Best blinds for sliding or bifold doors
As we discussed recently in another article covering windows is one of the very best ways to help keep your home warm, and how blinds can contribute to that. But not all glass is a window. What about sliding doors or bifold doors? What are the best blinds to cover these?
Roller blinds
One great thing about roller blinds is you need very little room around the door to mount them. Roller blinds solve the problem of not having enough space at the sides of the door to stack a vertical blind. Because they will be mounted either within the reveal or above the doorframe you’ll also be able to enjoy the full view out and let in heaps of natural light. On the flipside, a single roller blind probably won’t be enough to cover a wide glass door. To counter this you could hang multiple blinds but you’d need to have them motorised. To have individual operation of each blind is not only labour intensive, it would mean having quite large gaps between each blind so you could get hold of the chain or cord.
Venetian blinds
As with roller blinds, because venetians also hang horizontally they’re not the most ideal for wide sliding doors but could work better on bifold doors if you had one per panel. Venetian blinds are more bulky though so consider if they would be a hindrance when the doors are completely open and folded back. This bulk also means they are heavier and more cumbersome to operate. It might also be an eyesore if you have more than one and the slats were misaligned.
Vertical blinds
Increasing in popularity once again, vertical blinds are the most functional option for sliding and bifold doors. Why? Because they open in the same direction as the doors, moving sideways, not upwards. Vertical blinds offer great light and privacy control and stack neatly to become almost unnoticeable. They’re lightweight and easy to clean. And the sleek lines of the slats offer a nice, modern look too. Whether you choose to have them pull completely to one side or split in the middle to stack evenly on both sides of the door, verticals have the edge because one blind covers the entire door.
Considerations
You main consideration when choosing blinds for big glass doors is how you’ll operate the door. If they blinds are down, will you be able to get to the handle?
Pay some mind to whether your bifold doors open in or out so the blinds don’t get in the way when opening and closing.
Finally, sometimes (in summer) you may want to have the door open but the blinds drawn to some degree or other. In a breeze the blind (no matter what kind it is) will flap around so have a think about the way your preferred choice might behave with air blowing through it, and how you would deal with this.
