Best Shades for Sliding Glass Doors
Sliding glass doors are highly desirable for many homes. From kitchens to bedrooms, they offer lots of natural light and an unhindered view of your home’s surroundings. Yet sometimes all the light and unobstructed views can be too much, affecting your privacy — and in the case of bedrooms, a good night’s sleep. That’s why window shades for sliding glass doors are a common solution. With the right window treatments, you can easily control your light and privacy while still maintaining easy use of your doors on a daily basis.
Cover Photo: Roller Shades, Naomi in Light Tan, photography by Darina Todorova
Shades 101: An Overview
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What Type of Shades are Best for Sliding Glass Doors?
The best type of shades for sliding glass doors will ultimately depend on your particular use-case and aesthetic preferences. And some shades are naturally better for sliding glass doors than others. For instance, since you’ll likely use your doors frequently, you need shades that you can easily adjust to access your doors. You’ll also want to think about your light and privacy control needs, as well as an aesthetic you love. And if window shades for sliding doors aren’t quite the right match for you, you also have several blinds and drapery options to choose from.
To find the best window shades for sliding glass doors, or to help you decide on another window treatment option, there are several considerations to think through.
Prioritize Ease of Use
Your sliding doors are likely in a high-traffic area, so being able to use them is a key feature for any window shades for sliding glass doors or other type of treatment like drapery or blinds. Most window treatments come with a continuous loop control, cordless control or motorization. However, cordless control for blinds and shades doesn’t work well if you can’t reach the top of your sliding glass doors, so a cord loop system or motorization is your best bet. Additionally, if your sliding doors are very wide and tall, raising and lowering blinds and shades manually can be difficult, so opt for motorization or choose Vertical Blinds or Drapery that you can easily slide along a track system.
Achieve the Right Light & Privacy Control
Different types of window shades for sliding glass doors, as well as other window treatments like blinds and drapery come with different levels of light filtration and privacy. Depending on your preferences and needs, you may opt for a light-filtering window treatment that softens light and reduces glare, or a blackout option that blocks up to 99% of light for a tranquil room darkening effect.
Capture a Look You Love
Different window shades for sliding glass doors offer a variety of aesthetic styles for instance, Vertical Blinds are typically modern and minimalist, while Drapery offers a more elegant, luxe look. For more depth and dimension, try layering window treatments, such as Drapery over a set of Roller Shades. You can also customize the look of each window treatment with your chosen material.
Think About Stack for Shades
The stack refers to the size of the shade when it is retracted. A larger stack may hang over the door slightly, even when completely retracted. While this shouldn’t affect the functionality of your sliding glass doors, if you’re at all concerned, it’s best to choose shades with a minimal stack, like Roller or Solar Shades. Or you can mount your chosen shades high enough that they clear the doors even when stacked.
8 Shades & Other Options for Sliding Glass Doors
Discover 8 window treatments for sliding glass doors, including shades, blinds and drapery. Plus, learn key benefits of each, and get product details so you can choose the best one for your home.
1. Roller Shades for Sliding Glass Doors
Roller Shades for sliding glass doors provide a sleek, modern option with a very minimal stack when completely rolled up. Roller Shades come in three main styles, including:
Standard Roller Shades
The most common style of Roller Shades, the standard style features a single panel of material that rolls around a tube at the top of your window.
Double Roller Shades
Also called Zebra Blinds, Double Roller Shades feature two layers of material on a single roll with alternating bands of sheer and opaque material.
Venetian Roller Shades
With two layers of sheer material with tiltable S-shaped vanes between them, the Venetian style combines the functionality of both blinds and shades.
Each type of Roller Shade comes in either light filtering or blackout material so you can get the right amount of privacy and light control for your space:
- Light-filtering shades are great for rooms like living rooms and dining rooms where you want glare reduction and privacy while still allowing some natural light in.
- Blackout Roller Shades for sliding glass doors are ideal for bedrooms where a darkened room is essential for sleep.
Functionality for all Roller Shade types is very simple with either continuous loop control or motorization for a truly effortless experience. While Roller Shades are available with cordless control, if you can’t easily reach the top of your window, it’s best to go with either the corded loop or motorized option.
Key Benefits of Roller Shades for Sliding Glass Doors
- Sleek, modern design
- Minimal stack to easily clear the top of your door
- Light-filtering and blackout material options
- Easy functionality, including motorization
2. Solar Shades for Sliding Glass Doors
Solar Shades offer the same modern look, minimal stack and easy functionality as Roller Shades but with a few different benefits. Solar Shades are made from material with unique characteristics that help block UV rays and reduce glare, while still letting natural light in and allowing you a view of the outdoors.
