Sliding Glass Doors

Vinyl sliding glass doors are also low maintenance and energy efficient, looking good for many years with weather stripping included. Wood versions are of the highest quality and most expensive. They offer everything a patio door does with the aesthetic qualities of the traditional wooden door.  Another option is wooden clad doors that are simply wooden doors with a vinyl, fiberglass or aluminum coating on the exterior face of the door. They look like real wood on the inside but the sliding glass doors are protected from the elements on the outside with this special coating.

Usually there are four styles of sliding glass doors to choose from: the French door; the bypass glass door; and the pocket door.  Determine where the door’s location is going to be, and the direction the door opens and its clearance.  Sliding glass doors are very popular with contemporary furniture and home styles but can be used anywhere.

The French sliding glass doors are two glass doors with elegant decorative designs within the glass and molding available in steel and fiberglass. They are made from the same material as sliding glass doors but open in a left or right-handed swing, swinging inside or outside; also both doors can open or only one can open, depending on the type. Another option is that they can be designed with or without center molds or “center door stops.” Specifically, they are not really sliding glass doors but are grouped with them because of the double glass doors. These doors “slide;” they don’t push open or pull inwards.

The bypass sliding glass doors are simply another solution for a wide opening. They usually are used for closets, hanging on a track mounted to the head jamb. The most important thing is that the hardware is rated for the weight of the door. But when they are used for exterior use, such as in patio doors, they run on a lower track. Aluminum sliding glass doors are inexpensive but lose a lot of heat in the winter, being replaced by the clad wood unit.

The pocket doors are not usually sliding glass doors, but a door that disappears into a wall pocket when closed, usually for interior applications only. Victorian homes often have heavy double pocket doors between the dining room and parlor; in contemporary homes they are common in bathrooms and powder rooms. Retro fitting pocket doors are not advised as it is a major undertaking for the sliding glass doors.