Best Patio Door Blinds: Full Buyers Guide

Patio doors are a common element in house design, especially if you want an open approach. The expansive glass panels may make your small home feel more extensive and welcome while also allowing more light to enter. In light of this, here are the best patio door blinds available in 2021.

Your patio brings in a lot of sunlight. As a result, vertical blinds, honeycomb blinds or vertical shades, sliding panel track blinds, and custom plantation shutters are the best selection of blinds and window treatment to use for patio and sliding doors. 

Thankfully, these patio door blinds allow you to add design, manage light, and still utilize your doors comfortably. When purchasing blinds for patio doors, there are a few things to consider, such as the different types of treatments, mobility, size, fitting, and material. That said, what makes the mentioned patio blinds the best options?

The Best Blinds For Patio Doors

How do you determine which blinds would work best if you want to cover your patio doors? While plenty of different window treatments are available to cover patio doors, specific kinds are better suited for broad expanses of patio doors simply because they cross horizontally, making them easier to operate. 

Sometimes privacy takes precedence, and it’s great to have the option to brighten up your home. Since it typically involves covering quite a bit of surface area, you’ll want to ensure it gets the job done right. As a result, what are the best window treatments for your patio doors?

Vertical Blinds – Best Classical

Vertical blinds differ from Venetian blinds in that the slats, or vanes, go up and down rather than left to right. As a result, they’re an excellent alternative for patio or sliding doors, as well as rooms with large windows that you may find challenging to cover with traditional window coverings. 

They’re also an excellent option for bay windows that are difficult to install. Vertical blinds are among the best choices for a classic aesthetic touch since they open in the same direction as many sliding patio doors. 

Vertical blinds are durable and easy to clean and can be easily customized to be perfect for a patio door treatment in a high-traffic area. The vanes are available in a range of widths, ranging from 3-1/2 inches (the most common) to more than 300 inches, and are made of cloth, vinyl, metal, or wood. 

Here’s an example of some beautiful vertical blinds available on Amazon.

The size of the window should determine the width — the larger the window, the greater the breadth. They are available in various forms, from flat to S-curved, and can be cut to precise heights.

They flow back and forth like curtains, rather than up and down like standard horizontal blinds. Vertical blinds are usually suspended from a track and have a valance that conceals the tracking mechanism. You may move the blinds with the use of a wireless remote, wands, or wires.

Pairing Vertical Blinds With Your Décor

Vertical blinds have a contemporary style that works well in contemporary, modern, and transitional rooms. Their vertical construction may offer apparent height to a space while also allowing you to use blinds on difficult-to-fit windows and sliding glass doors for light and privacy control. 

Replacing drapes with vertical blinds allows more light into a space without losing privacy. A sunlit room also appears more extensive and more open.

Cleaning Vertical Blinds

Vertical blinds accumulate less dust since they hang vertically, making them easier to clean. If you do need to clean them, close the blinds first so you can see each slat.

Dust them using a moist cloth and a little soap or vinegar, or use the brush attachment on your vacuum’s hose to eliminate dust. Vacuum the track regularly since dust collection might cause it to function inefficiently. Turn the blinds around and continue the process after you’ve completed one side.

Repairing Vertical Blinds

Fixing vertical blinds can save you both time and money, but it is more difficult than repairing Venetian blinds due to the sophisticated track and swiveling systems. 

Generally, vertical blind parts include:

• Brackets
• Wands and wand tips.
• Vanes and vane parts
• Tilt mechanisms.
• Fasteners and more
• Cords

Sites like FixMyBlinds.com allow you to identify your vertical blind and get parts and repair instructions.

Honeycomb Blinds – Best Light Control

Honeycomb blinds are made up of hexagonal cells arranged in a honeycomb pattern. They provide excellent insulation and prevent a significant quantity of heat from entering the house. 

Cellular shades for sliding glass doors are all you need if you live in a hot and humid climate or if your sliding glass door is exposed to direct sunlight during the hottest hours of the day. Honeycomb shades have a high insulating capacity, which may help you save a lot of money on your power expenses. 

Honeycomb blinds are available in horizontal and vertical configurations and, you can open or close them as needed, depending on the situation. Furthermore, they are available in a variety of forms, sizes, and designs.

What’s Great About Honeycomb Blinds?

Honeycomb shades give insulation to the glass of the patio doors, which is one of its finest qualities. Thanks to the long, open channels that trap air if the door is slightly open, the space is insulated from the hot summer air and the chilly winter winds. 

In fact, merely by adding the most energy-efficient cellular shade to the window, the “R-value” – a measurement of the shade’s resistance to transmit heat – may increase from 3.5 – the R-value of an average double-glazed window – to nearly 7.

Furthermore, cellular shades provide complete seclusion at the window. Honeycomb shades are fully private unless you choose a sheer fabric, which is also an option. 

You may still receive light into the space above the shade while enjoying total privacy at the lower section of the window if you pick the adaptable top-down/bottom-up function, which allows the shade to be pulled up to the top of the window or lowered to the window sill.

Another advantage of honeycomb blinds is that they limit the amount of light that enters the room. Cellular shades range in light control options, from semi-opaque light-filtering materials to light-blocking opaque fabrics. 

Outside-mounted cellular shades block the most light, so if complete darkness is your aim, they are your best choice. They’re ideal for media rooms, children’s bedrooms, and locations that cater to those who need to sleep during the day because of their capacity to block out all light.

Cellular blinds provide the utmost in kid protection by allowing for cordless operation. They’re perfect for locations where kids hang out since there are no lifting cables for them to get tangled in. They also come in vertical versions that easily slide across patio doors.

Another attractive quality of cellular shades is their ability to blend into the background. They feature a small stack,’ making them simple to conceal beneath a stylish valance.

