Cute yet thrifty room-darkening ideas....?

[Melissa in St Louis]

Our new bedroom has tons of windows and a sliding glass door....hubby works many nights and needs it dark in there so he can sleep. I've been pricing out "blackout" drapes and I can't find any good ones for less than $25 for ONE panel!!!!!!:confused: To do the room, that would cost me over $200! I'm never gonna pay down my library fines at that rate!

 

Any ideas on how to effectively block the light in there and still have it look decent? The tablecloths I have thumb-tacked up are doing the job, but not making my hubby feel very special, I don't think. ;)

 

 

Thanks in advance!

[Samiam]

Can you do basic sewing? Curtains are super easy to sew, as they are basically just rectangles. You could use the tablecloths you have as the backing (the side that faces the window), since they are doing the "darkening part". By some nice fabric, sew them to the tablecloth, and viola, you have your pretty curtains that are darkening.

 

Honestly you could even hand-sew these if you didn't have a sewing machine...would take longer, but would work.

[runninmommy]

Go to Jo Anne's and buy some black out material. It is cheaper than the curtains and work WONDERFULLY! While in Alaska, with almost 24/7 sunlight in the summer the black out material really worked well. We stapled the material around the windows, then put up curtains to make it look nice. It worked very well.

 

Also, not cheap, but if you can find plantation shutters or bamboo blinds, they also work really well.

[joannqn]

Not remotely cute but...

 

Could you get cute curtains that you like and cover the windows with foil? That's how my parents use to darken my room in the summer.

[Debbi in Texas]

Dh used to work nights and he bought styrofoam of some kind and cut it to fit.

 

Not cute, but cute curtains over mini blinds would hide it and the room is dark as a cave.

 

Debbi

[runninmommy]

Not remotely cute but...

 

Could you get cute curtains that you like and cover the windows with foil? That's how my parents use to darken my room in the summer.

 

Just be careful if you use foil. It does work but.....

 

If you live in a hot/humid place, this can actually crack or damage your windows.

[joannqn]

Just be careful if you use foil. It does work but.....

 

If you live in a hot/humid place, this can actually crack or damage your windows.

 

I never would have known. I grew up in southern CA and never had damage to the windows that I can remember. Does it just heat up the glass too much from reflecting the heat?

[Renthead Mommy]

check out Gila film. You can look it up online, but find it at Loew's or HD. They make differnt kinds, 1)keep out light, 2) keep out heat, 3)privacy. Not the cheapest thing, but think of it more as an investment in your house, because you'll leave it behind unlike curtains.

[Amber in AUS]

I have used foil on my kids bedroom windows in 4 houses now without causing any damage. It does an EXCELLENT job. So good infact with the door closed you can't see your hand infront of your face.

 

I use foil and tape it down and check for any cracks of light then tape up somemore. Over the top i just put a standard curtain or blind. From the inside it just looks like the curtain or blind is closed. From the outside it does look a little odd, but none of the windows i have foiled have ever been at the front of the house.

[Spy Car]

Or you can just get some "celebrity eye-wear" at the local pharmacy like us Hollywood-folk do and your problem is solved. For about $5.

 

Bill

[LaxMom]

I'm not sure how much more "special" I would feel with tin foil on the windows than tablecloths tacked up. And it might be nice to see out occasionally. I would just put up room darkening roller shades ($5-10) on the windows, and spring for a blackout panel you can install behind the regular curtain on the sliding doors.

 

Redi-Shades are fairly attractive, inexpensive, and easy to install. They come in room darkening and blackout models.

[Colleen in NS]

Or you can just get some "celebrity eye-wear" at the local pharmacy like us Hollywood-folk do and your problem is solved. For about $5.

 

Bill

 

Or you could make one from scrap materials at home.

 

http://www.ehow.com/how_4892632_make-sleep-mask.html

 

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf303833.tip.html

 

http://www.diychatroom.com/content/how-to-make-a-sleeping-mask_499f4f00-428f-05b4-f0d1-fe73b76eee3e/

 

Or you could buy black posterboard and create panels and hang them on the windows every night. But this is a hassle. It's what I'm currently doing, but since I got my sewing machine back yesterday from the repairman, I'm going to make a sleeping mask.

[runninmommy]

I never would have known. I grew up in southern CA and never had damage to the windows that I can remember. Does it just heat up the glass too much from reflecting the heat?

 

Yes. Usually, it creates a spider crack then spreads.

[stripe]

Well, I did a cheap version of this, because otherwise my kids can't fall asleep in the summer until late at night! I added a back to one light-colored curtain, and the other one, I made another curtain out of quilting cotton-weight material that is a dark color. I had blackout curtains in my bedroom at one point in my life, and they certainly are dark (I actually hated that room, for several reasons), but it depends if he needs something very dark or just not sunlight bright. I'd imagine something "romantic" like velvet curtains would be dark, but a layer of fleece might work well too. You can just use a tension rod for each, assuming it's not very heavy. Making basic curtains is surprisingly easy.

[Tap]

For our bedroom, we put up blinds. Then sheers to disguise the blinds. Then a curtain made from dark sheets. We used a dark blue chambray. It works well, and then if we want light, we just pull back the curtains. It isn't cave dark in there, but definitely dark enough.

 

I picked the sheets up on clearance but they looked great with the decor of the room. Sheets aren't heavy so I didn't need special rods. I also tacked the stationary edge of the curtains to the wall so that helped with limiting the cracks.

[Spy Car]

Or you could make one from scrap materials at home.

 

http://www.ehow.com/how_4892632_make-sleep-mask.html

 

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf303833.tip.html

 

http://www.diychatroom.com/content/how-to-make-a-sleeping-mask_499f4f00-428f-05b4-f0d1-fe73b76eee3e/

 

Or you could buy black posterboard and create panels and hang them on the windows every night. But this is a hassle. It's what I'm currently doing, but since I got my sewing machine back yesterday from the repairman, I'm going to make a sleeping mask.

 

Let's see. I could purchase a sleeping mask for $5. Or I could purchase a nice sewing machine and spend a little time learning to use it. Botch the job several times, and then...in frustration...go out and buy a sleeping mask for $5.

 

Tough call :D

 

Bill (who knows when he's out of his depth :tongue_smilie:)

[Colleen in NS]

Let's see. I could purchase a sleeping mask for $5. Or I could purchase a nice sewing machine and spend a little time learning to use it. Botch the job several times, and then...in frustration...go out and buy a sleeping mask for $5.

 

Tough call :D

 

Bill (who knows when he's out of his depth :tongue_smilie:)

 

:lol:

 

You're right. See, I'm thinking of the fact that I already have a (wonderful, old) sewing machine that I bought 15 years ago for $6, and that I have a basketful of scraps to use. And I have sewing experience.