Plantation Shutters for Sliding Glass Doors: The Ultimate Guide to Style, Privacy & Functionality

Sliding glass doors allow a lot of natural light into a home and create a great flow between the indoor and outdoor living areas, but finding the right window covering can be difficult. Traditional horizontal slatted blinds, for example, can be flimsy and often don’t provide the level of privacy desired by many homeowners. Curtain panels can get in the way of opening or closing the sliding glass door, and vertical blinds are often thought of as not providing the polished elegance desired by most homeowners. Because of these factors, sliding glass door plantation shutters are among the most popular window coverings available today.

Sliding glass door plantation shutters provide improved privacy, enhance style, retain heat/cool air and offer long-lasting durability, making them a wise investment. This indoor plantation shutter guide will provide you with everything you need to know, including regional style design ideas and benefits, installation and customisation options.

Why Sliding Glass Doors are Ideal Candidates for Plantation Shutters

Plantation shutters are an amazing way to add elegance and grace to any home, as they have a classic design, are built to last and have clean lines. When using plantation shutters designed for sliding glass doors, they provide benefits that no other product can offer.

1) Better Ability to Control Natural Lighting

A major benefit of having shutters on sliding glass doors is that they are designed to allow for complete control over the amount of sunlight coming into the house. Each shutter has adjustable louvres to allow filtering of direct sunlight to your desired level of brightness, softness or complete darkness.

2) Increased Privacy

Sliding glass doors are primarily used for viewing the outside, but when they are open (like when someone comes into your home), the large opening allows for a large amount of your home’s interior to be visible. A plantation shutter allows for maximum privacy without taking away any of the style of your sliding glass door. You are able to tilt all of the louvres slightly to give you some view of the outside and still keep the unwanted sights and sounds of the outside world out of your home.

3. Increased Energy Efficiency

Many homeowners are concerned about energy efficiency with sliding glass doors, but the winter chills through sliding glass doors in the summertime create a major heat loss problem. With plantation shutters, your heat loss issue is resolved since shutters provide insulation and thermal protection that can help reduce your energy costs over time while keeping you comfortable year-round.

4. Unmatched Durability

Because plantation shutters are made from strong, heavy materials that do not compromise to the wear and tear of daily usage, as opposed to cheap vinyl, wooden blinds or fabric draperies, plantation shutters are an ideal solution for those who desire an extraordinarily durable window treatment. Unlike cheap fabric curtains or inexpensive wooden blinds, plantation shutters are constructed with materials that will not fade over the years and will remain stable and in good condition no matter how long you have owned them, how often you have opened and closed them or how much time has passed before the shutter is now being used as a window dressing.

There are two styles of plantation shutters available for sliding glass doors; each has benefits depending on your preferences, layout & design.

1) Bypass shutters work much like the track system used by a sliding glass door. They slide back & forth along the same track, allowing for a tighter fit in smaller areas without needing the swing-out space that standard doors require to function properly. By using this option, you can create a clean/modern look. Bypass shutters are ideal for high-traffic areas & small/narrow spaces.

2) Accordion (bi-fold) shutters, on the other hand, offer elegant/stylish looks while also allowing for easy access to the entire opening of the sliding door. Bi-fold shutters provide a much larger opening than bypass-style; therefore, they allow for greater airflow & temperature exchange. Accordion-style shutters have a more sophisticated/architecturally attractive appearance. Both options will provide you with an attractive finish; which one is best for you depends on how frequently you use your sliding door(s), as well as how much space you have available for installing them.

Plantation shutters offer several advantages over other treatment options for sliding glass doors. Here’s how plantation shutters compare favourably to the most common alternatives:

1. Plantation shutters consistently outperform drapery and curtain treatments that can be cumbersome, subject to staining, and require regular maintenance. Properly maintained plantation shutters will not fade due to sunlight.

2. Vertical blinds produce noise, have a short life span, and are not very stylish or aesthetically appealing. Vertical plantation shutters perform many of the same functions that vertical blinds perform, but plantation shutters provide a higher quality and are considered more fashionable and contemporary than vertical blinds.

3. Roller shades are a very attractive covering option; however, they have very limited durability. Plantation shutters maintain their structural integrity longer and do not degrade from repeated opening and closing like roller shades do.

