FULL FRAME Technology & Motorization
ROLLER SHADES FOR
VERY LARGE OPENINGS BY O’D MCKEWAN
One of the fastest growing trends I am seeing in the new home construction and renovation industry is the creation of very large patio openings, mainly multi-panel sliding or folding glass doors. Not that long ago, having a 12-foot-wide sliding glass door was considered an extra-large opening. Now, on a regular basis, I am seeing openings that are 20 to 30 feet wide, and it can be very challenging to effectively cover this size opening. Now, I admit, these larger openings are more prevalent on the West Coast, but I continue to get more calls from farther east in the U.S. every year.
And just like panel track shades, the first panel and the last panel are on separate tracks, thus one is farther from the wall surface than the other. Except with doors, they are much thicker, so the more sliding doors you have, the farther your fabric will be from the deepest recessed door. All of the above questions will help you customize the shade’s options.
With the popularity of roller shades and the wide array of fabric options available, I find them to be the easiest way to cover these large openings. The real trick is customizing the shades both to serve the opening and the demands of the client. I also must point out that I only offer solutions to my clients with roller shades that will be motorized.
The next thing to consider with very large roller shades is the selection of the fabric: screen, privacy, room darkening or a dual shade system. This is a very straightforward question, but the next question is more important. How many panels of fabric is the client OK with using to cover the doors? Are they expecting one piece of fabric to cover the entire opening? Or one panel of fabric for each door panel? Or a combination of fabric panels and door panels? The answer to this question is what presents the challenge. And the wider the opening and/or the higher number of doors, the more challenging the project becomes.
The first thing to consider with very large roller shades is the construction of the doors. Are they folding? Sliding? How many door panels are there for the opening? Do they have frames around the glass panes? Or are they frameless panes? If they are fold, do they fold in or out of the room? Does one door open independently? (Most manufacturers offer a single door at one end that will open independently without having to fold the other doors.) Are there any obstructions when the doors are opened or closed, including door handles or hinges? If they are sliding doors, what is the recess depth from the first door to the last? Also, do they slide from left to right, right to left, both ways or center opening?
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MAY + JUNE 2022 | wf-vision.com
So, let’s start with one panel of fabric to be used to cover the entire opening. Depending on the overall width and height of the door, this may seem impossible, but there are manufacturers that can make a single shade up to 40 feet wide. (This is correct: A 40-foot-wide covering can be made with a single piece of fabric.) And many manufacturers are starting to make even wider options.
