A method for providing a treated fabric, comprising at least the following steps A), B), C), and D), in order, unless otherwise indicated:
- A) providing a scoured fabric having a face side and a back side;
- B) disposing a non-foamed color-masking composition on the back side of the scoured fabric to form a coated fabric;
- C) drying the coated fabric to form a dried and non-foamed color-masking composition at a coverage of at least 5 g/m2 and up to and including 75 g/m2;
- and
- D) either heat-setting the scoured fabric between step A) and step B), or heat-setting the coated fabric during or after step C),
- to form a treated fabric having an uncoated face side and a coated back side,
- wherein the dried and non-foamed color-masking composition comprises one or more tinting components and a film-forming polymeric binder having a Tg of less than 25° C.,
- wherein the dried and non-foamed color-masking composition effectively reduces visual perception on the uncoated face side of the treated fabric when a cured, crushed, and dried foamed opacifying layer has been disposed on the coated back side, the reduced visual perception being measured by a ΔE value as determined from ΔL*, Δa*, and Δb* CEILAB color values, to be <2, compared to visual perception on the uncoated face side of the same treated fabric when the cured, crushed, and dried foamed opacifying layer has been omitted, and
- wherein the cured, crushed, and dried foamed opacifying layer comprises the following components (a) through (e):
- (a) porous particles that are present in an amount of at least 0.1 weight % and up to and including 35 weight %, each porous particle comprising a continuous polymeric phase and discrete pores dispersed within the continuous polymeric phase, the porous particles having a mode particle size of at least 2 μm and up to and including 50 μm and a porosity of at least 20 volume % and up to and including 70 volume %;
- (b′) a binder matrix derived from a (b) binder material that has a glass transition temperature that is less than 25° C., and which (b′) binder matrix is present in an amount of at least 10 weight % and up to and including 80 weight %;
- (c) two or more additives that are present in a total amount of at least 0.0001 weight % and up to and including 40 weight %, the two or more additives comprising at least one foaming surfactant and at least one compound that is a foam stabilizer;
- (d) less than 5 weight % of an aqueous medium;
- and
- (e) an opacifying colorant that is present in an amount of at least 0.0001 weight % and up to and including 3 weight %, the opacifying colorant being a different material from all of the (a) porous particles, (b′) binder matrix, and (c) two or more additives, and which opacifying colorant absorbs electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength of at least 380 nm and up to and including 800 nm,
- all amounts of the (a) porous particles, (b′) binder material, (c) two or more additives, (d) aqueous medium, and (e) opacifying colorant being based on the total weight of the cured, crushed, and dried foamed opacifying layer.