on the vinyl to help pull it a bit tighter as I stapled it. Overall, it takes just a little practice to get really good results.