DIY: Molton soundproof curtain as room divider So easy you mount your own protection from noise and light
Room divider protects from light and noise
If you too want to partition off a room while protecting yourself from noise and light, you can easily build your own room divider in just a few steps. You do not even have to spend a lot of money and at the same time you can reduce the size of large rooms with the help of a soundproof curtain. If you pay attention to the right fabric and correct mounting, the noise emission and light pollution will be reduced.
These are the things you need to install your own soundproof curtain to separate your room:
And, of course, you need an idea of where in your apartment you want to use the soundproof curtain as a room divider. This way you can be aware of what dimensions you need for the curtain and what length the rails must be.
As soon as you are equipped with the appropriate material, you can start right away.
Step by step guide
Before you directly order all the things, you should think about where the room divider will be most useful for your apartment. Such a room divider, which can minimize noise in particular, but at the same time acts as a light screen can be used in various places.
In the example shown here, this noise curtain separates a small study from a bedroom. Since people work in the study in the morning and sometimes in the evening and at night, effective protection is needed. After all, in the bedroom area no one should be disturbed by the clicking of the keyboard and the brightness of the monitor.
Other applications may include an open kitchen, laundry room, home office or home gym. Certainly, the need for a soundproof curtain quickly becomes clear to everyone when it is needed.
Step 1: Take measurements
The first step should be to measure the area where the curtain will hang. Care should be taken to ensure that the curtain is flush, if possible, and, for example. is supplemented by a wall or a piece of furniture. This ensures that as little sound as possible can “travel” past the curtain.
So take the measurements for the length and height at which the curtain will hang. The fact that the curtain should generally be bought a little longer, so that it falls beautifully, we explain in the next steps.
First and foremost, the length along which the curtain runs is important for choosing the right guide rails.
Step 2: Buy materials
Maybe you still have one or the other component for the sound insulation curtain lying around at home, but you definitely need the things listed above or suitable alternatives.
Molton or soundproof curtain
The main component of your new room divider is, of course, the curtain. To effectively absorb sound and prevent light shining through, molleton is best. Molton is also used, for example, in sound studios or in theaters and concert stages to improve acoustics. So it stands to reason that curtain is also ideal as a room divider. It is recommended to use B1 stage molton especially suitable for this purpose. In addition to its good acoustic properties, this is opaque and, above all, flame-retardant.
The linked molleton is 3 meters in length and 1m in height. The length of 3 meters is enough for most for a curtain from the ceiling to the floor. Note that ideally about 5 centimeters should be sewn around the top and bottom to protect the curtain from fraying. Therefore, simply add an extra 10 centimeters. In length, you can then simply add the product to the cart several times. The dealer delivers the molleton rolled. For example, if you measured out 2 meters, then you should order 3 to 4 meters. Keep in mind that you should let the molleton hang compressed for the best result.
B1 stage molton as a perfect sound insulation
(Order double the length so you can hang the curtain compressed).
The molleton should be sewn around all sides, but zigzagged at least once so that it does not fray at the cut edges. If you and no one else you know owns a sewing machine, you can also go to a tailor shop near you. Often only a few euros are due. Alternatively, you can reach for a curtain designed specifically for soundproofing. However, these are usually not as thick as a molleton curtain.
Curtain rails or curtain rod
If you decide to use the more effective option (the molleton) as a room divider, then you can buy a curtain rail for it. This has the great advantage that you can use it to make the curtain flush with the ceiling. In addition, a curtain track is more discreet, flexible, and the curtain can be completely closed up to any adjacent wall. Thus, significantly less sound and also light passes the curtain. You can order the curtain track for your sound curtain in the length you measured your area. If there is not exactly your length, there is the possibility of several rails together or existing rails simply cut through. A rail can even be guided around corners in this way.
If you have decided against the molleton and prefer the ready-made soundproof curtain, you can buy curtain rods. This saves you the step of attaching curtain tape and curtain hooks to the molleton.
You can find a matching curtain rod here.
Curtain tape
In order to elegantly guide your Molton soundproof curtain along the curtain rail, you need an attachment for the curtain rolls. This curtain tape, is simply sewn to the top of the curtain. The fastest way is again with a sewing machine or at the sewing shop around the corner.
Provided that you decide to use the finished curtain, you do not need curtain tape.
Curtain rolls
To attach the soundproof curtain to the rail are necessary simple hooks, which are attached to the sewn curtain tape at equal intervals. I attached these every 10 centimeters.
You should also think about stoppers so that the soundproof curtain does not fall out of the guide rail at one end or the other. We have used these: Curtain Stopper
Dowels and screws
A few dowels and screws most already have at home. These are needed to fix the curtain rail. In our example, cavity dowels have been necessary because the ceiling is made of plasterboard. Decide which anchors best suit your ceiling finish.
Step 3: Cut and sew around molleton
You should cut the molleton in about twice as long as the actual length in which the room is to be partitioned. A good guide for this can be the length of the curtain track. For example, if this is 2 yards long, then cut your fabric down the length to 4 yards. If you ordered 4 meters directly, then of course no cutting is necessary. The same applies to the height of the curtain. The variant linked here is a 3 meter roll. In our example, only 30 centimeters had to be shortened. Also allow a little space to sew around the fabric. This gives your curtain more stability and protects the curtain from fraying.
Step 4: Sew on curtain tape
Once the fabric is the right length and height, you can directly sew the curtain tape. This is fixed along the entire length about 5 to 10 centimeters below the top edge. This will flap a little fabric over the guide rail, hiding it at the same time and allowing less noise to pass through the curtain. When doing this, make sure you don’t sew on the tape for punishment. This allows later to create the gathering of the sound curtain.
Step 5: Threading curtain rolls
A simple one is now to thread the curtain rolls into the sewn curtain tape. In the example, these are placed every 10 centimeters. This ensures easy guidance in the rail and compression of the fabric. This compression of the fabric is important because it not only looks better, but also can absorb more sound. Due to the irregular shape, the sound waves break better on them.
Step 6: Install curtain rails
Now, before the curtain can finally be hung, you need to install the curtain rails. To do this, the easiest way is to hold the rail in the appropriate place and at the mounting holes, mark the spots with a pencil. At these points, holes can now be drilled in the size of the dowels at hand. The guide rail is then attached to the ceiling with screws. If you want an unusual solution, you can also lead the rails around the corner.
Step 7: Hang the curtain
Now comes the glorious moment when the curtain can be hung. The curtain rolls are simply inserted into one end of the curtain track and the curtain is rolled up. To ensure that the curtain stays in the track, stoppers should be installed at both ends. Stopper be installed.
Step 8: Tighten curtain tape
Last but not least, simply pull the curtain tape evenly taut on both sides to gather the soundproof curtain. This makes the curtain pull together easily like an accordion and you get the classic look of a curtain. Now you have successfully followed all the steps and the result should ideally satisfy you. Here you can find our result:
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Summary
It is very easy to cut your own soundproof curtain and mount it on the ceiling. It can not only wonderfully protect against noise, but also prevents disturbing light where none should be. In addition, you get a professional solution for little money. The time required is also kept within limits. We implemented our project in one afternoon.
Those who have little time and want to save sewing, you can simply buy a ready-made soundproof curtain and attach it to a curtain rod.
No matter what you decide, we wish you much success with your Do it Yourself project: soundproof curtain as room divider.
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