4 Sliding French Doors To Consider

With the number and variety of different sliding French doors available today, homeowners have the luxury of choosing a door style that blends in well with their home décor.

1.  Steel

One of the complaints many homeowners have about wood French doors is the amount of maintenance that they require. Steel French doors answer these complaints because they require so little upkeep and provide extra security.

Traditional French doors are framed in wood and require regular sanding, staining and sealing in order to keep them in top condition. They are prone to warping in geographical locations where there is a great deal of rain and moisture.

Steel French doors, on the other hand, simply require that you keep the slider track clean and well lubricated. They can be delivered already primed and ready for paint or already painted white.

2.  Solid Paned

Another form of sliding French doors is a door with solid paned windows in the door. Traditionally, French doors have small square panes with wood dividers. However, more contemporary French doors have a solid window in each door. This allows for maximum light to enter the room, while still maintaining the look of a traditional French sliding door. Solid paned French doors are easier to keep clean and maintain, since they do not require cleaning all of those small square windows.

3.  Blinds

Today, sliding French doors are available with blinds encased between two layers of glass. Blinds can be made of wood, cloth or steel and are easy to open and close, providing extra privacy for homeowners. Blinds also provide the additional ease in cleaning, since they are encased within the glass.

4.  Combination

One new entry into the sliding French door market is the combination door. On one side of the sliding door, it appears to be a set of traditional hinged French doors, complete with wood framing and multiple square panes. Often this side of the door is stationary and does not open or it opens with a quick flick of a bolt that allows the door to slide open.

On the other side is a traditional sliding door. Often this door is either a single pane or it is multiple paned, but slides easily along the track and is the primary door that is used for the slider.