Find the best door for your place
French doors are more expensive, but they’re popular among homeowners seeking a classic design scheme.
Sliding doors are less expensive and give homes a modern look with plenty of light.
Both should be installed by professionals to ensure no structural problems arise.
Both can add beauty to a home.
Choosing a new door for your porch or patio is not as open and shut as you might think. French doors provide a classic look whereas sliding glass doors are more modern and more affordable. Let’s break down how they really compare before you decide which is best for your home.
There are a few differences between French doors and sliding doors, such as how the doors open, shut, look, and where they’re installed.
While there is only one type of sliding door, a door that glides along a track to open and shut, French doors are more versatile in how they open—they swing in or out, open from the sides or center, and one or both doors can open and close.
French doors also have flexibility in where you can install them, and can be used in both interior and exterior applications, while sliding doors can only be used as exterior doors.
The way they look is also quite different. You can tell the difference between the two by the small glass panes on French doors, and the single glass pane on sliding doors.
French doors come in many different shapes and sizes. Often made up of two-door panels with numerous glass panes for letting light in, what gives French doors their distinct look is the smaller window panes that make up the doors composition.
A popular choice for homeowners, there are a number of benefits—and some drawbacks—to this type of patio door.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Secure | Swing open |
| Aesthetically pleasing | Expensive |
| Large entryway |
Secure: French doors, while made of glass, provide more security and protection than other types of glass doors. They are equipped with multiple lock points and are made of smaller glass panes instead of large ones.
Aesthetically pleasing: French doors are popular with homeowners who want a more traditional or classic look.
Large entryway: Because both doors can be unlocked and open, the doorway makes moving large furniture in and out of the home quite easy.
They swing open: Because French doors don’t slide, they take up more room in your home when open.
Expensive: French doors are usually more expensive, costing homeowners anywhere between $500 and $4,000.
Best For: A highly decorative door that’ll give your home a lot of personality and sophistication.
Sliding or gliding doors open and close via a single horizontal track built into the doorway’s frame. Using only one larger pane of glass, much like French doors, they let in a lot of natural light.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Affordable | Can be finicky |
| Modern | Not as secure |
| Slide open |
Affordable: Sliding glass doors typically cost between $1,000 and $2,600, depending on how many panes of glass are needed.
Modern: Sliding glass doors are a popular choice for those who enjoy their more modern design feel.
They slide open: Unlike French doors that swing open, sliding glass doors, well, slide. This saves you floor space when the door is in use.
Can be finicky: Sliding glass doors can come off their track, become unsealed over time, or even leak water.
Not as secure: Because sliding glass doors are a large area of glass, and only lock in one point, they’re not as secure as French doors.
Best For: A modern-looking back door that will keep you insulated and let in plenty of natural light.
Whether you choose French doors or sliding glass doors really depends on your home and your personal aesthetic. Provided you do your research and know what makes them different.
French doors have a wider frame, which makes them a popular choice for those who want a classical look in the home. Though sliding glass doors have more narrow frames, which contribute to a very modern feel.
The hinges that hold up French doors develop problems faster than the rolling track of sliding doors. That’s because rather than being supported along all sides by a frame, they hang on hinges and that weight can cause the doors to need to be adjusted more frequently.
The material used will also impact the lifespan of both products. Wood tends to rot which leads to durability issues, whereas vinyl can take a lot more. All that said, French doors have a longer lifespan than sliding doors. The average lifespan of a vinyl French door is between 30 and 50 years, while the average life of a sliding door is 20 years.
Installing a French door or a sliding glass door isn’t an easy task. In addition to requiring very specific measurements, the doors themselves can be extremely heavy. Though there are sliding glass door kits readily available online, we recommend that you leave the installation and any repairs to a local door professional.
Because French doors have over 200 pounds hanging on their hinges, they are hard to repair. Expect to spend about $220 to adjust or repair your French doors.
Sliding glass doors are easier to maintain. To keep them operational, you simply must keep the track clean and the rollers operating, something homeowners can do themselves without calling a pro.
There are many ways to customize your French doors, including the way they open, decorative glass, unique structural upgrades, and elaborate frames—all of which can add to your project cost by 10% to 30%.
Since sliding glass doors have only one pane of glass, the customization options are pretty minimal here. You’re only able to upgrade the door’s frame and change the type of glass you use—as well as tint the glass.
The average price to install French doors is around $3,000, with a typical range between $2,000 and $5,000. Some of your cost factors include the type of doors, their size, the material, and where they are installed.
If you’re looking for ways to save money on this project, opt for vinyl, single in-swing French doors to reduce costs—as well as tempered or laminated glass, and avoid high-end materials and styles.
The average price for sliding glass doors is around $2,475, with a typical range between $1,170 and $4,000. The cost factors here are less than French doors, with the type of door, size, materials, and labor being the greatest impacts to your total cost.
French doors can make a big impact on your home, giving you an increased aesthetic appeal. Because they often cost more than sliding glass doors, they could increase your home’s value.
With sliding glass doors, investing in add-ons, like window tint, insulation inserts, and using glass that will keep your house at an appropriate temperature, could reduce your heating and cooling bill.
Installing French doors can cost between $300 and $6,000, and sliding doors can cost between $340 and $8,400. While you can install this type of door yourself, it’s not a beginner project. If you’ve got the experience, make sure you’ve got the tools and a helper.
Labor costs for door installation are usually between $300 and $800, so you can save a lot if you do your own installation. Keep in mind that the cost to rent or buy tools for a project like this can be significant, so if you don’t already own tools, you’ll need to rent or buy them, and it might be worth hiring a local door installer anyway.
Chris Middleton contributed to this article.
French doors can add value to your home by increasing curb appeal. Having French doors that lead to a patio or porch will add an eye-catching feature to your home that may raise its resale value. If properly installed, French doors can last as long as 30 years, so French doors often have a good return on investment.
French doors can seal better, so a good quality, well-insulated French door will be more energy efficient than the best insulated sliding door. That’s because there’s no way to totally seal a sliding door and still allow it to slide past the jamb effectively.
Usually, french doors are more secure because they have a better locking system and a wider frame that allows for a more robust lock. Because sliding doors are just a big pane of glass with a single lock, they tend to be less secure. While you can get bars and other extra security features for your sliding door, a French door is more secure on its own.
