History of fabric
Blackout was invented in Finland, the land of white nights. In summer, in Finnish cities located above the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set beyond the horizon for 70 days. At night there is no complete darkness; light constantly enters the windows. In such conditions, it is difficult to fall asleep soundly and get a full night's sleep. The material is designed to provide residents with comfortable sleeping conditions when there is light outside the windows.
The fabric quickly became popular in the global curtain materials market due to its unique properties and high quality.
The name of the fabric is translated from English as “darkening” and reflects the main property of the blackout material: blocking the flow of light into the room.
How it is produced
The material consists of 3 textile layers:
- the surface layer facing the window has a white reflective color;
- a thick protective layer of black polyester is located inside, absorbs light rays and blocks the passage of heat;
- the outer layer is decorative, colored and patterned, affecting the aesthetic perception of the product.
The fibers are tightly intertwined. Satin weaving is often used.
The layers are covered with acrylic foam to achieve maximum light resistance.
Description of the fabric: properties and composition
Blackout does not allow sunlight to pass through and helps darken the room 100%.
The density of the material ranges from 220-280 g/m2.
The outer surface composition can be satin, satin, polyester, and may contain viscose and acrylic fibers.
According to the method of dyeing, the material is divided into:
- plain - painted in any color, including white;
- printed - with a pattern applied using thermal printing on the surface, the subject of the pattern - any.
Why else do we need such material?
Why else would you need such fabric? The scope of application of blackout is not limited to the manufacture of curtains. This matter is also used for:
- upholstery of sofas, armchairs and chairs;
- sewing furniture covers and decorative pillows, capes and bedspreads;
- decoration of conference rooms, educational institutions, office premises, theaters, entertainment shows;
- decoration of residential premises (wall upholstery);
- darkening darkrooms.
Types of fabric
- Blackout original is a standard type of fabric, a kind of standard. Drapes freely, does not wrinkle, is resistant to stains.
- Non-flammable blackout is treated with special compounds that prevent combustion. Processing is possible at the finished web stage. Pre-impregnation of raw fibers is preferable.
- Blackout Street is a material for outdoor use, suitable for printing billboards.
- Blackout linen - additional braiding of the fibers on the front side allows you to create a textured surface that imitates linen.
- Blackout shine - with a flat, smooth surface and interspersed with satin threads.
- Blackout jacquard - with a convex pattern obtained as a result of jacquard weaving on the fabric of the top layer.
What is dimout
According to Wikipedia, in addition to the hair coloring technique, Dim out/dimout (literal translation - darken/darken) is a curtain fabric with a light protection of 65-85%. It scatters sunlight, but does not transmit electric light at all.
The fabric contains non-flammable PES FR polyester fibers treated with fire retardants. The production technology of such a canvas (compared to blackout) is simpler, so its price is lower. Dimout has a three-layer structure and consists of polyester threads with a double satin weave. The essence of the weave is that the thread covers not only the fibers under the perpendicular, but also the fibers of the inner light-retaining layer. This ensures resistance to ultraviolet rays, increased density, and the fact that the material is smooth to the touch and practically does not wrinkle. The color range of dimouts is varied. But due to the fact that there are black threads in the inner layer, fabrics of white, light and bright colors always have a gray-beige tint. On the contrary, black thread adds richness to dark dimouts.
Example photo dimout:
Advantages and disadvantages
The positive properties of the fabric include:
- wear resistance;
- resistance to deformation;
- low creasing;
- color brightness, color fastness;
- drapeability;
- opacity;
- sound-absorbing properties;
- thermal insulation characteristics;
- hypoallergenic;
- environmental friendliness, non-toxic;
- fire safety.
Care instructions
- It is enough to wash the products 1-2 times a year; the fabric is little susceptible to contamination and does not accumulate dust.
- Washing is done in warm water, at a temperature not exceeding 40 degrees. Any washing powder will do.
- Machine washable on delicate cycle.
- Spin is allowed at low speeds, up to 400. The fabric dries quickly and without spinning.
- Things should be dried in the shade.
- Ironing is optional. If it is necessary to obtain a perfectly flat surface when ironing, you should monitor the temperature of the iron; at high temperatures, the fabric will deform.
