Blackout Fabric and Curtain Lining

If, for any reason, you find that you need to limit the amount of light that comes into a room when curtains are closed but you do not want to go to all the trouble and expense of changing your curtains and buying blackout curtains you may want to consider purchasing blackout curtain lining. When added to the back of existing curtains this blackout material for windows will eliminate light shining through closed curtains. It is readily available in preset sizes or you can order the specific size you want. Alternatively, you can also buy blackout fabric and sew your own linings if you are fairly adept at sewing. Check out the blackout fabric below:

When buying blackout lining material it is important to take note of what the material is made from. Ideally, the material should have a high percentage of polyester; otherwise you may find that your lining is not that effective. For example, lining a curtain with a cotton liner will only serve to darken the room slightly; it will not give you a total blackout effect.

By far the easiest when adding lining to your curtains is to order ready-made blackout curtain lining, such as the Premium Blackout Drapery Liner Pair, which is either attached to your regular curtain or hung from a separate rod.

If you want optimum blackout from your liner you may want to buy one that attaches directly to the existing curtain rather than one that hangs from a second rod. They either attach to existing curtain hooks, or if your curtain does not use curtain hooks you can buy small hooks to insert into your curtain. You can then hang the blackout lining from them. An example of this type of liner is the Euro Premium Blackout Drapery Liner Pair (shown here). Some liners are attached using Velcro. These particular linings work well for smaller sized curtains but are not as effective on large sized curtains; they tend to peel off as the Velcro is not sufficient to hold them in place.

When ordering blackout curtain lining you should measure the width of your curtain panel and order lining that is the same size. The lining should not be seen outside of the curtain area but you do need to make sure it is both wide enough and long enough to cover the actual curtain panel otherwise light will still be seen around it.

Those who are able to sew their own simple curtains may want to instead buy lining material and sew their own. This often works out cheaper than buying already made lining especially if you have quite a few large curtains or if you have one very large curtain that needs lining. This can be bought at most curtain shops and it can also be purchased online. The regular width is 55 inches and you order it by the yard, such as is the case with the 54'' Wide Black Out Drapery Lining Fabric By The Yard.

With the many different options available it is usually fairly simple and inexpensive to find something that meets your requirements. Adding blackout curtain lining does make quite a difference and is a much less expensive option than buying new curtains, in the event that you find you need to darken a room during the daytime.

One thing to note when buying lining is that if the curtain itself hangs against the daylight adding lining can change the actual color of the outer curtain, especially if the outer curtain is fairly thin. Fortunately most curtain lining that you buy is either white or beige colored, however if you had a thin dark curtain adding a white lining may make the curtain appear a lighter color than it is when the sunlight shines through the window. It would be better to purchase a beige color in that case, as that is a more neutral color and less likely to alter the face of the curtain fabric.