sliding door window treatments

[momz]

we are needing to replace our cheap old vertical blinds that have been on our patio door. I'm not sure what options we have other than going with vertical blinds again. Any suggestions on where to shop to get ideas for a new window treatment for sliding glass doors?

[dijid]

First - what are you looking for in a window treatment: privacy, light screening, sound absorption, energy efficiency (ie keeping out drafts in winter, sun in summer). Will you be keeping it mostly open or closed, or will you be opening and closing frequently? Is this a 6', 8' or 10' sliding door?

Personally, I hate vertical blinds. There are so many other options available. Let me know what your needs are and I'll recommend something to meet them.

[princess crazy]

I would like to know what other options are out there too as we are getting a new french door slider--6ftwX 6"9 tall. I wish we would have gotten the inbeteween glass blinds and am now regretting it. Yes, I don't like the current vertical blinds we have up and when the new door goes in I know they will cover up most of the second panel even if they are pulled all the way back.

Is there something you can get that just covers the glass and would show off the french wood door itself when the blinds are closed? We have the prarie light grills also which snap in---not inbetween the glass---so, would this affect what could cover the glass? We just want them for privacy and possibly some energy efficiency--although I think the new door itself should take care of much of that since we are replacing a dinosaur old one. The door itself will only be open in the summer if it's not too hot. We will go out it occasionally but not all the time. Thanks for the post and also for your replies!

[Melynny]

try looking at the "panel track" style of window coverings. I have some in a bamboo style with some insulated panels that we pull closed for privacy, light and temperature control.

They had them at JC penney and they also have them online. I paid around 100.00 on sale for each set at Penneys. They also have them in a fabric. Just keep in mind that it does somewhat still cover the glass even when fully opened. Not perfect but still better than the outdated verticals.

[Bren's Mom]

We have 2 sliders at the back of the house. The previous owners put regular mini blinds on them and they're a pain. I want to take them down but definitely need something up there for the sun. I just saw these in a catalog and I think that's what I'm getting. I think these are what the pp mentioned they also had at JCPenney:

http://www.domestications.com/Produc...sku=10266A7801

[minnie1928]

Friends of mine installed vertical, cellular shades on their sliding doors. They look fabulous! And when they are retracted they only take up a few inches. I'm thinking of replacing my vertical blinds with these...

[dijid]

Originally Posted by minnie1928

Friends of mine installed vertical, cellular shades on their sliding doors. They look fabulous! And when they are retracted they only take up a few inches. I'm thinking of replacing my vertical blinds with these...

Cellular shades were one thing I was going to recommend. If you aren't concerned about privacy and plan on having something up most of the time you can do an outside mount and hang a normal horizontal shade. You could also go with a roll up shade - hidden underneath a valance if desired. Thin curtain panels hung on a rod by rings are good because they slide easily for opening/closing. Thin fabrics will compact tightly. You can either get two panels sewn together and slide them to one side, or extend your rod beyond the door so that they're on the sides when opened (and thus completely out of the way. This will make your window look wider.)

There really aren't any options that attach to the glass and allow the wood to show that don't interfere with the operation of a sliding door. If you have French doors, you can always go with some type of shade/blind (roman shades can look really nice) - just be sure there's an option to attach at the bottom so that they don't flop around when the door is opened and closed.

[joy@disney]

You can just hang drapes. If you use some drapes that hang by circular clips, they slide right along the curtain rod. My mom and SIL both have curtains like this on their slider, and I plan on using this on our new house. They you can pick any curtain you want that hangs like this.