Entry Door vs. Patio Door vs. French Door: Which Is Right for Your Canonsburg Home?
If you are planning a door project in Canonsburg and the opening in question is not a standard front entry, you have probably run into the question of which door type is actually right for your situation. Patio doors, French doors, and entry doors all serve overlapping but distinct purposes — and the right choice depends on where the door is located, how it will be used, and how Pennsylvania’s climate will interact with the installation.
This guide gives Canonsburg homeowners a clear comparison of the three main door types used for exterior openings — what each does well, where each falls short, and which situations favor each choice in Washington County’s specific housing and climate context.
Understanding the Three Door Types
Entry Doors
Entry doors are hinged doors designed to be the primary access point for a home — most commonly the front door, but also rear entry, garage-to-home, and side entry doors. They are built for security, weather resistance, and high-use daily durability. Standard single entry doors are 32 to 36 inches wide and swing on hinges mounted on one side. Available in steel, fiberglass, or wood with all the hardware, weather stripping, and threshold systems required for a primary exterior opening.
Sliding Patio Doors
Sliding patio doors consist of two or more large glass panels where one or more panels slide horizontally on tracks to open. Designed primarily for high-traffic access to outdoor spaces — back decks, patios, and yards — where moving people, furniture, or objects in and out is a regular need. Space-efficient because they require no swing clearance on either side.
French Doors
French doors are double-door configurations where two door panels are hinged on opposite sides of a center opening and swing open (outward, inward, or one of each). Used for both interior and exterior applications. As exterior doors, they provide a wide, symmetrical opening with significant aesthetic character — particularly suited to the traditional, craftsman, and colonial-style homes common in Washington County’s established neighborhoods.
Sliding Patio Doors vs. French Doors: The Core Comparison
Opening Width and Traffic Flow
A 6-foot sliding door gives you a 36-inch passage opening — one panel slides while the other is fixed. A 6-foot French door gives you nearly 6 feet of unobstructed passage when both panels are open. If wide-clearance access matters — moving furniture, grills, wheelchairs — French doors provide it more consistently than sliding units.
Space Requirements
Sliding doors require no swing clearance on either side — clear advantage in rooms where furniture placement is tight or deck space adjacent to the opening is limited. French doors require swing clearance equal to the full width of one door panel, either into the interior room or onto the exterior deck.
Energy Performance in Pennsylvania
Both door types require significantly more glass area than standard entry doors — creating larger potential heat loss surfaces in Pennsylvania winters. Specifying insulated glass units with low-E coating and argon fill is important for both types in Washington County’s climate — the glass area of a patio door is large enough that the glass package meaningfully affects overall energy performance. The same glass performance principles we cover in our guide on window replacement in Canonsburg apply directly to patio door glass selection.
Security
Entry doors offer the strongest security — solid slab construction, reinforced frames, deadbolt systems engineered for primary entry. Sliding patio doors should always have multi-point locking systems and anti-lift pins preventing the sliding panel from being lifted out of the track. French doors need flush bolts at the top and bottom of the fixed panel in addition to a deadbolt at the center astragal.
Appearance and Style
French doors are the clear winner on visual impact and architectural character. Their symmetrical configuration and connection to traditional residential architecture make them a natural fit for the craftsman bungalows, colonials, and Victorians that make up a significant portion of Canonsburg’s housing stock. Sliding doors are well-suited to contemporary and ranch-style homes where their clean lines and large glass area fit the architectural character.
Cost Comparison in Canonsburg
Standard sliding patio doors (6-foot vinyl, double-pane): $1,200 to $2,500 installed. French patio doors (double panel, fiberglass, standard size): $2,000 to $4,500 installed. French doors are typically more expensive in the same product tier due to additional hardware complexity.
Interior French Doors: A Special Case
French doors are also popular for interior applications in Canonsburg homes — between a living room and a dining room, opening onto a home office, or creating a connection between an indoor space and a sunroom. Interior French doors do not face weather demands, but they do require correct sizing, proper door swing planning, and appropriate hardware selection.
Interior French doors are a popular element in bathroom remodeling projects in Canonsburg — creating elegant transitions between master bedrooms and en-suite baths, or between a dressing area and a bath. If you are planning interior renovation work alongside exterior door replacement, combining the projects can reduce overall disruption and contractor coordination.
Which Door Type Is Right for Your Canonsburg Home?
For a front entry or primary access door: a quality single entry door in steel or fiberglass is the right choice — engineered for security, durability, and weather resistance.
For backyard deck or patio access where visual character matters and swing clearance is available: French doors are worth the premium for Canonsburg homes where the architectural style supports them.
For backyard access where space efficiency matters, the opening is wide, or the home’s style is contemporary: sliding patio doors deliver excellent function at a lower cost than French doors. Specify quality glass packages and proper security hardware.
For narrow side or rear entry openings where security and energy performance are the primary drivers: a solid entry door outperforms patio door configurations per dollar spent.
Frequently Asked Questions: Door Types for Canonsburg Homes
Are French doors or sliding doors better for cold climates?
Both can perform well in Pennsylvania’s cold climate when properly specified with insulated glass, low-E coating, argon fill, proper weather stripping, and quality threshold seals. Selection should be driven more by space needs, style, and traffic requirements than by cold-climate performance differences between the two types.
Which patio door type is easier to maintain in Pennsylvania?
Sliding doors require track cleaning and occasional roller adjustment. French doors require weather stripping maintenance at the astragal seal and periodic hardware adjustment as the house settles. Both require comparable maintenance effort — fiberglass and vinyl versions of both types are more resistant to weathering than wood and require less refinishing attention.
How wide do patio door openings need to be?
Standard sliding patio doors come in 6-foot (two-panel) and 9-foot (three-panel) configurations. Standard French door units are available in 5-foot, 6-foot, and wider configurations. Both types can be custom-ordered for non-standard openings at added cost and lead time. Minimum practical opening for a sliding patio door is approximately 60 inches.
Get a Free Door Consultation for Your Canonsburg Home
Choosing the right door type for your specific opening — considering your home’s architecture, available space, security priorities, and budget — is a decision that benefits from seeing the actual opening with an experienced local contractor.
Peak Precision Contracting installs entry doors, sliding patio doors, and French doors throughout Canonsburg and Washington County. We offer free in-home consultations — we assess your existing opening, discuss your priorities, and recommend the door type that makes the most sense for your home. Visit our door contractor page in Canonsburg or call (412) 498-4299 to schedule your free consultation.