Modern manufacturing techniques have made it possible for any kind of glass door to be used for patios, which for a very long time was a perk that only aristocratic houses benefited from. Today, however, anyone who wants a patio can have one and as far as the glass door goes, the options are quite numerous.
When picking a door style for your patio, first you need to think about the general aspect of your house and match the door with the design. In this article we’ll show you what your options are and explain the features.
Sliding doors
This kind of patio doors is the most popular and is also commonly used as the entrance style doorway for a balcony. They are made of two framed glass panels that slide past each other. They can be either either sliding or have just one of them sliding past a fixed panel. Sliding doors are suitable for both traditional and contemporary houses, so it’s just a matter of personal choice on which one you choose. They are more common in modern houses, but if you like them, no designer would oppose to your choice. One of their main advantage, besides the fact that they don’t require space to open, is one, that they can be made larger than French doors as the glass panels are available to a width of 8 or 10 feet. And compared to French doors, they are cheaper and easier to manufacture.
French doors
This option is, by far, more elegant and sophisticated than sliding doors. Being hinged and swinging doors, they require space to open. You can either opt for to have them open to the outside or to the inside, but either way you have to take into consideration any furniture arrangement near them. As opposed to sliding doors, French doors come in fixed width panels, and they are not wider than 6 feet. Note: French doors with out-swing are prone to serious damage, if they are not designed to accommodate slamming. Also, swing doors need to offer proper insulation so they require a threshold, which will prevent a smooth transition from the inside to outside.
French slider
As you may have guessed, this door combines the first two types of glass doors. The four panel configuration is made of two fixed panels and two sliding ones. The fixed panels are on positioned on the outer sides and the sliding panels are in the middle. Thus, when they close, they butt into each other, giving the impression they are hinged. The advantage is that the sliding panels can be wider than both sliding and French doors. Their width can go up to 16 feet, which, when closed, can create a wall of windows. Not to mention the amount of air that they allow to enter the house.
Check in next week for part two
