French doors to a balcony and a loggia: features and types

For a long time, balconies were used as a place for drying clothes and a pantry, so their design was not paid enough attention. Today the situation has changed — they began to deal with the design of this additional space as seriously as any other. The French door, partially or completely consisting of glass, is very popular with designers.

Traditionally, everything European is associated with exceptional style and quality. Under the definition of “French door”, structures with a predominance of glass elements in the canvas are hidden - their share should not be less than 80%. As a rule, products are mounted in the entire height and width of the opening from floor to ceiling.

Typically, such doors are installed in cases where the passage to the balcony is at least half the entire wall. If you additionally have French windows installed, the room offers a beautiful panoramic view even if the doors are closed.

The French door can either be made entirely of glass, or supplemented with inserts from other transparent materials. It can be made out in the form of a solid canvas, can be divided into several segments of arbitrary geometric shape. Please note that for such models not ordinary glass is used, but especially strong, specially tempered.

French doors have both their advantages and disadvantages.

Among the main advantages, there are several points.

• The abundance of light inside the room. Even if the balcony faces the north or west side, the room will still become much lighter.
• Stylish, truly European look. Such doors fit harmoniously into any interior through the use of a variety of materials and decor options.
• Visual expansion of the boundaries of space, moreover, not only the room becomes voluminous, but also the balcony itself. The transparent separation of the rooms makes the border between them almost invisible.
• Thematically and functionally, the balcony and the room are combined - they become a continuation of each other.
• Doors are practical, durable. The mechanism does not fail even with prolonged use, and the use of the latest technological developments in production makes such models safe and easy.
• Due to the possibility of maximum disclosure, high-quality ventilation of the room becomes possible. Air flows do not encounter any obstacles, so you can achieve the necessary freshness of the room in just a few minutes.

However, there were some shortcomings. The abundance of glass makes door maintenance difficult. On a transparent surface, fingerprints and stains are clearly visible after insufficient washing. Particularly striking are the fibers from napkins and stains from detergent on the balcony doors overlooking the sunny side.

Compared to traditional profiles, French doors are much more expensive, while the glass has a rather low thermal insulation. Glass allows cold, so you can only put these on insulated loggias and balconies.

French doors have many options: they can differ in the color of the frames used for the production of materials, the presence of decorative fittings and the configuration of glass, the paintings are stained, engraved, and tinted.

The design of panoramic windows directly depends on the type of construction. Traditionally, they are made in the form of two swing wings - this is a portal option, it is simpler and cheaper, because it is often used in country houses to decorate walkways to a spacious terrace or patio.

For small-sized city apartments, a more successful option will be sliding or folding models.

Sliding models are carried out by analogy with the doors in the compartment of cars - there the door leaf moves off to the side along the guide. Such a design consists of two main points: a static base and a movable part, such doors can have several wings, most often a pair. The presence of fixed parts does not allow to open the door completely, but, despite this, the model has quite significant advantages:

• does not require free space for swinging open sashes;
• easy to install and operate;
• works absolutely silently.

Depending on the type of opening mechanism, these doors can be: lifting-sliding, tilting-sliding, lifting-sliding, sliding is also popular.

French doors look very stylish with an accordion, in their design they resemble a screen, that is, when the shutters are closed, they overlap each other. Unlike simple sliding models, the accordion has no static elements - all its parts are movable, which allows you to fully open the doorway.

The disadvantages of such a model include a smaller amount of the covered surface, since each leaf has its own frame - this makes the room insufficiently lit.

Accordion doors can be mounted in any doorway, and this is the main advantage of such products in comparison with sliding door structures.

The main part of the panoramic French doors is fiberglass. It must certainly be resistant to mechanical damage, rain, direct ultraviolet rays, heat and frost. —A hardened web with a thickness of 7 mm or more meets all these requirements.

Door frames can have several types of execution.

• Metal-plastic - in this case, PVC profiles are used for the manufacture and installation of French doors, they can be insulated and simple. If the door is used only to distinguish between rooms and protect against minor external influences, then “cold” structures will be quite enough: they are lightweight, but they do not provide the necessary heat and noise insulation. “Warm” profiles are optimal if the balcony is not glazed and insulated.
• Aluminum - lighter in comparison with metal-plastic frames, they are strong and durable, and therefore are more in demand in the design of balcony openings. Custom-made models with enhanced thermal protection can also be made to order.
• Wooden - This option is used much less often than the others, and this is not surprising, since the wood breaks and peels over time, but it costs a lot more. Such options are optimal for fans of eco-style in the interior, which involves the use of natural and environmentally friendly materials.

Regardless of the material of the door frame, it can be given absolutely any color and designed in any style. Thus, aluminum profiles harmoniously look in interiors decorated in the loft and high-tech styles, wood will be more appropriate in the styles of country, provence and classic. Frames made of plastic are traditionally made in a white shade - in this way the lightness and weightlessness of the structure can be emphasized.

It is possible that before installing the French door you will have to expand the balcony opening, for this you will have to completely dismantle the balcony block. Keep in mind that such work requires mandatory technical coordination with the management company, BTI, Rospotrebnadzor and the Ministry of Emergencies. If you do not pay enough attention to this issue, the redevelopment will be declared illegal and you will encounter difficulties when selling an apartment.

Installation work on installing a panoramic door best left to professionals in the absence of work skills and specialized equipment, hiring specialists will be the best solution, as it will significantly reduce the risk of unjustified destruction and low quality work performed, in addition, you can get a guarantee on the door.

If you are determined to do the installation yourself, keep in mind that all measurements must be carried out carefully with an accuracy of a millimeter, deviations are not allowed here.

Let us dwell on the features of installing a sliding door as the most common option. In this case, the frame is fixed in the opening with the help of anchor dowels, immediately after that the shutters are fixed in the frame, and it is important that the frame does not become skewed during installation.

At the final stage, all voids should be repaired, it is best to use polyurethane foam. We pay attention to the fact that it should not go beyond the edges, since the material has the peculiarity of expanding - from the foam to the blocks should remain about 2-2.5 cm.

At the finishing stage, the surface is covered with waterproofing tape, and the joints are plastered.

Glass surfaces require frequent cleaning - dust quickly accumulates on them, any dirt and fingerprints are immediately evident.For washing, it is worth using special fiber napkins - it is not recommended to take fabric webs that are familiar to us, since they leave fibers on the surface, and sometimes stains.

You will also need a special tool in aerosol packaging; the Secunda and Nithinol solutions are highly effective. Cleaning should be done as the surface gets dirty, but not less than once every 5-7 days.

In the video you will learn what is important to know when ordering a French balcony.