These honeycomb blinds on Amazon offer a range of colors, so you can match it with your decor.

What Is Not Great About Honeycomb Blinds?

Honeycomb blinds are dependable, providing excellent insulation, light control, and privacy. They are, however, not always the most trendy window coverings. Some honeycomb hues have a pleated paper effect rather than a rich fabric, which some people dislike. 

They do a good job, but many homeowners combine them with a more beautiful patio door treatment. Unlike wood or aluminum blinds, Honeycomb shades do not have the flexibility to adjust vanes to let in a bit of light or view while retaining privacy. 

There are no additional alternatives with cellular shades — they are either up or down (except the top-down/bottom-up function stated above). As a result, they’re one of the less adaptable window treatment solutions. 

Even though they come in various forms (arches, trapezoids, circles, and triangles), they are occasionally required to remain closed. Even on huge, specialty windows, they may still be a terrific method to manage the sun. 

Two textiles may be utilized on one honeycomb shade, which is a terrific way to add additional variety to a window. For example, layering a translucent cloth over an opaque fabric allows you to keep your view during the day while creating seclusion at night.

Final Thoughts On Honeycomb Blinds

Honeycomb blinds may be a terrific solution for the patio doors in practically every home, despite a few limitations. They provide a clean, modern aesthetic for modern rooms, and when coupled with ornamental valances or drapes, they may also be used in more classic settings.

While they may not be ideal for every area, they are sure to find a home in various settings.

Sliding Panel Blinds – Best For Home Décor

Sliding panel blinds for patio doors are an excellent choice for patio doors with various fabric options and privacy customization. Sliding panel doors are functional and fashionable and complement almost every home décor so well and add in the perfect amount of light.

One of the best fashionable features it allows is the ability to install custom curtains around your sliding panel blinds, inspiring an elegant touch. The trend in 2021 is sliding panel blinds, as many people like to use them throughout their homes when it comes to sliding glass doors. 

Unlike roller shades, where you have to roll the blinds up or down, easily sliding the panels move from side to side, and if you love the roller shade look, you can purchase them to install into panels rather than roll-ups to match the fabric with the rest of your décor.

There is also a great variety of widths of panels available should you have a more wide entrance to your patio. That said, the broader panels you purchase, the fewer panels you have, but you also have the issue of bigger stacking when it comes to sliding them open, which would take up more space. 

So, depending on the space, the combination you would need to include to how wide you want your panels compared to the area you would need. The Panels could be operated with a wand, a cord, or a motor, making this an excellent option for more oversized patio doors.

I love these sliding panel track blinds on Amazon as they come in a range of colors to match your decor.

Custom Plantation Shutters – Best Functionality

Plantation shutters are frequently used due to their durability and reliability in their functionality—one of the great perks of using shutters. As a result, an additional feature from their functional perspective is being able to tilt different sections of the shutters.

For instance, having the top half of the shutter open separately from the bottom half still provides the privacy you need, a sufficient amount of airflow, just the right amount of sunlight in the room, and covers wides distances. 

So, if you have a standard 6-foot patio door, you could cover it in two plantation shutter panels which are perfect.

Furthermore, what makes it very efficient depends on how your sliding glass door setup is. You can even have the panel open from the center where you can slide them side to side horizontally, and both panels slide either left or right. 

However, because these shutters are mounted to the frame, they only work best for patios with sliding doors or patio doors that open outward. Another drawback is that they collect more dust than other patio door treatments on this list and take a bit more elbow grease to clean.

What Should You Conder When Buying Blinds For Patio Doors?

While windows and doors might be attractive, they typically provide less privacy for our homes than we would want. Learn how to pick the right blinds for your French and sliding glass patio doors…

Blinds For Traditional French Doors Leading To Your Patio

Traditional French patio doors open either inwards, outwards, or both; therefore, it’s best to use blinds that do not obstruct the door in any way. 

Your door will almost certainly feature a handle that will obstruct your ability to operate the window treatment. Purchase short shades that fit comfortably between the door and ornamental knobs as a solution. If there is 1″ space behind the door handle, most 1″ blinds, roller shades, and honeycomb shades will fit.

Having honeycomb blinds installed over the glass panel positioned on the door ensures the longevity of the blinds as they won’t be damaged by opening and closing them continuously from any form of traffic.

When you lower your window treatment, it may swing when you open and close the door. Use hold-down brackets to keep the bottom of the blind or shade in place to avoid this. These may be added to the majority of blinds and shades during the checkout process.

Blinds For Sliding Doors Leading To Your Patio

Sliding doors open horizontally and traditionally are entirely transparent; therefore, it would help if you got blinds that moved in the same direction as the sliding door and covered the whole space. 

If you have other window treatments in the space, it’s a good idea to select blinds for the doors that match the other windows. Vertical cellular shades are an excellent choice in this situation.

Because sliding doors open vertically, it’s best to open the window in the same direction as the door.

Like other doors in a home, sliding doors are frequently heavy traffic locations, so pick a robust window treatment that can withstand daily use. Vertical cellular shades are considered the safe option for families who have energetic children and pets since there are no external chords.

You still have a lot of alternatives if you don’t want to use vertical blinds on your sliding doors. We propose roller shades, roman shades, curtains, and draperies for soft fabric window coverings to cover more oversized windows.

Each of these window coverings offers a variety of fabric and design options for entirely covering your sliding glass doors.

Conclusion

Knowing how many decorative possibilities you have for your sliding door is always good to know. Make sure that the window coverings you choose are acceptable for your interior décor, family demands, and budget before you buy them. 

It’s also crucial that they fit perfectly. You can get the maximum sunlight-blocking strength and the most seclusion by measuring your sliding glass door for blinds. 

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