Sliding Glass Doors

Types of Sliding Glass Doors

• Aluminum – The new aluminum sliding doors are much different than the older models. Today high-quality offers durability, safety, style and energy-efficiency.

• Wood – Wood sliding doors present beauty, style, and warmth. Because wood is susceptible to the effects of sun and moisture, wood doors must be given a durable exterior finish to prevent warping and unnecessary damage. Most manufacturers prime or even paint wood doors in standard colors before the doors leaves the factory.

• Vinyl Clad – This is typically a wood sliding door with a vinyl cladding around it. These sliding glass doors offer outdoor protection for the wood. The color is formulated right in the vinyl so you never have to paint the door. Some manufacturers offer a vinyl cladding on the outside as to offer the aesthetically pleasing look of wood on the interior.

• Fiberglass – Sliding glass doors made from a durable fiberglass composite resist effects Mother Nature has to offer. Composite doors can be made to look exactly like wood, but will not crack or warp. Voids in a composite door are filled with a foam insulation too, giving a good insulation R-value.

• Foam-Core – Foam core sliding glass doors come with either an aluminum or vinyl cladding shell filled with polyurethane foam, offering 5-6 times the energy-efficiency of a wood sliding glass door.

Energy Efficient Sliding Glass Doors

To have an energy-efficient sliding glass door, the glass has to be glazed. High performance glaze means the door is truly energy-efficient. Fortunately, this comes standard on most high quality sliding doors. Typically most sliding glass doors have double paned glass with low-emissivity (low-e) coating.

Most manufacturers let you specify which type of glazing you want on your sliding door. They also offer the option of having your double paned glass filled at the factory with argon gas. You shouldn't have to worry about the argon gas failing if you decide to go this route. Argon gas is heavier than air. Most, if not all, window manufacturers use a flooding system that floods the area with gas and then seals tight.

Sliding Glass Door Sizes

The standard height for a sliding door is 6 feet, 8 inches. Standard sliders used only have 2 panels, one stationary, and one that opens. Manufacturers have realized different people want different things. A sliding glass door added when making kitchen renovations will differ from a sliding glass door leading to a pool deck from the master bedroom. Sliding doors are now available in 6 feet 11 inches, and 8 feet tall, and can have 4 panels or more, and can span about 16 feet wide.

Screens

Most sliding doors have a screen on the outside of the glass that rolls on a track like the sliding door. If this track gets some debris in it will cause the screen to not slide well, which is why keeping this track clean is important. Some manufacturers offer top mounted screens like rolling screens. The debris doesn't effect the operation of this type of screen.

Written by KarenSchweitzer