Make Any Curtains Blackout Curtains
THE EASIEST TRICK TO TURN ANY CURTAINS YOU MAY HAVE TO DIY BLACKOUT CURTAINS, PERFECT FOR A NURSERY OR KID’S ROOMS.
Whoever the turd is that said you can sleep when your dead clearly never had tiny children. Sleep is crucial for survival. Mine, and everyone else’s around me if I don’t get enough.
Here’s something else you need to know: I’m super picky about curtains. That’s why we don’t have a lot in our house even though I love them because I’m just really picky about how they look and feel.
Finding blackout curtains that were not grommet top (which I don’t like) was proving to be difficult and we needed some for his nursery pronto. I have been searching for white blackout curtains for our daughter’s room, but that’s besides the point.
This little guy’s room needed gray blackout curtains, though. When I stumbled across these at Ikea, coupled with the price, I knew I had to get them. Only one problem, they weren’t blackout curtain material. So, I got creative instead!
Now, granted, I’m sure I am not the first one to do this or see this, but I still thought I would share this helpful trick! You ready?
BLACKOUT LINER!
That’s right guys – no sewing machine! Just curtains of your choice and blackout lining fabric!
Our curtains are from Ikea. Then I found these blackout curtain liner panels (affiliate) at Walmart! The ones I got originally are all sold out, boo, BUT I found these for the same price and great reviews! Then I found this fabric fuse (or sometimes it’s called hemming tape) for under $4 from Amazon.
This was literally the easiest thing ever.
Put a couple pieces on here in the middle and bottom of the existing curtain panels. This stuff is no sew, no frills, no fuss. Glorious.
Then I positioned them where I wanted to be using the clips we had for the top of our curtains and boom – instant DIY blackout curtains! You can do it too! All you’ll need is the beautiful, curtains of your choice and a blackout curtain liner or two.
We chose clips instead of just hanging them directly on the rod because our windows are a little high in this room and so we bought 95″ curtains and 95″ blackout panels and I just hemmed them to the right length. I figured since I was hemming and I’m a novice seamstress, I wanted to give myself some room for error and use the clips to adjust height here. This ain’t a sewing blog. It’s a mediocre home reno blog. Let’s not fool ourselves. That’s it! Can you believe it?! Second shortest DIY project on this blog to date. (The first is here).
UPDATE: See these curtains in the completed nursery reveal here!
Again, this is probably somewhere on the blogosphere, but I was just so pleased that my hunt for black out curtains could be laid to rest with this trick to DIY my own and wanted to share with the rest of you fine folks!
Thank you! I kept buying black out curtains and none of them looked as good as my old curtains. Once I found this I went straight on Amazon found the liners and redid my old curtains and returned the black out curtains that didnt match well. Only thing is I had to buy the tape from Michaels because Amazon was forcing me to buy 2 rolls.
Excellent idea. Wonderfully presented. Not a bunch of 10 min. click bate with maybe the information.
I am going to have to find these blackout curtain liners. I didn’t know they made those til I ran across this article.
YES! We got ours at Walmart, but I don’t know if they still sell them anymore, I have a hard time finding them when people ask 🙁
I just found your brilliant blog- got to say, so refreshing, a happy find rather than the blonde models with their rather Xtian fundamentalists ways, that they manage to squeeze in to every decorating tip, lol. Of course, I still steal any tips I can…
So, I have some nice block/black out curtains from Walmart, a pretty pattern on a dark blue fabric. Only now I want to go with a more beige or gray or something lighter…thinking I can paint them with basic latex interior paint? Stencil or use painters tape to make stripes or a plaid thing?
Just to forewarn you, I am currently figuring out recipes to paint my sofa, love seat and chair with ottoman. Latex satin, fabric softener and water blend…any ideas?
I’m honestly not sure about painting curtains. I do know that you can paint fabric, but having never done it, I don’t want to give bad advice!
Kudos to your reply back to “Less” from 05/14/2020. ????????????
I hope They read it and realizes what a dumbass comment they made!
