How To Choose The Perfect Patio Door

There are many options when it comes to shopping for patio doors, so sticking to your priorities will narrow down the ones that don’t meet your needs. Here are some things to consider.

Pet and child friendly doors

Even with the most well-behaved pets and kids, accidents are bound to happen. Pets sometimes use their paws to communicate with owners, such as pawing at the door for going into the yard. Children’s toys can leave scratches as well, meaning painted door frames will be scraped or chipped. Doors with plain vinyl, fibreglass and aluminum can withstand the wear and tear without showing their age or use.

Hosting summer parties in the yard

Small get-togethers in the patio usually don’t involve too much movement between indoors and outdoors, but large gatherings like family reunions often involve more guests who tend to move between groups in order to mingle. Swinging doors and French doors won’t restrict the flow and allow for large furniture to be transported outside very easily. The drawback is that the doors need more space for clearance in order to swing open, so if you have a lot of furniture close to the wall adjacent to the patio, you will have to rearrange the furniture.

Making sliding glass doors safer

Sliding doors are convenient because you never have to worry about swinging the door into an object that may scratch, crack or even break the glass. However, the toughest part of securing a sliding glass door is remembering to lock it. As a failsafe, you can install a wooden or metal dowel in the track to restrict how far the door can open and, for added assurance, you can make sure the entrance has motion sensing lights for nighttime. Sliding glass doors are the standard choice, but if the room leading to the garden is long or wide, it’s a good opportunity to install a door with a larger doorway for a better use of space.

Choosing an energy efficient door

Energy efficiency can be improved in a number of ways:

• Glazing which interferes with the transmission of radiation (heat moves through conduction, convection and radiation).
• The mix of air between the layers of glass, sometimes even using Argon gas to improve insulation.
• Frames with insulating materials, such as an aluminum-clad wood door.

The choice of patio door can improve the way you use your patio and the room leading to it.