2 windows and double french doors vs 4 panel sliding doors
Colleen Bear
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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Comments (41)
vaimeta
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agomillworkman
4 years agoRelated Discussions
French Doors vs. Sliding Glass Doors
Comments (10)I have both - French doors that open into my sunroom, then sliders that open from my sunroom onto my deck on one side, the patio on the other side. I have double sliders that open from our walkout basement to the screened-in porch. I prefer the sliders to the french doors because they don't take up any clearance space and they seal tighter in the winter. I had all french doors in my former house and they were drafty. I used them in this house in places where they wouldn't be exposed to the outside (great room to sunroom, main hallway to office)and because they gave me the same effect as a Nana wall at about 1/3 the price....See MoreFrench Doors vs. Glass Sliding Doors
Comments (15)We have five sliders and five french doors (Pella)...and a lot of window washing! The french doors are all single doors and twp of the sliders are doubles (i.e., four panes of glass each). We live in the Sacramento area and enjoy bringing the outdoors in. The screen doors on the sliders are spring-loaded so they close behind you automatically, a very handy feature. Space wasn't a concern for us and we easily could have accommodated french doors throughout but for us the focus wasn't on the doors but rather on the view and the sliders are very unobtrusive in that respect. And although our home is an old-world Tuscan design, the sliders work just fine aesthetically. On the subject of window washing, we discovered the Mr. Clean AutoDry Car Washing system makes washing all those windows a breeze. It's a device that attaches to the hose and dispenses either soap or clear water. But it also dispenses de-ionized water for use in the final rinse so that windows can self-dry without spotting...a big time saver. No squeegeeing, no wiping and the windows are spotless! We wash the windows with a sponge mop, rinse with water and DI water and we're done. If you have divided light windows, it wouldn't be of much help but for large panes of glass, it's invaluable. Bob...See Moresliding vs french doors for patio
Comments (25)Nancy and Others: I have also been researching what to replace my great room sliding glass doors with (one 6 ft wide and two 9 ft wide). Here it is, already December and I haven't made a decision! We bought the house in 06 and these are the orig that came with the house. I spent last winter stuffing kitchen towels in between the sliders with a spatula. Not the most attractive thing for the room company walks into. Originally, I thought of going with french doors but the prices quoted were so outrageous and since we don't plan on staying here more than 3 or 4 more years (as it is, we'd take a bath if we sold now with home prices as low as they are now and we wouldn't be able to get what we paid for it), I don't know if it would be wise to invest that much money. I'd been thinking of going the sliding door route once more. Someone above said french doors are tighter than sliders and thoughts of all those kitchen towels between the sliders last winter have me shifting back to french doors. I also want the blinds for the same reason you do....five dogs (3 pugs and 2 shi tzus). One thing I've learned talking to people at Home Depot and Lowes....the town I live in won't sign off on french doors that swing out. In the south, like Florida, they are preferred because of hurricanes pushing open doors that swing in, however, they are not permitted here. I assume it has something to do with snow and ice on the outside preventing exit in case of an emergency. I guess your posting was a couple of years ago so it may be too late to say to check with your building dept first. I'm curious to hear what you installed and how happy you are with it. Daisy...See MoreLONG sliding patio door - 2 panel or 3 panel?
Comments (15)What did you end up doing? If you are still deciding, I would advise against a 4 panel door for your 10 foot space. As another poster said, that will result in a lot of posts within a small area. The result will be less glass and a more crowded look. Once you factor in all the posts required for a 4 panel door, and the large section in the middle where the two closing panels meet, you will loose a lot of light and your opening will not actually be that much larger than a 3 panel door. I think 3 panels would work very well and, after allowing for the posts, will leave you with an opening that is around 3 foot wide. A 36" opening is very respectable - also, you will then only have one moving panel which equals less moving parts (see: things that may/will break some day) and only one screen door. A 4 panel door will generally be less weather resistant: two moving panels must join in the middle and try to create a seal with one another, which weakens the door's structure. this counts when a storm kicks up and you get a lot of wind driven rain. with a 3 panel door, each end of the moving panel will always close/seal against a FIXED panel. This is more stable and reliable. i'm not making this up - check the DP rating of a 3 panel door Vs. a 4 panel door for the same manufacturer. The 4 panel doors always have a lower rating. Another negative score against the 4 panel door is that you are forced to have the opening in the center of your room - which makes it difficult to furnish, as you must allow a passage way through the center of a room. Not an efficient use of space in many situations. 3 panels allow the flexibility to have the opening on the left, center, or right side. I'm not an authority on this... just my opinion :-) Good luck! Please let us know what you decided and if you are pleased with the result....See MoreILoveRed
4 years agoColleen Bear
4 years agomillworkman
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