Vertical Blinds

Choosing the Best Vertical Blinds for Your Patio Doors

In the market for window treatments for your sliding glass doors but don't know which vertical blinds to choose? This article will outline your choices. Read on.

Choosing the right vertical blinds for your sliding glass doors doesn't need to be difficult but it is important since it is usually one of the largest blinds in your home and make a strong decorating statement. Besides looking good, a vertical blind also has a job to do i.e., light control, privacy and, sometimes, insulation.

Every room, every home, every person has a different set of requirements. Some people have a view they want to preserve. Others want additional insulation for temperature extremes. Others simply want to keep their neighbors from looking in. Give this diverse range of requirements, I will list the available vertical blinds and include information on what they are best for e.g., light control, privacy, etc.

Vinyl vertical blinds - Assets: low cost, privacy, wide range of color choices (even textures), decent room darkening. Liabilities: not very unique and can look cheap, no view-through when the slats are closed, minimal insulating properties. Recap, vinyl vertical blinds are a great low-cost window treatment for large windows. Highly functional but not very original.

Solar screen vertical blinds - Assets: preserve view-through, minimize solar heat gain, block damaging UV rays. Liabilities: minimal privacy, minimal color choices. Recap: Solar vertical blinds are a great choice for large window and sliding glass door with a view. They will minimize solar heat gain and UV rays because of the special solar screen material they are made from. But people can also see into your home from the outside, so consider your privacy needs.

Cellular vertical blinds - Assets: adds insulation, offers light filtering or room darkening options, the fabric vanes can actually be taken down and washed! Liabilities: not a good choice for blackout room darkening - but in all fairness, no vertical blinds are really good for blackout. Recap: All-in-all, a great choice and will add additional insulation - the cellular vanes on these blinds are approximately 20% more energy efficient than standard verticals. For even greater insulation consider products like Bali Verticell , these are cellular shades, not blinds, mounted on a track that you open and close like a window shade mounted on its side.

Faux wood vertical blinds Assets: offers the look of real wood without the price and with much great durability, decent room darkening, privacy, moisture resistant, easy to clean vanes, will add some insulation. Liabilities: no view-through when the vanes are closed, faux wood does not go with all decors. A good choice for coordinating patio blinds with other wood or faux wood blinds.

Wood vertical blinds - Assets: offers the warmth and richness of real wood, good for privacy, offers decent room darkening and some insulation. Liabilities: pricey, no view-through when closed, not as durable as faux wood, hard to find (not many manufacturers trouble themselves with making wood verticals. Recap: the right vertical blind for those who only want real wood - and who don't have active kids.

Fabric vertical blinds Assets:large selection of fabrics and textures, decent selection of colors, light filtering options from sheer to opaque. Liabilities: some fabric vertical blinds are 'free-hang' which means they have weighted bottoms, and some have vinyl inserts in the vanes. Just know which is the right choice for your home. For example, free hang vanes don't close as tightly as the ones with inserts but they drape more naturally.

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