Which Sliding Glass Door Blinds Suit a Bluffton SC Lanai?

On a lanai door, the covering should move the way the door does: sideways. Vertical blinds, a vertical cellular shade or a sliding panel track all stack off to one side. You walk straight out without lifting anything. A roller or solar shade can work too, but only on a door you don't open much. That's how I'd sort out sliding glass door blinds for most homes in Bluffton, SC. The rest comes down to how busy your door is.

Count the trips first

In spring, the lanai door is the busiest opening in the house. Highs around here run about 70 in March and the upper 70s by April. Coffee goes out to the lanai first thing, and the door barely closes again until the porch lights come on at night. The dog goes in and out all morning. The grandkids leave the door open behind them. Bluffton began as a summer resort on the bluffs above the May River, and people still open up the house for the breeze.

So before you look at fabric, think about how many times a day that door opens. If you lose count by lunch, you want something that slides and doesn't mind sand and wet paws. If you mostly look through the door and rarely walk through it, you have more choices.

Which way the door faces matters too. Around the spring equinox the sun comes up close to due east and goes down close to due west. East doors get glare at breakfast. West doors get it at dinner, right in everyone's eyes. On those doors I'd look at solar fabric. It cuts the glare and still lets you see the yard. A tighter weave blocks more glare and adds privacy, and a looser one keeps more of the view. For a door you walk through all day, put the solar fabric on a panel track instead of a roller.

The main options for a lanai door

• Vinyl vertical blinds. Long vanes that tilt for light, then draw to the side. Vinyl doesn't mind humid air, and sand and paw prints wipe right off. S-shaped vanes give a softer look that's closer to drapes, with the same easy care. On the door the dog uses all day, this is my pick.
• Sliding panel track. Big flat panels glide on a track and overlap a little. They look clean and modern, and they're great on very wide doors. They come in regular fabric and solar fabric. Woven wood panels give a more natural, coastal feel.
• Vertical cellular shade. A honeycomb shade turned on its side, so it slides instead of lifting. You get the same fabric and opacity choices as a regular cellular shade. It's soft and quiet. On a slider that gets lighter use, like a door off the bedroom, it's my favorite look.
• Sheer verticals. Soft, filtered light and some daytime privacy. They look lighter than classic verticals.
• Roller or solar shade. It rolls up from the bottom. That's fine on a door that faces hard sun and rarely opens. On a door you use all day, raising it every time you walk out wears thin quickly.

You can see the main vertical blind alternatives side by side if you want a picture of each.

People sometimes wonder if vertical blinds are out of style. They've just got more company than they used to. The look is what changed. Fabric and sheer verticals feel softer than the old vinyl ones, and panel tracks feel more modern. If you like how verticals work but not how they look, one of those is probably your answer.

Where the stack goes, and wide doors

Gather the covering on the side away from where you walk. It's easy to get backwards. With a side stack, everything gathers on one side. Pick the side over the fixed glass panel, and the walking side stays clear. Split stacks part in the middle the way curtains do, which helps on a wide door that opens on both sides. The stack also needs a place to sit, so watch for a light switch or a bookcase. Check the handle, too. The covering has to clear it and the lock when it's closed.

All of our sliding door coverings come cordless or motorized, so nothing hangs by the door for little hands or paws. Have a three- or four-panel slider? Panel tracks handle very wide doors well. If the door is hard to reach, maybe behind a sectional, think about motorizing it. Our lift, tilt or tap guide has more on controls anyone in the house can use. Shutters can work on a slider as well, built on bi-fold or bypass tracks so the panels fold or slide clear of the door.

Sliding glass doors at night

At night, a slider is the biggest window in the room. Solar fabric, sheer verticals and light-filtering fabric all let people outside see in once the lamps are on. If the door faces a neighbor or the street, pick something that closes up solid. Closed vinyl verticals do that, and so does a vertical cellular shade or panel track in a room-darkening fabric. Drapes with a blackout lining on a traverse rod work too. Our guide to getting the house ready for holiday guests has more on evening privacy for doors that stay open when company's over.

We measure the door ourselves at a free in-home consultation, and big three- and four-panel sliders are normal work for us. If you'd rather see the options first, stop by our Bluffton showroom. We do sliding glass door blinds in Bluffton, on Hilton Head and in the towns around them.

Kevin Sill is CFO and co-owner of the family-owned Budget Blinds franchises serving Hilton Head Island and Bluffton.