When shopping for Solar Shades for sliding glass doors, it’s important to understand the different transparency levels:
10% Transparency
The shade blocks 90% of UV rays and is the most transparent.
5% Transparency
The shade blocks 95% of UV rays and is semi-transparent.
3% Transparency
The shade blocks 97% of UV rays and is less semi-transparent.
1% Transparency
The shade blocks 99% of UV rays and is the least transparent.
Solar Shades for sliding glass doors are a great choice for rooms where natural light is welcome and privacy isn’t a big concern. Plus, because Solar Shades block UV rays, they also help to prevent fading of your floors, furniture and décor.
Key Benefits of SOLAR Shades for Sliding Glass Doors
- Sleek, modern design
- Minimal stack to easily clear the top of your door
- UV-blocking material that lets light in while preventing fading or glare
- Easy functionality, including motorization
3. Roman Shades for Sliding Glass Doors
Roman Shades offer you the soft, luxurious look of drapery with the functionality of shades. When considering Roman Shades for sliding glass doors, it’s important to know that some Roman Shade styles offer better functionality than others.
Best Roman Shades for Sliding Glass Doors
For easy functionality to use your doors regularly, choose one of these styles. All are compatible with continuous loop control and motorization for effortless ease.
Roman Shades Not Suited for Sliding Doors
Tulip and Relaxed Roman Shades are more decorative in style. They feature swooping folds of fabric that will need to be dressed (adjusted) to look their best each time they are raised and lowered.
Plus, the gentle curve of fabric gives these shades larger stacks which means it would have to be installed quite high above your doors to keep the fabric from getting caught in the doors, which may not look ideal.
Additionally, when considering Roman Shades for sliding glass doors, be mindful of the stack. The amount of fabric used and the way Roman Shades fold in on themselves when raised and lowered means they tend to have a larger stack, so may need to be mounted higher if you want them to clear the door.
Key Benefits of ROMAN Shades for Sliding Glass Doors
- Soft, luxe look
- Multiple style options from traditional to modern
- Easy functionality, including motorization, when choosing Flat, Cascade, Aventura or Pleated styles
4. Woven Wood Shades for Sliding Glass Doors
Woven Wood Shades are made with natural fibers like grasses, reeds, and bamboo, and deliver an inviting boho look to your space. All four styles of Woven Wood Shades offer excellent functionality and are easy to raise and lower, whether using a continuous loop control system or motorization.
Of the four styles, three are similar to Roman Shades and the fourth is just like a Roller Shade.
Woven Roman-Style Shades
Just like Roman Shades, these Woven Wood Shades feature material that folds into itself when raised and unfolds in a cascading motion when lowered. These styles may also have a larger stack, so be mindful when choosing these shades for sliding doors.
Woven Roller-Style Shades
Just like a Roller Shade, this style features a single panel of material that rolls around a tube at the top of your window. Only certain, sturdier woven materials, like those from the Natural Collection are compatible with Woven Roller Shades.
Key Benefits of Woven Wood Shades for Sliding Glass Doors
- Textured, natural look
- Multiple style options to get the right look
- Minimal stack when choosing Woven Roller Shades to easily clear the top of your door
- Easy functionality, including motorization
5. Cellular Shades for Sliding Glass Doors
Cellular Shades offer excellent functionality in multiple ways, from being easy to adjust and offering a minimal stack, to helping with insulation. These shades feature a unique honeycomb design that traps hot and cold air, which in turn helps to regulate the temperature in your home.
You can choose from three main types of Cellular Shades: Light-filtering, blackout and day/night cellular shades:
Light Filtering
Made with semi-transparent to sheer fabric, in either a single- or double-cell design, Light-Filtering Cellular Shades soften natural light in your room for a soft, inviting glow, while still providing good privacy.
Blackout
Made of opaque material, in either a single- or double-cell design, Blackout Cellular Shades block up to 99% of the light for a tranquil room darkening effect and excellent privacy that’s ideal for bedrooms.
Day/Night
With blackout material on the bottom and light-filtering on the top, Day/Night Cellular Shades offer the best of both worlds. However, they only come with cordless control making them less ideal for doors.
Cellular Shades for sliding glass doors are a great choice, especially if your doors let it heat from the sun or are a bit on the drafty side. Plus, with their versatile, minimalist aesthetic, Cellular Shades suit nearly any home interior.
