Patio Sliding Door

With the help of glass patio doors, you can enjoy the beauty of your backyard while sitting cozily in your living room. These patio doors help in modernizing the look of your house. They come with aluminum, vinyl, wood and steel frames, and are generally energy-efficient. You can choose them in tinted, textured, or protective glass form.


Energy-efficient glass doors are insulated with Argon and low E coating for controlling the temperature, thus, will tremendously help in reducing the electricity bills. Tinted glass lets light in, controls the solar rays, and at the same time, provides privacy. In addition, to give a tinted effect, you may have the colors filmed or coated to the plain glass. You may also opt for textured, opaque glasses that come with low E and Argon coating for your safety and privacy. Moreover, protective glass is tempered to withstand pressure and shock to the glass surface.

Your Glass Patio Door Choices

Architect Series by Pella

This 6” x 8” French door is priced approximately at $2000. Having the beauty of wood and strong aluminum clad finishing, you can also add aluminum screen doors for extra security. These patio doors are shipped with matching door frames, hinges, levers, and lock systems. It comes in premium glass, which is insulated with argon and low E coating for energy-saving purposes.

Integrity Sliding Glass Door by Marvin

Marvin glass patio doors are known for unmatched designs and reliability. This in-swing door has Fiberglass exteriors with primed interiors, and is sealed with tempered glass with Argon low E 366 coating for insulation. Ultrex brand sills are durable to sustain extreme weather condition thus sliding smoothly all through the season. This 7” x 8” door is shipped with rails and stiles and heavy-duty hardware. Customers recommend Marvin doors and claim to stay the same even after years of installation.

Aluminum Sliding Patio Door by Jeld-Wen

This energy star-rated Jeld-Wen door is made of finest aluminum clad frames and offers different glass door options such as energy saving, tempered, tinted or protective glass for the door. Optional grilles or fiberglass mesh screen door can be added to the door for additional security. These doors are ideal for new constructions or replacements.

Sliding Entry Patio Doors by Milgard

Built with strong aluminum or vinyl clad frames, the sills and tracks help in easy sliding. You can choose grilles or screen doors according to the requirement. Likewise, this door is very affordable at $500. Milgard also offers a lifetime warranty even when the glass is broken.

Architectural Twin Arch-top Hinged Doors by Andersen

This masterpiece is available in custom and standard sizes and comes with low E4 coated glass, which helps in reducing electricity bills. You may also choose from various accessories, grille patterns, glass options, and in-swing or out-swing doors available in the market. To prevent air leaks, weather stripping are installed to seal the gaps. Likewise, for your additional safety, high-end locking systems can also be used. The best part of the deal is that Andersen offers 20 years guarantees, transferable from owner to owner.


All the doors are energy efficient, energy star-rated, are eligible for energy credits, and require low maintenance.

Every brand has a special feature in their product. You can choose Andersen if you can afford a big price for remodeling your house. Pella and Marvin are the next choice when you want to install a door at a lesser cost. You may also opt for Milgard or Jeld-Wen, where Milgard comes with a lifetime warranty. Jeld-Wen, on the other hand, is budget friendly and is a good product at a small price.

Sliding glass doors does not occupy swing space and is compact when your living space and patio area is small. These glass patio doors virtually bring in the outside world to your living area. Thus, to change the mood and appeal of your living areas, add a patio door to your house.

Sliding patio doors are becoming increasingly popular choices for modern houses today. Gone are the traditional looks of old aluminum sliding doors well known for their poor design and inapt roller mechanism – where oftentimes, doors would jump off tracks.

If you’re looking for the perfect accent piece for your patio, then exterior sliding doors may be “it” for you. Today, sliding door models are not only stylish and durable; they are also energy efficient and provide additional security for your homes.

Door Frames and Tracks

Normally, exterior sliding doors have one fixed pane and an adjustable panel. Rollers are attached either at the top and bottom frame or at the bottom only and can be adjusted so doors glide more easily to the left or to the right. Likewise, tracks can be installed for door support and to ensure doors stay aligned on the tracks. They may ether be made of plastic or metal.

Types of Sliding Patio Doors

The most popular sliding doors are made from vinyl, wood, metal, or glass.

Although aluminum sliders were in style years ago, wooden sliding doors have fast become one of the fashionable choices when it comes to gliding doors. As wood suggests warmth and peace, some sliding doors are made of wood on the inside and vinyl on the outside to ensure durability of your sliding doors.

Since wood is susceptible to humidity, you have to ensure that your wooden sliding doors are hard-wearing and have a durable finish. There are pre-painted all-wood sliders available in your local hardware stores, or you can even ask to have your doors custom-painted according to your taste. This option, however, can put a strain in your budget if you’re looking for inexpensive sliders.

A good substitute for wood are doors made from combined fiberglass materials. Aside from being a cheaper alternative, these faux wood materials do not warp or crack. Still, there are other sliders faced on both sides with aluminum or vinyl covering.

Some sliding doors are made from glass. Thus, even if you have limited space, this type of sliding patio doors adds dimension to an otherwise cramped area by providing a transparent view of the outside. In effect, what you are really seeing is a continuous space starting from the inside and extending to the patio area.

Dimensions, Options, and Spaces

Sliding glass doors are generally between seven feet and eight feet high, although it can also run up to 10 feet high with width between 16 and 40 feet for commercial sliding doors. These large-sized sliders are ideal for bigger doorways, such as those in buildings. Due to its expansive size, up to eight functional door spaces can be installed to maximize its size.


Despite its sheer size, patio sliding doors do not take up much space. In fact, the area encasing these sliding doors can serve as additional spot for your home decorations or simply a gap to help a room appear bigger than it really is. You may place ornamental plants to give the room a wonderful ambiance.

To fully enjoy the benefits this door provides, you can install screens or shades to repel insects and deflect heat away from your patios. And because sliding patio doors allow natural light to come in, you not only have a relaxing time in your very home, you also save a lot on electricity costs.