Curtains or blinds?: Expert tips for sliding glass doors

A room with sliding, bi-fold or patio doors enjoys the benefit of more light and the feeling of more space. However, they're not always easy to cover. Finding something functional that still looks great can be a challenge. Discover how to choose the perfect coverings for your sliding glass doors.

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Should I use blinds or curtains to cover my sliding glass doors?

Depending on what you want to achieve, blinds and curtains are both an effective and stylish option for covering sliding glass doors. Here’s what to consider when choosing between blinds and curtains:

Function

Consider how the sliding doors open, and where you need to step in and out of them. If bi-fold doors open inwards into a room, they may obstruct a blind or curtain.

Blinds: As sliding and bi-fold doors often have handles and mullions (part of the frame of the sliding doors) this can cause obstruction to blinds. The best way to avoid this is to choose a face-fit blind that sits outside the window frame, rather than a recess-fit blind that sits on the inside of the window frame.
Curtains: Face-fit curtains that are hung above the sliding door have a little more flexibility around handles.

Insulation

Sliding glass doors can make it hard to insulate rooms effectively. Some window coverings will be more effective than others at insulating a space.

Blinds: Face-fit blinds provide excellent insulation as they sit outside the window frame. This minimises any gaps around the window and maximises the blinds’ insulating effects.
Curtains: Floor-to-ceiling curtains are the most effective way of providing insulation. These will prevent air escaping from the top and bottom of the window. Running curtains wall-to-wall will also maximise their insulating effects. Lined Curtains offer an extra layer of insulation, while pairing curtains with a functional Roller Blind provides insulation as well as adding some subtle texture to a space.

The DIY Blinds Way

All our curtains are made to order so you can get the perfect fit. Through our online ordering system you can order curtains up to 8 metres wide with a 4.2 metre drop, so they fit the biggest of sliding glass doors. We even have Curved Curtains to run around corner sliding or bi-fold doors.

Privacy

Sliding glass doors can be a beautiful way to access a garden, deck or other outdoor space, but they don’t provide much privacy. Sheer curtains can provide some day time privacy, and blockout curtains can offer both day and night time privacy. Blinds are also versatile and come with different privacy options.

Blinds: Light-filtering blinds provide daytime privacy while still letting in light. At DIY Blinds, our sunscreen blinds block 95% of UV rays, and are ideal for reducing glare and heat while still maintaining a view. Our blockout blinds provide both privacy and great insulation from outside temperatures.
Curtains: Sheer curtains soften the light in a space. Depending on the fabric opacity they can provide some daytime privacy. Blockout curtains provide privacy but will darken the room as well. If you like the look of curtains and want to bring some softness to a space, pair them with a blockout roller blind to get the best of both worlds.

Day-to-day living

Kids, pets and the dirty floors that inevitably come with living with either or both can all influence whether you choose to install blinds or curtains to cover your sliding glass doors.

Blinds: Blinds are a neat option for covering a large expanse of glass, and they don’t drag on the floor. They’re really functional; simply roll them up and they’re out of the way.
Curtains: At DIY Blinds, you can opt to stack curtains to one side of a sliding glass door, so they’re not obstructing an entrance way. The length of the curtain can also make a difference to their functionality. At DIY Blinds, you can choose from three different finishes of curtains. They can sit slightly off the floor, which works well if you have kids or pets and your home features hard floors as they will collect less dust and dirt when you open and close them. Another option is to have them touch the ground or puddle (gather elegantly on the floor) to provide a contemporary, luxe look. However, this may not be suitable if they’re in front of a sliding or patio door and could be trodden on.

Which style of blinds work best to cover my sliding glass doors?

Roller Blinds

Roller Blinds are a great option for covering sliding or bi-fold doors – not only do they offer a streamlined look, they can easily be linked together to span a wide space, and offer unobstructed views once rolled up

The DIY Blinds Way

All of our blinds and curtains are custom-made. We offer more than 300 fabric and colour combinations to choose from across our blinds and curtains ranges, including the Focus range, which includes colours designed to match the top 12 Dulux wall paint colours.

Linked Roller Blinds

For ease of use on sliding or bi-fold doors, you can’t beat our Linked Roller Blinds. These are placed next to each other across the sliding doors. They can be configured to move multiple blinds individually, or control multiple blinds simultaneously using single chain or single motor operated from one control. This means they can be moved individually, giving you total flexibility over how you use them. This also eliminates the need for chains or cords between blinds and over door openings.

The DIY Blinds Way

At DIY Blinds, our Linked Roller Blinds can be custom-made up to 12 metres wide. We offer hard wired motorised options for any blinds over 595mm wide, and battery (wire free) motorised blinds for any blind over 710mm wide.

DIY Blinds recommends

We recommend motorising blinds over sliding or bifold doors. When you don’t have a chain, there’s no hazard in the way of doors, allowing you a clear, safe path to your outdoor space.

Vertical Blinds

Vertical Blinds can be rotated to allow in light and a view. They offer complete privacy when closed. At DIY Blinds, we’ve customised this classic style with modern fabrics and colours to make them a contemporary, easy-to-use option for covering sliding or patio doors.

Panel Glide Blinds

Panel Glide Blinds are made from overlapping fabric panels that are operated by one control, and are ideal for covering sliding or patio doors. The fabric panels slide along a track, meaning they also work well to break up spaces or act as room dividers.

Which style of curtains work best to cover my sliding glass doors?

Lined curtains are great for insulation, while sheer curtains lend the space a soft, textured look. Combining either with a functional Roller Blind adds flexibility and versatility to your room as the blind can give a blockout or light-filtering effect, while the curtains add some subtle texture on top. This sort of pairing works best with Roller Blinds or Linked Blinds, rather than Vertical Blinds or Panel Glide Blinds, as they sit flat to the glass and don’t obstruct the curtains.