All about blackout curtains
Blackout curtains compare favorably with regular curtains.
- They have a long service life: do not fade, do not deform, do not fade over time and under the influence of environmental factors.
- Do not wrinkle during use. After washing, just straighten them carefully and you can hang them.
- They have light-absorbing, heat-insulating, and sound-proofing properties.
- They do not require special care, are easy to wash, do not absorb odors and do not collect dust.
- Do not cause allergies, safe to use.
Sewing custom-made curtains will help you create an individual interior and a unique atmosphere in your home. You can choose any color, original design, or use photo printing.
Curtains are used at home, in offices and conference rooms, public buildings, nightclubs, cafes and restaurants, and darkrooms.
The main types of blackout curtains:
- Roman curtains with pleats go well with curtains.
- Japanese ones are a good solution for panoramic windows, suitable for exotic interiors, original and functional.
- pleated curtains are a combination of dense material and a transparent veil; the window can be completely closed if necessary, ensuring 100% darkness in the room; suitable for non-standard windows.
- Curtains are lush, dense, floor-length fabrics, available in a variety of colors, trimmed with fringe or strict classic ones. Universal, suitable for any interior.
- Rolled panels are straight panels with a lifting mechanism, fit tightly to the windows, are fixed at any height, allowing you to adjust the level of illumination in the room. The principle of operation of curtains: the canvas is rolled into a roll on a special drum, rotated by a cord. Roller blinds vary in the degree of light transmission: from transparent, simply scattering light, to dense, allowing you to plunge into pitch darkness even on a sunny day.
- Inspire Blackout is a heat-resistant, completely light-proof, high-quality roller blind in the mini or standard series.
For the living room, nursery and bedroom, curtains or Roman blinds are well suited. For the kitchen it is better to choose a rolled blackout.
Free-hanging
Free-hanging
Blackout roller blinds for plastic windows from free-hanging systems can only be Mini; you can learn more about this system by clicking on the link. “Minka” can also be installed on the wall, covering the entire opening, or in the opening. Provided that the product is not too large, about 1.5 meters wide. But here, of course, you also need to look at the fabric, what material it is made of and what height the product will be. There may simply be a situation that the product is quite high, or the fabric is too heavy, and the shaft on which the fabric is wound may bend in this case, and the side brackets may also not be able to withstand it. The shaft diameter of the mini blackout roller blind system = 18 mm.
If the product is wide enough, then the Maxi system is used. Here you can already close fairly large openings up to 6 meters wide. And the dimensions will depend only on the length of the roll of blackout fabric. The maximum roll length I have ever seen is 4 meters. But these are very rare fabrics. Basically it is 3 - 3.5 meters. If you want to learn more about free-hanging systems, click for more details...
- Cassette
Customer Reviews
Blackout curtains are recommended by 100% of users. The products delight their owners with high quality and unique properties. They cope with their main task perfectly: the room is dark even when the bright sun is shining through the window. Blackout curtains are most often used in bedrooms and children's rooms. Thanks to them, even children who are early risers stop waking up with the first rays of the sun. The advantage of the fabric is that it is easy to care for and does not require regular washing.
Blackout curtains are suitable for both modern and classic interior design. Original design solutions allow you to create a unique interior. Thanks to its structure, the fabric absorbs sunlight, muffles noise and helps maintain a comfortable temperature in the room at any time of the year. The fabric has many fans around the world and continues to rapidly gain popularity.
Photo gallery
Roman blackout
Pleated
Printed blackout
Roman blackout blinds
Classic
To the children's room
3D photo printing
Lightproof curtain fabric
Roller blinds blackout
Video: blackout curtain fabric
The video talks about blackout fabric, its characteristics and where it is used. They show what it looks like, what patterns are found and why sunlight does not pass through the fabric. For which curtains is it best to use it?
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Interesting Facts
The history of the origin of blackout fabric is controversial. It is believed that such curtains were sewn back during the Second World War, and it was they who saved houses from shelling, since lights were not visible through the thick fabric.
In any case, blackout curtains create the illusion of night. They allow you to get enough sleep on the weekend and not wake up from the bright sun that shines in your eyes. With the help of such curtains you can personally control the time of day, which is undoubtedly very convenient.
