Best Window Treatments for Sliding-Glass Doors

Buying Guide

Are you looking to cover your sliding-glass doors with NEW window treatments? How do you know which window treatments will work best?

While virtually any Indigo Blinds & Shades window treatment can be outfitted to cover sliding-glass doors. Certain styles are better suited for large expanses of windows simply because they traverse horizontally, making them easier to operate. Beyond traditional vertical blinds, we have many other innovative window treatments for sliding-glass doors from which to choose.

Tips for Sliding Doors

It is a good idea to choose a window treatments that will coordinate with the other windows in the same room.
Sliding doors open horizontally, so it is recommended that window treatments should open in the same direction as the door itself, but up and out of the way works as well.
Like other doors in a house, sliding doors are usually high traffic areas, therefore you need to consider window treatments that can handle the frequent, daily use.
If you prefer something other than vertical blinds for your sliding doors, you still have quite a few options. In terms of soft fabric window treatments that can cover wider windows, we recommend Shutters, Roller / Solar Shades, Roman Shades and of course Draperies.
Each of these types of window treatments will give you a number of fabric and style choices that can completely cover your sliding glass doors.

Shutters for Sliding-Glass Doors

Shutters might not be the first window treatment you think of for sliding-glass doors, but their durability, energy efficiency and classic style make them an excellent choice.

In areas with high heat or humidity, you may want to consider hybrid or non-wood shutters for sliding-glass doors. Graber Composite Shutters, are the most durable option. They have the look of finely painted shutters, but they’re guaranteed to never warp, crack, fade, chip, peel or discolor, regardless of extreme heat or moisture.

Key Benefits of Shutters:

They’re durable, energy efficient and classically beautiful.
With so many design options, you can find the perfect shutters to fit your style.
Because shutters are permanent fixtures, they can actually increase the value of your home.

Roller / Solar Sliding Panels

Graber Sliding Panels, offer a sleek, contemporary look that maximizes views. Made of flat, vertical fabric panels that slide side-to-side, Sliding Panels are easy to operate and are available in a wide variety of colors and numerous textures, openness factors and opacities.

Key Benefits of Sliding Panels:

With so many fabric options and styles to choose from, they’re one of the most versatile solutions for your sliding-glass doors.
Sliding Panels have minimal stackback, enabling you to maximize your views.
Graber Sliding Panels have options to Stack Left, Right or have a Split Stack depending on door/ wall orientation and spacing.

Graber Slide-Vue™ Vertical Cellular Shades

Graber Slide-Vue™ Vertical Cellular Shades offer high-performance energy savings for patio doors, wide windows, and room dividers.

Known for their superior energy efficiency, Cellular Shades are ideal for patio and sliding-glass doors, especially if you live in a particularly hot or cold climates. The honeycomb pleats of Cellular Shade products stack tightly together when your shade is open for a clean, unobstructed view.

Graber Cellular Shades come in a variety of pleat sizes, colors, patterns and textures. And most fabrics will be white on the back, so you have a uniform look from the outside. The operating system specifically made for this vertical application, you have the flexibility to use either one shade to cover the entire expanse of windows or two independently operated shades of varying opacities for more light control.

If your sliding-glass door is located in an area like a media room or bedroom where you want to be able to achieve more darkness, choose blackout / room-darkening materials.

Graber Slide-Vue™ Vertical Cellular Shades

Key Benefits of Cellular Shades:

Cellular Shades superior energy efficiency is invaluable for large expanses of windows like patio and sliding-glass doors in extreme hot or cold climates.
With an extensive fabric collection, cellular shades can work with virtually any décor.
The flexibility of using independently operated light-filtering and room-darkening fabrics on the same shade gives you more ways to control natural light.

Graber Natural Sliding Panels®

Graber Natural Sliding Panels® are available in all the same Natural Shade fabrics, allowing you to bring the same comforting, peaceful style of Natural Shades to other wide windows in the room. Crafted from natural woods, bamboo, reeds and grasses, woven wood shades for sliding-glass doors are gaining popularity, both for their eco-friendly benefits and their one-of-a-kind look at the window. Since Natural Woods can hold up to a variety of weather conditions, they are actually less likely to warp over the years.

Natural Sliding Panels are versatile enough to work with many home styles, from Island and Mediterranean to traditional – plus, they’re available in both horizontal and vertical applications.

Key Benefits of Natural Shades:

Natural Shades offer a truly one-of-a-kind, organic feel to any room.
Graber Natural Shades are durable enough to stand up to the toughest weather conditions and maintain their shape.
Woven Woods are extremely versatile and can fit almost any room décor.