Key Benefits of Cellular Shades for Sliding Glass Doors
- Simple, highly versatile design
- Light filtering, blackout and Day/Night options
- Minimal stack when choosing Woven Roller Shades to easily clear the top of your door
- Easy functionality, including motorization
6. Motorized Window Shades for Sliding Glass Doors
As you likely noticed, many of the window shades for sliding glass doors listed offer a motorization option. Motorization offers effortless control of your sliding door window treatments by allowing you to adjust them with a remote, an app on your smartphone or even the sound of your voice when paired with a smart home automation system.
When it comes to window shades for sliding glass doors, motorization is the best control option to choose for ease of use. You can even automate your shades to lift and lower over your doors at specific times of day, like sunrise and sunset.
Key Benefits of Motorized Shades for Sliding Glass Doors
- Available with most styles of shades
- Can be used with light-filtering or blackout material
- Easiest option for functionality
7. Vertical Blinds for Sliding Glass Doors
Vertical Blinds, sometimes called Panel Track Blinds, are an ideal choice for sliding glass doors, as they are highly functional and feature a versatile look to suit any style. These blinds feature tall panels that run along a track system, making them easy to slide right or left. Thanks to several panels being on one track system, it’s easy to position them exactly where you need them, whether you leave your entire door exposed, enclosed, or wish to cover just a section of your doors.
Vertical Blinds are only available with light-filtering materials, with varying degrees of opacity for more or less light and privacy control. Since all materials are light filtering, they may not be the best option for bedrooms or media rooms that demand a room darkening effect.
Key Benefits of Vertical blinds for Sliding Glass Doors
- Modern, versatile design
- Light-filtering materials beautiful soften light
- Minimal stack to the sides of your sliding doors
- Easy functionality
8. Motorized & Track System Drapery for Sliding Glass Doors
Woven Wood Shade: Artisan Weaves Cove,
Ash >
Drapery: Holland & Sherry Andes, Rye >
Curtains and drapery for sliding glass doors deliver a soft, luxurious look and feel to your space. Options for drapery are varied, but it’s important to note that some types are more functional and better suited to sliding glass doors than others.
This is due to a couple of reasons:
- First, certain styles of drapery are more decorative and won’t look as aesthetically pleasing when scrunched up at the sides of your doors. Plus, with some styles using more fabric than others, the stack, or amount of space your drapes take up when fully retracted, can be substantial. For example, Inverted Pleat and Goblet Drapery look best when drawn to their full length and can be less attractive with a large stack when retracted. Plus, these styles have a thick stack, so it’s likely the material will overhang your sliding door.
- Second, some styles of drapery, as well as certain drapery hardware options, are harder to control than others. For instance, Grommet style drapery and any curtains with rod and rings are sometimes more difficult to draw open and closed than a manual or motorized track system.
For the most functional — and highly attractive — drapery options, choose from one of these pleat styles:
Ripple Fold Drapery
Ripple Fold Drapery operates solely on a track system (manual or motorized) making it a highly functional, easy to use option for your sliding glass doors. Plus, the beautiful S-curve folds create highlights and lowlights for a modern, yet elegant aesthetic suitable for a wide range of styles.
Tailored Pleat Drapery
Tailored Pleat Drapery features a three-finger pleat pinched all the way at the top of the panel which draws the eye upward, helping to accentuate the height of your drapes and overall room. The pleats also create a more modern, streamlined look. This style is also compatible with manual and motorized track systems for easy movement.
Pinch Pleat Drapery
Pinch Pleat Drapery offers an elegant, classic look with its three-finger pleats pinched a few inches from the top of the curtain panel. The pleats create a beautiful visual break between your curtains and ceiling which stops the eye for a more grounded design. Like Tailored Pleat, Pinch Pleat Drapery is compatible with manual and motorized track systems for easy movement.
Cubicle Drapery
For a functional curtain with a more casual aesthetic thanks to its soft, gentle waves of fabric, try Cubicle Drapery. With small grommets that attach to hook carriers, Cubicle Drapery is only compatible with manual track systems for easy use.
Key Benefits of Motorized or Track System Drapery for Sliding Glass Doors
- Luxurious, elegant aesthetic
- Multiple pleat styles from traditional to modern
- Minimal stack to the sides of your sliding doors
- Easy functionality with motorization or track system
DISCOVER THE BEST SHADES FOR SLIDING GLASS DOORS
With an overview of all the window shades for sliding glass doors, as well as other window treatment options like blinds and drapery, you’re ready to dive deeper. Visit your local showroom to experience all the options listed above to determine which is truly the best for your space. And if you need any help, our Design Consultants will be happy to assist you in finding the perfect blinds, drapery or shades for sliding glass doors.
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