The Number One Problem With Panel Track Blinds
Your looking for a new window treatment for your patio door. Have you heard of a stylish product called a panel track blinds.
Panel track blinds are strips of material approx 15-35 inches wide that are attached to a sliding carrier in a headrail. Kinda like a vertical but instead of vanes you have several strips of material hanging. It's a very stylish look popular in Europe before being introduced in the United States.
The panels can be drawned back and forth just like a drape or vertical blind. Panel track blinds are a great treatment but you do need to know a little about them before ordering.
The number one problem is with the width of the panels.
The panels come in at a fixed width that is determined by the manufacture and in many cases because of costs the panels are wider than some people would like.
For example I installed a panel track for a customer. The measure was done by a decorator who was not too familiar with them. She had a patio door 82X84. The manufacture sent 3 panels that were 31 inches wide. The customer was very happy with the look.....until I drew the panels to one side. All 3 panels stacked over one another so it looked like one panel, but the problem was it covered up a lot of her window. About 40% of her window will always be covered up. She was not happy to say the least.
This was not the first time I ran into this situation. I cringed everytime I go on an install for panel tracks where someone else, not familier with them measured. There is only one company I have found that offers a good solution and that's blindsexpess. They give you more control in determining your panel width. So in the example above instead of (3) 31 inch panels you can go with (4) 23 inch panels or (5) 20 inch panels. This way your not covering nearly as much window.
Panel track blinds are strips of material approx 15-35 inches wide that are attached to a sliding carrier in a headrail. Kinda like a vertical but instead of vanes you have several strips of material hanging. It's a very stylish look popular in Europe before being introduced in the United States.
The panels can be drawned back and forth just like a drape or vertical blind. Panel track blinds are a great treatment but you do need to know a little about them before ordering.
The number one problem is with the width of the panels.
The panels come in at a fixed width that is determined by the manufacture and in many cases because of costs the panels are wider than some people would like.
For example I installed a panel track for a customer. The measure was done by a decorator who was not too familiar with them. She had a patio door 82X84. The manufacture sent 3 panels that were 31 inches wide. The customer was very happy with the look.....until I drew the panels to one side. All 3 panels stacked over one another so it looked like one panel, but the problem was it covered up a lot of her window. About 40% of her window will always be covered up. She was not happy to say the least.
This was not the first time I ran into this situation. I cringed everytime I go on an install for panel tracks where someone else, not familier with them measured. There is only one company I have found that offers a good solution and that's blindsexpess. They give you more control in determining your panel width. So in the example above instead of (3) 31 inch panels you can go with (4) 23 inch panels or (5) 20 inch panels. This way your not covering nearly as much window.