Window Treatments For Sliding Glass Doors
Posted on September 14, 2009
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What kind of window treatments to apply to sliding glass doors is generally a harder decision to make when compared with what to do for your windows. This is mainly due to the following reasons.
1. Your doors will generally frame a greater area than your windows. What this means is that more material would be required for treating the doors than the windows. Also, it means that more sunlight would be allowed through the sliding glass doors, which you might want to be able to adjust for easily. Moreover, when it comes to privacy, there is more to cover up with sliding glass doors than there is for typical windows.
2. Care must be taken such that whatever one chooses, it does not impede the glass doors from sliding in their tracks.
3. The doors will not only be used to let in sunlight and fresh air, but will also serve as an entrance/exit for persons. Therefore, what you decide upon should allow for easy flow of traffic, if indeed you do anticipate traffic.
4. In addition to meeting the preceding considerations, your choice should still blend well with the rest of the room.
With the above concerns in mind, let us look at some of the options available to serve as window treatments for sliding glass doors.
1. Drapes. There are a variety of drape types to select from. You have all the colours to experiment with. You have some control in the thickness of the fabric used. You could also install two sets of drapes, one thin to allow sunlight, and a thicker one that would ensure your privacy. However, drapes tend to cover some of the doorway when drawn back fully. One must also consider where the drapes will extend when the wind decides to send them flying.
If your door extends long enough, you will probably need to utilise adjustable rods, and this can hinder the movement of the curtain rings over the uneven part that results where the rods connect. Depending on your personality type, this can be really irritating. In addition to that, if you need to use the adjustable rods, chances are that you will need a supporting bracket in the centre, which will deny you the option of moving the drapes entirely to one side. (See drapes for sliding glass doors).
2. Vertical Blinds. This is a very practical solution. It gives greater control over how much lighting to allow into the room. You can also adjust to combat the glare. And these days, verticals come in many different textures, colours and artwork. However, a lot of people think they lack class. This is probably a personal preference, so if you don’t have that view then no need to be deterred. Nevertheless, there are other considerations such as dealing with the obstruction when entering or exiting. Also when the wind blows, the clattering arising from the blinds colliding with each other can be annoying. You will likely find that you will have to push them all the way to the end of the frame when it is windy. One thing they have over the drapes, is that with them, it is a lot easier to access the sliding glass door. (See vertical blinds for sliding glass doors).
3. Shades. Hang shades above each glass door. This is a very simple solution. If done this way, you can choose to keep the shade down on one door and up for another. In this way you can adjust the lighting, as well as your privacy. Products that you can choose from for shades, include Roman shades, Duettes and several more. You will probably find however that shades are not as flexible as the vertical blinds.
4. Hunter Douglas Vertiglide. These blinds are meant to give a more refined and modern look to your place than the more common or traditional vertical blinds. They have the added benefit of good insulation which would mean savings on cooling and heating costs. They also reduce noise transmission from the outside. They are probably one of the best solutions. However, you still have to factor in the rest of your room to ensure that it all works.
The above are by no means the only sliding glass doors window treatment solutions available. More will probably eventually be highlighted in other entries. So check out your options, consider your costs and objectives, and you should be able to make an informed decision of what to go with.
If you have other window treatments suggestions for sliding glass doors, please do post them in the comments.
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