Everything You Need To Know About Blackout Curtains
Whether you’re looking for Blackout curtains for a bedroom, media room or any other space where you need to block out light, here are pointers on how you can find the right set!
Blackout curtains are as their name implies, they are curtains that blackout the room when closed by blocking out sunlight. Typically, they are made up of densely woven thick fabric materials, such as suede, velvet, or felt that are layered on top of each other.
Before we go into detail about Blackout curtains, there are some industry terms that you need to know as a consumer.
Flocking/silicone finishings refer to the layer of coating used on top of the fabric to give the curtains its effect. For conventional Blackout curtains, small fibre particles are applied as a surface finishing to give the fabric its light-blocking properties. This process is known as flocking. Curtain Library’s 2nd generation curtains, on the other hand, use a silicone finishing instead. This finishing uses the same material found in mirrors of windows.
Curtain Library provides four Blackout curtain types to suit your room-darkening needs.
| Curtain Type | Features & Characteristics |
| Dimout Curtain | A cheaper curtain option to keep light out from your room. Dimout curtains block only up to 90% of light from entering the room. Consists of three layers. Layer 1: Decorative Fabric Layer 2: Thick Black Lining Fabric Layer 3: Decorative Fabric Dimout fabric doesn’t block 100% of light. |
| Conventional 100% Blackout Curtain (4 Pass with Flocking Finishing) | Blocks 100% of light from entering a room. Made with 4 layers Layer 1 : Flocking Finishing Layer 2 : High Density Black Yarn Layer 3 : Thick White Lining Fabric Layer 4 : Decorative Fabric A more affordable Blackout curtain that lasts 5 to 6 years. |
| 2nd Generation 100% Blackout Curtain (4 Pass with Silicone Finishing) | Manufactured to be easily maintainable, washable, and durable. Blocks 100% of light from entering a room. Made with 4 layers Layer 1 : Silicone Finishing Layer 2 : High Density Black Yarn Layer 3 : Thick White Lining Fabric Layer 4 : Decorative Fabric |
| 3rd Generation 100% Blackout Curtain (4 Pass with Nanofibers Fabrics) | Uses nanofibers between decorative fabric to provide Blackout qualities. Blocks 100% of light from entering a room. Made with 4 layers Layer 1 : Decorative Fabric Layer 2 : Nanofibers Fabric Layer 3 : Nanofibers Fabric Layer 4 : Decorative Fabric |
Side-by-side comparison of light passing through non-Blackout fabric and Dimout fabric. The gif above shows light clearly penetrating through non-Blackout fabric as compared to through Dimout fabric. Dimout fabric is still able to block 90% of light.
Side-by-side comparison of three different types of 4 pass 100% Blackout curtain. Made with 4 layers of fabric, each layer helps to block 100% of light from entering a room. The difference between the three types is the structure of the 4 layers of the fabric.
The image above breaks down the 4 layers for our 2nd Generation 100% Blackout curtain, also known as 4 Pass with Silicone Finishing Blackout Curtain.
Here are some tips for when looking for Blackout curtains.
1. Blackout curtains can be water resistant.
Both the 2nd generation Silicone and 3rd generation Nanofiber Blackout curtains have a water resistant quality that makes them easier to maintain.
Along with giving a stylish finish to your room, Blackout curtains are also easy to maintain. This is very much thanks to their water resistant quality that prevents its fabric from absorbing oil or water particles in the air, or when splashed on its surface. That means you can rest assured knowing that your active young one or guest wouldn’t cause a stain on your curtains, if an accident were to happen. The water resistant quality also prevents dust and mould from building up on your fabric while simultaneously making it easy for you to clean with just a wipe.
So much so that Curtain Library’s Blackout curtains are a favourite of our clients to be installed in a wide variety of places, such as in guest rooms, lounge areas, and cafe areas.
2. Blackout curtains can be fire retardant on top of being stylish!
Blackout curtains come with an option to be fire retardant. This feature is more commonly used for hotels, hospitals, home care facilities, and schools, but can be requested for the households as a safety measure.
As a safety requirement, Blackout curtains, especially those installed in hotels, are required to be fire retardant. This means the fabric and flocking materials used to make these curtains are able to slow down fire from spreading onto the curtains, as well as reduce the amount of smoke that fills up in the room. This smoke is what makes an indoor fire deadly, so having these curtains will definitely add an added safety feature for those just-in-case moments for when a fire does happen.
3. Blackout curtains can also reduce noise!
The tightly packed layers of fabric are so dense that it absorbs noise from the outside as well as prevents echoes in the room!
Blackout curtains dampen noise that may enter the room while simultaneously soundproofing the room from echoes. How it works is through the density of the fabric and layers that keep sound from reaching the room. This is not to say that the curtains can replace a soundproofing window altogether, but will significantly reduce noise disruptions.
Therefore, Blackout curtains are especially helpful for rooms that face a noisy highway or rooms that need to be quiet. You could install our curtains in your bedroom to have better, uninterrupted sleep at night, you could also install them at the entrance of your voice recording studio, you could even put them up in your home office to keep your workstation quiet enough for you to focus.
4. Blackout curtains can keep your rooms cool.
Blackout curtains help reduce your room’s temperature because of their layers of tightly woven fabric that block (and also reflect) heat from entering the room.
Another surprising perk of installing Blackout curtains in your rooms is that they are able to keep the room cool, by reflecting heat away with their surfaces! This surface of the curtains makes it most suitable for rooms that receive a lot of sun during the day. Not only that, by keeping heat away from your room, you are also saving a lot of energy of your air conditioners. In some cases, you could even cool your rooms without needing to turn on the aircond!
Usually, our consultants will advise you to pair your Blackout curtains with sheer ones to further disperse the light and heat that enters your room, and give you an option for a completely darkened room or a soft-lit one.
If you’re interested in seeing how a Blackout-with-sheer curtain set looks in a room, visit our projects page to view them in use!
Visit our showroom or get in touch with our consultants to get some advice on how you can customise your curtains. Curtain Library’s curtain experts have worked with a wide range of clients from hotels to luxury homes to corporate offices, and know exactly how to help you find the most suitable curtain set for your premise.
Book an appointment with our consultants to find the most suitable Blackout curtain for your rooms!