UKC

There used to be a door between my porch/extension, but the previous owners removed it, which means the heat escapes from my stairs and landing, and I have to keep all my doors closed upstairs, and y kitchen door closed too, to try and retain some of the heat.

It's not a huge problem, but with it being quite nice to be able to go up and down my stairs and into my kitchen without going 'Brrr!', does anybody know of any fabric which could be hung up like a curtain, to help contain more of the heat within my home?

Thanks,
Tim

In reply to Timmd:

The traditional answer would just be a heavy curtain, alternatively put the door back on.

In reply to Timmd: As said above, a curtain does the trick. Even in our relatively new house it's made difference behind the front door.

We had a local shop make them up with what they called "thermal" linings. No idea what that means, just a backing layer of thick cotton as far as I can see.

In reply to Timmd: A thick lined curtain will keep the airflow down between the two rooms and make quite a difference. If you wanted more insulation you could buy a thin single duvet cover or cut a square argos-style sleeping bag up and sew that in between the curtain and the liner. You can buy sew/stick on velcro as well, a thin strip around the sides of the door surrounds would be pretty unobtrusive and cut down on heat loss through the gap.

Rather than buying fabric and lining it might be worth keeping an eye out for lined/blackout curtains on ebay, often pretty cheap and there's always loads on there. All you'd need to do would be slip your insulation up the bottom and tack it along the top to hold it up.

In reply to Timmd:

Whatever you fit it'll need to fit closely especially at the top to avoid drafts and thermo-syphoning.

Any heavy curtain that sweeps the floor and is appropriately detailed at the top and sides (velcro or magnets maybe to keep wall/door-frame contact) will do. If you're feeling crafty and/or it's especially cold one side or the other you could sew in a foiled mylar emergency blanket and a layer of thinsulate between the curtain and the lining. They probably won't drape so well unless they were very heavy to begin with but they'll keep a fair bit more heat in.

Quick and dirty you could hang a Tesco value winter weight double duvet for less than the curtain hooks would cost you!

I'd be tempted to put a door back in

jk

In reply to Timmd:
I think I'd be inclined to find a 2nd hand door and stick that back. Thats what doors are for!!

In reply to Timmd:

As a temporary fix 'big' bubble wrap (from the garden centre) is quite effective.