Must Read Before Ordering Your Panel Track Blinds

Panel Track Blinds

In this article I will share some knowledge that is available to all but many are not aware of or how to use this knowledge to your advantage.  Just being aware of these few bits of information can make all the difference for your sliding Panel Track Blinds.

Must Be Involved In The Measuring Process

I first saw sliding glass door curtains about 10 years ago. They were popular in Europe before being introduced in the United States. People loved them because they are one of the best alternatives to a vertical blind. The panels are available in many different styles and and materials.

Panel track blinds can fit any decor and offer you the privacy and light control you desire, but you must be involved in the measuring process or you may not be happy with the final look of your sliding glass door curtains.   

Problem Is In The Width

Panel track blinds are strips of material usually between 15 to 36 inches wide. The number of panels depend on how wide your final order is. The issue is not in the height but in the width, and here’s why.

Let’s say you want panel track blinds on your patio door which measures 75 inches wide x 82 inches high. In this case you might place your final order at 83 wide. That allows for 4″ of overlap on each side ( standard practice) .

For the height you might go 84″ thats about 3″ above your trim (again standard practice). The height is fine, it’s the width you might not like.

A treatment 83″ wide will come with 3 panels. Each being about 27 inches wide. When your sliding glass door curtains are closed there isn’t a problem, they look great. It’s when you open them or draw them to one side, a good portion of your window will still be covered. Because the panels are so wide you will loose, in this case, 25% of your view.
 

          

How To Use Price Breaks To Your Advantage

If you don’t mind this then your fine, but if you do mind you have a couple of options. First determine how much wall space you have on each side of the window. If you have the space then make the treatment a little wider so the panels stack more on the wall and less on your window.  

Next, go to the web site of where you want to buy your panel track blinds and plug in your width and height to get a price. Take notice of the price. Then increase your width by 1″ and notice if the price changed or not. Keep increasing by 1″ until it changes.

Usually the price break is every 10 to 12″.  A width of 75 is going to be the same price as a width of 83. So how does this help you? By increasing your width by 10 inches to 94″ instead of 84″ you can get the panels off your window, therefore increasing your view while at the same time keeping your price the same.  

Play With The Numbers Until You Get What You Want

Now your better prepared , armed with the knowledge of how this system works. Play around with the numbers until you get the width and panel quantity your comfortable width. I hope your sliding panel track blinds turn out just as you envisioned they would.