Introducing sliding glass doors into your home will only add to the value of the property. They look great and allow you to bring the warm summer weather internally and open up the room and patio into a larger useable area.
If you considering a set of exterior sliding glass doors for your house the following will be a helpful guide:
There are basically two types of sliding door systems:
- Sliding in Line doors
- Sliding, folding and stacking doors
Sliding in Line Doors
The traditional sliding patio door is typically of the glass sliding door type. They consist of a frame and glass sliding doors that slide left or right on tracks and usually consist of two panels. Usually one of the panels is fixed and the other panel will slide on a sliding glass door track behind the fixed panel; though some manufacturers provide patio doors that both panels slide. If the structural opening is larger, then it is possible to have a triple track arrangement involving three sliding patio doors. With two panels you will have roughly half of the structural opening available to walk through and with 3 panels the opening is split into 3 and therefore you can avail of about two thirds of the opening. These doors are particularly suitable if space is a problem. Typically with French doors, they swing in or out and sufficient space must be available to allow them to open fully. Some systems allow one of the sliding panels to tilt inwards providing ventilation without having to leave the door in the open position.
Sliding, Folding and Stacking Doors
This sliding glass door system is also referred to as bi fold doors, sliding and folding doors. They consist of a number of panels to fill the structural opening, positioned in line and connected to each other with hinges. Each door panel is fitted with rollers and the whole system is mounted in a track. The leading door, or traffic door, swings open like a traditional door and then by unlocking the remaining doors each panel will fold next to the neighbouring panel. All will then slide left or right to stack and park on one side of the opening. For very large openings door may stack on either side. They are particularly suitable for large openings up to 6 m (19’8¼”). With this door system up to 90% of the opening is available for you to enjoy. The traffic door can be used for access without having to slide the doors open. With any door system sliding glass door locks come in a variety of types so be aware of the failures for some locking systems. A sliding glass door lock should incorporate anti snap, drill and pick cylinders.
Example of sliding, folding and stacking doors
Material Types
Both door types above are manufactured in a number of materials as follows:
- Wood
- Aluminium
- PVC
Wood – some people will want a traditional look and prefer the look, feel and warmth that wood provides. The frames can be made from solid wood which sometimes can be unstable as wood will swell and contract with different levels of moisture content. Nowadays, wood lamination techniques produce more stable wooden frames with long life spans. Modern wood machining, weathering stripping, locking and sliding gear technology provide good quality door systems. Wooden frames will require maintenance though on an ongoing basis.
Aluminium – these doors are generally more expensive. An aluminium sliding door is strong, lightweight, versatile and a durable material. The framing is available in a range of standard colours as well as wood grain effect. You can choose other colours from the RAL colour listing. It is also possible to have dual coloured frames that have one colour internally and another colour externally. The frame profile consists of a polyamide break to improve on thermal efficiency. Frames made form aluminium are relatively maintenance free. They are by far the best of the three types.
PVC – also known as uPVC which is a plastic material and has been used in the manufacture of doors and windows for many years now. The standard colour is white however a number of other colours and wood grain effects are also available. PVC will not swell, warp, rot or absorb moisture and do not require painting. Maintenance is almost nothing. Probably the least expensive of the three types.
It is also possible to fit a screen door to these patio doors to keep out the bugs in the summer time. A sliding screen and frame is fixed to the inner side of the door set and can be pulled across to seal off the opening when the patio doors are open. It’s a great way to allow fresh air to circulate into the room and bug free.
Some related topics:
If you enjoyed reading this article you may also be interested in internal glass doors or folding sliding doors. Also check out sliding folding doors for some great information. Our article on internal folding doors is also a good one.
If you are worried about security at home then go to our steel security door guide for everything about steel doors. Also check out all about uPVC door locks.