Blinds for patio doors

Annie1960

Has anyone had blinds instead of curtains for patio doors? I moved into my current house a few months ago, and the windows have neither blinds nor curtains at the moment. This was OK during the summer, but I want to put something there before winter sets in.

Any thoughts on blinds, especially vertical ones which I think would suit? I don't want it to look too much like an office!

Also, how easy is it to take blinds down for cleaning etc?

Dan-Dan

We have sliding patio doors , and have these up

http://www.directblinds.co.uk/vertical-blinds/palette-calico/

we went for moisture resistant and they are light filtering

2 years later and they still look as new , they dont need to be taken down to clean , just wipe them down as and when

was pleased with the quality , looks much better than a set of curtains

Annie1960

I will need to take them down. It's a bit of a long story, but I will need to take them down next year and then put them back up again.

What does light-filtering mean?

marleyboy

They are pretty simple to take down OP. Each blind simply clicks into place at the top.

tanith

We've had them for ages and we have been really happy with them. Ours reflect the sun when closed so I can partially turn them when it gets really hot in the Summer. I have taken them down twice and fold them and dunk them into warm soapy water then hang them over the airer to drip dry. They still look like new although the beaded bottom bit that they fit into did go brittle and snapped in a few places but I just ordered new ones from ebay it cost a couple of quid and they are easily fitted.

vansboy

Not sure if you can see this, but on each door there are aluminium venitian blinds from Argos, the cheapest I could find, from around £15 depending on what you want yours made from.

On one door, it is full width, on the larger door, I fitted two separate blinds.

Things to think of, they have to have a bit of space at the bottom, about 30cm as they dont reach the floor. but this actually doesn't look silly.

Also where they are fixed, above the opening, there is a concrete lintel which you have to try and drill into. This was very awkward and will be same on just about any door. So depending on weight of mechanism and blinds, is how many holes burn out the drill!!



VB

tyllwyd

I've recently had vertical blinds fitted on French doors, and I am pleased with them. They cut down a lot of the light coming in, but not 100% so they aren't the right option if you want a blackout effect for watching tv. One thing to think about is that they still cover about one third of one of the door when you push them back, which isn't ideal but probably not so much of a problem if you have a sliding patio door.

C.C.L.

I have vertical blinds on my patio doors and they're great. I got the split version, where they seperate from the middle ( just like curtains would) and find this option much better as I can partly open/close them.
Easy to take down, and for washing I fold them, put about 6 slats each in pillow cases and put them in the washer on a delicate wash and short spin.

Annie1960

Thanks for all the comments. I have ordered some from a local firm - they came to measure up, and will return to fit them in a few weeks. I went into their shop where they showed me how to take them down if I need to.

ali-t

I had wooden blindson patio doors and they looked great.