Insulated Drapes/Curtains?

[Metagirrl]

I'm looking for ideas for covering our sliding glass door. It's off of our kitchen, and is very cold in the winter. We found some curtains made of 2-layers of unbleached muslin type fabric, and I was thinking of sandwiching something a little more insulative in-between the layers, like maybe some blanket material. Any other ideas? I was also thinking about sewing something weighted into the bottom hem to keep them taut.


Thanks for any ideas/suggestions. With it finally getting colder here, it's reminded me of how much I dislike that door!

Thanks!

[Selena]

The Plow and Hearth Catalog had quilted curtains. My sewing ability is quite limited but they did not look like they required any exceptional sewing skills.
http://www.plowhearth.com/product.as...ns&imagesoff=1

If you don't need to go in/out of the door, why not put some the blow-dry type plastic over it?

[frazzlehead]

If you don't go out that door in winter, the plastic that you cover doors/windows with would seal it up nicely over the winter.

If you do need it accessible, pretty much any heavy drapes will help substantially. I bought some nice deep green cotton duck drapes at the local house and home shop for my big front windows at my last house, they really helped. If you still get a draft at the bottom either get them long enough to pool on the floor a little, or place a 'draft snake' along the bottom (one of those long tubes filled with quilt stuffing or whatever, usually intended to put at the bottom of a door).

I think any kind of heavy-ish drapery fabric will help ... I wouldn't worry so much about fancy fabrics - just find something you like that's about the weight of a pair of jeans and go with that.

Hmmm ... denim drapes. That might look nice, depending on your decor!

[KindredSpirit]

I thought about making some curtains for my patio door and having wool blanket material be between the layers of curtain material I have picked out. Wool seems to keep the cold out pretty well and is lightweight enough that it won't pull down on the curtain rod. I have some wool blankets I picked up at an auction that are not too pretty, but they won't be seen. You could create the layers, serge it all together, and then put a complementary binding all the way around. My patio door curtains literally move from the cold air coming in. I am going for drastic measures!!

[ldc]

I'm using a large piece of very thick fleece as a window and doorway insulator.

[omnicat]

I've thought about making insullating coverings for ALL my inside walls....

Um, well, probably not. A lot of expense for a teeny bit of insulation R value. But when it's 2 degrees out, I really notice the effect of having walls with an R2 rating...

[davaseco]

I have a patio slider that is right in my kitchen/dining area that I FINALLY put a curtain on. We bought this house last Feb. I put up cutsie curtains in all the rooms but left my patio slider bare cause I like the view. I remember how much cold it let in last winter...Brrrrrr! and I'm hoping we'll have a REAL winter this year, so I planned for every window to get a winter curtain. Unfortunately, we can't afford new heavy curtains and DH likes the looks of the ones we already have...soooo... my plan....I bought the heaviest flannel I could find in coordinating colors for each room. Since 2 of the rooms have tab top curtains I just cut and hemmed to length the material and sewed ribbon "tabs" at the tops and tied them up behind the "fashion" curtains. Voila! (sp?)lined curtains! All you see is the ribbon, and it looks like part of the curtain. For the patio I bought a nice print fabric (still heavy flannel almost blanket like material) and made them the same way... except.... I bought the curtain rings that clip to the curtains to hold them up...they pull open and shut very easily and when winter is over the curtains are a cinch to take down and maybe put up a cute valance that's non-view blocking of course.
Just another idea.

[MaggieJ]

I wonder what would happen if you put a layer of that foil-bubble-wrap insulation or dollar store space blankets between the layers of the drapes? They would be too stiff to gather, but if you made them so you could roll them up like blinds when the weather is mild, it might work.

On second thought, it might be an unworkable idea.

[Spinner]

My dad has one of those doors. He buys a roll of black foam insulation that is sticky on one side. He puts that along the side where the door meets the wall. Then has a cloth tube filled with insulation that is sewed to fit along the bottom of the door (think long then worm looking thing). We used a tube of clear silicone to fill in around the stationary side of the door (it didn't take much, maybe a 1/4 of the tube or less). The only part that isn't "fixed" in some way is along the top of the door. He has a set of foam backed drapes that covers the door. This might not sound like much, but it really makes a difference in how warm his dinning room is now.

[bluetick]

This is related, so hope I am not drifting the thread.

I hung thermal blankets at my slider, using clip on rings and cup hooks. (Very low ceiling in that room, with little space to work in.) The slider and stationary glass side panels are 90" wide. Every very cold morning there was ice on the inside of the sliding door! Since I use that door all winter, I had to scrape off the ice before going out. If the sun hit it and melted the ice, it would refreeze in the bottom channel preventing me from being able to open the door.

Any suggestions for preventing the ice from forming?

[farmergirl]

Tell me more about the plastic covering that help seals out the cold. I've never heard of the stuff!

[donsgal]

Originally Posted by Metagirrl

I'm looking for ideas for covering our sliding glass door. It's off of our kitchen, and is very cold in the winter. We found some curtains made of 2-layers of unbleached muslin type fabric, and I was thinking of sandwiching something a little more insulative in-between the layers, like maybe some blanket material. Any other ideas? I was also thinking about sewing something weighted into the bottom hem to keep them taut.


