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What
is a curtain? The following
information on curtains as per the
WikipediA , the free encyclopedia:
A curtain (in the US, also known as a drape or drapery) is
a piece of cloth intended to block or obscure light, or draughts, or
water in the case of a shower curtain. Curtains hung over a
doorway are known as portiéres. Curtains are often
hung on the inside of a building's window to block the travel of
light, for instance at night to aid sleeping, or to stop light from
escaping outside the building (stopping people outside from being
able to see inside, often for privacy reasons). In this application
they are also known as "draperies." Curtains come in a
variety of shapes, materials, sizes, colours and patterns, and they
often have their own sections within department stores, while some
shops are completely dedicated to selling curtains. An adaptation of
the curtain may be a blind or, in warmer countries, such as Spain,
wooden shutters that are fixed to the outside of the building to
provide privacy and still keep the building cool inside.
The use of the term drape to describe a curtain is derived from the
North American trend for curtains to be made such that the fabric
drapes on the floor underneath the window.[citation needed] In many
other countries, particular Australia, New Zealand and parts of
Europe, the preferred length for curtains is to cut the fabric such
that it typically sits 15mm (0.6in) above the floor; it's
undesirable that the curtain should touch the floor, since this will
cause it to become dirty, and will wear the curtain.
Curtains are a form of window treatment, and complete
the overall appearance of the house. Window treatment helps control
the ambiance and flow of natural light into the room. The effect of
drapery or curtains, is best seen in daylight, and with proper
indoor light positioning, it can look attractive even at night.
Curtains can be made from varying thicknesses of fabric, each
with a differing degree of light absorption and heat insulating
qualities. A sheer curtain is one that is made from translucent
fabric, such as a loosely woven polyester voile or a cotton lace.
Sheer curtains allow a majority of light to be transmitted through
the fabric, with the fabric weave providing a basic level of UV
protection whilst retaining maximum visibility through the curtain.
Sheer curtains are sometimes referred to as privacy curtains
in reference to their screening abilities; during the day most sheer
fabrics will allow people inside the home to see the outside view
whilst preventing people outside the home from seeing directly into
the home. Due to the loose weave in sheer fabrics, these types of
curtains offer very little in the way of heat insulation.
Uncoated fabrics provide the next level of heat insulation and light
absorption. Uncoated fabrics consist of the vast majority of fabrics
used in curtains, and are composed of a tightly woven fabric, most
typically a cotton/polyester blend, which is mostly opaque when
viewed in ambient light. Uncoated fabrics provide a reasonable level
of heat insulation due to the tight weave of the fabric, however the
fabric itself is typically not thick enough to completely absorb
strong light sources. As a result, when curtains made from uncoated
fabrics are closed in an attempt to block out direct sunlight, light
will still be visible through the curtain.
Coated fabrics consist of a standard uncoated fabric with an opaque
rubber backing applied to the rear of the fabric to provide improved
light absorption. To create a coated fabric a liquefied rubber
polymer is applied in a single coat to an uncoated fabric and
subsequently fused dry by means of a heated roller, in much the same
way that a laser printer applies toner to a sheet of paper before
fusing it dry. A fabric that has been through the coating process
once is considered a 1 pass coated fabric, anecdotally referred to
as dim-out because of the fabric's ability to absorb approximately
50-70% of a direct light source. To improve the light absorption of
a fabric it is possible to re-coat a fabric up to a maximum of 3
pass coated, which is considered sufficient to block out 100% of a
direct light source, hence such fabrics are referred to as blockout
coated.
Maximum light absorption and heat insulation in a curtain is created
through a lined curtain, which typically consists of an uncoated
fabric at the front to provide the look and feel of the curtain,
with a separate coated fabric attached at the rear to provide the
insulative qualities. The coated fabric is typically referred to as
a lining, which simply refers to a coated fabric that does not have
any particular colour or pattern.[citation needed]
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