Today, most homeowners are moving from ordinary doors to sliding doors due to the many benefits they come with. Sliding doors feature two parts but only one move when the door is opening or closing. These doors increase airflow, maximise natural lighting, and facilitate the flow of traffic. Since it’s big enough, you can easily pass oversized items and furniture through them without any challenges.
However, the large size of sliding doors makes it challenging to choose blinds to cover them. Sometimes you may require more materials to cover sliding doors completely. In this article, we discuss things to consider before choosing these blinds. Then we’ll finish our discussion by highlighting various blind options you have.
How to choose blinds for sliding doors
If you were to choose blinds for your windows or ordinary hinged doors, it wouldn’t take you much time. But for sliding doors, there are so many factors to consider because of the complexity and characteristics of the door.
Here are some tips to help you choose the right blinds for your needs.
How do the doors open?
Sliding doors can either open inward or outward, which should help you decide where to install the blinds. Since most sliding doors don’t have enough depth, the blinds are usually installed on the wall above.
Also, consider the door handle as it may interfere with the functioning of the blind or, worse, damaging them. For this, you need a window treatment that extends far enough to prevent the handle from hitting it.
The blinds need to open in the same direction as the doors do.
Durability
With the high traffic to and from the house, you’ll need the blinds for sliding doors to be durable and to stand the test of time. All this has to do with the choice of materials.
Window treatments are made from different fabrics, and their longevity varies depending on factors like maintenance and frequency of use.
What benefits do you want from the blinds for sliding doors?
Sliding doors can be made of various materials, including glass and wood. If the doors are made of glass, privacy will be a more significant issue you’ll need to address when searching for window treatments.
The blinds should block the view from the outside while allowing you to enjoy the view from the inside. Also, they should give you maximum control over the light entering your house while preventing glare.
Style
If you have blinds installed on your windows, you’ll want them to match those on your sliding doors, from the fabrics to patterns, colour, designs, and everything. You also want window treatments that compliment your home décor.
How do you want the blinds fitted on your sliding doors?
Blinds for sliding doors should be installed in a way that they do not interfere with the functioning of the doors. For a standard sliding door, one half of the door is fixed while the other half slides closely across the face of the fixed one.
There are two ways to use blinds on such doors.
Recessed blinds for sliding doors
With this option, the blind is installed on the door such that it opens and closes with the blind attached to it. If the sliding door has two halves, you might need two blinds, recessed and free-hanging. The free-hanging blind is installed on the fixed door such that the sliding part moves closely behind it.
Free hanging blinds for sliding doors
This option allows free-hanging window treatments to be fitted on both parts of the door. As a result, the door moves closely and freely behind the blinds while opening or closing.
This option is common and practical on almost every sliding door. It also allows you to extend all the window coverings while the doors are open.
Best blinds for sliding doors
Panel track blinds
Also known as sliding panels, these blinds are our top pick for large windows and sliding glass doors. With the right textile texture and colour, panel track blinds will leave an elegant appearance on your sliding doors.
The panels are usually mounted on the wall and slide from the centre to either side of the door. What’s more, they can be mounted either from the inside or outside and still remain functional and appealing.
Sliding panels operate on a track, hence they won’t break down quickly. This feature makes them more durable compared to other window treatments. The blinds can easily be coordinated with your homes’ interior décor style.
Panel track blinds have a wheel-sliding mechanism that makes them safe for minors in the house. The blinds are versatile and can be bought custom-made to fit precisely on your sliding doors.
Furthermore, panel track blinds are energy efficient as they have fewer blades hence do not transfer much heat. The blinds can also be used as room dividers.
Vertical blinds
Vertical blinds are the most common and stylish solution for sliding door blinds. They also do well on patio doors, more oversized windows, conservatories, french doors, and other unusual spaces. The blinds enhance height and dimension to help achieve a spacious look in any of your rooms.
Vertical blinds are easy to stain clean, maintain, and long-lasting compared to other types of blinds, which makes them ideal for sliding doors. The window treatments are available in a wide array of textures, colours, and panel styles to make your home more welcoming.
The blinds can be made from various durable materials, including vinyl, aluminium, and fabric making them versatile for sliding glass doors. And since they have minimal stackback, vertical blinds help maximise your views. What’s more, they can be used as room dividers.
When fitted on sliding doors, vertical blinds provide excellent light control, light filtration, and privacy, just the way you need it. They are an excellent option for sliding doors situated in the kitchen, bathrooms, and other moist areas since they have a waterproof option.
Again, vertical blinds are easier to clean. With just a vacuum cleaner or a feather duster, you can remove all dirt and debris build-up.
Vertical blinds are suitable both for residential and commercial use and are common in home and office doors.
Roller blinds for sliding doors
Although not the best pick for sliding doors, they achieve a larger width that spans the entire door when linked.
Linked roller blinds are simply two or more blinds joined together by a link bracket to cover large windows and doors. The linking bracket leaves very little space between the blinds, making them ideal for use on sliding doors.
Besides, you can control individual blinds separately with duo-controlled linked roller blinds, which increase flexibility. The amount of control you get from linked roller blinds depends on how you join the blinds. The joining brackets are of two types; linked joining brackets and independent joining brackets.
Roller blinds put together by linked joining brackets allow for only one chain control placed on any of the window treatments. The independent joining bracket requires each blind to have its own chain control.
The blinds come with quality components that enable them to stand the test of time.
Roman blinds for sliding doors
Roman blinds also make an excellent fit for these doors. When installed on sliding doors, they create a continental style in your home or office spaces.
For a perfect fitting, purchase customized made-to-measure roman blinds. Roman blinds come in multiple colours, shapes, patterns, sizes, and fabrics to match all your needs. The materials are of high quality and guarantee extended use with little to no maintenance requirements.
Roman blinds offer insulation features that are essential, especially during the cold winter months. They also provide adequate privacy and light control as per your needs. The blinds are created from luxurious materials to provide a tailored, elegant, and soft look on your sliding doors.
Besides, roman blinds are affordable and easy to clean hence ideal for use on sliding doors.
Curtains and draperies for sliding doors
For sliding doors, you have to look beyond blinds. Curtains and draperies can be excellent solutions for sliding doors. They hang above the door and are wide enough to cover doors of any size.
Curtains and draperies for sliding doors will add softness and class to your home. All you have to do is get the correct measurement of the door and request for a perfect fit curtain or drapery. Choose from hundreds of patterns, colours, and prints to match your decoration needs.
Finals thoughts on best blinds for sliding doors
Sliding doors are different from ordinary doors and require specific types of blinds. They are wide enough to brighten up your spaces and provide a clear view of the outside environment. When choosing blinds for sliding doors, you should consider the size of the door.
Ordinarily, sliding doors are much bigger than standard doors, but the sizes vary. Before you decide to cover the doors, get accurate measurements to help you find blinds that fit correctly without leaving spaces.
Also, consider how the sliding doors are structured and how they operate. Some have a single part, while others are diving into two halves with only one part moving. Generally, the best blinds for sliding doors are panel track blinds, also known as sliding panels. Other alternatives include vertical blinds, roller blinds, and roman blinds.
