Types of Sliding Glass for Curved Patios

Movement Options

• Six main design patterns exist, which offer choices on movement and direction of the doors. The first involves two side-by-side doors, one sliding left and one sliding right, which overlap in the center and allow access on either side. The second involves a variation of the first where one door, either the left or right, is actually a fixed panel while the other door slides over it. The third is a three-panel setup, with two sliding doors traveling in one direction toward a fixed panel at the end. The fourth has four doors mounted on two rails, all of which slide, creating a large open space if needed. The fifth is a variation on the fourth, where the center two doors slide outward, but the two end doors are actually fixed panels. The sixth involves a six-door setup, where the two doors on each end are fixed, the two left-center doors move left, and the two right-center doors move right. Any additional designs beyond these standard ones would have to be custom created and could be highly expensive.

Glass Styles and Materials

• The material and style of the glass itself is often important to consumers depending on the type of property they have and where it resides. Standard window glass is usually acceptable for most situations, although several options exist. Both tinted glass and reflective glass are available for additional privacy and sunlight protection, while also making a unique aesthetic statement. Shatterproof safety glass and laminated glass, which features two glass panes with an interlayer between them, can also be installed when necessary along with thicker storefront glass for businesses.

Heat Loss Reduction

• The reduction of heat loss may be important to homeowners who experience seasonal or year-round cold weather. The least expensive type of heat-retaining glass is standard double glazing, which holds in twice as much heat as traditional panes. Slightly more effective is a double glazing filled with argon gas, which has better thermal insulating properties than does dry air. A third option is double glazing with Low E -- a special coating that reflects or absorbs heat energy (infrared light). The most effective and expensive option is a combination of double glazing, argon gas filler and Low E coating, which loses almost three-quarters less heat than traditional panes alone. In addition, the frame itself can be made from thermally broken aluminum sections instead of standard aluminum, which better trap heat.

Other Options

• The aluminum frame can be anodized with bronze or satin finishing, which provides a decorative look while increasing resistance to corrosion. Some sliding doors also offer a low-maintenance nano coating that keeps the glass looking newer over a greater length of time and reduces the need for cleaning. Additionally, multipoint locking mechanisms offer an added level of security over single-point ones. Lastly, the entire system itself can be installed to slide manually or mechanically, the latter of which requires an electronic control panel.