What's the difference between French doors and patio doors?

Swapping out your home’s existing rear entrance doors provides a unique opportunity to enhance several aspects. Light entry, ease of use, and efficiency are all important factors to consider when choosing a new door style, making it vital to understand the difference between French doors and patio doors – The two most popular patio door styles. Thankfully, the Reddish Joinery team are here to help!

French Doors: Double-door opening action for an “Oh La La” effect

Named as such due to their popularity in certain European countries like France and Italy throughout the 17th century, French doors have been a favourite amongst UK residents due to their historical style and worthwhile function. They’re made up of two separate door panels that can be operated independently of one another, opening inwards or outwards to elegantly reveal the home’s patio or garden.

The two door panels mean ventilation and privacy can be altered to a varying degree, giving homeowners greater control of how they wish to use their inside and outside living spaces. When going through Reddish, all French door sets come made to measure specifically for your home to always ensure a tight fit, keeping security high and heating bills remarkably low.

• Slim sightlines gives the illusion of an extended home
• Infusing classic style with modern function
• Capable of opening inwards/outwards to not impede on living space
• Slim sightlines for open outside views
• Customisable astragal bar patterns for added personality

Patio Doors: Smooth-sliding function to blur living spaces together

Simple, smooth, yet reliable, traditional patio doors can be fitted in sets of between 2 and 4 fully-glazed panels, having the potential to create an undeniably striking wall of glass. A premium sliding track ensures that stepping into your garden or patio area is never a chore whenever you’re tempted out, with each panel tucking neatly inside one another to never disrupt living space.

Unlike French doors, they might allow for fewer customisation opportunities, but boast an inherently natural style that means residents of both contemporary and heritage homes can enjoy their various benefits. In addition, all uPVC sliding patio doors come reinforced with steel to guarantee reliable strength while still being easy to push.

• Panel configurations that range between 2 and 4
• Effortless sliding function thanks to premium sliding track
• Panel over panel sliding to save on inside and outside space
• Slim sightlines for open views and large influxes of natural light
• Neutral style that suits both modern and traditional homes

How do both impact the home’s rear entrance?

Both make for great rear entrance solutions, each introducing their own unique perks and advantages. French doors, for example, function as you’d typically expect a standard door to, allowing a great deal of customisation thanks to various astragal bar combinations. Sliding patio doors, meanwhile, go a long way to seamlessly blur inside and outside spaces, bringing homeowners closer to the garden by letting lashings of natural light enter. It’s all a matter of personal preference.

Make outside entrances more memorable with doors from Reddish Joinery

For more information on how the Reddish Joinery team are perfectly primed to revitalise your home’s back entrance with either a French or patio door, contact us today. You can reach us via phone on 0161 969 7474 or send us an online message and we’ll get back to you with a free quote.