Yes, you can get sliding French doors. They are gliding patio doors styled to look like French doors, and the catch is that most of them open only about half their width.
A hinged pair opens the whole frame. A slider keeps one panel fixed, so a 6-foot unit gives you roughly a 3-foot walk-through.
What a sliding French door is
Andersen sells its 400 Series gliding patio door as the classic gliding door with a “classic French door look.” Different grille patterns change the look, and custom patterns are available.
That is the point of the style. It reads as a French door from across the room, while the panels glide on a track instead of swinging on hinges.
Andersen also offers between-the-glass blinds on this door, if you want privacy without a separate shade.
How much opening you really get
This is the trade most people miss. Canadian Choice Windows & Doors puts the usable opening of a slider at roughly half the door width, since one panel stays fixed. A hinged French pair gives the full frame width when both leaves swing back.
Thompson Creek says the same thing in plainer terms: a sliding door has only one half that slides open, so its opening is half of what French doors offer.
If you move furniture, a grill or a big plant through the door, the full opening matters.
When the slider wins: tight space
Hinged doors need room to swing. Canadian Choice suggests leaving at least 60 centimeters, about 2 feet, of walkway between the arc of the door and the nearest furniture.
A slider needs no swing clearance, and Thompson Creek notes it doesn’t require space to open to the outside either, which suits a balcony or a closed-off patio.
Standard sizes
The sizes follow the same heights as a hinged pair: 6 feet 8 inches, 6 feet 11 inches and 8 feet. Two-panel widths run 5, 6 and 8 feet, and four-panel units go much wider for a big opening.
Custom sizes are available too. For hinged pairs, see standard French door sizes in feet.
Screens and upkeep
Thompson Creek says a slider’s screen runs on the same track as the door. Canadian Choice adds that screens usually come with sliders, while on hinged doors they are optional and may cost extra.
The track is the part you maintain. Canadian Choice suggests cleaning it monthly in busy seasons with a brush and vacuum, then using dry silicone spray, not an oil-based lubricant, on the track and rollers.
Pick by how you use it · George Anderson
If the door is mostly for light and a view, and the patio is tight, I would choose the slider. If it is the main way you carry things in and out, I would stay with hinged leaves, because half an opening gets annoying fast.
Locks and security
Canadian Choice lists multi-point locking, anti-lift hardware or track stops and a keyed lock cylinder for sliders. Hinged doors get multi-point locking at the top, middle and bottom.
Ask the dealer which of those come standard on the model you are quoting, and which are extras.
Questions to ask before you buy
- How wide is the walk-through opening, not the frame width?
- Is the screen included, and does it ride on the door track?
- Which lock features and anti-lift hardware are standard?
- Can I get the grille pattern I want, and what does it add to the price?
- Do I have the swing space for a hinged pair, if I choose one?
To weigh the two styles side by side, read how French doors compare with sliding patio doors. For ideas on how they look in a home, see sliding French doors for patios.
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