Choosing a door
Double glazed doors explained
Short answer
A double glazed door is any external door whose glass is a sealed unit of two panes with an insulating gap between them, fitted in a frame designed to keep draughts and weather out. uPVC, composite, French and patio doors can all be double glazed. The right choice depends on where the door goes, how much glass you want and how much security and privacy you need.
What makes a door double glazed
The phrase describes the glass, not the door material. Two panes are bonded to a spacer bar around their edges and the cavity between them is sealed, often filled with an inert gas. That sealed unit slows heat escaping far better than a single sheet of glass, and it also takes the edge off traffic and street noise.
The rest of the door matters just as much. A poor frame, tired seals or a door slab that has dropped will leak air around a perfectly good glass unit. A proper double glazed door combines the sealed unit with compression gaskets, a thermally broken threshold and a multi point lock that pulls the door tight into the frame when you lift the handle.
The main types side by side
Most homes choose from four families of double glazed door:
| uPVC doors | Lightweight, low maintenance, wide choice of panels and glass. Our uPVC doors are £799 fully fitted. |
|---|---|
| Composite doors | A heavier solid core behind a hard wearing skin, popular for front doors. Our composite doors are £1,099 fully fitted. |
| French doors | A pair of glazed doors opening outwards to the garden. Our French doors are £1,499 fully fitted. |
| Patio doors | Large sliding panes for the widest view and the most daylight. |
Glass choices that change how the door works
Clear glass gives maximum light but little privacy, which suits a back door facing the garden. Obscure patterns blur the view while still letting daylight into a hallway, and are the usual pick for a front door beside the street. Low emissivity coatings reflect warmth back into the room, and toughened or laminated safety glass is required in doors because it breaks safely.
Decorative leaded or bevelled designs sit inside the sealed unit, so they never need cleaning between the panes. If you are unsure, bring a photo of the door you like to the survey and we will talk through which glass suits the spot.
Where each door works best
- Front entrance: a composite or solid panel uPVC door with a small obscure glazed section
- Back or side door: a half or fully glazed uPVC door for light into a kitchen or utility
- Garden opening from a lounge or dining room: French doors
- Wide opening onto a patio where floor space is tight: sliding patio doors
When to replace rather than reglaze
If only the glass has misted and the door still closes, locks and seals well, a new sealed unit is usually enough. When the frame is warped, the door catches, the lock is stiff or draughts come round the edges, replacing the whole door is normally better value. Every door we fit is installed by our own fitters, FENSA registered, and covered by a 10-year insurance-backed guarantee.
Energy, noise and condensation
An old single glazed door lets warmth drain out of a hallway and allows cold air to creep in around a worn frame. Swapping it for a modern double glazed doorset tends to make the hallway feel noticeably warmer, and the sealed unit keeps the inner pane closer to room temperature, which reduces the condensation that often streams down old door glass on winter mornings.
Noise from traffic, footsteps and neighbours is also softened, although the frame seals matter as much as the glass here. If a room beside a busy road is the problem, mention it at the survey, because thicker or laminated glass can be specified to help.
Common questions
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