Insulated backing for curtains?

I am in need of a bit of assistance from the group please.

My neighbor and I trade services, I do some electrical, plumbing and general handy man things around her house and she offered to make some curtains ( she is a very good seamstress) for the French doors off my bedroom. I would like to have them have a high insulation value against drafts and thermal conductance.

What would be the best material to back them with to reduce thermal transmittance?

Thank you in advance. John

Reply to
John
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Thinsulate. It's made by 3M. You can get it in different weights. This stuff has been used for years in curtains by energy conservation keeners. I made some many years ago - the curtains are gone (I moved) but I saved the Thinsulate for other stuff.

You can also add a layer of aluminized Mylar to increase the effect and reduce drafts and light transmission. I'd put the Mylar on the window side == i.e. glass - light polyester or nylon layer - Mylar - Thinsulate - decorative fabric - room. I'd recommend a synthetic (polyester or nylon) on the outside, since I found that the curtains I made tended to get damp on the outside. Humidity on the outside (between curtain and glass) condenses on cold days and gets on the glass with some on the back of the curtain.

The ideal design (to help minimize condensation) is to get a magnetic strip and attach to the window frame with a matching plastic-coated steel strip on the back of the curtain. This allows you to seal the insulation along the edges and pull them off if you want. There is a magnet/steel strip made that you can buy by the foot and the strip has an iron-on glue to attach to the curtain. More trouble than it's worth, IMHO.

Mike

Reply to
Michael Daly

A thermal interlining is your best choice. This is a thicker lining that goes between the main fabric and the backing/lining fabric. I use something like a brushed cotton. Other thermal linings are rubberized on one side to contain and reflect the heat. If you do get these, the rubberized part should face the room, not the window.

Reply to
RLK

There are two things: one is a thermal curtain lining that is rather stiff, so suitable for simple curtains. The other is an interlining called 'bump', which is a soft fluffy loose weave cotton cloth that goes between the outer curtain and the lining. It needs to be sewn in to the curtain fabric at intervals with a lock stitch, done by hand. The stiff stuff can be used as it is and sewn in like an ordinary curtain lining. If you opt for bump, this requires old fashioned curtain making skills, but looks wonderful: it's worth doing if your curtain fabric is silk or very expensive. The thermal stuff requires a jeans needle, and wears them out quickly! BTDT many a time...

Any good curtain fabric store will sell you either, but a curtain warehouse will sell it cheaper! If you are in the UK, look on my Fabric List (on my web site, URL below) and hunt up Croft Mill and Hartley's Mail Order, either of which will be pleased to help you. Croft have a good offer on 3" pencil pleat tape to go at the top of the curtains, too. On my site you may also find my dining room project and the 4 poster bed project, both of which were done using the thermal lining.

Reply to
Kate Dicey

In England, people often use Milium lining fabric, and of course interlining helps. As someone else said, this is like cotton flannel, but in the UK is called 'bump', I think. It is more trouble to attach, as you're meant to lockstitch it to the outer fabrics, so the curtains hang properly but I've used it just attached to the header with no trouble.

As a cheat method, since I have to make my own curtains, I've also bought cheap duvets and used them as ready-made interliners - just slide them up between the main fabric and the lining and stitch them into place for winter. This makes a very bulky but effective draught excluder.

:) Trish

Reply to
Trishty

Thank you for the replies. Regards, John

Reply to
John

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