Sheer or lined curtains: how they differ and how to layer them

Sheer curtains filter the light and give privacy by day, but in the evening, with the light on indoors, figures show through a fabric of any density. Curtains with a blackout fabric or lining hold back 95–100% of the light, depending on the fabric and its colour, and give privacy at any hour. For most homes the practical answer is two layers: sheers next to the glass, lined curtains on the room side. In Lithuania sheer fabric costs from €9.50 per metre and lined fabric from €11 per metre.

What sheer and lined curtains are for

Sheers are light, often semi-transparent fabrics that soften and filter daylight and keep the room private by day. The usual ones are voile (330 cm wide, €9.50 per metre), net sheer (320 cm, €12 per metre) and soft voile (330 cm, €15 per metre). They let the light in, but nobody outside can see clearly into the room.

Lined curtains do a different job. The fabric is denser, often with a lining that holds back the light, and by fabric they are either dim-out (our Massive Dimount holds back about 75–85% of the light) or blackout (95–100%). Their fabric costs €11–43 per metre in Lithuania, well above sheers, because lined curtains are more complicated to make.

How the room is used decides. For a living room, sheers as the base, with dim-out lined curtains added, are usually enough. For a bedroom, choose lined curtains so that the room stays dark on summer mornings too. For a kitchen or a bathroom, roman blinds or panel blinds suit better, because they are easier to clean and do not absorb smells. For a study, sheers are usually enough.

The privacy paradox: when sheers no longer protect

On the ground floor, or where the windows face the street, sheers give no protection in the evening: neighbours and passers-by see every movement. This matters most in bedrooms and bathrooms. The only answer is a second layer.

How do you combine them? A double track

Two layers, sheers next to the glass and lined curtains on the room side, suit living rooms and bedrooms best. A double track carries both layers from one fixing, which is more compact and neater than two separate poles. It needs at least 10–15 cm of depth from the wall, so that both layers run freely and the curtains do not rub against each other.

A ceiling track costs from €9 per metre and a wall-fixed pole from €14 per metre. Making sheers costs €8 per metre, making lined curtains €13 per metre, hanging €4 per metre, and fitting a ceiling track from €9 per metre.

Blackout, dim-out and decorative lined curtains

Lined curtains differ in how much light they hold back, and that decides which room each one suits.

Blackout curtains hold back 95–100% of the light because of a dense fabric or a blackout lining. A dark fabric alone does not black out a room: it takes the lining and a ceiling track with side returns, which close the gap between the track and the wall.

Dim-out fabric (Massive Dimount in our catalogue) holds back about 75–85% of the light, so moonlight or street lamps still get through. Decorative lined curtains add weight to the window and darken the room partly, but they are not made to darken like dim-out or blackout. For real darkness in a bedroom, choose a dim-out or blackout fabric, or have a blackout lining sewn in.

Differences in price and care

For example, a 3 m track with a wave heading takes 6.3 m of sheer fabric (3 m × 2.0 + 0.3 m for the hems). In voile (€9.50/m) the fabric costs €59.85, and making 6.3 m × €8/m = €50.40. Together that is €110.25 without the track, hanging and fitting; a ceiling track costs from €9 per metre.

Care differs too. Sheer fabrics are light, often 100% polyester, and wash in a machine at 30 °C on a gentle cycle, dry quickly and often need no ironing. Lined-curtain fabrics are heavier, and their care depends on the fabric: some (Grace Blackout, Heritage) wash at 30 °C, others (Bukle, Gravity Blackout, Softy Blackout) are dry clean only.

Which to choose, room by room

A bedroom asks the most of its curtains: blackout lined curtains keep it dark early in the morning and in the evening, while it is still light outside. The usual build is two layers: a silk-look or voile sheer next to the glass, and blackout curtains on the room side.

A living room is used in several ways. Sheers filter the light, and dim-out lined curtains, hung nearer the room, dim it for an evening film or a rest.

A child's room is one of the few places where blackout curtains are needed without compromise: young children often nap in the day, and a daytime nap needs a dark room.

In a kitchen or a bathroom, roman blinds or panel blinds are more practical: they are easier to clean and do not absorb cooking smells or damp. If you choose curtains, sheers are enough.

In a study or an office, sheers cut the glare on screens. Net sheer, at €12 per metre, is practical here: it lets plenty of light through and creases little.

1. 1Decide the main function: light filtering (sheers) or full darkening (blackout).
2. 2Measure the window: the track should extend 20–30 cm beyond the window on each side, and the fabric should be 1.5–2.5× the track width, depending on the heading.
3. 3Choose the fabric by use: blackout for a bedroom, a sheer and lined combination for a living room, roman blinds for a kitchen.
4. 4Choose the type of track: a ceiling track is needed for a wave heading, and a double system needs 10–15 cm of depth from the wall.
5. 5Ask for samples: always look at the fabrics at different times of day, in different light.

