The Best Patio Door Blinds and Shades for 2021

Let’s take a look at some of the best patio door blinds: Roller Shades. We’ll discuss the best ways to measure, order, and install window coverings for your patio doors and sliding doors. Stay tuned for inspiration and tips and tricks!

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Our top picks for motorized patio door and sliding door window blinds

Sliding Doors vs French Doors

For most patio doors, you have two options when it comes to shades and blinds installation. Either install the shade or blind on the door itself or install it above the door.

You have two options when it comes to patio shades and blinds installation: On the door, or above the door.

The Blinds Guide

For french style doors, mounting shades on the door can be a better option, while mounting shades above sliding doors is the way to go.

How to measure

Start by measuring the width and height of the opening. Most of the time you’re going to be doing an outside mount for a patio door blind. Add a few inches to the width and the height to ensure that the shade is going to cover the entire glass area of the door.

Make sure to check for obstructions, like door handles or locks. If you do have something that could interfere, then consider reverse-rolling the roller shade to get extra clearance.

Finally, make sure to note down which side of the door the handle is on. You can be sure to have the controls on the correct side of the door. Otherwise, it might end up interfering with the handle or lock.

  1. Take note that if you have bubble trim around the glass area of your door, then measure to the outside of those points. You may have to shim the shade out a little if you have bubble trim to make sure the shade clears and operated properly.
  2. Also make sure that you order the shade long enough to reach past the window to where it can be securely
  3. Make sure to order hold-downs so that the shade is not flapping around when being operated.
  4. It’s generally a good idea to leave a valance or a top treatment off of the top of the shade if it is going on a door that will be used frequently. This helps prevent it from falling off onto someones’ head. Ouch!

Best way to operate blinds on patio doors

We’ve found that one of the best ways to operate your patio door blinds is to motorize the shades. If that is out of your budget, then a manual or cordless blind would work well.

Many of the popular window covering choices today can be motorized and will work with smart home systems, like Alexa and Googe Home.

At The Blinds Guide, we love roller shades!

Best window treatments for patio doors

Summary of the Best Type of Blinds for Patio Doors

We love roller shades here at The Blinds Guide, and that includes patio door roller shades. However, a few other great options for your patio doors are honeycomb shades and zebra shades.

You could also always go with a more traditional 2″ white fauxwood blind for your patio door, but that will be the cheapest and bulkiest look.

If you’re wanting to be more classic, then a Roman shade. Roma shades are a fabric-foward option with many fold styles

For a rustic or more farmhouse modern look, then choosing a Woven shade would suffice. Famous house flippers Chip and Joanna Gaines use woven shades a lot, and for that reason, they are very popular right now– if that is your vibe.

David King

David King is a window coverings enthusiast who has been in the industry for over 10 years. He is the founder of The Blinds Guide and The Blinds Guide's Motorized Shades. When he's not writing or working on a smart home project, you'll find him hiking, camping, or playing pickle ball.

4 Comments
  1. […] Graywind Motorized Roller Shades also provide 100% blackout shading and energy efficiency with its triple-weaved polyester blend fabric material with a heat-insulating shield layer. We highly recommend them for your bedroom, living room, and patio doors. […]

  2. […] Honeycombs can also be used on patio doors. […]

  3. […] process for measuring the depth requirement of roller shades is the same with blinds. It depends on the depth of your window casing, and obstructions should […]

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