Impact Sliding Glass Doors in Florida

Impact sliding glass doors are a great way to open up your home to the outdoors while sacrificing minimal floor space. A glass sliding door, a type of sliding door, is a large, functional feature in a building that provides access from a room to the outside while allowing abundant natural light to enter. A single unit typically consists of two panels: one fixed and one mobile that can be unlocked, commonly referred to as a glass slider. Another model features a wall-sized window with glass panels that slide into wall pockets, allowing for a ‘wide open’ view of the outdoors.

Benefits of Impact Sliding Glass Doors

• Available with a sliding screen door (upon request) to provide natural ventilation while keeping insects out.

• Generally feature slimmer frames compared to French doors, allowing more natural light to enter and making spaces feel larger and more open.

Difference Between Sliding Doors & French Doors

One clear advantage of sliding doors over French doors is that they have less impact on furniture placement, which is why sliding doors are often the better choice. Since sliding doors operate parallel to the wall on a flat plane, they don’t require any additional space to swing open. In contrast, French doors need enough clearance to open inward or outward, which can limit how you arrange your furniture.

Variations You Can Choose From

What Makes a Window or Door Hurricane-Resistant?

Several factors determine whether a window or door is impact-rated, such as the design and engineering of the frame and sash, the quality of weather stripping, the type of glass used, and the low-emission coatings applied to the impact glass.

These products protect your home from more than just hurricane-force damage; they also help safeguard your family against potential intruders. The most common way to achieve impact resistance is by using laminated glass, laminated insulating glass, or heat-strengthened glass.

Impact-resistant laminated and laminated insulating glass can withstand repeated strikes from a 9-pound, 2′ x 4′ beam traveling at 34 miles per hour. Even if the glass is damaged, the interlayer holds the pieces securely in the frame, keeping unwanted elements safely outside.

A Brief History of Sliding Doors

Sliding glass doors are considered an important element of the pre-war International Style in Europe and North America. Their design was influenced by the traditional Japanese fusuma panel gate. During the post-war modernist and mid-century building boom, sliding glass doors became a standard feature in suburban ranch homes, multi-unit housing, and hotel or motel chains, making them a common component of both residential and hospitality architecture across many regions.

How Do They Work?

It would help if you moved the sliding glass shower doors away from a corner that leaves no corner pillar or frame. There are two vertical profiles in the corner style, a male and a female, which gradually move together and then float apart through the doorways. This meeting point does not need to be exactly 90 degrees; it can also be an inverted corner that suits such frames beautifully in any style.

Why Choose Impact Sliding Glass Doors

Home Depot and Lowe’s sliding glass doors are generally preferred over standard glass doors because they feature a tighter frame. However, glass itself is a poor insulator, making it less ideal for thermal comfort. Choosing the right type of glass or blinds for sliding doors should take your region’s climate into account.

Sliding glass doors and their window treatments provide additional light and often open onto a balcony or patio. However, the safety risks of Pella sliding glass doors are clear. The glass panels are more vulnerable to shattering, giving potential intruders a natural access point. Similarly, if a Home Depot sliding glass door is not installed or locked correctly, it can be forced open. Plantation shutters for sliding glass doors are also generally less effective than conventional deadbolts on most Pella models.

FAQ