French doors vs sliders

16 years ago

Hi all,

Our builder is telling us that French Doors are not

as effective at insulating and keeping out the elements as sliders are. This doorway will lead to an outdoor, uncovered patio. Anyone have any experience with this?

(It is a concern because we live in an area that experiences 4 seasons and the winters hit low, single digits.) Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

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Comments (7)

pamghatten
16 years ago
Really? I find that interesting. I live outside Buffalo, NY ... ALL four seasons here too. I have both French Doors and a slider. I love my french doors, and have never felt a draft or anything from them. they are Anderson, and are on the side of the house that gets the most weather.

I just replaced the sliding glass door in the kitchen with a new Anderson sliding glass door, because the old one leaked air horribly. French doors wouldn't have fit right in the kitchen, that's why I went with a slider again.

Go with what you like.
rogerv_gw
16 years ago
We've had both swinging and sliding Andersen French doors, and given a good quality door (good hardware, good weather-stripping), I think that you'll find that energy-wise, they're pretty much equivalent. I guess that the weatherstripping on a swinging door could tend to be more reliable over time since is always sandwiched between the door and the frame when the door is closed.

The main differences are, aside from the look, that a sliding French door is easier to have a screen on, and it takes less room space when open. The room space issue has been the deciding factor when we've opted for a sliding French door over a swinging one.

-Roger
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oruboris
16 years ago
Personally, I think your builder has it backwards. When you latch a modern swinging door, the door is pulled tight to the weather strip on all four sides. Sliding doors don't have this capacity. And Double swingers give you twice the size opening.

But sliders take up less space out of the room, which can be more important.
beach_rose
16 years ago
I had to make a similar decision this year. My builder tried to talk me out of French doors for no reason that I could understand. It seemed that he just preferred to install sliders. But after trips to two showrooms and a home show, I insisted on Andersen outswing French doors, which were my original preference. IÂm happy with the result. They close securely, no drafts. (I live in New England.) With outswing doors I lose no space indoors. It was worth the extra money to have the ability to open both doors to the uncovered deck. Screens will probably be more expensive if you install outswing doors, and you need to choose them carefully. For inswing French doors, Andersen has an integrated set that includes the screens.
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Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you all, very much.
Your reponses have been most helpful and enlightening.
brooklyncpa
16 years ago
I am in the same predicement. I am installing a "Four Season" Sunroom and trying to make a decision between the French Door and Sliding Door. Their French Door is much nicer but $1000 more!! I am most concerned about Security. Can the French Door be as secure as the Sliding Door? Any responses would be appreciated.
pamghatten
16 years ago
I find that both types of doors are secure .. but these doors are mostly glass .. if anyone really wants to get in, they just have to break the glass.