Blackout Curtain Lining for Light Control
If you work the night-shift, want to sleep late, or keep a nursery dark, then you need blackout curtain lining on your window treatments. Blackout lining is usually either white or off-white, and depending on the weight of it will block some or all light. It is also important to use blackout curtain lining when using window treatments to enlarge the look of a window. It will eliminate the light bleeding through your face fabric.If you fail to do this, the size and position of the window will be obvious and look off.
Another benefit to using this curtain lining is the thermal & energy savings. All curtain lining helps a curtain to hang better, and not to cling. Blackout lining is the best lining to use for UV protection. UV protection will prevent the face fabric of your curtains from fading and deteriorating.
Not all blackout lining is made the same. It can be very difficult to tell when purchasing ready made curtains what kind of lining is being used. You may not be able to figure out how much light is blocked until you actually hang them. A lighter weight face fabric will require a heavier weight liner fabric. Some of the blackout linings will have a slightly rubbery feel to the back of them.
Thermal Protection
Want to add a layer of thermal protection on top of the blackout lining? You can have blackout thermal lined curtains. Just simply request a thermal interlining. This is important to use on more delicate fabrics, like silk. While you wouldn’t use blackout lining on curtain sheers, you can also decrease the transparency of it. Have it lined with the same sheer fabric, and you will get a more opaque look.
Curtain Returns
Unless you have a lot of experience working with a window treatment specialist, you may not know what a curtain return is. The return is the gap from the wall to the curtains on both outside edges of the drapery. When you measure and hang the curtains, it is crucial in a room using blackout curtains to cover this gap. If you don’t, light will bleed through and make your blackout lined curtains less effective.