Window coverings dilemma

[user 30781]

Ok, bungee is going to work for the privacy curtain although I had to take a pair of pliers and bend out the hooks a little bit.

I tried the Advantus fabric wall clamps I got and the pins won't go in far at all (neither will the clamp on a small binder clip) because where the window frame meets the headliner is so freaking shallow. I think it's going to have to be paracord strung from what hooks and handles are available.

Maybe I can find some cardboard big enough to fit that isn't too thick. I got a couple shipping boxes from a mountain bike place in town and they were certainly big enough for my windows but thick like you wouldn't believe and heavy.

 

[JasonMcD]

I think cardboard would work in the short-term, but after a while i think condensation would eventually begin to break it down. Reflectix does seem to be the best choice, but like someone else said, it might be difficult to find it in the right size, unless you can figure out a way to adequately piece it together.

 

[vgilbert]

Hello,
I do vinyl work for a living and have done a few vans since arriving in Quartzsite. 
Covering the windows with automotive vinyl which can be solid or perforated works well and looks nice. You then have the option of adding the reflective material on the inside which cannot be seen through the solid vinyl. 
Most any sign shop will do vinyl work or be able to refer you to a local vendor who does.

 

[user 30781]

I think cardboard would work in the short-term, but after a while i think condensation would eventually begin to break it down. Reflectix does seem to be the best choice, but like someone else said, it might be difficult to find it in the right size, unless you can figure out a way to adequately piece it together.

Yeah, this van is all about big, swoopy, curved windows.  Aero swoopy, as one Redditor called them.

 

[user 30781]

Look at how this guy did his privacy curtains in his minivan! Starts at about 3:17

 

[user 30781]

I do the binder clips with a black plastic tablecloth folded lengthwise from the dollar tree on windows with no ventilation. I did paracord along both sides for the forward windows and clip a more pourous fabric there (some screen held in place with painter's tape along the few inches of open windows under the rain deflectors). The front and hatch windows get a sun shield.

These dollar store tablecloths are PERFECT!!  They come out of the pack folded in half the short way, so 27" wide and 108" long.  I stapled the open side as I unfolded it and then went out and pinned it to the headliner at the top (My headliner goes right to the window gaskets, no plastic around the windows.  Then at the bottom I'll just have to stick on with a few tabs of painter's tape and my windows are blacked out.

Thank you so much for mentioning this, GypsyJan!  A cheap and easy fix!

 

[lab_nomad]

I’m having to deal with covering my windows, and I don’t know enough about what is underneath the headliner. What kind of pins are you using? Sewing pins? I think there is some plastic around my windows. I need to watch some YouTube videos on the topic.

 

[Deborah]

Not dabbling, just broke. I went to the dollar tree and found some black foam poster board put them over the windows and took a box cutter to shape them out. They don't require glue or tape they stay in just like the reflectix. I was pretty impressed, for $1 a piece.

This is a good idea. I have reflectix on some of the windows. Ill finish using the foam board. Thx

Sent from my moto g stylus using Tapatalk

 

[user 30781]

I’m having to deal with covering my windows, and I don’t know enough about what is underneath the headliner. What kind of pins are you using? Sewing pins? I think there is some plastic around my windows. I need to watch some YouTube videos on the topic.

Yes, sewing pins, with the colorful heads.  I looked for the finest, longest ones they had in Joanne's.  I think they're 1-1/4 long and 31 or 35 mm thick.  I didn't try to push them in and then out again like you do with fabric, you know what I mean?  I just pushed them all the way in to the side and they're holding fine.

One of those tablecloths at it's full length of 108" covers both side windows with a little left over to mush around the vent hinge on the back window (which was going to be a hassle making fitted window coverings for) and 1 tablecloth cut in half to 2- 54" pieces will give me two covers for the back hatch and it fits perfectly.

 

[vanbrat]

There are upholstery pins that are like very sharp cork screws they don't slide out at all.

 

[vanbrat]

I am lovin all this creative juice Flowin'. Great ideas.
And of course I have some to add.
There is some really good industrial strength Velcro that can be sewn stapled or glued to just about any surface. Then sew staple or glue to what ever you chose to hang.
We used it on the edges of our drapes that came with the van to make the edges stay tight so no light can sneak in and wake me up. They can be used to hold things up and tight and they don't stick out into the really valuable space in the van.

 

[scaredycat72]

For anyone searching for a solution to this issue, you can buy window coverings for all your windows from Weathertech. A full set costs around $200 but it's a quick, easy solution for custom window shades.

 

[rruff]

I stopped by Hobby Lobby today and looked at every possible large black paper-like things they had, from thickish foam board to poster paper and everything in between. I got a couple things to experiment with but nothing they had was going to be as big as that back hatch window.

I recall Home Depot having 1/2 thick pink foam, 4x8 sheets (YMMV). If you make some cardboard templates ahead of time, you cut cut those to the right size in the parking lot with a knife. You'll want to glue something pretty rigid on the surface to protect the foam, and you'll want UV protection for the outside. But you'll have well insulated covers that will last a long time.