Drapery Ideas for Sliding-Glass Doors

Draperies and side panels add a soft, elegant feel to sliding-glass doors. And while they look gorgeous on their own, consider pairing them with other window treatments for more privacy, and temperature and light control.

So how do you know what will work best? Since drapes are much easier to change out, first choose your window treatment. After that, pairing it with drapery is easy. Try the Indigo Blinds & Shades Visualizer to see what they would look like.

Tradewinds Natural Drapes are another option that can be ordered in the same renewable materials as your Natural Shades for an easy way to create an earthy, whole room look.

Key Benefits of Side Panels and Drapery:

Drapery creates a soft, elegant feel to any room.
With so many patterns, textures and styles, there are endless design options.
When paired with other window treatments, they provide extra privacy and light control.

Graber Elite Wood Vertical Blinds

Graber Elite Wood Vertical Blinds allow you to adorn large areas like sliding glass doors with the same rich warmth found in our horizontal wood blinds collection. The arboreal beauty of sustainably-sourced Graber Wood Blinds adds a rich warmth to any room. Meticulously crafted from North American hardwood in rustic and modern paints, stains, and finishes, Graber Wood Blinds add natural insulation and character to your home.

Real Wood, Real Benefits

A three-step drying process and a strict adherence to quality standards guarantee the straightest possible wood components.
Graber craftsmen skillfully apply vibrant stains and environmentally-friendly water-based paint finishes for a stunning look.
Our wood components are carefully constructed with the highest degree of quality and attention to detail.

Vertical Blinds

Vertical Blinds are Great for Wide Windows and Patio Doors. The Graber G71 headrail houses an accordian-style pantograph system that guarantees the vanes always stay an even width apart while operating, giving an aligned, consistent look. With four decades of proven performance, the G71 headrail is a testament to pioneering innovation. In one motion, the vanes smoothly rotate open across the length of the window—a durable solution even with heavy use.

Three Versatile Vertical Blind Solutions

Fabric: With light filtering options from sheer to room darkening, these classic blinds are available in a wide range of fabric colors to match any interior.
Sheer: Sheer fabric verticals are machine-washable, and give the appearance of drapery with the light control and privacy of a blind.
Vinyl: A proven solution, these durable, easy-to-clean blinds come in a wide-range of on-trend colors and embossed patterns.

Roller / Solar Shades

Graber has completed a total updated on their line of Roller / Solar Shades with fresh, new, on-trend fabrics, Graber Roller / Solar Shades are now available in an array of opacities, as well as greater maximum widths (Up to 144″ Wide / 12 Feet) for all your extra-wide windows and sliding-glass patio doors. Plus, a new, easy-install, fabric-wrapped flat valance offers a cool, contemporary option, making it easier than ever to coordinate clean, modern style throughout your whole home.

You can add Motorization to Roller / Solar Shades and a variety of control options including adding to your Home Automation Systems (Control 4, Amazon Alexa, Google Home Assistant).

Roller / Solar Shades (max width of 144″ / 12 feet)

Key Benefits of Roller / Solar Shades:

With so many fabric options and styles to choose from, they’re one of the most versatile solutions for your sliding-glass doors.
Roller / Solar Shades come in a variety of openness, colors to provide you the perfect solution for any room.
For South / South-West Facing windows/ doors Solar Shades will help block 95% of UV Rays to help with Room Temperature Control in the Dog Days of Summer.

Mezzanine Layered Shades (Zebra Shades)

Layered shades offer a modern take on light control with their alternating bands of sheer and opaque fabrics. When open, the layers align to gently filter light through the sheer material, while closed bands block light for a clean, elegant look. And now, they’re available in more exclusive, new prints, patterns, and textures than ever before. Maximum width for Layered Shades is 102″ Wide / 8 Feet 6 inches), so does not have the width of Roller / Solar Shades so you will be looking at multiple shades to cover a standard sliding-glass patio door. But does provide a versatile option as you can keep your privacy by only having to raise one blind to use the exit.

You can add Motorization to Layered Shades and again use a variety of control options including adding to your Home Automation Systems (Control 4, Amazon Alexa, Google Home Assistant).

Benefits of Layered Shades – Airy & Modern Shades

Adjust the vane alignment to fine tune light control, or raise the shade completely.
Sleek, fabric-wrapped cassette comes standard and creates a cohesive appearance in the window.
Shades raise completely in the cassette for a perfectly open view and to clear the sliding-glass door header.
Free vane alignment, when requested at time of order, ensures a consistent look across windows in the same room.

Summary

More options than you were probably expecting. So setup your FREE in-home / In-business Consultation Today to review what option is best for you and your lifestyle.