best solar shades

best solar shades

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Sliding glass patio doors are a wonderful idea, they create a sense of extra space by bringing your patio and backyard inside. Plus they can be a great source for sunlight. But you probably don't want your view open all the time, so window treatments are often needed for the times when you do need privacy, light control and even insulation.

Patio door window treatments can be a challenge, so here are a few expert suggestions. The traditional choice would be vertical blinds or curtains on a traverse rod, which emphasize the dramatic dimensions of your patio door while providing complete privacy and light control. Aluminum, vinyl or cloth vertical blinds come in any color-matching them to standard horizontal blinds on your other windows is a good idea-and can provide a chic, modern accent for any room. Vertical blinds also come in faux wood, which is a good match with wood or composite blinds. Another interesting option you might want to consider are ceiling mount verticals, which would eliminate a potentially annoying gap between the ceiling and the door frame.

There's also Levolor's exclusive BackStacker feature that keeps sometimes-unruly vertical vanes neatly and discretely stacked when open. Another consideration is insulation. Glass patio doors offer a lot of surface area for cold air to get in, and investing in either vertical cellular shades or heavy insulated curtains is an easy way to save on your heating bill.

But if you're in the market for patio door window treatments and vertical shades just aren't your thing, don't worry, you've still got options. Sliding panel track blinds are a novel offering now available in a wide range of materials from natural wovens to fabric to solar screens. As an aside, panel track blinds can also be used as a decorative room divider. You can also consider using multiple horizontal window blinds or shades to cover the area: splitting the shades per-pane (i.e. two if it's a full-glass sliding door) allows you to independently control your two shades. For example, the stationary shade can be lowered while the access shade is raised. In this situation, solar shades are an intriguing option, they'll screen out glare and UV rays while keeping your picture window view, and they're available in a wide range of patterns to compliment any interior environment.

If you are considering measuring and installing your vertical blinds or curtains, I would recommend utilizing the various "how to measure and install window blinds" videos available on websites like You Tube. The advantage of doing it yourself is predominantly cost savings. It easier than you might think.

Also, if you haven't checked out the various online retailers of window treatments, you may want to do some poking around on the internet. The major advantage of purchasing online is selection. Most of the top internet retailers offer the top brands, like Hunter Douglas, Levolor, Bali, Graber Comfortex and Kirsch, at discount prices. If you are like me and have trouble buying without seeing, you can go to a traditional brick and mortar store. You can purchase your window treatments there or take the information back to your online search armed with more specific information.

There you have it, a short primer on patio door window treatment options, including panel track blinds, vertical blinds and custom drapes. - David Brooks

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