I don’t have time for people like that – I’m all about giving grace but trolls can troll on to someone else…..
The blackout liner was made for this exact thing. It’s not Some fancy trick you invented. Hahaha Thanks Tho????
Yeah, if you read the post, you can see that I actually said that, but thanks for playing.
This is a clever idea. I’m still not sure where you are placing the permanent tape, and if the two curtains are permanently attached together doesn’t that make them too bulky to wash? Thanks
So, I have the tape on the edge of the very edge of the curtains, like right where you would grab them to pull them closed if that makes sense! Alsoooo, you’re probably cleaner than me but I’ve never washed curtains hahaha. Eeek. Shhh, don’t tell anybody
I found even cheaper and darker Sun zero curtains at Amazon. It’s a theater-grade blackout in 52×84 (!!!) For under $10. I turned it into a Roman shade for a 48×48 window over my garden tub.
HECK YES!!! 🙂
I was wondering if you would share a picture of your curtains and kinda how you done them.
Please & Thank you
Hmm, can you give me a little more detail about what you’re needing to see that’s missing from the post? I’d be happy to help!
The link for the Walmart panels isn’t working. Could that be on Walmart’s end or do they not sell them anymore? I tried searching the website manually without finding anything! Thanks!
Oh no! BOO! I don’t know what happened to that link, but it looks like the ones I had originally are all gone, BUT I found some that actually have better reviews for the same price! I updated the link in the post too 🙂 THANK YOU for bringing this to my attention so I can help others too!
Wow, this is so great. Would love to try this in our sun room.
I’m so glad you found it helpful! GO for it!!! 🙂
Love the idea but wish you had a picture at the end of that big window with the drapes closed so I could see how “black” the blackout is with light behind it. Also, does the stick on dry out and the black out fall off after a season of hot sun in the window?
Love the idea, thank you
Well, I actually tried taking a photograph but you can’t really take pictures in a dark room. Turning a light on doesn’t help because you still can’t really see how it blocks out the light from outside if that makes sense but I can promise you they’re dark. AND pro tip: if it’s not dark enough, you can always hang two panels behind your curtain, especially since they’re so cheap. Also, we are in the middle of 95 degree summers here and so far, nothing has dried out and fallen off! If it does, I used SO little of this stuff, that roll would last me YEARS! 🙂 So glad this was helpful for you!
Hi. I need it totally dark to sleep. I find most blackout is not truly all light. What do you think after 2 are attached. Really no light? Appreciate your opinion.
How does your idea wash? Wash one or 2x a yr.
Also I need a thermal effect in the winter cause windows are old. Effective? Thoughts?
Thank you. My search has been neverending. I have been spending $ on the plastic vinyl backed curtains which stick together and wear off.
Thanks so much!!!
Karen
We actually have 2 blackout panels. We wanted it to be totally dark too so we just attached another set to them. It’s great and works for us! I would say wash one time a year, but quite honestly, these don’t get touched or messed with much so we haven’t washed them yet at all. Ha. Don’t tell anyone 😉
I am years late with this but I used to work nights and have to have it pitch dark. Total -Black-Out. I bought *Roc-Lon blackout fabric, black on the outside and white on the inside*, and hung the fabric with the clips as high as possible and very wide. Joanne’s sells it as far as I know and you can get it online. I didn’t even hem it. It’s some kind of unnatural stuff that doesn’t fray. I just clipped it up and then eventually got attractive linen drapes to clip in front of the blackout fabric.
There was no iron on tape, I didn’t know about that. My cat liked to sit on the window sill behind the curtains, it was all easy to wash as needed.
Thank you for posting this fantastic idea! I have been trying to cover a long window but need the curtains open in the daytime. I have been racking my brain and this is the answer I needed. You are a genius!
oh yay!! so glad it was helpful! don’t know about the genius thing hahaha … more like lazy 😉
One of the simplest way I have ever seen to convert any curtain into a blackout curtain. Blackout curtains would be very helpful especially in summers to control the overall temperature coming inside the house.