Talk:Curtain

Sheer curtains - basic level of UV protection?
I don't think so. Curtains made of synthetic fabric tend not to block UV. Glass windows though, almost completely block UV as far as I know. If there's anybody who definitely knows the answer, he or she should fix the potential misinformation. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.216.199.138 (talk • contribs) 19:42, 7 July 2007 (UTC)

Glass certainly does not stop fading and rotting so I suspect considerable UV gets through. It's a matter of how much at what wavelengths of course. Garden chairs stored in my greenhouse suffered bad damage to the material caused by light/UV. Books suffer badly too even in a room with double-glazing, yet are helped by thin curtains. Even the thinnest curtains may offer better blocking at the Blue to UV boundary I suspect. --Memestream 16:04, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Drapery in painting
Hello, there is missing mention of usage in art, I think, it isn't? --Martin Kozák 09:41, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

Terminology?
I think it would be good to include some of the terms used with curtains, like swag, panel, and whatever that part is called the curtain rod goes in. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.180.197.239 (talk • contribs) 17:18, 6 March 2006 (UTC)

Well, that would NOT be a curtain, but part of a window treatment, such as a valance. Swags and panels can accompany board mounted valances - entirely different from curtains. The curtain rod goes into the "rod pocket". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.136.57.232 (talk • contribs) 13:41, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

Origins
Anything about its origin? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 154.11.98.150 (talk • contribs) 05:25, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

The town of Crediton in Devon, England is credited with having "invented curtains. The word "Curtain" has evolved from the word "Kirton" used to denote someone from Crediton.82.152.167.91 (talk) 17:26, 27 February 2008 (UTC)


 * That's a nice story, but the Oxford English Dictionary gives a different and more plausible explanation. Curtain comes from the Middle English cortine from Old French cortine from Late Latin cortina. The same root has produced Afrikaans gordyn, Dutch gordijn, Polish kortyna and Portuguese and Spanish cortina. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.32.72.129 (talk) 17:50, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

anything on heading styles? —Preceding unsigned comment added by C0lmjl (talk • contribs) 23:32, 23 July 2007

I too was wondering when the curtain was invented, and disappointed to find nothing here about it. Maybe it is too obvious an invention to have an invention date. (I must say I'm dubious about the theory above...) But when did they become more popular than the shutter? Something as simple as a curtain can turn out to be quite thought-provoking! Sergeirichard (talk) 23:24, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

Morgan2763 (talk) 20:27, 23 July 2009 (UTC)== Construction, hems, rails, pleats, etc please ==

I came here for info on hemming, sowing techniques, rufflet tape and so on. Some might argue that Wikipedia is not a do-it-yourself guide, but these are all key features of curtains and I say the more the better, given the popularity of Wikipedia. --Memestream 16:07, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes, me too. The standard drop for a curtain is 213cm (in Australia). But what does that mean? Is the drop the entire height of the curtain, or is it the distance from the hooks to the floor? I need to put up a curtain rod, but I don't have the curtains yet. What height should I install it at?Cellomum (talk) 00:56, 28 December 2008 (UTC)

I have made my own draperies for years and personally I would never consider hanging a curtain rod before having the curtains you want to hang. When you get the curtains measure from the bottom edge to the center on the rod pocket. That would be the height I would hang the rod at. If you want the drapery to drag on the floor then hang it lower. How much lower depends on how much you want it to drag or puddle. User:Morgan2763 July 23 2009

Drops and heights of curtains are very confusing, we often refer to the drop of the curtain as the height, but we also refer the drop as how many lengths of fabric we are going to be using to make the curtain cover the window. Their is a base rule of thumb, if you are using a sheer curtain then the drop refers to the height of the sheer material , if you are using a heavy drape it oftens refers to the amount of fabric follow this simple tutorial on how to make curtains  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Over250k (talk • contribs) 06:50, 13 December 2009 (UTC)

Irrelevant to the article
I've removed this text: During the second half of the 20th century, many companies profited while others went bankrupt. Offering good customer service and adapting to change, such as purchasing raw materials from overseas, has kept companies afloat, even during rougher times. as it's vague, offers little information, is unsourced, and doesn't claim any relevance to curtains.--Crater Creator (talk) 08:35, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

Curtains vs Drapes ?
Some cloth window coverings are designed to be attached with metal hooks to tabs that slide on a track. These are opened and closed by pulling a cord. Others have a hollow channel through which one slides a curtain rod. I've always heard the former kind of window covering called a "drapery" and the latter kind called a "curtain" in the USA. What is the proper terminology to make this distinction?

It would also be useful to know the standard widths and lengths of ready made curtains (or drapes), if such standards exist.

Tashiro (talk) 16:57, 7 December 2008 (UTC)

Slang
From the article: Curtains can be used as a slang word meaning ending (from the use of a closing curtain to signal the end of a play on a proscenium arch stage). "Carpet (not) matching the curtains" is a slang phrase describing pubic hair that is (or is not) the same colour as head hair. Also, "Beef Curtains".

Do these really add anything? especially the last two... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.56.179.132 (talk) 04:38, 18 May 2010 (UTC)

The beef curains section is hilarious, if incorrect in it's assumptions of the reasons behind the characteristics of the labia. That is a good enough troll that I, for one, will leave it alone. One could even argue, that if it's asserions that size and shape are predicated by use are edited, that it is a valid section.

Nottingham Lace Curtains
Xb2u7Zjzc32 (talk) 22:54, 26 January 2016 (UTC)
 * Nottingham Lace Cotton Cafe Curtain CN1a.
 * File:Decorative textiles; an illustrated book on coverings for furniture, walls and floors, including damasks, brocades and velvets, tapestries, laces, embroideries, chintzes, cretonnes, drapery and (14596771988).jpg

Recurring vandalism?
Currently, the first sentence begins "A curtain (sometimes known as a grape, mainly in the United States) is...". Skimming the revision history there have been other odd choices to replace "drape", which is clearly the correct and intended word. It's been a long while since I've edited anything here, and the easy path to reverting an edit seems to have been renamed or concealed, so I simply edited "grape" to "drape". RBerteig (talk) 22:46, 30 May 2016 (UTC)

String curtains
I miss some discussion of string curtains. Error (talk) 09:50, 2 June 2023 (UTC)