The right sliding glass door can open your home to the world outside, blurring the line between indoors and outdoors. This is the elegance of sliding glass doors: in addition to their functionality and practicality, they provide outstanding views that become the backdrop to your life indoors. Homeowners with large outdoor spaces and a visually interesting property turn to sliding glass doors, which provide protection from rain and weather while also bringing natural light into the home and putting outside spaces on display.

How to Choose the Glass, Finish and More

Sliding glass doors have many styles, materials and finish options. The type of glass, hardware, and other options all impact the appearance of the finished fixture when it is installed in your home.

Finish

Sliding glass doors can be finished in a variety of standard colors or in a premium finish. Paint colors include white, bronze, black, and various shades of gray, while premium finishes include hazelnut brown, mahogany red, and walnut brown.

Some premium finishes resemble wood and look most natural in spaces with a lot of wood finish furniture. Choosing the right finish for your house is important, as the color of the frame can be used to dramatically offset the sliding door and either coordinate or create a contrast with other colors in the room. Viewing the various finish options in person in a showroom is important.

Bring samples of your home paint colors, pictures of your home, or samples of other materials found around your house to compare to the finish colors you’re viewing in the showroom. This will help you make a final decision. If you’re working with an interior designer to remodel parts of your home, your designer will help you choose the right finish for your home.

Glass

Sliding glass doors come with glass in impact resistant and non-impact-resistant glass types, and in a range of colors.

Obscure glass allows natural light to filter through while creating a foggy view of the outdoors. White interlayer glass is foggy white and nearly opaque. Clear glass provides the truest view of the exterior from inside the home, but also provides the least privacy.

If you live on a property that has a view of public-facing space, colored or obscure glass may be a more comfortable glass type for you. Keep in mind that colored glass also adds beauty that can coordinate with other colors in your home.

Details

In addition to the colored glass and finish, you’ll need to make other decisions when ordering your home’s sliding patio doors.

• Muntins. Muntins add architectural details that coordinate with the other windows in your home. If the other windows in your home have muntins, consider muntins for your sliding patio doors as well.
• Handles. Handles come in different styles including contemporary, flush pulls, and signature handles. Contemporary handles have a minimalist appeal that looks just right in many modern homes, while flush pulls are subtle and understated. Signature handles have a traditional beauty.
• Multi-panel or single panel. Multi-panel sliding glass doors create a virtual wall of windows, while single panel doors fit easily on smaller walls.
• 90-degree and 135-degree corner meet options. You have the option to bring together two walls of sliding glass doors in one corner. This creates a stunning effect when both doors are open.

Benefits of Sliding Glass Doors

Homeowners choose sliding glass doors for a variety of reasons.

Lovely views. If you have a home with a beautiful view, why not show it off? Sliding glass doors give homeowners a way to showcase their property, bringing the outside in.

Ease and functionality. Sliding glass doors are easy to open and close, with rollers in place to ensure smooth gliding motion.

Easy to maintain. With easy to clean tracks, sliding glass doors continue to operate year after year. They need simple regular maintenance according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. 

How to Choose the Sliding Glass Door Dealer

Most important is choosing a sliding glass door dealer that sells a quality product you can count on. While you’re selecting the sliding glass door of choice for your home, consider the following:

• Warranty. Look for a company that stands behind its products. Select windows with a strong warranty that shows the products are intended to last.
• Reputation. Seek out sliding glass doors from a dealer and manufacturing company with a reputation for excellence. Consider awards and certifications when determining reputation.
• Quality. See the fixtures in person when trying to decide whether the glass doors you’d like to buy are high quality. It should become clear as soon as you see the doors whether the products you’d like to buy are high quality. Their appearance, functionality, and elegance should all be second to none.

Shopping around, visiting showrooms, and seeing the products in person can help make your decision easier. Once your sliding glass doors have been installed, you’ll enjoy years of elegance and style in your home.