Large windows are the ones that cause trouble. A covering that behaves perfectly on a bedroom window can sag, drag or look out of proportion across a three-metre opening or a wall of glazing. This is what to think about if your windows are wide, tall, or a full sliding door.

Why size changes the answer

Weight. A wide roller has a long tube holding a large span of fabric. Past a certain width, a single roller will bow in the middle and the fabric edges start to curl.
Reach. A tall window means a long chain, or a blind you can’t comfortably get to at all.
Proportion. What looks neat on a small window can look like a wall of fabric on a big one.
Heat. Big glazing takes in — or loses — far more heat than a small window, so the fabric matters more.

The options that work on large openings

Two blinds, one opening. The most common solution, and usually the best. Two blinds meeting at a centre line behave properly, stay easy to operate and can look deliberate rather than improvised.
A cassette headrail or a valance. Covers the roll and the mechanism, which tidies a wide span and protects the fabric edge from light.
Solar / sunscreen fabric. On very large or south and west-facing glass, this cuts heat and glare while keeping the view — often a better answer than blackout for a living space.
Vertical or panel blinds on a sliding door, where you need the glass usable and the covering out of the way.
Motorization. On a wide or tall opening, this is often less of a luxury than a practical necessity — one remote instead of a pole, and blinds that can be scheduled. See our motorized blinds page.
Cellular shades on tall windows for insulation where the glass is losing heat — see cellular and honeycomb shades.

Fitting matters more than usual

On a large opening, the blind’s weight is carried by whatever you fix it to. We check what’s behind the plaster and fix into structure where it’s needed, rather than trusting an anchor into drywall to hold a three-metre blind that gets operated every day. If you’re planning a renovation, adding a timber header above a large opening before it’s closed in makes this straightforward later.

What we’d ask you before recommending anything

How wide and how tall is the opening, and is it one window or a group?
Does it need to be dark, or mainly to cut glare and heat?
Is the glass on the south or west side, where the sun does the most work?
Can you reach the top of it safely, every day, for years?
Does anything need to pass it — a sliding door, a patio door, furniture?

The answers usually narrow it to one or two sensible options, and it’s much cheaper to work that out before ordering than after.

Questions we’re asked most often

Can one blind cover a very wide window?

It can be made, but it’s rarely the best result — the weight shows in the middle, and it’s harder to operate. Two blinds on one opening usually look better and last longer.

Are motorized blinds worth it on a big window?

On tall or very wide windows, usually yes — it turns a daily chore into a button press, and it’s safer than reaching over a stairwell or climbing to a high window.

What about a sunroom or a wall of glass?

A sunroom is the case where solar fabric earns its place: you want the light and the view, but not the heat. We’d look at it on site, because the answer depends on which way it faces.

Next step

Call +1 902-314-0877, email [email protected], or request a consultation — for large openings we’d rather see it than guess.

Serving Charlottetown, Stratford, Cornwall, Summerside and communities across Prince Edward Island.