Hinged Vs. Sliding Glass Doors

The differences that distinguish hinged and sliding types of patio doors are important to consider when considering a new or replacement patio door to complement your space.

When choosing the right door for your home’s patio, many people are not sure if they should go with a hinged or sliding patio door option. Therefore, understanding the pros and cons of each door type can help make your shopping experience a lot easier. Especially when deciding on what is convenient and optimal for your home. Keeping this in mind, it is now time to analyze both the advantages and disadvantages of hinged vs. sliding patio doors.

Sliding Patio Doors:

As opposed to opening outwards, sliding patio doors are designed to glide horizontally with one operating panel and one stationary panel. They fit into tighter spaces in comparison to hinged doors since their panels don’t interfere with your room or patio. These doors slide from side to side and are generally more aesthetic in any room in the home due to the fact that they are great for large patios/rooms and don’t take up much space.

Advantages of Sliding Doors:

-A wide range of market options
-Offer a more contemporary style to your home as opposed to the “traditional” hinged door
-Usually, have additional features such as a sleek mirrored finish which is not an extra offered with hinged doors
-Are also often less invasive as they allow you to open sideways as opposed to outwards where they can intrude into another room

Ventilation: Most French doors, or other types of hinged patio doors do not include screens. Sliding patio doors almost always do. If your patio door is in the kitchen, we recommend sliding patio doors with screens because kitchens need ventilation. The best stove fan cannot ventilate as well as a window, and letting fresh air into your home has many health benefits.

Space Savers:Sliding patio doors move parallel to the wall and do not require designated space for operation. This is a major advantage for small interior spaces and decks. Swinging patio doors require more design consideration. Measure the width of the door and draw a semi-circle with that same radius. That is space that you cannot use. If you choose swinging patio doors, decide where you can afford to lose that space. If interior space is more limited, chose out-swinging doors. For example, sunroom additions with doors to the outside usually swing outwards because sunrooms are small. However, beware that out-swinging doors are prone to more accelerated weathering if you leave them open. If outdoor space is more limited, choose in-swinging doors. This can be a better option for decks that are used for entertaining.

Disadvantages of Sliding Doors:

-Challenging to clean on the outside. Although cleaning them on the inside is relatively easier, sliding doors slide back and forth thus making it difficult to clean from the outside especially during winters.
-Have a higher risk of being damaged because doors can get stuck or jammed in between openings.

Operation: Sliding patio doors don’t always slide as easily as you would like them to. The rollers can wear out and debris can accumulate in the tracks and increase friction. Even a brand new sliding door is difficult to operate when you are holding a tray of marinated meats to throw on the grill.

Size of Opening:Sliding patio doors do not fully open, whereas hinged patio doors can open to the full width of the door configuration. The wide useable space hinged doors provide might only be utilized on move-in and move-out day, but when you are moving large objects, hinged patio doors make it much easier.

Hinged Patio Doors:

A hinged patio door typically consists of either a solid wooden panel or a hollow-cored door affixed to a door jamb with two or more hinges. Quite usually, new hinges are generally required to support taller doors that are beyond average height. For these exceptions, stronger and sturdier hinges are needed for heavier and bigger doors. Of course, the door size will depend on your homes patio size and relative size of the room it is installed in.

Keep in mind that, hinged doors are opened by pushing on the door which will open it from the inside.

Advantages of Hinged Doors:

-The ability to fully open the doors without any limitation or restrictions of just opening side to side
-Considered to be a more traditional option. Therefore, you are more likely to find a better range of doors in different sizes and finishes to fit your space and cater to your homes unique structure.

Disadvantages of Hinged Doors:

-Hinged doors will usually take up more room as they have to swing outwards when open. As a result, if you don’t have a great deal of space in your patio, then you might want to consider the advantages of sliding doors.