Most people who buy blackout curtains are surprised the first morning. The fabric itself is dark, but a bright line of light appears along each side, a glow spills over the rod, and sunlight bounces off the ceiling. The fabric is doing its job. The gaps are the problem.
A dark bedroom matters for shift workers, light sleepers, babies who nap during the day, and anyone whose bedroom faces east or a streetlight. This guide compares blackout curtains and blackout shades, explains where light gets in, and shows how to combine the two for the darkest result.
What to know first
- “Blackout” describes the fabric. How dark the room gets depends on how the treatment is mounted.
- Blackout shades are tidy and sit close to the glass, but inside mounts leave gaps at the sides.
- Blackout curtains cover more of the wall and soften the room, but light escapes at the top and sides unless they are mounted well.
- Layering a shade under curtains is the most reliable way to get a fully dark bedroom.
| Option | Darkness | Main light leak | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackout roller shade, inside mount | Good | Thin gaps at both sides | A clean look, or layering under curtains |
| Blackout roller shade, outside mount | Very good | Small gaps at the top and edges | Bedrooms without curtains |
| Blackout cellular shade | Good to very good | Side gaps, smaller with a tight fit | Darkness plus insulation |
| Blackout curtains | Good to very good | Top and sides when mounted close to the frame | Softness and full-wall coverage |
| Shade plus blackout curtains | Best | Very little | Shift workers, nurseries, east-facing rooms |
Blackout, room darkening, and light filtering: what the terms mean
Blackout fabric blocks essentially all light from passing through the material. It is usually made with an opaque coating or a dense lining. Room-darkening fabric blocks most light but lets a faint glow through. Light-filtering fabric softens daylight and gives privacy, but the room stays bright.
These terms describe the fabric only. A blackout fabric can still leave a fairly bright room if the shade is narrower than the window or the curtain hangs several inches below the ceiling. Keep that distinction in mind when you compare products and read labels.
A quick test helps when you look at samples. Hold the fabric up to a bright window. If you can see the shape of the light source through it, it is not blackout.
Where does light get into a bedroom?
Light reaches the room through four paths. Fixing the biggest one makes the most difference, so it is worth standing in the room on a bright morning and noticing which one bothers you.
The sides
Inside-mounted shades are slightly narrower than the frame, so a thin line of light runs down both edges. With curtains, light escapes where the panels stop at the sides of the frame.
The top
Light rises over the top of a curtain rod and lands on the ceiling, where it spreads across the room. With a shade, light escapes above the fabric roll, especially when the fabric rolls off the back of the tube.
The bottom
A shade that stops short of the sill, or a curtain that floats well above the floor, leaves a gap at the bottom. Light reflecting off a pale floor brightens the room more than people expect.
Through the fabric
Room-darkening and light-filtering fabrics let light through the material itself. Some coated fabrics can also show tiny pinpoints of light in very bright sun.
Blackout shades: pros and cons
Blackout roller shades and blackout cellular shades sit close to the glass, take up little space, and look tidy when raised. They work well where furniture sits under the window or where you want a clean, modern look.
Their weakness is the edges. An inside mount always leaves side gaps. Mounting outside the frame, with overlap onto the wall, closes most of that. For the most control, some roller shades can run in side channels, slim tracks that hold the fabric edges and cover the gaps.
Roller or cellular?
A blackout roller shade gives a flat, minimal look and is easy to clean. A blackout cellular shade adds insulation from the air in its cells, which helps on hot west-facing windows and in winter. Cellular shades also have a compact headrail that fits many frames.
Explore room-darkening roller fabricsExplore blackout cellular shades
Blackout curtains: pros and cons
Blackout curtains bring softness, sound absorption, and color to a bedroom, and they cover far more than the window itself. Hung well, they hide the edges of the frame and the gaps a shade leaves behind.
Hung poorly, they leak light. A rod mounted just above the frame lets light spill over the top, and panels that stop at the edge of the frame let it in at the sides. Mount the rod or track close to the ceiling, extend it roughly 6 to 12 inches past each side of the frame, and let the panels reach the floor.
There are two common ways to make curtains blackout: a blackout lining sewn behind the face fabric, or a face fabric with a blackout backing built in. A sewn lining gives you far more choice of decorative fabrics, and it protects the face fabric from the sun.
Closing the gaps at the top and sides
Small hardware choices make a large difference to how dark the room gets.
- Use a ceiling-mounted track so the fabric starts at the ceiling.
- Choose a return rod or wraparound hardware so each panel curves back to the wall.
- Overlap the panels in the center, or use a track with overlapping carriers.
- Add a cornice or a fabric valance if the rod has to sit below the ceiling.
