Curtains... yes, curtains - MoD?

[PapaSmurf2k3]

So for those of you who don't know (basically everyone outside the mod team), I got an Engineering job at Nissan and just bought a house.

The people that lived there before me removed all of their curtains... so now I have to opportunity to upgrade. The house is basically in Jackson, Mississippi, so it gets pretty damn hot in the summer. I'm kinda looking for a curtain that is also an insulator, blocks a most (if not all) of the light (I like dark rooms, especially in my bedroom and living room), and if possible has some sound deadening qualities to it (I have gigantic stereo equipment and new neighbors).

I think I recall seeing some insulating curtains at wal mart about 3 years ago (last time I bought some), but was a little apprehensive due to their price and questioning their overall effectiveness. Does anyone have any experience on the subject?

[MinisterofDOOM]

I bought some heavy opaque cloth from a fabric shop. Get double the width you need and double it up (fold it horizontally). Sew them together a little below the top (where the curtain rod will go). The reason for that is that you can use the "excess" above the seam to fold down and cover the seam, because the seam will allow light through.

Very good insulating qualitites: my room is always the most consistent in the apartment, temperature wise. Stays cooler in summer and much warmer in winter. My mom actually uses a single layer of the same material behind the curtains over her sliding glass doors and in the winter it makes a HUGE difference in keeping the room warm. And the curtains do keep a lot of sound out as well. When I open my bedroom door, I can hear traffic sounds from the window in the next room over more loudly than through my own window.

I originally hung the curtains so they wrapped over and behind my blinds (between the window and the blinds) and the light seal was excellent. Apartment complex complained about "sheets" in my window (argh) and made me change it. I hung the curtain in front of the blinds and bought a 64 pack of poster-hanger 3M Command strips (about $8). I used the strips to secure the edges of the curtain.

My bedroom is REALLY, REALLY dark. Still not dark enough for my taste (I'd foil over the windows completely if I could get away with it) but dark enough that I've actually TINTED (using window tint film) every power LED in the room that I couldn't completely hide because they seem so bright in the darkened room.

I cannot for the life of me remember what the fabric is called, but it's very heavy and white. I was worried it might pull my curtain rod anchors out of the wall when I first hung it because it's so heavy.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

cool... I'll keep my eyes open for a fabric shop. Any idea how much it cost?

I WOULD like the ability to "open it up" every now and then, like for when guests come over and stuff, so I probably won't be fastening them to the wall/window like you did.

[C-Kwik]

Go to Vegas. Steal some curtains from the hotel room. I swear it still feels like its night when I wake up with the curtains closed there. Then again, part of that could be because of all the alcohol. So drink heavily too.

[breadbox]

Get a Control 4 system and have auto shades.

[poems2beats]

How about some beef curtains?

LOL, sorry I had too...

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Get a Control 4 system and have auto shades.

The movement of said shades isn't the problem, its the actual material that is in question.

[Dattebayo]

Just in case you didn't know, rubber is the best cheap thermo-insulator.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

well, I'm also trying to retain some aesthetic appeal here. A curtain with a thin rubber inside might work though.

[frapjap]

If you don't feel like making it yourself, BB&B has some light/heat insulator/badass curtains. They're not all that cheap, but they are very effective. I've used them on sliding glass doors in FL with much success.
Last time I checked, they came in assorted colors too.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Dude for whatever reason I didn't even think of BB&B, maybe because I've never been in one in my entire life. I'll see if we have one around here. I bet they have a f*** curtain ninja in every store.

[breadbox]

they do.

[IanS]

I bought some heavy opaque cloth from a fabric shop. Get double the width you need and double it up (fold it horizontally). Sew them together a little below the top (where the curtain rod will go). The reason for that is that you can use the "excess" above the seam to fold down and cover the seam, because the seam will allow light through.

Oh F***, Im in the alternate universe again.. Now where is my hairdryer.

[Urabus GodofTraction]

Dude for whatever reason I didn't even think of BB&B, maybe because I've never been in one in my entire life. I'll see if we have one around here. I bet they have a f**king curtain ninja in every store.

Ca-ching markup!

If you have a Costco membership I've seen thermal curtains in there for much less.

[nissangirl74]

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Ho ... oduct.html

[Jesda]

Wait, what? MOD is an expert on curtains?

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Wait, what? MOD is an expert on curtains?

Actually yes, he is. I recall discussing curtains and blacking rooms out a few years ago with him, so when the time came for me to sound-proof my windows, I immediately thought of him.
Perhaps there is a lot more to Chris than meets the eye?

[AZhitman]

We had what's called "blackout curtains" when I was a kid in MS. They're pretty commonly available, and as Dave said, they have a thin rubber layer.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Ho ... oduct.html

I googled a bed bath and beyond, but either couldn't find it, or it wasn't where google said it would be... so my life history of having never been in one continues.
I ended up going with some Eclipse curtains... they specifically advertise sound deadening properties and were available at the local wal mart. http://www.eclipsecurtains.com/eclipse- ... e.cfm?id=4
Best of all, they were cheap as hell ($11 for 42x 84), so I can bust out the sewing kit and double them up if a single one doesn't do the trick.

Also worthy of note: if you already have circular curtain rod holders/brackets in your house, but the previous owners were bastards and took the rods and curtains, you can save 1 metric a** ton of money by going to Home Depot and buying dowel stock (whatever diameter you need), and cutting it (in store) to whatever specific lengths you want. I found 1 6' Martha Stewart curtain rod for $19, puked in my mouth a little, and then made 2 3' sections from the 1" dowel stock for a little over $6. I might stain them in the future, but for now they look good. I'll try and take pics of everything once I'm done. Probably gonna need a tripod for the living room.

[AZhitman]

^ i did that.

You can also get finials for them in Home Depot as well. They're back in the lumber department. Or you can buy them separately at WalMart.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

wtf is a finial? I shall commence googleing.
Edit:

[AZhitman]

Don't ever say I never taught you anything.

[BusyBadger]

BBBY has a great selection of curtains, it's where I picked up the blackout curtains for our bedroom & one of our guestrooms. Most are dry clean only (found out after washing and drying them and then checking the label ), they still work fine at blocking light but the panels have bunched up and don't lay as nice as they used to.

Another option you have is to look for some room darkening shades. I saw a set that I loved but can't remember where now, they could be raised & lowered like traditional blinds/shades but could also be lowered at the top to allow some light in while still maintaining privacy in the room.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Wait, what? MOD is an expert on curtains?

I am an expert on the dark. I can't sleep if there's much light, so I've gone to great lengths to keep my bedroom darkened.

[Jesda]

You would have loved the bedroom I had when I lived at mom's. It was enormous, located in the center of the basement with no windows. The door was down a hallway past a closet and a private bathroom so no light from the hallway was able to leak in under the door. I could wake up at noon and think it was still midnight. As an added bonus, it was ice cold in the summer and toasty in the winter.

The only negative was the occasional power outage. Dark cave is dark.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

"The Jesda Cave"
Is that how you became some sort of internet superhero?

they could be raised & lowered like traditional blinds/shades but could also be lowered at the top to allow some light in while still maintaining privacy in the room.

Yeah I have those in my old room at my parents house. I never really cared for them. I always seemed to choose the wrong f*** string to pull. I very rarely would use them like that anyway. I'm more of a "curtains are open or curtains are closed" type of guy. Most of the time they are closed.