One thing about tinting; at night if you have any lights on in your rig, people outside can see in very well.

 

[MGfromBC]

I've done some side windows with the rigid foam. At first I noticed some conflict between the foam and the rubber trim around the window. I sanded a bevel on the foam so I can press it tight against the glass without touching the window trim

I've found a few uses for pieces of collapsible tent poles with the elastic in them. One has a hook on each end and hangs on the 2 front hand grips above the doors. A bungee cord would work almost as well. I have 2 pieces of tent pole that I stick between the roof and the front sun visors so they stick out on each end. It is about 1.4 inch diameter and you can fasten curtains on it with clothes pins.

On the front windshield I put little adhesive backed velcro tabs around the edge. One on each side of the mirror. One in each of the 4 corners. Two more on the top and another one on each side. I put tabs in the same place on a curtain cut to the right width. I left the curtain too long and press the excess into the angle between the dash and the window. In cold weather, I have 2 pieces of 1/2 inch rigid foam that I fit between the glass and the curtain and the glass. They each have 2 pieces of velcro on each side that line up with the existing velcro. I put the foam in place first then put the curtain over them. The adhesive doesn't stick well to fabric but pop-rivets do.

For the big window on the rear hatch, I traced the window on a yoga mat and cut it out with scissors. I then pop-rivetted the straight side of plastic wire clips around the edge so I can clip it in place and then close the window. I also have a piece of foam to put between the glass and the cover.

 

[GoingMobile]

I used to have a Ford Aerostar passenger van I would camp out in during summers, lots of windows. I went to the local Lowes and bought some sheets of 1/2" insulation with a foil on one side. I used some large sheets of butcher paper to make templates of the window shapes. (I teach art at a university, so a material I had plenty of on hand.) I then used those as a template to cut out pieces of the insulation material using scissors and a utility knife. They fit snugly into the window openings and would stay in place, even while driving. The van had tinted windows and the only difference you could see from outside was the foil had some text printed on it, but it wasn't noticeable from a distance. Helped a lot with privacy and also temperature control. Flat, so stored easily under the rear seat. I got an expandable shower curtain rod and curtain from WalMart that worked to block off the cab and front windows at night. Good luck!

 

[thebarefootbadger]

The hardest part of windows for me was the variety of functions I wanted depending on the situation. Privacy but light. Privacy and no light. Total stealth. Insulation. Ventilation. Bug protection. Visibility while driving.

When I let go of the fantasy that I was going to hide totally unnoticed in my car with the light on at night, it got a lot easier to find ideas that worked.

I've found that not trying to have a one-size fits all solution is easier, but I'm still working it out. I understand the frustrations ... my old van was entirely made of metal, my new minivan is a foam and plastic egg.

 

[AZEnergizer]

I have a large extended passenger van with windows all around. My only complaint is I can't stand up in it. For many years I covered up some of the windows with insulation, reflectix, etc. For the last 3 years I only have thermal black out curtains and all the windows are bare. Advantages: 360 degree views, I can open the popup windows for ventilation, on cold days I can open the curtains and the sun will heat my van. On cold nights or hot days I can close the curtains. They do any excellent job. Just as good as insulation IMO.

 

[afblangley]

When I let go of the fantasy that I was going to hide totally unnoticed in my car with the light on at night, it got a lot easier to find ideas that worked.

I've found that not trying to have a one-size fits all solution is easier, but I'm still working it out. I understand the frustrations ... my old van was entirely made of metal, my new minivan is a foam and plastic egg.

It is absolutely possible to have no light escape from the windows. The material has to be thick enough to block out light and it has to be form fitting to the contours of the window or large enough to cover the window and tightly attach to the window surroundings.

My vehicle is a passenger van clad with OEM panels on all surfaces, leaving almost no exposed metal. I wanted window covers that attach magnetically so I bought adhesive backed magnets on Amazon and stuck them on the plastic moulding surrounding the windows, thus giving the covers something to attach to.

 

[Indyflies]

It is absolutely possible to have no light escape from the windows. The material has to be thick enough to block out light and it has to be form fitting to the contours of the window or large enough to cover the window and tightly attach to the window surroundings.

My vehicle is a passenger van clad with OEM panels on all surfaces, leaving almost no exposed metal. I wanted window covers that attach magnetically so I bought adhesive backed magnets on Amazon and stuck them on the plastic moulding surrounding the windows, thus giving the covers something to attach to.

Have you had issues with the adhesive failing in excessive heat? I live in the East Coast and haven’t found a glue that’ll hold up to heat. Of course, it’s 19 degrees here now so I can report that E6000 holds up in the cold!

 

[PeterPiper]

Did the OP say what budget he or she has for these desired window coverings?

If on a super tight budget or looking for "free" then the options are limited.