Window Treatments for a sliding glass door

Sliding glass doors can be awkward. The one size fits all drapes you find at the store come in 84" length or 96". One is usually too short and the other is too long. And with a standard 50" width you aren't left with much fullness.

The first thing to consider when deciding on treatments for a sliding glass door is their function: Do you want them for decoration or to block out light?

Next you will need to consider any potential damage that might be done by pets or children going in an out of the door. My first thought was my children coming in from the backyard after eating popsicles and grabbing the door frame where curtains might hang. Yikes!

If the latter is a concern for you then you may want to consider top traetments only: a valance or a cornice board. Here are some ideas:

Cornice Board

A penant valance above the door would add a niced finished touch.

A flat panel or clip ring valance would dress it up quite well.

If children grabbing at door frames and curtains with messy hands or dogs coming in from out of the rain and getting mud on curtain panels is not a concern for you then you can consider drapery panels. I have found two ideal situations for sliding glass doors in my few years experience. 90" seams to be the ideal length for a sliding glass door. But in some cases there isn't room between the window and the ceiling, or some sliding glass doors have a transom above the door that won't all you to hang a curtain rod. In these cases I have found that hanging a track panel from your ceiling works nicely to hang flat panels from.

Here are some ideas:

Mount the track on the ceiling and attach th curtain with ring clips.

And of course, if space allows, hang a curtain rod.

And if blocking light is your primary concern, add blackout to your panels.

If you want both privacy and light blocking but not necessarily at the same, consider hanging a first layer of sheers and a second of panels with blackout liner.

We can do any of the above! Just send us an email to windowsbymelissa@gmail.com to get your custom order started or contact us through our etsy shop.

As always, we look forward to hearing from you.