Different Styles of Patio Doors

When it comes to patio doors, you have many different choices. In addition to deciding what room to put them in, where in that room’s outer walls to put them, and what to do with the area the patio doors open to, you also have to decide which style of patio door to purchase. There are several different options, some of which require more space than others. You’ll need to take that into account before purchasing your patio doors.

The most common style of patio doors is sliding patio doors. These doors are similar to sliding shower doors. Often, only one side of a set of sliding patio doors opens - the other side is like a large window. However, some sliding patio doors allow you to open either side. One of the advantages to this type of patio door is that you don’t have to leave space for a door to swing outward or inward, allowing you to use a lot more of the space on your patio.

You can also purchase longer sliding patio doors that feature three, four, or more panels. Some of these panels will be stationary (generally the middle ones). In this case, often you’ll find sliding doors at either end. These longer patio doors can be used to create an entire wall of glass panels, allowing a lot of light to enter a room. Note that locking these doors provides a bit of a challenge - usually, you’ll find a door stop included with your patio doors. This stop fits in the bottom track of the patio doors and prevents the sliding panels from moving. Some sliding patio doors also feature standard locks.

Hinged patio doors work just like normal doors - they pull in or push out. The only real difference is that they’re completely made out of glass instead of wood like a standard door. These doors can be installed singly, so they take up a lot less room than sliding doors do. You can also install two hinged patio doors together to create a style similar to French doors. If you don’t want that large of a doorway, you can always install one hinged door and one stationary panel. This lets in a lot of light but only lets you enter and exit through one side.

Patio doors featuring a transom window are very similar to the above types of patio doors with one major exception. The two (or more) glass panels are topped with a long, rectangle window (or windows, if you have a set of long stationary panels). These windows are mostly decorative, but they can give your patio doors a different look to them. Instead of large, single sheets of glass, you’ll have these smaller windows at the top. One of the advantages here is that you can hang your blinds so that they cover the patio doors but not the transom windows. This allows light to enter your room while still giving you the privacy of curtains.