A patio is a great fixture to a house. It functions as a room between the indoors and outdoors, a place to enjoy the sunshine and weather while still under the roof of your home, or under a roof of its own. Outdoor patios are normally unenclosed - they are standing structures that support a roof without walls, allowing maximum exposure to the outside. These do not require doors, or at least they look the best without them. An attached patio, an extension of the back of the home into the yard, does need a door. But which door fits right? The most traditional, common design for a patio door is a sliding door, and here is why:

How to Choose Sliding Patio Glass Door

Sliding patio doors are the most common type of door for the patio because they are convenient in all the ways that make a patio great. Sliding doors are normally see-through, mostly made of glass or another transparent pane which allows maximum sunlight to come in even when it’s closed. And when it’s closed, it keeps out unwanted elements like insects and loud noises. Sliding doors give easy access and are secure with a variety of locking options, and being made of glass does not make them flimsy or easy to break through. These are doors to the patio, not the home itself, which serves as an extra layer of precaution to make any would-be burglars think twice about having to get through two whole doors. What you want in a sliding patio door is one that looks good with your house, is made of durable material and is within your budget.

What Kind of Materials does a Sliding Patio Door Frame Have?

The main material by weight for any patio door will be the glass that serves as its main surface. You want the most exposure possible so you can enjoy the view without needing to open the door. The frame is the next most important material, as it will give off the appearance which blends best with your home and will add extra durability and security to the whole door.

There are several primary materials to choose from:

Wood

The classic and traditional material for any building project is wood. Wooden frames require minimal maintenance normally, but wood is known to be a very reactive material, especially with moisture. If you want to watch stormy weather through your patio door, you may end up watching the door itself swell from moisture or humidity. This means the door might “stick” as the wood expands and fills in the formerly open grooves in the track it’s meant to slide in. In the right environment, wood is a perfect choice for representing elegance in a modern design.

Vinyl

This is the least expensive and most efficient material, and also one of the more durable. Vinyl is a type of sturdy plastic which can be molded to take on any appearance and painted over to match the colors of the rest of the patio and house. It’s strong against inclement weather, but can crack under intense heat, and otherwise suffers from fading or flaking after a while meaning it needs to be maintained more closely than other options. However, being cheap, it’s also easy to replace or upgrade from, and its lightweight can help make a door slide easier.

Fiberglass

This is a material somewhere in the middle of wood’s elegance and vinyl’s durability. Made of highly compressed plastic fibers, it is capable of being extremely lightweight without being fragile, and it can be fashioned into many different shapes or molds to match the surroundings. It is more expensive to acquire and very difficult to replace. Breaking it may even be more dangerous than shattering glass.

Metal

For high security and long-term durability, nothing beats metal. Steel or aluminum door frames are a little harder to slide out, they’re heavy and more expensive, but they are nearly impossible to damage. Being that solid means the glass has stronger protection from vibrations, and metal warps much less than wood, so it won’t compromise the structure of the door in high or low temperatures. It also can’t really block those temperatures, meaning your patio could become a sauna or a walk-in fridge during the right season with a poorly tempered metal door. If you’re looking for a door to outlast the bad weather, a metal frame will make it last.

Other Options and Upgrades

The glass is the most important part of a glass patio door, so make sure you get the right type of glass that works best for you. Double-pane is the standard, which uses two plates of glass to protect each other, and also serves as a buffer against outside temperatures. Triple-pane windows do an even better job. These are usually listed as energy-efficient windows. All-weather glass is great for year-round seasonal changes in the weather, but storm glass is best for those living in areas where the storms can get tropical. There is even special hurricane-rated laminated glass that can stand up to the worst kinds of storms. Of course, you can also use decorative glass with stylings and effects, or install blinds that can slide in and out of view.

Sliding Patio Door Benefits

There are some obvious benefits to a sliding door design. It doesn’t swing inside or outside, meaning the space immediately around the door is always available. It’s a more modern door, yet also has a traditional value, being the preferred choice of doors in many East Asian countries. The glass window structure is offset by multi-point locking, allowing the door to be secured in more than just one place, making it incredibly secure. And the tracks are easy to adjust and maintain, so they can be kept easily or hard to open and close.

French Doors- Another Good Choice

If a sliding door seems too basic for your patio, you can overlap them with French Doors which swing outward along a similar track. They are a combination of traditional swing-out doors and sliding doors and are very stylish to boot. You can go with both, or settle with one. A great patio door isn’t just a window to the outside, it serves as a great view on its own.