Window Treatments For Sliding Glass Doors- What’s Best For Your Home

Sliding glass doors, or sliders for short, can present a problem when choosing a window treatment for your Colorado home. Specific window treatments are better suited to sliders because they traverse the opening. This makes it easier to go in and out the door without raising a traditional horizontal blind or shade. There are several options, all with their benefits and drawbacks.

Vertical Blinds for sliding glass doors

Vertical blinds are apparent but not always famous for patio and sliding-glass doors. Its low price attracts clients to vertical blinds because it’s the most economical way to cover a broad space. Vertical Blinds stack either left or right or split to stack both ways but have a significant stack, meaning they block a lot of the window even when in the open position.   Vertical blinds have a large selection, including fabric, vinyl, and natural wood, with various styles, colors, textures, and patterns. Vertical blinds might be your best choice if you want to cover a broad space on a budget.

Skyline Sliding Panel Shades

Hunter Douglas’ Skyline has a sleek, modern look. The fabric panels are made in 11 1/2″ or 17″ panels and are put on a narrow sliding track that allows the panels to stack on top of each other. This means you lose minimal viewing area when the window treatment is stacked. This gives you a clean look and doesn’t take up a lot of space because of the narrow track. Skyline uses the same fabrics as the roller shades, with hundreds.

Vertical Honeycomb Shades for sliding glass doors

A vertical honeycomb shade can be the best option for doors that need added insulation from Colorado’s heat or cold. The most fantastic thing about vertical honeycomb shades is that regardless of the width, this shade stacks to 6 1/2″ when fully opened. The drawback to this product is some people aren’t crazy about the pleated and not the very decorative look of this window treatment.

Sliding Shutters for sliding glass doors

When discussing window treatments for sliding glass doors, plantation shutters are often forgotten. Plantation shutters can be made to slide on an overhead track. This is like sliding (bypass) or folding (bi-fold) closet doors. The track allows both shutters to slide the complete length of the door, allowing easy access through the door. Sliding shutters have the added benefit of light control by tilting the louvers while the shutters are over the door. The only detraction is some people think they have a bulky look. See our article, Bypass Or Bi-Fold Track Sliding Shutters- Which Is Best For Your Colorado Home.

Vertical Woven Wood Shades

These shades have a casual look that can be found with the vertical style option of the woven wood shades. They are made with natural materials such as bamboo, wood, reeds, and grasses. This is one of our most popular vertical blind alternatives. The only negative we’ve heard is that it has an Asian style and does not match every decor.

Luminette Privacy Sheers

Hunter Douglas’ Luminette combines the look of an elegant sheer drapery with the functionality of a vertical blind. The vertical fabric vanes of the Luminette rotate 180 degrees giving you control of your natural light and privacy. Because of the delicate sheer fabric, this product might not be suitable for homes with pets or small children.

Horizontal Blinds and Shades for sliding glass doors

Occasionally clients ask us to install horizontal blinds over their sliding glass doors. With this application, your window treatment must be raised if you use the door. Customers like the minimal look achieved with this installation. They should plan on the shade either staying up or down most of the day due to the inconvenience of raising and lowering the shade. Shades with smaller stacks, such as roller shades, honeycomb shades, and silhouette window shadings, are good candidates for this application. Wood blinds and faux wood blinds, not so much due to the large stack and weight.

Whatever your design plan for your window treatments for your Colorado home’s sliding glass doors or patio doors, Contact us today for a quote.

We would be happy to help you make the best choice with our professional in-home consultation for a beautiful window treatment that meets all your needs!