Sliding Patio Doors Provide Better Home Access
When most homeowners install a patio, the one thing on their list are sliding patio doors to allow for easy ext from the house onto the patio. The sliding doors offer many advantages over traditional hinged doors as they can be fitted with a screen to cover the opening to allow better air flow in the home as well as provide easier access to carry things, such as food, in and out of the home.
They also allow in considerably more light than traditional double hung windows and with the right dressings, can add the appearance of more room to an area in the home. Instead of leaving the windows in sliding patio doors remain open, leaving the room looking like a fish bowl from the outside, vertical blinds or sliding curtains are often used. Vertical blinds seem to be the most popular choice as they can be turned to be open to let in a little bit of light or opened completely for access to the doorway.
One caution when using sliding patio doors is to make sure they are secured at night and when not at home. Many mistakenly believe that the door lock is all the protection they need. Using a dowel rod, at least three-fourths of an inch in diameter laid in the bottom track of the moving half of the door, will prevent unwanted access from the outside.
Choosing Door To Match The House
Most sliding patio doors come complete with the frame, but the trim can be selected to match the trim of other doors and windows in the home. The door itself will obviously be different, but with the right trim work can be made to look like it was planned from the beginning rather than as an afterthought.
Probably the hardest part of having sliding patio doors is keeping the glass clean, especially with small children. Handprints can be a constant battle but with the right glass cleaner can make them look new all the time. If the sun hits the door, every little speck of dust will show, but smears from outside dirt and inside hands can make them very unattractive.
Be sure to run a vacuum cleaner hose inside the bottom track at least weekly to keep the track free of dirt and debris and the sliding patio doors sliding easily. Applying some oil every couple of weeks will also keep the slides and rollers moving easily, but always vacuum out the track before oiling to keep the dirt from clumping into a ball, effectively stopping the door from sliding.
