Different Patio Door Types and Their Applications

Balconies and patios are excellent places for homeowners to spend some quality time socializing with friends and family. In fact, since the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have embraced the idea of upgrading the look and feel of their outdoor living spaces because they use them more often than ever before. While glass has been widely used to integrate indoor and outdoor experiences in many homes, other patio door types exist. 

What Are The Best Type Of Patio Doors?

Here is a detailed review of some fantastic patio door types you should try.

1. Fiberglass Patio Doors

Fiberglass doors are not only lovely, but they are also strong and durable. They shrink and expand slightly when the temperature changes, which is very important when it comes to keeping your home cool. Install them in traditional or contemporary styles to create a great entrance to your home.

Sometimes the best wood doors get swollen when exposed to extreme weather conditions. When it gets very humid, your wood door can absorb moisture and swell up. Wood doors are no longer limited to the outside of homes. Thankfully, many homeowners are switching to fiberglass doors as well.

Benefits of Fiberglass Patio Doors

• Affordable Price: Remember, the cost to install the door and put up the patio door is only one part of the total cost, and other facets also affect the price. The price difference is influenced by several factors, such as installation type, door material, wall materials, and door hardware. 
• Durable: Your patio door will get a lot of kicks from the wind and the rain, so make sure that the door you buy is sturdy enough to acclimate you to all kinds of weather. This is exactly what the fiberglass patio door guarantees you.
• Stylish: Install a charming and attractive front door to help create a pleasant first impression. It is extremely important to improve the curb appeal of your home.
• Functional: Some of the vital specifics of the functionality of a patio door include being weatherproof, secure, and standard in size. A fiberglass patio door will give you all that!

2. Vinyl Patio Doors

Vinyl doors are one of the most common options for homes. They’re durable and cost less because they can be used in any situation. Doors that slide open into a smaller area are a great option if there isn’t much room for swing doors to swing inward or outward when they are opened. Colorful window frames can match the architectural style of your house and include tinted glass. 

You can also get even more custom features with a set of interior knobs with handles that are made from chrome. Some patio doors are made from a very popular vinyl material called PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) that is widely used today. It makes up more than 80% of all windows that are installed today.

Benefits of Vinyl Patio Doors

• Highly Energy Efficient: Doors manufactured from high-quality vinyl are strong and provide very good energy savings. They are also highly efficient, as they have high R-values, which means they can resist heat loss.
• Economical: Vinyl doors, which are usually the least costly, are available in many different styles and colors. Installation is quick and easy, and you will save money by not having to spend money to upgrade your doors.
• Easily Customizable: You can personalize the look of your vinyl patio doors into whatever you want.

3. Black Framed Patio Doors

Black glazed patio doors are trendy right now because they look great when you match the doors on the outside and inside.

Benefits of Black Framed Patio Doors

• Trendy: Black patio doors are fashionable, stylish, and sophisticated and have always looked very elegant. Black door handles make it easy to transform any room in your house and look amazing while doing so.
• Timeless: Consider installing black patio doors in your home. They are a beautiful way to let all that natural light into your home while allowing guests to access the outdoors easily. Black frames make a bold statement in the house, both inside and outside.
• Gorgeous: It is possible to have the same color as the frame used on your windows and doors. You can also choose black for the exterior and white for the interior. Many styles of homes are suitable for adding a black patio door to their exteriors. If you go through different collections of black patio door ideas online, you’ll find some creative ideas for incorporating black into your home.

4. Aluminum Patio Doors

Patio doors made of aluminum give you a sleek and sophisticated appearance. Thin aluminum frames create an urbane look that will last a long time. They are offered in 3 different finishes: White, Bronze anodized, and Clear anodized.

Benefits of Aluminum Patio Doors

• Easy to maintain: Windows and doors made from aluminum are easy to maintain than wooden windows and doors. It is necessary to re-paint or stain wood windows every year to ensure they are weatherproof and look good, but with aluminum frames, you won’t need to do anything as long as they look great.
• Easily matches different decors: Aluminum doors and windows are perfect for both modern and traditional homes.
• Durable: Aluminum has incredible strength and can be used to support large pieces of glass with a thin, sleek frame. It is especially useful for those who want to add new doors to their homes – they will not have to worry about the large, bulky metal frames that some other doors will have to put around them.
• Provide homeowners with excellent thermal efficiency: Aluminum doors and windows are very efficient thermally because they don’t contract and expand with temperature changes.

5. AX550 Moving Glass Walls

Moving glass walls can make your home stand out and make you feel like your own private space – something many people love. Opening the sliding glass door allows you to enjoy a beautiful view of the outside world and allow plenty of natural light to flood your home. When it opens, prepare to host guests for a party because this door invites everyone who enters your home to hang out on the porch.

Benefits of AX550 Moving Glass Walls

• Modern, sleek look: The look of these doors is very contemporary, and you’ll be proud to have them in your home.
• Smooth: With tall or wide openings that reach as far as 10 feet, your guests will be impressed as the doors slide open and close easily. Available with three different sizing options: Stacking, Pocket, and Bi-Fold.
• Frame color options: Color your door frames in four different ways to enhance the look of your home: Clear Anodized, Dark Bronze Anodized, Tan, and White.

What’s The Difference Between A French Door And A Patio Door?

French and sliding patio doors are beautiful and open quite wide, but some important differences exist. While French doors are double doors that open by swinging on hinges, sliding doors slide on an aligned track along the wall of a building to open and close. Therefore, the French doors will open outwards or inwards, and the latter will slide open on tracks horizontally.

Which Is Better, French Or Sliding Doors?

Even though the difference between the two types of patio doors may seem so superficial to potential home buyers or people looking to upgrade their patio designs, they both have pros and cons. For instance, you may need to be very careful when using French patio doors in windy environments to ensure the open door doesn’t slam shut and damage your walls. Sliding patio doors will give you more visibility of the outdoors when you’re inside the house than French patio doors.

Whether one door is better than the other really varies according to your needs. If you’ve got a small space and want a cost-efficient door that doesn’t take up too much space, a patio door that slides is probably the right choice.

French patio doors look great in some homes because they give the appearance that they were built in the old days, and if your home is really large, French patio doors are ideal. When deciding on the cost of a patio door, it depends on your preferences. Perhaps it’s time to replace your sliding patio doors with French doors. 

You may consider a new patio door color complementing your house decor. Or you just want the most energy-saving patio door that you can find. All these factors and many more can influence the cost of the patio renovation project.

Wrapping Up

A patio door creates a unique transition from your house to your patio or deck. The width should allow you to carry items such as chairs and tables as you walk through to the outdoor spaces. You may also need to open these doors to bring new larger home appliances and furniture into your house. Therefore, the choice of the type of patio door you choose to install in your home should be a well-thought-out decision.