Best Blinds for Patio Doors

Shading Large Glass Windows Needn't Be A Struggle

Q. What’s big, predominantly made from glass and is notoriously difficult to shade?

A. Yup, you guessed it – the patio door.

A patio door, for those unacquainted with the term, is normally a large door leading to a garden. Generally, floor-to-ceiling (or thereabouts) and are either sliding, bifold or French doors.

Due to the size of these doors, it can be difficult to decide on which blind is best when I come to shading them.

As your patio door is an access point for the garden and so it is important for you to make sure whatever blind you choose will allow you to get in and out of the door easily. If the blind is too much effort to operate every time you wish to go outside, you’ll probably eventually stop using the blind.

What about Roller Blinds?

If you’ve shopped with DotcomBlinds before, you’ll know that we can make our Roller Blinds to mind boggling sizes (Up to 4.7m wide & up to 5.75m tall to be specific!), so you may think that because of that a set of XL Roller Blinds may be a good choice for shading your home’s patio doors.

Well, we hate to burst your bubble – Whilst our XL Roller Blinds are certainly large enough to shade a patio door, they can be quite inconvenient when used on a patio door, as you’ll need to hoist the blind all the way up every time you want to go in or out of your patio door – Meaning it loses the convenience and ease of use normally associated with these blinds when installed in regular windows.

That’s not to say we forbid you from using our XL Roller Blinds (or even our Electric Roller Blinds) to shade your patio door, just that we don’t think it’s the most convenient option.

So, what would you recommend for shading a patio door?

That’s a great question!

Now, we have a few different recommendations for what shades to pick for your home’s patio door, which we’ll run through now!

Vertical Blinds

The first choice for a lot of people when it comes to shading patio doors is to use a Vertical Blind. This is a tried and tested solution and thanks to the customisation options available when you come to order - it’s a perfect blind for a patio door.

Vertical Blinds are ideal because they move laterally instead of vertically. This means you can partially close a Vertical Blind or draw it all the way to the side to prevent any obstruction around the doorway.

We also offer different draw options, meaning you can choose whether you want it to go to the left, right, or split down the middle to provide an even stack of louvres on each end. This means that if you have a sliding door, which is, say, on the right-hand side, you can stack the louvres to the left, out of the way of anyone coming in or out of the room. You can also choose to swap the chain control for a wand, meaning there are no dandling chains and cords that may be a concern for pets and children. Simply push or pull the wand to draw the louvres into place and then twist the wand to rotate the louvres – it couldn’t be easier!

While you’re here why not check out our Vertical Blinds range here, or check out our best-selling Vertical Blinds below.

Curtains

Another great and easy to use shading option for your home’s patio door, would be a good ol’ set of Curtains. Curtains have been used to shade large spaces for well over a thousand years now, so we needn’t go into too much depth explaining them, as pretty much everyone who’s ever seen a window knows about curtains!

Much like Vertical Blinds, our made to measure Curtains are an ideal option for shading your patio door as they move side to side (rather than up and down) allowing you to open up enough space to go in and out of the door at one side while keeping the rest of the space shaded. In terms of convenience Curtains have an extra bonus, as they can be operated by hand as you simply pull the curtain side to side when you need to use the door, rather than fiddling around with a little doohickie to open them.

As long as you have the space to fit a set of our curtain tracks above your patio door, a set of Curtains will be a great option for you.

While you’re here why not check out our Curtains range here, or check out our best-selling Curtains below.

Prestige BiFold Door Blinds

Finally, we also offer another option that can make it even easier to access your patio door but still shade it. Our range of Prestige Blinds for bifold doors are a great solution, attaching directly to the door. Small tabs at the end of the headrail and bottom bar slide under the rubber gasket that runs around the windowpane. The BiFold Blind can then slide up and down the window on cords running from top to bottom, holding the fabric close to the window and under tension.

BiFold door blinds allow you to open your doors, shade individual panes of glass and – perhaps the best feature – there’s no need to drill or screw anything to install them. By being held against the glass by the tabs under the rubber gasket, they don’t require any hard fixings and can be fitted in about two minutes!

Having the blinds attached to the door also prevents another problem that can be quite a common issue, particularly for those with children or animals. With the patio door being a relatively high traffic area and combined with the likelihood of mud and dirt outside, blinds can become dirty. By having the blind fitted to the door, there’s no chance of children or animals brushing against it after spending an afternoon rolling around in the mud outside.

It also means that you won’t have to worry about your blinds blowing in the wind and flapping around if the door is open. With the blinds attached to the door or window itself, shading your room is just, well, a breeze!

While you’re here why not check out our Prestige BiFold Door Blinds range here, or check out our best-selling Prestige BiFold Door Blinds below.

If you’re looking for a blind for your patio door and you’re still not sure what options are best for you, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our expert team – we’re always happy to help!

 

*Article updated 09/11/2023 to reflect changes to our product range