Choosing the right material for your sliding door plantation shutters helps ensure that they will fit well with the overall decor of your home as well as stand up to everyday wear and tear.

1. Wooden Plantation Shutters: Wooden plantation shutters are a great choice because of their natural beauty. They work well in traditional/rustic decor themes and can easily be finished to match other woodwork in your home.

2. Composite/Faux Wood Plantation Shutters: Composite/faux wood shutters have the same look and feel as wooden shutters but are not subject to damage from heat or humidity and are more durable than wooden plantation shutters. These are great for homes located in areas with high humidity or for doors that are exposed to direct sunlight.

3. PVC / Vinyl Plantation Shutters: PVC and vinyl shutters are the most moisture-resistant plantation shutter option. If you need to purchase inexpensive plantation shutters for your home, PVC/vinyl would be a good choice.

Plantation Shutter Design Ideas to Create a Custom Look

Finding design inspiration? These are some ideas of how plantation shutters can be used with sliding glass doors.

Wide Louvers Give a Contemporary Feel— 3.5″ or 4.5″ louvres are a bold modern aesthetic that provides maximised views outdoors.

Neutral Colour Palettes Provide a Clean, Timeless Look – White, off-white, or soft grey plantation shutters create a clean, timeless look that will work well with nearly every style of home interior.

Matching Shutters Create Clean Lines – For the visual continuity of your home, use the same style of plantation shutter for your sliding glass door and other windows in proximity to your sliding glass door.

Add Hidden Tilt Rods for Minimalist Styles – For a minimalist appearance and clean lines, consider using hidden tilt rods for your plantation shutters.

Things to consider when selecting plantation shutters for sliding glass doors include:

1. Measure the height and width of your sliding glass doors carefully, as each home has different-sized sliding glass doors, and custom plantation shutters may fit best in your case.
2. Select your plantation shutters based on the style of your home; for example, wood plantation shutters are most commonly used in traditional homes, whereas wide-louvred composite plantation shutters are found in many modern homes.
3. Choose plantation shutters based on how often you use your sliding glass door, and use bypass plantation shutters for the most frequently used/doored sliding doors, whereas bi-fold plantation shutters can be used less often for opening and closing sliding glass doors.
4. Consider your budget when selecting plantation shutters for sliding glass doors; for example, composite vinyl shutters are generally less expensive than wood plantation shutters but will provide a good balance of durability and affordability compared to wood plantation shutters.

Plantation Shutter Installation Tips for Sliding Doors

Although you should have plantation shutters professionally installed, you should keep in mind a couple of important points:

1. Proper track alignment: For plantation shutters to slide cleanly, their track should be firmly aligned with the sliding door’s track. This will help avoid any problems such as the shifting, bouncing off, or dragging of the shutters against the track.

2. Enough clearance for handle and lock: You want to make sure that your plantation shutters do not block the handle and/or lock(s) of your sliding door.

3. Professionally measured: When ordering custom plantation shutters, getting the dimensions right is critical to ensuring the best possible fit.

Tips for Maintaining and Caring for your Plantation Shutters

The maintenance of plantation shutters for sliding glass doors is simple.

– Use a microfibre cloth to wipe away the dust regularly.

– Use mild soap and a damp cloth to clean.

– Do not use any harsh chemicals on the wood shutters.

– Lubricate the sliding tracks of your shutters once a year as needed.

If taken care of properly, plantation shutters will last a lifetime.

Are Sliding Doors Meant for Plantation Shutters?

The answer is yes. Plantation shutters are the most versatile type of window covering because they offer privacy, versatility, and beauty in a single product. They are ageless, beautiful, and add beauty to your home. They are great options to consider if you’re doing a remodel of any kind or just want an elegant way to upgrade the aesthetics of your sliding glass door.

When you install plantation shutters over your sliding glass door, they become a part of your home and add to the overall appeal of the property. Plantation shutters for sliding glass doors provide an exceptional level of light control and durability.

The choices of bypass or bi-fold shutter styles, as well as the materials – wood or synthetic – give the ability to personalise your selection to meld with your style. Plantation shutters have all the benefits of energy efficiency and are one of the finest long-term investments for homeowners who wish to have an elegant and functional solution for their sliding glass door.