Thanks for any ideas/suggestions. With it finally getting colder here, it's reminded me of how much I dislike that door!

Thanks!

Once we get moved into the homestead I'll be sewing window quilts for all the windows. Not only do they insulate beautifully, but it allows ME to control when the light comes in and when it doesn't (like when I am wanting to sleep!).

Google around for it. There are some pretty good links out there. I have seen them but did not save them to my favorites.

donsgal

[Spinner]

The only plastic window covering I've seen is sold at WM. It comes folded up in a package about the size of a notebook. I've never used it, but did read the package to see if it would work on my old windows. From what I understand, you cut the plastic film big enough to completely cover the window, frame and all. Then hold it in place while heating it with a blow dryer. As it shrinks it sticks on the window and frame to seal out air leaks. It's clear so probably would not be very noticable unless you look close. You should be able to buy it anywhere they sell weatherproofing materials.

edited to add: I forgot to mention that I think it can be easily removed with no damage to the wall, woodwork, or glass. If you don't want to open windows in the spring, you can probably leave it in place year round. Don't know that for sure. I'll read the package instructions again next time I go to town. I might end up getting some this year. I have a couple of old windows that need to be draft proofed.

[FrankTheTank]

I've got the same situation. I"m thinking about tight plastic covering, but scared the 2 sided tape will take the finish off the wood (its a really nice sliding glass door--argon filled glass, wood) but still think it could be better insulated, especially since i hardly ever use it in the winter....

[SolarGary]

Hi,

Some ideas for insulating door and window covers here:
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects...ndowTreatments

We use ordinary packaging bubble wrap on the sliding glass door pane that does not slide. Not as good as a full cover, but it helps some. You attach it by just spraying the glass with water, and placing the bubble wrap on it -- prety neat.

If you make curtains, they can be made more effective by putting a reflective layer either to the inside or outside. Since you probably don't want to look at a reflector, putting it on the outside might work well. The reflective material has a low emisitivity (ie does not radiate heat well), and this works somewhat like a low-e window to reduce heat loss. To work well, the reflective layer has to face an airspace -- you can't embed it as the middle layer of the curtain.
Aluminized mylar is one way to get the reflective layer -- these guys sell it, and have always provided good service to me:

http://www.mirrorsheeting.com/

Gary

[Metagirrl]

Wow! Thanks for all of the great ideas. We don't use the door much in the winter, but I do enjoy the view from the dinner table. I think I'm going to look in to the window quilts for some other windows, and probably end up lining the curtains.

[CraftyDiva]

Originally Posted by bluetick

This is related, so hope I am not drifting the thread.

I hung thermal blankets at my slider, using clip on rings and cup hooks. (Very low ceiling in that room, with little space to work in.) The slider and stationary glass side panels are 90" wide. Every very cold morning there was ice on the inside of the sliding door! Since I use that door all winter, I had to scrape off the ice before going out. If the sun hit it and melted the ice, it would refreeze in the bottom channel preventing me from being able to open the door.

Any suggestions for preventing the ice from forming?

I know if you wash your bathroom mirrors with straight (as oppose to gay, before anyone takes a shot at it) rubbing alcohol it prevents your mirrors from fogging up when you take a bath/shower. How? I don't know, but you could try washing your sliders with it to see if it does help keep the condensation to a minimum.

[hisenthlay]

If you're going to make window quilts, you might want to check out the window insulating fabric they sell at Joann Fabrics, and probably other places, too. It's pretty expensive per yard, so I decided to go with regular quilt batting for mine since I had a lot of windows to cover, but it might be worth it for a door like that, or certain strategic windows with a lot of impact. I also like that the quilt batting is white and will let through more ambient light than the insulating stuff.

For the curtains themselves, I bought plain off-white sheets from goodwill--a heck of a lot cheaper than buying curtains, and just as good for my purposes. I haven't gotten around to making them yet (too many projects!), but after I put them together, my plan is to applique a little quilted star/snowflake onto the middle of each one that color coordinates with the room, and maybe a color-coordinating border around the edge, too. I was planning on making mine Roman shades.

[Wildwood Flower]

I have done something similar to Bluetick...and it's not expensive. I found a decent used bedspread at a second-hand store and hung it by clip-on brass hooks. It was about the right size for the window. Or you could cut one down to fit perfectly--usually a single bed size is best.

An insulated blanket works too, or a quilt (not an heirloom one). Hanging it on a rod like this makes it easy to open and close, as needed. Be careful not to get one that's just too heavy.

In the better weather you can just easily take it down...and maybe use a tablecloth on the rod. Vintage tablecloths make great curtains and drapes!

[Peacock]

We have one of those doors, but also have a sun porch on the other side of it. Bingo, no cold drafts. An expensive solution, but we like it.

I am planning to make flannel curtains for our windows...soon. Trouble is, my DH hates curtains. Let's see if he prefers curtains or high fuel bills.