Explore blackout draperyChoose where the hem meets the floor
Layering: the darkest bedroom setup
For a fully dark room, use both. A blackout shade handles the glass. Blackout curtains handle the edges, the top, and the softness of the room. Each layer covers the other’s gaps.
The usual setup is a blackout roller or cellular shade mounted inside the frame, then lined blackout drapery on a ceiling track or a high rod that extends well past the frame. The shade can stay down at night while the curtains open and close for the look of the room.
If you like waking to daylight, motorize one or both layers and set them to open on a schedule. The room stays dark until the time you choose, and you never have to get up to open a heavy curtain. A few setups that work well:
- Nursery: a blackout cellular shade with lined curtains, cordless or motorized
- Shift worker: an outside-mounted blackout roller with side coverage plus blackout drapery
- East-facing primary bedroom: a blackout shade with drapery mounted at the ceiling
- Guest room: blackout curtains on a wide, high rod may be enough on their own
Can blinds or zebra blinds darken a bedroom?
Slatted blinds, including wood, faux wood, and aluminum, cannot fully darken a room. Light passes through the small route holes for the lift cords and between the slats, even when they are tilted closed. They can be part of a layered setup, but they should not be the main blackout layer.
Zebra blinds can be ordered in room-darkening fabrics, but light still passes along the bands and at the edges. They suit bedrooms where you like a softer morning light rather than full darkness.
Compare zebra blinds and roller shadesCompare blind materials
Blackout for awkward bedroom windows
Not every bedroom window is a simple rectangle, and the unusual ones are often where the light gets in.
Arched and half-round windows
A shaped window above a standard one is a common source of early-morning light. You can fit a specialty shade to the arch, or mount drapery high enough to cover both the arch and the window below it. The second option is usually simpler and darker.
Bedroom sliding doors and French doors
Doors to a patio need a treatment that clears the handle and opens fully. Blackout drapery on a track that stacks beside the door works best, with a blackout shade on each door panel if you need extra darkness.
Corner and bay windows
Where two shades meet at a corner, a small gap is hard to avoid. A continuous curtain track that follows the bay or wraps the corner covers those joins and keeps the line of fabric unbroken.
Choosing colors and linings for blackout curtains
Because the blackout layer does the light blocking, the face fabric is free to be any color or texture you like. Pale linen, a soft velvet, or a pattern all work as long as the lining behind them is opaque.
Pay attention to the side that faces the window. A white or light lining reflects more sun and looks neat from the street. A dark lining absorbs heat on a sunny window. If you choose a very light face fabric, check the sample against a bright window, because a thin face fabric can show seams or the edge of the lining when the sun is behind it.
More than darkness: sound and temperature
Heavier blackout drapery also softens sound. It does not soundproof a room, but it absorbs some echo and dulls street noise, which many light sleepers notice as much as the darkness.
Temperature is the other benefit. A blackout or thermal lining slows heat coming through a sunny window in summer and helps hold warmth in winter, especially when the curtains are mounted close to the wall and reach the floor. Pair the curtains with an insulating cellular shade and the window becomes one of the more comfortable parts of the room.
Safety and comfort in children’s rooms
In nurseries and children’s bedrooms, choose cordless or motorized operation. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends cordless window coverings in homes where young children live or visit. Keep cribs, beds, and climbable furniture away from windows as well.
Blackout fabric helps with naps and summer bedtimes, when the sun is still up at seven or eight in the evening. A light-colored lining facing the glass reflects more of that sun, which keeps the room cooler as well as darker.
Choosing the right setup for your bedroom
Start with how dark you need the room, and when. Someone who sleeps until seven in a north-facing room needs much less than a night-shift nurse sleeping through a Texas afternoon. Then look at the window itself: frame depth, wall space for drapery, and what sits beneath it.
We can bring blackout fabrics and shade samples to your bedroom, show you where light will leak with each option, and measure for the mounting that closes those gaps.
We can measure, sample, and style the room with you.
Our in-home consultations across Texas help you decide fabric, lining, hardware, and final drop with the room in front of us.
Frequently asked questions
Are blackout curtains or blackout shades better?
Neither is enough on its own for a fully dark room. Shades block light at the glass, and curtains block it around the frame. For the darkest bedroom, use a blackout shade with blackout curtains in front of it.
Why does light still come through my blackout curtains?
The fabric blocks light, but light escapes around it. Mount the rod higher and wider, let the curtains reach the floor, overlap the panels in the center, and use return rods to close the gaps at the sides.
Is room darkening the same as blackout?
No. Room-darkening fabric blocks most light but lets a faint glow through. Blackout fabric blocks light from passing through the material itself.
Do blackout shades need an outside mount?
Not always, but an outside mount reduces the side gaps. If you are adding curtains as well, an inside-mounted shade works well because the curtains cover the edges.
