Curtain Restoration

At Limelight, curtain restoration services include professional dry cleaning and flame retardant treatment via the immersion method and the issuing of a new flame retardant certificate. For facility owners without labor or equipment, Limelight's professional staff can be contracted to remove, pack, ship and reinstall draperies.

Before You Start

Check your stage draperies for labels at the top or bottom edge. These labels should indicate whether the fabric is inherently flame retardant (IFR) or flame retardant treated (FR). IFR fabrics do not need to be retreated - they are flame retardant for the life of the fabric. If the drapes are FR (flame retardant treated) they do need to be periodically retreated. The label should indicate the date of the last treatment. If the period since treatment is greater than five years, the curtains will require re-treatment. In addition, certain harsh conditions (flooding, excess humidity, etc) may have accelerated the loss of flame retardant properties so you may want to perform testing. In addition, the label may include information about the dimensions of the curtain and the amount of sewn-in fullness - two factors that will affect restoration pricing.

Other information you will want to consider before contacting a vendor, is whether or not you will be able to remove, ship, and reinstall the curtains yourself, or whether you will require that the vendor provide that service. If you will be asking the vendor to remove and reinstall your curtains, it will be important to know whether your curtains are dead-hung or whether they are rigged to fly in and out. Dead-hung curtains are hung from a pipe or building part that can only be reached by ladder or lift. These will require significantly more labor for removal and reinstallation.

Recommended Process

Curtains should always be dry cleaned prior to re-treatment. After dry cleaning, Limelight recommends that the flame retardant be applied by the immersion process. Immersion assures that the flame retardant is applied adequately and evenly to the entire curtain. Alternate methods including spraying-on can result in over, under or uneven application of the product, which can adversely affect the appearance of the fabric and effectiveness of the treatment. Also, spraying, which releases chemicals into the air and precipitation on nearby surfaces, may damage your stage floor or furnishings and will require limited access to the space while in progress.

Ideally - depending on size and weight - your curtain should be transported in hampers or other substantial cases. Optionally, Limelight can remove, transport and re-hang your draperies, or even provide hamper rentals. Labor is billed at an hourly rate. Transportation to and from Limelight's Lee, MA location is based on distance traveled.

Estimates

Estimates will be based on the thoroughness and accuracy of the information provided and will be subject to change based on in-plant verification. For more information, call us today at 1-800-243-4950 or download a Curtain Restoration Quotation Request Form.

All pricing is FOB Limelight Productions in Lee, MA. Soft goods sent by common carrier should be sealed in plastic before boxing to protect against leaks in transit.

Cautionary Note

Restoration does not produce miracles. Although the appearance of most draperies will be noticeably improved, it is not possible to take a damaged, badly stained or distressed curtain and make it look brand new.

• Cotton Draperies may change dimensions during the restoration process.
• Not all stains can be removed from soft goods. Stain removal may result in loss of color depending on the chemical compound that created the stain.
• Rust, paint, dye, and glue will not be removed by this process. It may not be possible to remove all dirt in the case of heavy soiling.
• Soft goods suffering from dry rot or forms of deterioration may be destroyed by the dry cleaning process. We will call you before beginning the restoration process if we determine this is a potential issue.
• Dry cleaning soft goods that have been treated with flame retardant products through spraying or amateur applications may result in color variation, total color stripping, or fabric deterioration.
• Simple repairs are included in the restoration. However, if curtains have more than minimal damage additional costs may be incurred.
• Restoration charges are based on the square footage of the drapery, but size is not determined simply by the height and width of the curtain. Fullness of pleating, linings and the size of fabric turn backs are a part of the pricing formula.