When it comes to making fantastic blackout curtains, you do not need to be a DIY guru to do it at home.
Creating a set of blackout curtains is more straightforward than many people can imagine, and they’re a fantastic choice if you’re redecorating a bedroom or nursery, or you just want to have the option to completely darken your room.
But what fabric should you use to make blackout curtains?
What Are The Benefits Of Blackout Curtains?
Many people use blackout curtains for different reasons, but here are some of the benefits of adding a pair to your home.
They Block Out Light And Offer More Privacy
The primary role of blackout curtains is to block all light from entering a room. Using blackout-up curtains can block up to 100% of all natural and artificial light entering your room, keeping your room as dark as a cave the whole day.
If you are a movie enthusiast and want to enjoy your movies with minimal glare from the sun or the headlights of passing cars, blackout curtains are the perfect choice.
They Help To Enhance Your Sleep
Blackout curtains help to create a conducive environment for sound sleep.
You could need this environment if you have a baby who wants to nap during the day, or if your baby tends to sleep only when darkness falls, but they’re also great for people who also work during the night and need to sleep during the day.
They Help To Cut Down Energy Bills
Blackout curtains are also an excellent way to help lower your energy bill.
Many people can reduce their energy costs by up to 25% by installing and using blackout curtains all year round.
These curtains are efficient in blocking heat from entering your home during the hot summer hence low costs for cooling purposes. They also protect your home from losing heat during the cold season; meaning you will incur fewer costs for heating.
They Provide Noise Insulation For Your Home
Blackout curtains are made of thick and heavy fabrics that are effective in blocking light, but also sound.
This provides you with an added advantage, especially if you live in a noisy street or want some tranquillity in your bedroom.
What Fabric Should You Use To Make Blackout Curtains?
These days, with the quality of the blackout materials available, you’re able to turn almost any material you’d like into a set of blackout curtains, although the standard choice is often polyester.
When choosing a material for blackout curtains, heavy microfiber fabric is an excellent option as it can help to increase the insulating properties of the curtains, and polyester fabrics are preferred for making blackout curtains for several reasons.
First and foremost, polyester is an affordable fabric.
Cost is a factor for many people when purchasing household items, and if you want a material that is affordable but durable, polyester fabrics are the best, so you won’t have to spend a fortune on the fabric as it’s relatively affordable.
Polyester is also very easy to clean, which is one of the reasons polyester fabrics are preferred for making many household items, including curtains, and the materials have some resistance to dirt.
Polyester fabrics can also withstand shrinking and wrinkling, which means your curtains will keep their shape long after you’ve hung them in your window.
Can You Use Light Coloured Fabrics For Blackout Curtains?
As they need to block the light coming through the windows, many people think that a set of blackout curtains needs to be a dark colour to be effective.
While conventional blackout curtains do come in dark colours such as navy blue, grey, graphite and black, our triple-weave blackout fabric comes in cream as standard, allowing you to create your blackout curtains in a shade that’s perfect for your home.
Ultimately it’s the blackout material within the curtains that is blocking out the light, so the colour of the fabric you use will have no impact on how effective your blackout curtains are.
The Bottom Line
These days there are no restrictions on the type of fabric you can use to make a set of blackout curtains for your home.
We’d always recommend that you use heavier fabrics as these will help to protect against light penetration, but also reduce noise, improve the thermal properties of your curtains, and will also help to add a sense of luxury to your room.
If you’re making a set of blackout curtains and you’re not sure which blackout material is best for your project then don’t hesitate to get in touch, and a member of our team will be happy to help.