In short

Sheer and lined curtains do different jobs and work together. Sheers (€9.50–16.50 per metre) filter the light and give privacy by day, but in the evening figures show through a fabric of any density. Lined blackout fabrics (€11–43 per metre) hold back 95–100% of the light and are essential for bedrooms and children's rooms. Two layers, sheers by the glass and lined curtains on the room side, cover both day and evening in most rooms.

Frequently asked questions

How do you combine lined and sheer curtains on one window?

Hang them in two layers: light sheers next to the window and the lined curtains on the outer track. By day the sheers let the daylight in; in the evening the lined curtains give full privacy and darkness. A double track needs at least 10–15 cm of depth from the wall, so that both layers run freely.

Do you need both sheer and lined curtains?

Yes, when the room is used by day and in the evening and both privacy and daylight matter. Sheers alone do not keep a room private in the evening: once the lights are on indoors, figures show through a fabric of any density. For two layers, check the depth of the window recess and choose a double track to suit it.

How do you measure for curtains correctly?

The fabric should be 1.5–2.5 times as wide as the track, depending on the heading: wave 2×, pleated 2.5×, eyelet 1.5×. Measure the drop from the top of the track to the floor or the sill, depending on the look you want. Exact measurements are what make the curtains fall correctly.

What is the difference between blackout and dim-out curtains?

Blackout curtains block 95–100% of the light and give full privacy and darkness at any hour. Dim-out curtains block only about 75–85%, so moonlight or street lamps can still come through. The choice depends on whether you need absolute darkness (a bedroom, say) or only less light.

What is the difference between sheer and lined curtains?

Sheers are light, transparent and filter the light, giving privacy by day but none in the evening. Lined curtains are made of a dense fabric with a special lining and are meant to darken the room and give privacy in the evening. The main practical difference is that lined curtains work round the clock, while sheers work only when it is light outside.

Do sheer and lined curtains suit a living room?

Yes, and as two layers: sheers filter the light by day, and in the evening the lined layer covers the window completely. Sheers alone will not give privacy in a living room after sunset, when the lights are on indoors. The two layers also give the window depth.

How much do sheer curtains cost in Lithuania?

One window costs from about €60 to several hundred euros. Sheer fabric costs from €9.50 per metre (voile) to €16.50 per metre (Nobel or Ramune), making from €8 per metre and hanging €4 per metre, plus a ceiling track (from €9 per metre) or a wall-fixed pole (from €14 per metre) and fitting. The final price depends on the fabric, the type of track and the size of the window.

How much do lined curtains cost?

Lined fabric costs €11–43 per metre, well above sheers, because making includes an extra layer of blackout lining. Extra properties such as heat insulation or sound dampening can raise the final price further. For example, Grace Blackout fabric and making for a window 2 m wide with a wave heading cost €193.50, without the track and fitting.

How much do poles and mechanisms cost?

Poles cost from €5 per metre for a simple single one to €95 per metre for a double one or a motorised mechanism. A double track needs at least 10–15 cm of depth from the wall, so fitting it can be more complicated. An electric mechanism raises the total noticeably, but saves drawing the curtains by hand.

What decides the choice between sheer and lined?

How the room is used, which way the window faces, and how much light and privacy you want. A bedroom needs blackout lined curtains. Where the room is dark or the window has a view, sheers suit better, because they let the daylight through.

Do sheer curtains give privacy in the evening?

No. When the lights are on indoors, figures show through a fabric of any density. For privacy round the clock you also need lined or blackout curtains.

Which fabric suits sheer and lined curtains best?

For sheers, light fabrics with a transparent weave: voile, net sheer or crepe, which let natural light through. For lined curtains, a dense blackout fabric or lining that holds back 95–100% of the light. The fabric should match the use of the room and the balance of light and privacy you want.

How much do making and fitting cost?

Making is priced per metre of fabric. Making sheers costs €8 per metre, lined curtains €13 per metre, and hanging €4 per metre. Made-to-measure curtains cost more than ready-made ones, but they fit the window exactly. Fitting is priced separately and depends on the type of track and how complicated the fitting is.

Which rooms suit sheer curtains?

Sheers suit living rooms, studies and other spaces where natural light matters by day. They are good at windows with a view, because they do not block it and only soften direct sun. In a bedroom or a child's room sheers are not enough: lined or blackout curtains are needed as well.

Do curtains suit a kitchen?

Less well than roman blinds or panel blinds, which are easier to clean and do not absorb smells. If you do choose curtains, pick fabrics that wash easily: in a kitchen they get dirty faster from grease vapour and damp.

When should you choose blackout curtains?

For a bedroom, a child's room or any room where you need complete darkness. They are especially suited to people who work night shifts, or where street lighting makes sleep difficult. Blackout curtains also add some heat insulation and sound dampening, because the fabric layer is thicker.

How much do sheer and lined curtains cost together?

Two layers on one window: sheer fabric €9.50–16.50/m, blackout fabric €11–43/m, a ceiling track from €9/m, making €8/m (sheer) and €13/m (lined). For example, for a window 2 m wide with a wave heading, voile with making costs €75.25 and Grace Blackout with making €193.50: €268.75 in all, without the tracks, hanging and fitting. A double system needs two tracks, so price them together.